Why is SEN McCaskill So Hated ?

[outsideworld]

Even with Todd Aiken's latest comments she is still behind in the latest polls .SMH

[Skittles]

1. she is an intelligent, accomplished woman

that's enough

[xmas74]

9. dingdingding!

That's the real answer.

She votes the party line most of the time but has crossed on occasion when she believes it will benefit the state of Missouri. (She's crossed to work with Roy Blunt, our other senator, on things that will impact our state or even silly things like honoring something or another.)

There is a certain small but very vocal minority who really just hate women. Claire is the very first woman senator from Missouri and some really hate that. She had similar targets thrown at her when she ran for governor. (She lost that election to Matt Blunt, Roy's son. He only lasted one term.)

As long as Claire has a vagina she will be hated by a certain population. If she were a man she wouldn't be half so hated.

[REP]

22. First *elected* woman senator; Jean Carnahan was the first, appointed after Mel died

McCaskill was the Rep for my neighborhood in KC (Brookside) for the MO Senate forfreakingever then State Auditor. Kansas Citians are often not overly fond of politicians we know well, like Cleaver (Flush Creek, plastic saxophone) and even Truman ... but we'll vote for them rather than the devil we don't know. And yes, I moved years ago but my family's still there and I'm kept fully informed on how things never change in Tom's Town

[xmas74]

27. I remember Jean quite well.

I've met her on a few occasions-very nice woman, as is her daughter Robin.

Claire is the first elected. Jean was because of the tragic death of Mel. (Remember-Ashcroft lost to a dead man!) I don't mention Jean as much because her shortened term in office was more about supporting her husband than anything else. The state was in mourning at the time and we were all in shock.

She's been involved in Fired Up Missouri since then and has done a nice job.

You're right-I'm about an hour east of KC, just close enough for the commute. My area is a combination of conservative military, college students, and the slow influx of people moving out of the city into the area. It makes for strange politics. In Missouri we'll badmouth our politicians on a regular basis but will, in the end, vote for the evil we do know. I don't think that most of the posters here exactly understand how that goes.

Give me what I know. I can work with it. I'll take the DINOs any day of the week over what could be.

(And at least KC gets Cleaver-I'm stuck with Hartzler. I'm still angry with how nasty she was towards Ike. He deserved better than what she did to him.)

[DonRedwood]

2. Just like Obama they have been badmouthing her since day one

one nasty comment after another...drip drip drip...after a while that stuff resonates.

[flamingdem]

3. I was just wondering what her chances are against

the troglodyte - maybe voter apathy will save her.

[DJ13]

4. No matter how hard they try

No Democrat can ever be conservative enough to beat the GOP at their own game.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. Missouri is trending redder?

Plus, Blue Dogs are just not popular with anybody. Most progressive Dems don't really like/trust them (and McCaskill hasn't been particularly helpful to President Obama at times) and to the right, they're still always "too liberal" no matter how far they swing to the right. Here in Indiana, the right detested Evan Bayh and painted him as a "liberal" pretty much no matter what he did or how much of an a**hole he was towards President Obama.

I thought that the last poll had her down only by a point (within MOE), so technically the race is dead even, right?

[The Midway Rebel]

6. Behind 1 point with a margin of error so...

And the polls I saw heavily sampled in rural areas.

[flamingdem]

7. It's doable

Some good ads might help her

[xmas74]

8. The samples were rural and she was only behind by one point.

I'd venture a guess that she's actually ahead. KC, St Louis, and Columbia were not taken into account with the polls and all are blue to very blue.

[former9thward]

28. The poll was done by a Democratic party polling firm.

I doubt they are falsifying the figures to help Akin as you are implying.

[xmas74]

37. The one I heard about, here in Missouri on the local news,

was done by a Republican firm.

I was polled just this afternoon. There was no number on the caller id. The caller introduced themselves by first name only, asking if they could ask a few questions about current events. The questions were all pushing me towards Romney and the economy, along with a question about (direct quote here) "How often do you watch news on stations such as NBC, CBS and ABC? And how often on stations such as CNN and MSNBC? Do you feel that these stations news reports reflect the values of Missouri voters?"

The poll here might have been done by a Dem firm-that I didn't know. What I do know is that there are Repub firms polling as we speak and most are polling outside of the urban areas. Even the poll listed above supposedly polled outside of the urban areas, where McCaskill does quite well. If this was the case, then they are trying to send feelers out to the rural areas, where she doesn't do all that well. The goal here is to keep Akin under 55% of the rural vote. If she can do this she will win the state.

[pstokely]

21. and those without land lines

nt

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. to me, she always seems rather grating and a bit whiney. It is not her ideas, of course,

but her mannerisms. She would be very wise to consult with a speech and image coach. In IMHO

[flamingdem]

11. The dems should invest in her in every way

We need the Senate

[Laura PourMeADrink]

18. I know...especially if we lose to Brown in MA. The we are hovering at 50-50

[Egalitarian Thug]

12. Look at her record. As with so many representatives on "our" side, she's mediocre at best.

Anti-immigrant
Pro-security state
Pro-budget balancing on the backs of the most needy
Pro-war
Anti-choice
Government bad - private good
Pro-gun

This will be her first bid for re-election and she's spent most of her time and efforts sucking up to republicans while screwing the people she should be fighting for.

She's no friend of liberals and wears the wrong color jersey for the cons.

[flamingdem]

13. I'm not sure we can judge her considering

the state of that state. Let's hope that she knows how to communicate to independents if there are any

[Egalitarian Thug]

16. That is a myth. The reason MO doesn't have any progressive politicians is because nobody talks to

the people that want to be progressive.

