More than any other candidate, Missouri SecState Jason Kander defines the ideological conflicts confronting Kansas City voters during this election season.
Without question his personality, inspiring words and history of public service have won him unquestioning support among voters on both sides of the aisle in KCMO.
His quest to unseat Sen. Roy Blunt is really just about convincing the rest of Missouri to join the ranks of his supporters.
A bit of personal insight . . .
We don't really know Mr. Kander except for a couple meetings a few years ago . . . A few beers and a lunch sammich at Planet Sub downtown is the extent of our interactions . . . This stands out to our bloggy life because staying in the basement is the TKC preferred option while Mr. Kander if forced to meet with a great many bozos in his difficult line of work. Still, of all the people running this time around, a few interactions with Jason Kander offer a bit of unique insight for our readers.
As we noted previously, despite the fact that he lied about running for this seat and quickly moving forward after his first statewide win . . . Without question we reiterate that we "respect Missouri Secretary Of State Jason Kander more than any other elected official currently holding office. He is a student of the law, a dedicated, young family man, a solider who put his life on the line for his country and a brilliant yet humble public servant. He has the potential to be one of the greatest leaders this nation has ever seen and his commitment to this country and his principals is unmatched."
Still, we don't do endorsements here @ TKC . . . We aren't cheerleaders and more than anything else our blog community is dedicated to offering an alternative conversation.
And so . . .
Here are more than a few contradictions that confront Jason Kander in his fight to win an upset Senate victory.
Will Kander Escape The Shadow Of Disappointing Gov. Jay Nixon And His FAIL Amid Ferguson Racial Riots??
Let's not forget that part of Jason Kander's meteoric rise as a so-called "moderate" Democratic Party leader is appeal to Conservative voters that mirrored the style of his mentor Gov. Jay Nixon . . . Sadly, the Ferguson racial riot uprising put Gov. Jay to the test and he failed. During a time of crisis Gov. Jay couldn't pick a side and fell apart on national TV whilst Anderson Cooper waited patiently for anything resembling a coherent opinion.
Kander has quietly moved away from Gov. Nixon but Missouri and reached out to African-American voters BUT people who really care about this stuff might remember the association.
Moreover, Missouri's African-American community might be skipping this election in much the same what the Black voters across the nation have shown an unenthusiastic response to Hillary Clinton.
The contradiction . . . Both Black, Democrat and Republican voters are unimpressed with Gov. Nixon and his leadership and, like it or not, as his mentor that impacts the career of Jason Kander.
Will Missouri Voters Create A Trump/Kander Ticket???
Fact: Trump will win Missouri and that impacts all of the down ballot races.
Senator Roy Blunt asserts that not many of these voters will cross over and vote for Jason Kander. To be successful, Jason Kander has toned down his progressive credentials and made this race more about his personality . . . Pretty much a Trump tactic without all of the horrible insults. Appealing to Trump voters is a contradiction that betrays some of Kander's avowedly liberal supporters.
And this leads us to the big question . . .
Does Missouri Care More About Military Service Or Exceptionally Progressive Policy Positions???
Like it or not . . . This is the biggest question/contradiction that will be answered on Tuesday.
Is military service that Jason Kander touts as the biggest part of his campaign enough for Conservative Missouri voters to overlook his decidedly progressive views that are in line with the same Democratic Party they'll be voting against???
Now here's where it gets fun . . .
This election is do or die for Jason Kander. He has risked everything with a bold move and that alone deserves respect. If Roy Blunt defeats him . . . Kander's support, his record and his political potential will be decimated. Face it: Nobody likes a loser and rejection from Missouri voters will push Kander to the back of the line of rising star politicos because voters would have ultimately decided on all of the contradictions we've listed here tonight.
Without any reservations We wish him good luck.
And all of this inspires tonight's playlist . . .
As always . . .
I'm voting for Kander. He's a righteous dude.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have went with the polling.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm seeing is a lot of wishful thinking from colleges and other sources that are anonymous and off the record.
Although Survey monkey seems to like Kander.
The real polling puts him well behind Blunt, but like you said TKC.
We'll see on Tuesday. And it's really strange how many people don't realize that Trump has already won both Missouri and Kansas.
I bet kander smokes the blunt
ReplyDeleteSo one liar met another liar over lunch one time. That's all I got from this epic screed.
ReplyDeleteKander might be cool.
ReplyDeleteBut I am voting for Pepe.
