283 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY… 192 DAYS UNTIL THE AUGUST PRIMARY

CA$H RACE — U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill announced a major announcement yesterday on Twitter. She convinced a bunch of reporters to stare at campaign manager Adrianne Marsh’s twitter account for about half an hour in deep anticipation. Turns out no she wasn’t switching races, no she wasn’t running for president of the moon (this happened yesterday: http://ti.me/w62EWH), yes she was announcing big fundraising numbers:  @AdrianneMarsh: “Hard work from @clairecmc & team paid off again last quarter - she raised $1.4 million in 4th quarter & has nearly $5 million cash on hand.” 

— ‘With deep campaign pockets, McCaskill begins 2012,’ PoliticMo: “A source familiar with McCaskill’s fundraising totals told PoliticMo nearly two thirds of her donors gave $100 or less. None of McCaskill’s Republican opponents have yet released their fundraising totals, but former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman and Rep. Todd Akin, two of the contenders, have underwhelmed in recent fundraising quarters. McCaskill’s third opponent, St. Louis businessman John Brunner, is self-funding at least some of his campaign. His operation has been funded well enough to purchase multiple statewide ad buys. The deadline to file with the Federal Election Commission is January 31.” http://bit.ly/y9r7w4 

EASE —  ‘Wagner’s path to victory clears,’ PoliticMo: “While it is still too soon to start referring to St. Louis Republican Ann Wagner as ‘Congresswoman-elect,’ Ed Martin’s announcement Thursday that he would drop his campaign against her is the clearest sign yet of Wagner’s increasingly smooth path to victory in November. With large campaign coffers and backing from many established Republican leaders, Wagner could breeze through the nomination in the Second Congressional District, and, potentially, with no announced Democratic challenger, through the election. 

“Wagner’s only Republican challenger is Dr. Randy Jotte, who announced his candidacy for the nomination earlier this week. Jotte, who has led three unsuccessful attempts for elected office (two in Missouri), faces significant challenges against Wagner, most strikingly his hope to run as an independent Republican in the same district that has elected Rep. Todd Akin, a favorite of Tea Party conservatives, for a decade.

“Wagner, by the way, praised Martin as a ‘committed conservative,’ and wished him well in his new campaign for Attorney General. ‘Ed is well-suited to run for Attorney General and his decision today gives

us both an opportunity to serve our state and country in different ways,’ she told PoliticMo.” http://bit.ly/wCn57H

— Randy Jotte emails press list, “Subject: Statement Concerning Wagner’s ‘Inevitability’”: “With all due respect to my opponent and her supposed inevitability, it’s not as if the professional political prognosticators have a very good batting average this cycle. We have witnessed rapid changes in the Republican Presidential Primary - with candidates Trump, Bachman, Cain, Perry, Gingrich and others rising and falling in prominence over short periods of times. This race is still unsettled. … We believe the race for Missouri’s Second Congressional District is wide open as well and contains many unknowns. Voters are tired of having their candidates chosen for by the media, the spin doctors and the political campaign professionals.” 

#MOGov OUCH — The Post-Dispatch released a pretty scathing editorial scathing Gov. Jay Nixon for his new budget proposal as his “consistent tact to the right,” even with a cartoon depicting Nixon as two sides of a card: “Oddly, to judge by Mr. Nixon’s State of the State speech and his proposed budget, the lack of competition is moving the moderate Democrat farther to the right. It’s as if he wants the GOP nomination, too. Mr. Nixon is not just accepting but embracing the “no new taxes” ideology so popular in the GOP-controlled Missouri Legislature. He’s cutting funding for Medicaid and higher education. He’s offering more tax giveaways to businesses. …  Missouri would be better off if Mr. Nixon had a more competitive challenger. We have one in mind.

“His name is Jeremiah W. ‘Jay’ Nixon, and he ran for governor in 2008. That Mr. Nixon, the Old Jay, lamented Missouri’s moribund rankings in higher education funding. …  New Jay announced a budget that cuts higher education spending next year by 12.5 percent. He has proposed a budget that would put higher education spending in Missouri at its lowest level since 1997.

