322 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY… 231 DAYS UNTIL THE AUGUST PRIMARY 

MOSEN — ‘MISSOURI GOP HITS MCCASKILL ON EARMARKS,’ POLITICO Exclusive:  “The Missouri Republican Party is launching their second ‘Chameleon Claire’ web video this morning. The focus of the 53-second video is ‘McCaskill’s flip-flop on earmarks.’ Senate candidate John Brunner hit on this same theme last week. Watch: http://bit.ly/rDmTOa.” 

— The race dropped one in the Washington Post’s rankings: “Republicans continue to insist that Sen. Claire McCaskill…is in deep trouble while Democrats insist that she is inoculating herself from President Obama and her party — look at her recent call for a permanent earmark ban — and that a lackluster field of GOP candidates could save her. Of the GOP field, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn…recently told the Wall Street Journal: ‘We have a three-way primary, and it really depends on who’s nominated, whether they are able to withstand what they know is coming at them in a general election.’” http://wapo.st/rSSh0u 

TERM LIMITS QUESTIONED — ‘Study finds fault with Missouri legislature term limits,’ AP: “A recent report by a professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia found that the average tenure of state House and Senate members in the current era of term limits is similar to that of lawmakers who served in 1920s, when state government was much smaller and lawmakers weren’t limited in how many times they could seek re-election. But the historical twist is not a good thing, concludes David Valentine, associate director of public service at the university’s Truman School of Public Affairs. Valentine equates legislative tenure with knowledge, meaning today’s lawmakers are less informed about the intricate details of state government despite the fact that it is much more complex than it was during the Roaring Twenties. He concludes that term limits have negatively affected the ability of lawmakers to tackle tough policy decisions, increased their propensity to view their current office as a steppingstone and weakened the power of the General Assembly, among other things. … 

“Missouri is one of 15 states with legislative term limits. Voters in 1992 approved caps of about eight years each in the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate. The clock started ticking with the 1994 elections, meaning it wasn’t until 2002 that most veteran House members and some senators were barred from seeking re-election. The deadline hit in 2004 for the remaining senators. That means Missouri has now cycled through an entire class of term-limited lawmakers — as those elected in 2002 or 2004 have either used up their allotted time or are entering their final year in their chambers.” http://sgfnow.co/sa1Y0n

COURTS — ICYMI over the weekend: ‘Clerks ran court while St. Louis judge was on vacation,’ Post-Dispatch: “Travis Burnett never showed up for his Oct. 18 court date. It triggered an arrest warrant, dated that day and signed in ink by Associate Circuit Judge Barbara T. Peebles. But Peebles was not in court that day, either. She was on the other side of the world, on a two-week vacation in China. … 

“While the judge was gone in October, clerks handled at least 350 cases — dismissing five, refusing to dismiss at least one and deciding that as many as 18 arrest warrants should be issued — a Post-Dispatch investigation revealed. They also continued more than 300 other cases to later dates, telling defense lawyers there would be no bail reductions while Peebles was gone. That potentially added weeks of jail time for defendants seeking to make a case for release pending trial. Many of the actions were taken using a stamp bearing Peebles’ signature. … 

“Typically, judges schedule their work around vacations, arranging for colleagues to handle matters that cannot be deferred. Peebles did get other judges to cover part of her work while she was gone Oct. 11 to Oct. 21: recently arrested inmates who must appear in front of a judge. But not the rest.” http://bit.ly/tquGqu

DC DISFUNCTION — Sen. Roy Blunt appeared on CNN’s Sunday show yesterday morning, where he discussed disfunction in the U.S. Congress: “Days after being elected to Senate Republican leadership, Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt blasted Congress as a whole for its inability to break partisan gridlock. Appearing on CNN’s ‘State of the Union,’ on Sunday, Blunt was asked about Congress’s historically low approval rating at 11 percent nationwide, which, as the questioner pointed out, is lower than President Richard Nixon’s approval when he was being impeached. ‘I don’t know who the 11 percent are. Congress is almost totally dysfunctional this year,’ Blunt responded. ‘Of course people are not satisfied than that.’” http://bit.ly/u5OTRC

— McCaskill: House GOP opposition to payroll tax cut extension weird,’ PoliticMo: “In a bipartisan vote Saturday morning, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to extend President Obama’s payroll tax cut. But Sunday morning, after speaking with members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Speaker John Boehner said the Senate bill is one that his caucus will not support. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., had one question for House Republicans in a tweet Sunday morning: ‘Huh?’ ‘Talk about extreme,’ McCaskill wrote. ‘R[epublican]s in [the] House will fiercely fight to prevent taxes going up even a dime on mega wealthy,but ok with taxes going up on working families. Weird.’ 

