259 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY… 168 DAYS UNTIL THE AUGUST PRIMARY

MCCASKILL REELECT — ‘McCaskill digging in to keep Senate seat,’ McClatchy’s David Goldstein in DC: “Sen. Claire McCaskill in recent weeks has criticized the president’s budget as too tame, and has teamed up with Republicans on several fronts to control spending. At the same time, the Missouri Democrat has been one of President Barack Obama’s strongest allies, backing his agenda about 95 percent of the time since 2010, according to a Congressional Quarterly analysis. She also was one of his earliest and most vocal supporters when he ran for the White House four years ago. … A three-decade veteran of Missouri politics, she knows full well that their mutual admiration society is just one of the reasons she’s on everyone’s list of most vulnerable Democrats. … ‘I feel like an underdog,’ McCaskill said in an interview with The Star. ‘But I do I know my state pretty well. I know that Missourians are impatient with what’s going on in Washington. They’re frustrated, and there’s a lot of anger and cynicism out there. That’s the wall I’ve got to climb over.’ … 

“On more than one occasion, like her efforts to eliminate congressional earmarks and other attempts to change business as usual — sometimes with Republican allies — her efforts have put her in her own party’s doghouse. … But Republicans contend that her votes for the president’s $1 trillion health care bill and $800 billion economic stimulus program alone undercut her claims of fiscal caution and political independence.”

— Two great quotes from the piece, both unattributed. 

+From a Dem: “It’s not a blue state, not a purple state; it’s a red state where Democrats occasionally have some success… It’s a leaning-Republican state. It’s the only state in the country that the president targeted and didn’t win. For us, that’s the hurdle.”

+From an R: “None of [the Republican contenders] is a rock star… but the sense is that McCaskill might be vulnerable, that it just takes a good candidate.”

REDISTRICTING CONTINUES — ‘New senate mapping panel plans fast track effort,’ MissouriNet: “The second citizens senate redistricting commission is holding public hearings before meeting in Jefferson City Wednesday to start working on a map. The commission met for the first time Saturday at the Capitol, held a public hearing in Jefferson City yesterday, is holding one in Kansas City today, and will hold its required third hearing tomorrow in St. Louis. The chairman, Springfield lawyer Doug Harpool, a former state representative who was on the first commission that deadlocked last year, wants the commission to stay on-task after finishing the public hearings tomorrow. … He has posted his first proposal on the Office of Administration website and expects others to be posted during the process. … There’s no chance a new map can be in place before legislative candidate filing begins a week from tomorrow, February 28th. Legislation to push the filing date back by a month has cleared the senate and will be before a House committee this afternoon.” http://bit.ly/ycU0hq

LINCOLN DAYS WRAP-UP — We spent our weekend with the Missouri Republican Party this weekend at their annual Lincoln Days gathering, this year in Kansas City. Two thoughts. (1) There was a lot of energy in the hall from the “real people” in attendance, but that’s only 1,100 or so Missourians.  And as we mentioned this morning to Gregg Knap, one of the gubernatorial candidates, and one of the senates candidates needs to figure out how to tap into all of that energy.  (2) We talked to several consultant types who privately say, at this stage in the game, they’re comfortable with their chances in the Senate race, but are really not thrilled about their chances to take on Gov. Jay Nixon. Some things you may have missed: 

+ QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND from Tom Schweich, unprompted by us, while he we were crossing paths in the hallway at Lincoln Days: “Good morning, no comment.” 

+ Todd Akin answered an unasked question about I-70 tolls, which just about everyone agreed was an unforced error on his part: “Rep. Todd Akin, R.-St. Louis, said Saturday that he supports toll roads, particularly on I-70, to fund infrastructure improvements. In Kansas City, on the westernmost part of the interstate in Missouri,  Akin said that while he is against increasing the gas tax, he supports a increasing revenue to fund improvements. … Former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman, one of Akin’s two primary opponents, said she is against revenue increases to fund infrastructure, favoring spending prioritization, instead. … St. Louis businessman John Brunner, in his debate debut, said the toll issue is new to him, but he favors using money spent on infrastructure abroad on projects in the United States.” http://bit.ly/Aj7PbK