Old Jay called Gov. Matt Blunt’s 2005 Medicaid cuts ‘brazen and insensitive.’ … Old Jay tried to restore some cuts in his first year in office. The Legislature balked. Since then, New Jay has proposed Medicaid cuts in each of the last three years, though, unlike Mr. Blunt, he would not cut anyone from the rolls. … New Jay says those Medicaid cuts won’t effect services. We’re sure the disabled and elderly patients left hanging by a bungled SynCare contract — an attempt to save money — beg to differ.

It’s not that the Missouri Democratic Party has given up on priorities such as funding education and Medicaid, but that the party’s leader has abandoned those very priorities. … 

“New Jay sticks his finger in the political winds, sees no upside to standing on principle and declines to utter an opinion on such ideas. … When we endorsed Jay Nixon for governor in 2008, we rooted for a ‘New Nixon.’ The one we envisioned was a governor who ‘consistently puts his admirable principles before his political ambitions.’ That guy, if he ever existed, is nowhere to be found.” http://bit.ly/zSfSGr

BUDGET REALITIES — ‘UMKC chancellor warns of fresh budget pain,’ By MARÁ ROSE WILLIAMS in the Kansas City Star: “Gov. Jay Nixon’s plan to cut 12.5 percent from higher education would cost the University of Missouri-Kansas City $9.4 million, the chancellor predicted today. … While declining specifics on how the campus would be affected, Chancellor Leo Morton said, ‘There is only so far that you can go, and at some point you have to consider some impact on the work force.’ University of Missouri System officials, in a joint statement, also acknowledged that tuition will go up again. … UMKC raised its tuition 5 percent last year, but that was after two years with no increase.” http://bit.ly/AqH0eI 

— Revenue realities? State Treasurer Clint Zweifel, in an interview with PoliticMo this week: “We’re seeing a slight uptick in revenues at this point, and that’s good news. The main issue, and this goes back to, regardless of what state revenues are, we need to create jobs on the ground. When we are creating jobs, when we have small businesses hiring and investing, when we have families feeling confident about the economy, the budget problems begin to take care of themselves. So, growth is a key component to get out of its.”  

HAPPY FRIDAY, and welcome to this edition of PoliticMo Rundown. Send your tips, comments, and scoops to eli@politicmo.com. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Dr. Gina Loudon… One of our favorite people in the Joplin area, Joanna Derfelt… 

MAYOR FRANCIS SLAY, St. Louis County Exec Charles Dooley will hold a press conference today on the Earned Income Tax Credit this morning. 

GOOD FOR STL — ‘St. Louis hosts 1st big parade on Iraq War’s end,’ Jim Salter for the AP: “Since the Iraq War ended there has been little fanfare for the veterans returning home. No ticker-tape parades. No massive, flag-waving public celebrations. So, two friends from St. Louis decided to change that. … On Saturday, hundreds of veterans are expected to march in downtown St. Louis in the nation’s first big welcome home parade since the last troops left Iraq in December. … Ticker-tape salutes to returning troops are part of the American culture, including parades in many cities honoring veterans of World War I and World War II. Since the end of the latest Iraq War, there have only been small events at military posts, gatherings of families at airports and a low-key appearance by President Barack Obama at Fort Bragg, N.C., a base that endured more than 200 deaths from fighting in the war. … City officials agreed to waive permit fees and allow use of streets for the parade from the heart of downtown along Market Street to Union Station, the former train station that is now a shopping center and hotel. A ‘Resource Village’ will be set up there that will include food, music and entertainment but will also connect returning vets with organizations to help ease transition to civilian life. Organizers expect about 100 parade entries - floats, marching bands, first-responders, veterans groups.” http://apne.ws/zeiQfG

— U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan plans to attend. Per statement: “They say Missouri is the ‘Show Me’ state. But this time, the compassionate and patriotic people of St. Louis are showing the nation how quickly we can mobilize to thank those who have given so much for our nation.”  