I wish this commentary made sense.
ReplyDeleteI will vote for Kander, he makes me HORNY!
ReplyDeleteWith respect, we've been reading TKC's fawning comments about Jason Kander for a couple of years now, and still don't understand the disconnect with reality. For a long time we thought it was simply because Tony is a nice guy, and Diana Kander smiled and was nice to him because she's always working for good press coverage.
ReplyDeleteJason Kander's views do NOT represent the majority of Missourians. He IS a national co-chair for Hillary Clinton's campaign! Hillary Clinton is going to LOSE in Missouri. Kander deserves to LOSE.
Jason and Diana Kander both went to law school, and both quit practicing law because they hated it. They exhibited poor career planning.
Jason and Diana Kander are narcissistic dreamers who seek popularity, power and prestige instead of leading normal lives and dedicating themselves to family, work, and community. Remember that many politicians are defective individuals who are drawn to politics for a reason. Being a fan of The West Wing television show as a young adult is not a good reason to enter politics.
The Kanders specifically moved to Missouri from Kansas in order to pursue a political life. Most everything they do is very cold and calculated, from timing their child for political reasons, to where they call home. Just look at where they choose to reside in KCMO, it was for political reasons. When they were done using KC, it was off to Columbia and claiming loyalty to MU. If they fool Missouri voters and make it to Washington, D.C, they'll be finished with Missouri for good!
Jason Kander hated being in the MO House, and when Robin Carnahan chose not to seek reelection as Sec. of State, he quickly announced and tried to stop others from challenging for the spot.
Kander hates being Secretary of State, and only holds the position as a stepping-stone to something else. He's perpetually unhappy, always looking to potentially greener pastures.
When he had no opening to run for Governor in 2016, he decided to challenge Senator Blunt as a longshot. However, Kander does have paperwork on file in Missouri indicating his plans to run for Governor in 2024.
(cont.)
ReplyDeleteKander has attacked Senator Blunt (a lifelong Missourian) on three primary issues: Blunt family members lobbying, wealth, and his lengthy political career.
Kander has violated an honored political tradition of not personally attacking a candidate's family. This shows you his morals and ethics. It's not against the law to be a lobbyist, and Kander should know that, as his own wife described herself in a legal resume as a lobbyist!
Kander personally attacks the value of the Washington, D.C. home where the Blunts live. But he doesn't tell the voters that Ms. Blunt makes most of the money in the family, as she holds an executive position at a company. Again, Jason Kander should know better, as his own wife has earned most of the money in the Kander family.
Kander says Senator Blunt has been in Washington, D.C. too long. Does Jason Kander know how the seniority system in Congress works? And how Missouri will lose rank and benefits if Senator Blunt is defeated?
How come Jason Kander hasn't pledged to serve only one term in the Senate (same as Blunt) if he wins this election? Kander is a wannabe career politician who criticizes other politicians, that's HYPOCRISY!
Kander's running a PHONY CAMPAIGN desperately hoping to trick Missouri voters who don't know who he really is!
He didn't join the military shortly after the 9/11 attacks. He finished college, and then decided it was more important to go to law school for 3 additional years, than to serve his nation. Jason Kander put Jason's personal ambition ahead of military service. When he did finally make it to Afghanistan it was late 2005-early 2006, and he was only there for 3-4 months with an Army Reserve unit. And he was a paper-pusher behind a desk most of the time. His whole TV campaign commercial persona is a LIE. He sure wants you to believe that he was a front-line infantry attack soldier though doesn't he? Kander has committed one of the WORST sins a veteran can do, by distorting and bragging about his service role, he denigrates the service of all.
Jason Kander WRONG for Missouri!! Go back to your pals, Clinton and Obama.
we thought it was simply because Tony is a nice guy
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of disconnecting from reality, where did you get that idea?
Time to slide your thumb out from your mother's rump and see if you pulled out a plumb ,little fella..Awww she's awful good to her boy.She'll tell you that lump of shit is a plumb..No matter what , then its off to bed where she'll snug her big boy in and tell you nursery rhymes till you stop sweatng and twitching & finally drift off to sleep...so sweet ,your mother is ('
ReplyDelete10:48 & 10:49 - For the win.