+ #thatawkwardmoment when someone forgot to tell the RGA chair there was a primary for Missouri governor: “On stage Saturday evening, McDonnell steered clear of making a pick between Republican candidates Dave Spence and Bill Randles. But earlier in the day, McDonnell met privately with a group of grassroots activists where he appeared to not realize there was a Republican primary between the two. According to several sources inside the meeting, McDonnell told the group he would back Spence ‘100 percent.’ That remark drew sharp criticism from some in the crowd, largely full of Randles supporters, who accused McDonnell of trying to push the will of the establishment and ignore Tea Party activists. According to the sources, McDonnell said he didn’t realize there was a contested primary, and pulled back on his remarks. After the incident, McDonnell met privately with Spence and Randles. In an interview with PoliticMo after his meeting with Spence, McDonnell said as chairman of the RGA, he will not endorse before the primary.” http://bit.ly/xzd5XB

— In our interview with Gov. McDonnell, he hinted that Republicans will be doing their best to tie Gov. Nixon to President Obama, and bet that their political fates are tied together in the state: “I think we’ve thought at the Republican Governor’s Association, for a while, that Missouri was always going to be competitive, especially during a presidential year. The president, i think, is going to have a real challenge to do well in Missouri. The top of the ticket, the presidential race, will effect other races including the governor’s race, so we think that’s a positive for the Republican candidates.” 

+ The Lt. Gov. Primary: “As the GOP faithful gathered here this weekend for Lincoln Days, sparks were already flying in the lieutenant governor’s race. The incumbent, Republican Peter Kinder, came to the event with a list of 51 House members who have endorsed him. They included House Speaker Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, and Majority Leader Tim Jones, R-Eureka. … State Sen. Brad Lager, a Savannah Republican who is challenging Kinder for the Republican nomination, was unimpressed. … There’s broad speculation that either Kinder or Lager will drop out, though both strongly denied any such thought. … Kinder’s campaign pointed out that Lager’s team was sporting t-shirts with only the candidate’s name — not the office he is seeking. Lager laughed when asked whether the omission meant he might switch races. He said a printer’s error was responsible for the missing words. Lager said he is in the race to stay.” http://bit.ly/xE1FpS

— Does PDK think Lager should leave the race? He told us: “It’s a free country, he can do whatever he wants to. I’m a competitor, and I’m suited up to compete. Chinstrap on and ready to roll.”  http://bit.ly/xIO2nQ

— Does PDK think primaries are helpful for the party? “I think they can be. They can also be wasteful and divisive. … I think the fact that I had a primary in ’04, and forced me to tune up early, so you could say I might not have won with out it.”

THE DEM’S TAKEAWAY — ‘The Three Big Takeaways from Lincoln Days,’ from Fired Up! Missouri: “[1] Dave Spence is not ready for a real campaign, and may never be. Over the course of three days, the Missouri GOP’s two candidates for Governor were given a grand total of ‘two or three minutes each’ to address ‘several dozen members of the Missouri Republican State Committee.’ If Spence’s handlers and party leaders are afraid of how he’ll match up against Bill Randles in a controlled environment, what does that say about his ability to challenge one of the most popular Democratic governors in the country? … [2] John Brunner is still not ready for a real campaign, and may never be. … The rules of the event were written to benefit candidates unable to think on their feet… Then Brunner made the only real news of the event after the forum when his hired hands passed out press releases saying the things he was too afraid — or unable — to say. [3] Steelman and John Brunner are the only two candidates who matter in the GOP primary. Akin is toast, if he wasn’t months ago.  … I’d like to say that neither Spence nor Brunner is ready for prime time, but prime time may be the only thing either can do — spend a lot of money on broadcast teepee.” http://bit.ly/x0mse2

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, and no comment. Welcome to this edition of PoliticMo Rundown. Send your tips, comments, and scoops to eli@politcmo.com. 

HAPPY BIRTHWEEK Alex Eaton… 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Ambassador Ann Wagner, who celebrated 25 years with Ray Wagner yesterday. In an interview Saturday, she offered: “I’m going to get out to earn every single vote, every single day and we have not let up one second, I keep reminding them. Tomorrow is my 25th wedding anniversary, I’m going to take about 24 hours off and see if I can remember why it is I decided to get married in February and spend every one of my anniversaries at a Lincoln Day. I’d have gotten married in June. [laughing].” 

HAPPY PRESIDENTS DAY — @MattBlunt: “We should go back to celebrating Washington’s Birthday & end ‘Presidents’ Day’ … Washington’s accomplishments, service & character are worth commemorating.  Same cannot be said for all of the other presidents.” 