MISSOURI PIPELINE ? — ‘New proposal would run pipeline next to existing one in Missouri,’ Post-Dispatch: “While the political debate rages over the future of the Keystone XL pipeline, a competitor is proposing a line that would cut across Missouri and provide an alternative to Keystone for shipping Canadian tar sands oil to the Gulf Coast. Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. hopes to link its existing Canadian oil pipelines from where they currently end near Chicago with another pipeline that runs from Cushing, Okla., to Houston and Port Arthur, Texas. To do that, the company wants to build a $1.9 billion pipeline adjacent to an existing Enbridge line that cuts diagonally across northern Missouri before entering southeast Kansas.” http://bit.ly/AdahiN 

SENATE RACE — ‘Brunner Punches Back, We’re On for 3 Debates, Branson Just Isn’t One of Them,’ Mahoney: “Missouri Republican US Senate candidate John Brunner’s campaign says they’ll do at least three debates with his primary opponents, but the approaching debate in Branson is not one of them. … Brunner’s campaign say he has agreed to rake part in a joint appearance at the Lincoln Days gathering in Kansas City next month. Two other debates the Brunner campaign says it has agreed to are a KMOX radio debate and one sponsored by the St. Louis RCGA. A campaign insider maintained, ‘the idea that John is not willing to debate or is afraid to debate is just crap.’” http://bit.ly/x1Bo5K 

DEBT LIMIT — ‘McCaskill, Blunt divided,’ Post-Dispatch: “Following a Senate vote [yesterday] afternoon, the nation’s debt limit will increase tomorrow by $1.2 trillion, to $16.394 trillion. The Senate cast a largely party-line 52-44 vote against bringing up a measure to block the increase. The convoluted debt limit deal reached last summer enables the ceiling on borrowing authority to be automatically raised without Congress approving it. The procedural maneuver this afternoon enabled Republicans to voice opposition to spending without risk of default and the market-rattling brinksmanship that occurred last summer. The GOP-run House passed its so-called resolution of disapproval last week. … 

“Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.., voted with their party against taking up the measure to block the increase. … Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt was among Republicans using the occasion to blame the White House for the mounting debt.” http://bit.ly/z3B7XY

— John Brunner’s spokesman Todd Abrajano: “Once again, Claire McCaskill has cast a vote in support of Barack Obama’s record of irresponsible and reckless spending, allowing the president the option to raise the nation’s debt limit by an additional $1.2 trillion.  … Claire McCaskill’s claim that raising the debt limit does not authorize new spending is ludicrous, because career politicians like herself always find ways to keep spending more and then vote again and again to raise the debt limit even higher to cover the cost.” 

EDUCATION — ‘Dramatic school plan offered for failing Missouri districts,’ Post-Dispatch: “In exchange for addressing a vexing court ruling that has become a headache for many school districts, an influential state senator wants to fundamentally reshape the urban education landscape in Missouri. On one end of the state, Sen. Jane Cunningham would dissolve the unaccredited Kansas City School District and require adjoining school districts to carve it up and operate the city’s schools. On the other end, Cunningham would let St. Louis County districts open charter schools in the failing St. Louis district, even as students were allowed to transfer to better suburban public schools, if space was available. … 

“The proposed changes are part of a bill she introduced on Thursday. Though it hasn’t been formally referred to her General Laws Committee, she announced that she will hold a public hearing on the issue at 3 p.m. Tuesday. Ideas such as using tax credit-funded scholarships to send children to private schools spark fierce opposition and have died in the Legislature repeatedly, with critics saying the money could be better spent on public schools. But Cunningham has leverage this year because of the case of Turner vs. the School District of Clayton.” http://bit.ly/A25jXy   

— POTUS PUSH: President Obama is on the trail today touting his “Blueprint for Keeping College Affordable”, per White House “FACT SHEET”: “[1] Rewarding Schools that Keep College Affordable: The President’s proposal to reform student aid to keep tuition from spiraling too high and drive greater value will improve distribution of federal financial aid and increase campus-based aid. …  [2] Creating New Incentives to Promote Affordability and Quality: The Race to the Top: College Affordability and Completion will promote change in state systems of higher education. … The First in the World competition will improve long-term productivity in higher education by investing $55 million to enable individual colleges (including Minority-Serving Institutions) and nonprofit organizations to develop, validate, or scale up innovative and effective strategies for boosting productivity and enhancing quality on campuses.