“Boehner, speaking on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ said, ‘It’s pretty clear and I and our members oppose the Senate bill.’ While some of his members want a one year extension, with various riders attached, more conservative members, including Missouri congressman Todd Akin, R-St. Louis, argue it simply should not be extended.” http://bit.ly/szVLZK

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, and welcome to this edition of PoliticMo Rundown. Send your tips, comments, and scoops to eli@politicmo.com. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Greg Porter… South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (FOR REAL!)

BE THINKING — We’re working on a Top 5 political stories of 2011 piece, and would love to hear some suggestions. Send your ideas to eli@politicmo.com. 

BILLY LONG PROFILE — ‘A year later, Long still “fed up,”’ News-Leader: “[E]ven though the Springfield Republican has mastered the basics of being a member of Congress, [Billy] Long — a former auctioneer and political neophyte — is still as perplexed and frustrated as ever with the way Washington works, or doesn’t. A man who ran on the slogan ‘fed up’ says he still is. ‘I’m fed up for different reasons,’ Long said, in an interview reflecting on the close of his first year in Congress. Before he won election to the U.S. House in 2010, Long recalled coming ‘unglued’ as he watched lawmakers in Washington approve a bank bailout, a stimulus package and a massive overhaul of health care. Now that he is part of Washington himself, ‘I’m fed up (because) nobody wants to do anything up here except get re-elected,’ he said. … 

“‘When you’re first elected, you really think you’re going to be able to move your agenda and get some things done,’ he said. Now he knows better. When asked what the highlight of his first year was, Long didn’t tick off any specific legislative victories. Instead, he talked about being part of a freshman class that forced a shift in the congressional debate — from stimulus spending to deficit cutting.” http://sgfnow.co/rCU9EP

REDISTRICTING FALLOUT — ‘Jagged Maps Slice Up Old Alliances,’ WSJ: “Democratic Party officials in key states are fighting with leaders of one of their most dependable constituencies—African-American voters—as each tries to gain advantage from the redrawing of House district lines. In some of the disputes, black leaders find themselves allied with Republicans, a striking subplot to the once-a-decade redistricting process. … In Missouri, African-American legislators joined Republicans to pass a pro-GOP map that protects two black congressional seats, infuriating other Democrats. This tension comes down to hard-edged politics. Democrats want to distribute minority voters among various districts to elect as many Democrats as possible. Black leaders often want to concentrate those voters so they are likelier to elect African-Americans. … 

“The biggest fight may be in Missouri, where the Republican legislature recently drew a map with six GOP-leaning seats and two Democratic districts with large numbers of black voters. Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon promptly vetoed it, but the Missouri legislature overrode the veto, with four African-American legislators joining 105 Republicans to provide the exact number of votes needed. Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, one of the four, said in an interview it was crucial to her to preserve a historically black St. Louis district. … Ms. Nasheed immediately faced the wrath of fellow Democrats, who met after the vote and threatened to censure the dissenters or strip them of committee assignments, though they didn’t follow through.

“Rep. Russ Carnahan, whose district will be carved up by the Republican map, angrily confronted two black colleagues in Washington, Reps. William Lacy Clay and Emanuel Cleaver, because he felt they had not stood up for him, according to people familiar with the dispute. He even aimed an expletive at Mr. Clay on the House floor, one person said. Mr. Carnahan declined to comment. Mr. Cleaver said in an interview that the map was the best Democrats were going to get from the GOP-dominated state legislature.” http://on.wsj.com/uEiszU

2012 LEGISLATING — ‘Lawmakers to focus on children’s welfare in upcoming session,’ News-Leader: “Many southwest Missouri lawmakers do not have to go far to learn about the state’s struggles to improve child welfare. The lawmakers can look to their own personal experiences or stories told by their constituents. The tales recount child deaths due to abusive adults and difficulties navigating the bureaucracy of foster care or family services. And the lawmakers say constituents speak about their desires to keep improving the condition of children in the state. … 