Dr. Dean started down the road to reforming this party and President Obama had him taken out of that role. LA made The Kingfish Governor because he talked to the same people that we all ignore today. There is no shortage of the dispossessed in MO, but who on our side is talking to them? Not Clare, she's too busy sucking up to Big Oil, Big Agra, Big anything that she thinks will throw money her way.

[flamingdem]

19. Understood, but it looks like she and the dems will have to start

from where they are and build and correct.

So many people are smart and know what this could mean for the whole country.
We need the Senate, the stakes are big and all parties have to grow and fast.

[Telly Savalas]

44. So you're saying progressives in Missouri have completely dropped the ball

If you think that all it takes is some somebody to speak for and to the latent progressive element that supposedly exists here, then isn't it kind of pathetic that nobody bothered to offer any sort of a challenge to Sen. McCaskill in the Democratic primary?

It's kind of dumb to point fingers at Sen McCaskill when she at least can be bothered to run for public office, but the individuals who can dispel the so-called myth of MO being right-wing won't run.

[Egalitarian Thug]

45. I'm saying the Democratic Party took the ball and went home. Local progressives all over that region

not only can't get any support from the party, it actively works to exclude them.

[Canuckistanian]

43. I don't know why Dems have compromise principles to run in Red Districts

In some cases, these elected Dems wreak havoc in Congress, destroying important consensus votes on very important issues

I'm looking at you, Max Baucus

[EleanorR]

17. She is Pro-choice.

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/government-and-you/us-government/congressional-record-on-choice/2011/state-page.html?state=MO

[Egalitarian Thug]

20. She voted against Senate Amdt 2707 a prohibition of funding organizations that

perform coercive abortions and 3330 Grants to Groups that perform abortions (Planned Parenthood)

So, she's ready to support forced abortions in other nations and ready to cut off any funding for PP here. Is that a new definition of pro-choice that I missed? I really am negligent in my memo reading.

[EleanorR]

29. 100 rating by NARAL and Planned Parenthood

She did not vote to eliminate funding of Planned Parenthood.

Please post information about Senate amendment 2707. Which Democrats voted yea on that amendment?

[Egalitarian Thug]

34. I just look at the record and her votes are recorded. I'm sure she is just a wonderful Senator

horribly maligned and thats why. Pfft.

[Le Taz Hot]

23. She's anti-choice????

Then how is she better than Ryan? Oh, I know, there's a "D" next to her name so that makes it alright.

[xmas74]

38. She's always been pro choice.

She campaigns on it and is always endorsed by Planned Parenthood.

[Le Taz Hot]

39. Then I've obviously been misinformed.

Thank you for the correction.

[xmas74]

42. No problem.

She's my senator. I get regular emails from PP and they always endorse her.

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/41-senators-support-womens-health-planned-parenthood-36649.htm

Link to a letter last year signed by 41 US Senators endorsing Title X family planning programs. Scroll down the list-her name's on it.


She is against "partial birth abortions" unless there is life endangerment but she's always been one of the "legal, safe, and rare" supporters of abortion in general. Her support is usually more in favor of increased access to education and birth control.

[bornskeptic]

25. Anti-choice? She has 100% ratings from NARAL and Planned Parenthood

and 0% ratings from the National Right to Life Committee every year.
http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/2109/claire-mccaskill

[AzDar]

14. I don't hate her, certainly... but was pretty disgusted by her "love pats" bullshit.

After the events of the last 72 hours, though: Go Claire!

[ann---]

15. Because

she is a blue dog democrat and didn't go to the Inauguration?

[joeybee12]

24. She's Repuke Lite...doesn't fire up the Dem base...tries to

have it all ways, not really someone you know who stands for something.

I don't think she's hated, I just think a lot of people think she's not a good senator.

[Sherman A1]

26. Simple

She is female and a Democrat or she is a Democrat and female, take your pick ........

[Nuclear Unicorn]

30. Don't buy into the PPP poll; it had a 9 point R advantage in the sample. n/t

[treestar]

31. She's a Marxist

A socialist, America-hating, blah, blah, blah ..................

[spanone]

32. she's a democrat and a woman

[kentuck]

33. She is perceived to be a fake..

Selling off her airplane and always standing in the mushy middle because she believes that is the best way for a Democrat to win in MO, the home state of Harry Truman. Obviously, it is not working very well for her.

[cbdo2007]

35. She will sell out anybody or anything to make a buck....

but she's grown on me a little bit and I've really appreciated her support of President Obama, so I guess I like her alright now.

[randome]

36. She is not telegenic.

One of the best comments I've seen on TPM recently is that Democrats make the mistake that since a majority of people agree with a candidate's position, that means a majority of voters will vote for the candidate.

McCaskill is too wonky. She has passion but it doesn't always show through. That being said, any thinking person will see her as much preferred to Akin. Problem is, a lot of voters don't put much thought into their votes.

[gulliver]

40. It's pure self-indulgence. Deliberate ignorance and nothing-based anger.

They're angry because they want to be angry, because they want to be angry, because they want to be angry. They make themselves angry, because they want to win, because they want to win. Some of them were pushed into that stupid spiral by the lies they were told, but everyone is finally responsible for themselves. Republicans let themselves be lied to, and they let themselves be angry at people who don't deserve it.

[Arkana]

41. I don't particularly like her Blue Dog tendencies

but Republicans in Missouri hate her because she's a woman and a Democrat.