“[3] Empowering Families and Students to be Informed Consumers: New actions to provide consumers with clearer information about college costs and quality will improve the decision-making process in higher education for American students and allow families to hold schools accountable for their tuition and outcomes. …  [4] Redoubling Federal Support to Tackle College Costs: As highlighted by the President in his State of the Union address, we are calling on Congress to: Keep student loan interest rates low… Double the number of work-study jobs available… Maintain our commitment to college affordability.”  

OP-EDS —

+ REP. RUSS CARNAHAN talks about “Lessons from Iraq” in The Hill: “The U.S.-led rebuilding program in Iraq was met with mixed success, producing a plethora of painful lessons that should be closely examined. Iraq’s current difficulties must not obscure or impede Congress’s careful review of our experience as we seek to develop a more integral and effective system for managing overseas stabilization and reconstruction operations. Strict Congressional oversight is in our national interest. … These lessons have been reaffirmed by our experiences in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The waste, fraud, and abuse that ensued in both theaters point to the imperative for strong Inspector General (IG) oversight from the onset of a contingency operation. The work of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), created in 2004, underscores the importance of the IG’s office. To date, SIGIR’s accomplishments include: producing over 200 audits, which have yielded over a billion dollars in savings; securing over 60 convictions of those who took criminal advantage of the chaos in Iraq; and issuing seven lessons learned reports that have offered meaningful improvements to the U.S. approach to stabilization operations. … We have a responsibility—to our Service Members and our citizenry—to demand greater efficiency and accountability.” http://bit.ly/AwIRnU

+ SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE CHAIR SAM GRAVES writes about the “Small Business Agenda” in Roll Call: “Our committee’s agenda for this year is an active one. We stand ready to evaluate the president’s proposal to consolidate several agencies and departments that deal with commerce, small-business lending and trade programs. In addition to overseeing the implementation of the free-trade agreements for small exporters, we will fight for policies that increase trade agency coordination and streamline the export process, to make it easier for small businesses. One simple way to help small firms is by providing more opportunities through federal contracting. While several important provisions have been built into the federal procurement system to help small companies receive a share of government contracting opportunities, there is still more to be done on behalf of small contractors. This year, our committee will produce legislation that will ensure small businesses have strong advocates and fair processes, which will allow them to compete for and successfully perform federal contracts — representing $536 billion in business. The legislation also adds transparency and accountability so that we can deter and punish bad actors. … Our committee will continue to promote pro-growth policies that will help small businesses and fight regulations that keep them from growing and creating jobs. We will also closely monitor the barrage of health care regulations coming from this administration because small businesses continue to be burdened by health care compliance. … The top priority for our committee will be to lead Congress in this endeavor, because small-business growth is the best path to sustained economic prosperity.” http://bit.ly/xqom7P

SPORTZZZZZ — ‘After disappointing loss at Oklahoma State, it’s bounce back time for No. 2 Tigers,’ Associated Press: “Frank Haith said it best the day Missouri rose to No. 2. No one big victory would define the team, nor would one tough loss. The coach could not have anticipated those words to be tested so soon with one of the school’s most impressive victories in recent seasons followed by an excruciating setback. … Missouri has been a juggernaut at home, where the players hope to shake off some of the bad taste against struggling Texas Tech (7-12, 0-7) on Saturday. And where coaches can use the loss as a motivational tool during a breakout season that nobody anticipated. Earlier in the week, Haith wanted to make sure players avoided getting ‘caught up in the hoopla’ of the school’s highest ranking since being No. 2 in 2001-02 and highest this late in the season since 1989-90. … Especially at the Mizzou Arena, Haith has been able to hone the thin seven-man rotation he inherited from run-and-gun Mike Anderson into a cohesive, efficient machine that has been able to grind down teams with much deeper benches. There’s a lot of balance, with six players leading the team in scoring the last nine games. Missouri is 11-0 at home with an average margin of 27 points, including blowouts over Texas and Texas A&M in conference play.” http://wapo.st/yJXusP