“[L]awmakers …  say they will focus on those concerns during the upcoming session of the General Assembly, starting on Jan. 4. Local children’s advocates believe area legislators are positioned to make an impact on the dialogue. The issues are broad in scope and include changing public school funding, tax credits for programs for low-income families and crisis programs and new laws aimed at preventing abuse or neglect. Lawmakers also say they face another year of tight budgets, which could affect many of their goals.” http://sgfnow.co/rrcIVt

— ‘Mo. lawmaker raises concerns about energy proposal,’ AP: “A Missouri lawmaker wants Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to let someone else write the summary for a proposed ballot initiative on renewable energy. An initiative submitted last week to Carnahan’s office would increase the amount of electricity that Missouri power companies must generate from renewable sources such as the wind and sun. The secretary of state is responsible for a writing a summary to appear atop the initiative petitions and on the ballot. Republican Rep. Jay Barnes, of Jefferson City, contends the Democratic secretary of state could have a conflict of interest because her younger brother is an investor in wind energy production.” http://apne.ws/vHQOcR

EDUCATION — ‘Nixon considering a ‘myriad’ of education funding measures,’ PoliticMo: “Gov. Jay Nixon said nothing is set regarding his plans to fund higher education in the next budget. In an interview with PoliticMo Friday, Nixon wouldn’t confirm reports that his administration is planning to ask universities for a $106 million loan from their reserves to help prevent education funding shortfalls, but did say the state is considering multiple options. ‘We’re looking at a myriad of options to be sure that we’re putting dollars in the classrooms where the students are and continuing to press to keep tuition down where possible,’ Nixon said.” http://bit.ly/san4kn

— Columbia Tribune Editorial: “Son of MOHELA: Nixon too creative by half”: “Give the governor of Missouri credit for innovative ways to fund higher education. In past years, Jay Nixon has traded immunity from harsher budget cuts for institutional restraint in raising tuition. Even so, state funding has steadily declined. … Although Nixon should not be accused of nefarious dealing, this one has a smell about it. It might be regarded as equal parts bribery, threat and intimidation. University officials are being told in so many words, ‘Either do this deal, or you will lose 15 percent in state funding next year.’ So far, those very officials are hunkered down, pondering their range of unpleasant choices. … 

“To top it all, the repayment funds would come from MOHELA’s fabled pool of superfluous state employees’ retirement revenue supposedly ripe for the picking. Son of MOHELA it is, and perhaps an illegitimate offspring, at that. Nixon’s latest concoction is frighteningly creative, but let’s give him this much credit. Finding none in projected state tax revenue, he looks hither and yon for any possible pool of loose cash to help higher education. Back during Gov. Matt Blunt’s administration, he and his economic development minions seized on a risky scheme to tap surplus MOHELA funds for capital projects coveted by many interests around the state. After only a small percentage of projected funding actually came forth, the elder MOHELA fell flat, but apparently Nixon’s budget gurus see enough loose cash to repay his latest plan over the promised seven years.” http://bit.ly/tejRie

LABOR — ‘Total compensation of Missouri workers lags nation,’ Missouri Journal: “While total compensation of U.S. workers increased by 2.2 percent in 2010, total compensation for employees in Missouri inched up by less than a percent, according to analysis by Missouri Journal. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis examined the compensation of employees by county across the country, reporting total compensation increased in 2,480 counties and declined in 633 counties. In Missouri, total compensation increased in 75 counties and declined in 40 counties. Compensation for employees in the Show-Me State, however, increased by only 0.38 percent.” http://bit.ly/tFdMrE

SPORTZ — ‘MU smothers William & Mary 94-56,’ KC Star: “As far as starts go, Missouri really couldn’t have asked for a better one against William & Mary on Sunday. Just three days after coach Frank Haith criticized his team for being too casual on defense — or ‘Cadillac,’ as he put it — in a blowout victory over Kennesaw State, the Tigers came out with a vengeance, holding the Tribe to 18 first-half points in a 94-56 victory in front of 9,026 fans at Mizzou Arena.” http://bit.ly/ubiIyD