COLE COUNTY LINCOLN DAYS is tonight in Jefferson City. Many of the big contenders are expected to be in attendance, if you didn’t get your fill over the weekend… 

ICYMI — Dave Spence is running a new ad, very similar to his other one, but with a different voice, and more of Spence, himself, talking: http://on.fb.me/wPj7Ku

MISSOURI CAUCUSES — (For real) ‘Jackson County Moves Caucus Back to Avoid St. Patrick’s Day Conflict,’ Mike Mahoney: “The Jackson CountyRepublican presidential caucus have been moved from March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, to avoid a conflict with the metro’s many St. Patrick’s Day activities. It is being rescheduled to March 24… The downtown Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day parade is one of the largest in America held on March 17. … The move has been approved by the state Republican Party. … Several other GOP Caucuses may also be moved, including the one in the city of St. Louis. Phelps County, the home to the University of Missouri-Rolla and its School of Engineering may also move the time of their caucus.” http://bit.ly/yP6stG

I-70 TOLLS — ‘Missouri House of Reps passes bill to ban I-70 tolls without vote,’ Mizzou’s Maneater: “The Missouri House of Representatives approved a bill last week that would effectively block the creation of tolls for I-70 and any other public highway in Missouri without a public ballot measure. The bill, HB1277, is being sponsored by Rep. Thomas Long [a trucking executive in Springfield]… and is aimed at ensuring the Missouri Department of Transportation takes the toll issue to Missouri voters. … Gov. Jay Nixon agrees with the idea of a public vote and said at the Feb. 9 annual capital media event that the issue of tolls on I-70 should be brought before the public. … If MoDOT was able to move forward with its proposal to use private funds to rebuild the highway, Missouri travelers would have seen costs up to $25 to travel the length of the state, with truck drivers paying up to $75. MoDOT has put forth several proposals to fund the project, which is estimated to cost between $2 and $4 billion over a six-year span, but the idea of tolls is at the forefront.” http://bit.ly/w4ZjVE

THINKING 2012 — In a column talking about how he thinks President Obama’s campaign is going to bypass Missouri, Bill McClellan talks about what that could mean for Sen. McCaskill: “So much for being a bellwether state. Missouri is solidly and reliably in the red column these days. But for those of us who enjoy political theater, the news is not entirely bad. Despite the fact that there won’t be much of a presidential contest in Missouri this year, our red state status makes some of the races even more interesting. Consider Sen. Claire McCaskill’s re-election effort. On one hand, she probably wouldn’t be unhappy if the president pretty much bypassed Missouri. He’s unpopular in this red state. On the other hand, if a Democrat is going to win in a red state, the Democratic base had better be energized. In particular, the black vote has to turn out. Will it if the presidential campaign downplays Missouri? … 

“Who will be the Republican presidential nominee? I would guess McCaskill would be better off if Mitt Romney gets the nomination. He doesn’t seem to excite the social conservatives. Maybe some of them would stay home in November. Plus, it would be more difficult to attack McCaskill’s support for Obamacare if the architect of Romneycare is atop the ticket. …  Can McCaskill get enough independent voters to overcome a Republican’s inherent advantage? That might depend on her opposition.” http://bit.ly/xqrkfp

2012 BUDGETING — A Post-Dispatch editorial this morning blasted state Rep. Tom Flannigan for a proposal to divert funds for health care for the blind to education: “Apparently these days, some Missouri Republicans are so committed to cutting costs, with no regard for the state’s revenue problem and no willingness to look at corporate entitlements, that they think it’s time to cut the blind out of the safety net. Here’s what’s so disgusting about the stunt pulled by Rep. Tom Flanigan, R-Carthage, chairman of the particular budget subcommittee: Mr. Flanigan surely knew that cutting a $28 million health care program for 2,858 blind people in Missouri would create a stink. So, rather than debate the cut, or give Democrats on the committee any notice, or even let the advocates for blind Missourians know what was going on, he orchestrated the move in a 10-minute hearing without even giving members of the minority party time to understand what they were voting on. … Here’s what we’d ask: If times are that bad, shouldn’t you be cutting lawmakers’ health care? Are corporate tax credits more important than protecting Missouri’s most vulnerable citizens? Have you all, seriously, lost your ever-loving minds? Backing the budget bus over the blind without even stopping to honk the horn isn’t just irresponsible and it isn’t just mean, it is despicable.” http://bit.ly/zm7E3Z

SPORTZ — Missouri tops ESPN’s power rankings in the Big 12: “Saturday’s game between Kansas and Missouri will go a long way toward deciding this year’s Big 12 regular-season champion. Both teams have identical 12-2 conference records, but Missouri gets the nod in this week’s Conference Power Rankings because of its victory over the Jayhawks Feb. 4 in Columbia. … Frank Haith’s squad eked out another hard-fought road victory Saturday when it defeated Texas A&M 71-62 in College Station. The win was the seventh straight win for the Tigers, who will try to avenge a Jan. 7 loss to Kansas State on Wednesday.” http://es.pn/x1l84M