ReplyDeleteHow can you say Kansas City loves Jason Kander? The city's major newspaper would not even endorse Kander. And we agree with a prior comment that Jason Kander DID NOT "join the Army after 9/11." Kander joined the ROTC program at Georgetown law school in 2003. Seriously, if Missouri voters knew what an effing liar Jason Kander is, and how he's been shamelessly lying about his military service for political gain, they'd run Kander out of the state and back to Johnson County, Kansas, in a heartbeat. This is serious, and it now feels as if we've lost a wonderful community blog. For years, TKC has offered some refreshing perspectives on matters near and dear to us (with a sense of humor that we've truly appreciated). But this posting that opines that Jason Kander is the greatest man to ever live is not funny . . . it's pathetic, and sickening and enough to finally say: We Won't Miss TKC When It's Gone. The bloom is off the rose and there's no longer any love for TKC. Tony, we hope the Kanders were worth losing those of us who were once devoted TCK aficionados. Good luck and goodbye.
ReplyDeleteThe US hasn't won a war in 70 years. Chris Kyle killed the hero mythology.
ReplyDeleteThe Military sucks up half of the resources and if you include the casino revenues, prisons and ecological destruction of our environment then Hemingway was right, "she had to go off and marry that military asshole".
Nice pick on Electioneering.
ReplyDelete10:48 & 10:49: So what? Everything you said--and you've said it often--indicates Kander is an ambitious young man who is probably not spending his time repeating himself on this or any other blog. Blunt is a tired old dude who's in it for himself and his family's business interests. It's time for some young blood.
ReplyDelete10:48-49 makes excellent points, but so does 9:30. What a conundrum.
ReplyDeleteTony, Kander is a Clinton operative, and you are a partisan hack!
ReplyDeleteTony, Blunt is a Trump hack, and you are a partisan hack!
ReplyDeleteblunt is an old fart but he's missouri's old fart.
ReplyDeletekander needed the pull of top-of-the-ticket.
tkc, Just wanted you to know ,you have LOST another long-time reader and friend of this blog !! its really kidna sad for me.I doubt you give you'll lose much sleep, don't get me twisted...Ya know ,forces that apparently neither of us can control,have contributed to my decision to not read you & participate on your with comments on your blog.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I have a lot of respect and HOPE for Kander.He has my vote ,no matter what is said ,or maybe not so great info come's to light about him. Tony ,you really need to keep soul searching.I have a feeling you will do the right thing.
So it is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye,probably starting sometime on Monday ,or early Tuesday,when they turn my WIFI OFF!! and ,yes i am sad and pissed.It will take a bit to get it turned back on,but I will make it happen.Goodbye TKC,if but for a few week's. Goodbye friend
This is my weapon.
ReplyDeleteThis is my gun.
This is for fighting and
this is for
...being a total jack off politician
5:27 AM said:
ReplyDelete"10:48 & 10:49: So what? Everything you said--and you've said it often--indicates Kander is an ambitious young man.."
"ambitious young man" Now that's quite the spin!
Your "ambitious young man" in actuality is a greedy, self-centered opportunist who operates as a political cut-throat. He's the worst type of political representative. Everything he accuses Senator Blunt of, Kander wants for himself.
Kander even hates those within his own party who also play dirty, because it means more competition for Kander advancing. Kander wrote a very nasty letter to Chris Koster, stating that Koster should go to the back of the line and wait his turn for higher office. Kander hates that Koster beat him to the Attorney General slot, and is now in contention for the Governor's office.
Kander only decided to run for U.S. Senate against Blunt, because he hates being Secretary of State, hates having to wait for the next Governor to term-out, and generally hates the thought of living in Missouri for 8 long years waiting to run for Governor in 2024.
Jay Nixon is proof that it doesn't matter who the Missouri Governor is.
ReplyDelete4:32: And all that makes him different from Blunt...how? Except Blunt's an old fart. And does any of the shit you repeatedly fling indicate Kander can't be an effective senator?
ReplyDelete8:21 comment
ReplyDeleteYou must be pulling my chain! Surely you're not that dense.
"And all that makes him different from Blunt...how?" Geez! I thought you had actually been reading the comments. Guess not!
"And does any of the shit you repeatedly fling indicate Kander can't be an effective senator?" Man, you're obviously burned out! You thinks it's ok to send a habitual liar to represent Missouri residents in the U.S. Senate? You're probably one those people who still loves Bill and Hillary Clinton after we know with 100 percent certainty that they're the personification of corruption.
^^^^Nope. Don't care for the Clintons. Like Trump less (there's your habitual liar). And you didn't answer the question.
ReplyDelete