Capitol Calling

Can't we all just get along?

This week's Monday focus for the Associated Press takes a look at the strained relationship between Gov. Jay Nixon and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.

AP scribe David Lieb writes that Kinder didn't even know that the governor was in Texas during this month's fake hostage crisis at the Governor Office Building. He also wrote that Kinder has been relieved of many duties that he performed during Gov. Matt Blunt's term in office.

In a sense, the friction between the two statewide officials is part of a historical trend. I wrote an article for Missouri Lawyers Weekly earlier this year about the past squabbles between governors and lieutenant governors of different political parties.

One notable moment recounted by Western Illinois University political science professor Rick Hardy involved then-Gov. Joe Teasdale and then-Lt. Gov. Bill Phelps. The two men had an acrimonious relationship, even fighting over office supplies and furniture. By contrast, then-Gov. Kit Bond and then-Lt. Gov. Kenneth Rothman had a more cordial relationship, with the Republican chief executive turning over power to the Democratic statewide official multiple times.

Of course, pairing the offices doesn't always equate to a lack of turbulence. Then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich and then-Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn - who were twice elected in Illinois in a ticket - despised each other. Quinn remarked before he assumed the governorship that the two officials rarely talked.

Shocker!

There's corruption in New Jersey!

Anybody who thinks that's shocking is... well ... probably the Shockmaster.

But hey, at least Illinois gets a bit of a repreive. The only thing to worry about there is, um, a horrific budgetary situation?

Adios, Sears Tower

This building is apparently known as the Willis Tower.

It's a sign of the end times! I swear!

Easel Wars

You know things are getting testy in the Missouri House when opposing parties start using easels to bash each other.

It started when House Budget Chairman Allen Icet, R-Wildwood, used a cadre of charts during a press conference to criticize Gov. Jay Nixon's budget strategy. Among other things, the charts compared the state's budget deficit to other states.

Once the Democrats assembled for their briefing, House Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Independence, used the then-empty easels as a metaphor showcasing Republican achievements thus far.

Here's a clip:

By the way, the chart at the beginning of the video compared Missouri's budget shortfall to other Midwestern.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Illinois has the biggest deficit in the region.

Master Exploder

If reporters thought spelling or saying Rod Blagojevich was tough...

 

... just wait until Sen. Roland Burris, D-Illinois, resigns and is replaced by Illinois state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.

It seems that Illinois is finally catching up with Missouri in the race of possessing elected officials with hard-to-spell last names. For every Blunt and Nixon, there's a Show Me State pol named Luetkemeyer, Schaeperkoetter or Gatschenberger.

And there's rumblings that Matt Antidisestablishmentarianism might run for mayor of Kickapoo, Missouri.

Nobody ever pulls the seams round here

(AP PHOTO)

You know things are getting wacky when U.S. Senate races in Illinois and Missouri are both considered toss-ups.

For Missouri, that distinction is not surprising. Close statewide contests are always very close - and very expensive - affairs. But Illinois' Republican Party is weak, mainly a result of former Gov. George Ryan's fall from grace. Democrats hold every statewide office in the Land of Lincoln.

But as of this moment, it's not entirely out of the question that Republicans could win the special election for the seat vacated by President Barack Obama.

The seat's current occupant, Sen. Roland Burris, D-Illinois, is now under fire for possibly perjuring himself about whether he was asked to donate money to ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's campaign.

Burris' chances at winning a statewide Senate election were always rather questionable. Beyond the controversy over his appointment to the seat, Burris seemed to have lost a lot of luster as a statewide candidate when he placed third in a 2002 gubernatorial primary. Being out of the political arena for more than six years probably hurt his ability to raise money required to mount a U.S. Senate campaign.

Now, this new controversy isn't likely to help.

If Burris is the nominee, he could face a tough challenge from a candidate such as U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk. If he faces a primary from other Democrats, it could waste resources that could be used in the general election cycle. That's a possible scenario in Missouri, where U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Strafford, and former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman could face off against each other.

All of this potential electoral mayhem probably prompted Charlie Cook to slate the Illinois seat as a toss-up. Still, the Rothenberg Reports lists Burris as "safe."

So could our neighbors to east experience a competitive statewide election? It's early. But it's not out of the question.