Farm Bureau rejects Skelton, endorses Republican for first time in 14 years

[ccharles000]

SEDALIA, Mo. (Aug. 20, 2010) — For the first time since the mid-1990s, U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton has lost the endorsement of the Missouri Farm Bureau’s political action committee.

The trustees of Missouri’s 4th Congressional District FARM-PAC announced Friday morning that they’ll be endorsing Vicky Hartzler, a former state representative from Harrisonville, over Skelton.

“It has been a long, long time since we didn’t endorse Skelton, and for a long time before that, we made no endorsements,” said Charles Bassett, a rural Dixon resident who chairs the 4th Congressional District FARM-PAC.

The Farm Bureau endorsement could reflect an important shift in voter sentiments in Skelton’s congressional race. As of the longest-serving members of Congress, Skelton has served since the mid-1970s and hasn’t had a seriously competitive race for three decades even though he’s a conservative Democrat in an increasingly Republican district. As chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Skelton has worked hard to support Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force Base, but Bassett noted that agriculture is just as important to many 4th District voters as national defense—and perhaps more so.

http://www.pulaskicountydaily.com/news.php?viewStory=2074

[zbdent]

1. I thought that Republicans/Conservatives were against giving out money ...

of course, the farmers will be bribed ...

[bluestateguy]

2. Yeah that sounds real smart

Poor rural district has an Armed Services committee chairman for a congressman with 33 years experience.

Dump him for some freshman who won't know where the restrooms are on Capitol Hill and would get stuck on the House Administration committee.

[WI_DEM]

3. If somebody like Skelton loses in November the GOP will win the House.

[flpoljunkie]

4. Rachel Maddow said last night so far only 7 incumbents out of 324 had lost their races

It would be a real shame to lose the House when Speaker Pelosi has done her damndest, and quite successfully, to pass President Obama's agenda!

Sadly, it looks like the American people will get 'fooled again.' The right-wing echo chamber is working overtime to fear and smear them to the poll and the media just looks at the horse race--not making any effort to call out what is a lie and what is he truth.

[Radical Activist]

5. Farm Bureau is a tool of the chemical, oil and insurance industries.

Losing their endorsement is a good reason to vote for someone.

They make it very obvious when they give the reason for endorsing the other candidate. They want to destroy the livelihood of the next generation of farmers by doing nothing on climate change.

“What also came up again and again was the cap and trade issue,” Bassett said. “Cap and trade, as it was passed in the House, should it become law, would be devastating to agriculture in fuel and fertilizer, which would drive up feed costs. Electric bills would go up. It would affect every area of our lives … If I had to put my finger on one issue, that I heard more than any other issue in that meeting, that was it.”

[TheKentuckian]

6. Democrats should stop running tools of industry and the MIC like Skelton