former Vice President Joe Biden Archives

First Trump-Biden debate tonight: MU debate analyst says pressure is on Biden

September 29, 2020 By Ashley Byrd

Mitchell McKinney, Director of the Political Communications Institute at MU

The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is tonight.

University of Missouri’s Director of the Political Communications Institute Mitchell McKinney says though studies show most viewers have already chosen a side, these debates could make a difference.

“There is a small slice, and generally our studies show this could be no more than five percent, two or three percent of those debate viewers will come away who had not previously committed to a candidate and will make a candidate choice, a voting decision,” McKinney told Missourinet.

McKinney says those few percentage points could have an impact in closely-contested states.

“When you drill down to those battleground states — and that’s where elections are won or lost here in the U.S. in terms of the electoral college — most of those state polls that there may just be a one or two-point lead for one candidate or the other. So I do think that these debates have the potential to be consequential,” he said.

While each candidate’s performance is not certain today, there are a few tactics viewers can expect, McKinney said. The pressure is on Biden to handle an aggressive, personal attack style.

“I can’t imagine much the president would do that we would think, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s outside the pale or beyond that we expect of this president at least. So, that’s giving him (Trump) some latitude in terms of performing in this debate. Again, turning to Joe Biden, how will he respond to this very aggressive president who is likely to treat Biden as Donald Trump did Hillary Clinton four years ago?”

McKinney says four years ago the Clinton-Trump debates set viewing records and were “the most conflictual debates in history.”

McKinney has consulted with the Commission on Presidential Debates on the development of the “town hall” debate format and how debates can be structured to better educate citizens on significant campaign issues.

“Interestingly, we had to create new categories. Usually, we will analyze an attack on is it an attack on an issue, a stance or is it a personal attack on candidates. We added to that personal name-calling, taunting, ridicule of the opponent,” McKinney said

Fox News’ Chris Wallace will moderate tonight’s debate – at 8:00 p.m. Central.

Missouri congressman says defunding police departments is not the way to go

June 9, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Since the death of George Floyd of Minnesota, some elected officials are being asked whether to defund police departments. Most Minneapolis City Council members say they support dismantling their police department and putting the funding toward affordable housing and battling opioid and mental health problems. East-central Missouri Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer tells Missourinet affiliate KWIX in Moberly that America cannot have anarchy running loose in our cities.

U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, spoke in Jefferson City on February 17, 2020 (photo from Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth)

“Minnesota is run by an extreme left-wing liberal who is just a crazy nutjob off the chart. I know some of these people that are involved in this. I’ve served with the attorney general from Minnesota. I’ve served with the governor of Minnesota. And now the attorney general’s son, who is a clone of his father, sits on the City Council. It’s a mess up there,” says Luetkemeyer.

President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden have also come out against defunding police.

Luetkemeyer says Floyd’s death was a tragedy that should never have happened.

“We need to support our police,” says Luetkemeyer. “99.9 percent of them are good folks doing a great job and we need to recognize that. All we’re doing now is making the job more difficult if you go down that road.”

He says the president and U.S. attorney general are taking “very strong action” against rioters who have turned peaceful protests into violent and destructive events.

“Since then, obviously Attorney General Barr as well as the president have come out and been very forceful with explaining that basically the protests who were there to support George Floyd and against the actions of the cop, have been taken over by these left-wing radical extremist groups that are anti-American. They want to destroy property,” says Luetkemeyer. “There’s just no place for that sort of destructive type of protests. The protests and express your feelings is fine, but to do it in a way that destroys other people’s property, destroys other people’s ability to make a living and endangers their lives, that’s inappropriate. That can’t happen.”

Other news reports say experts who track extremist groups think individuals with far-left political views and individuals with far-right political views are participating in the criminal behavior. They cite a surge of social media accounts with fewer than 200 followers created in the last month, a common indication of a disinformation campaign. The reports say the accounts have graphic posts of protests and material on police brutality that appear to be designed to inflame tensions.

Missouri’s presidential primary draws 23 percent voter turnout

March 11, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

About 23.5 percent of Missouri’s registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s presidential preference primary (PPP).

The Missouri Secretary of State’s office says about 973,000 Missourians cast ballots on Tuesday.

The majority of those, about 660,000, voted in the Democratic presidential primary, which former Vice President Joe Biden won.

About 309,000 voted in the Republican primary, which President Donald Trump won.

A combined total of about 3,500 Missourians voted in the Libertarian, Green and Constitution party primaries. Jacob Hornberger won Missouri’s Libertarian primary, while Howie Hawkins won the Green Party presidential primary. Don Blankenship is the winner of Missouri’s Constitution Party primary.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says military and overseas ballots can come in through this Friday. Results are expected to be certified by April 10.

This was the sixth consecutive time that Missouri has held presidential preference primaries. The state held them in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Biden, Sanders come to Missouri before Tuesday’s primary

March 6, 2020 By Ashley Byrd

(EDITOR’S NOTE: STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE THAT SENATOR SANDERS HAS CANCELED MONDAY’S RALLY IN KANSAS CITY)

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will make their appeal in person to Show-me state voters. The two remaining viable candidates to be the Democratic Party nominee will hold rallies in Missouri over the next few days.

Biden will hold two public events Saturday, March 7:

Doors Open: 11:00 AM CT
Where: Kiener Plaza Park, 500 Chestnut Street, St. Louis, MO 63101

Event with Emanuel Cleaver in Kansas City, MO
Doors Open: 4:15 PM CT
Where: WWI Museum and Memorial, 2 Memorial Dr, Kansas City, MO

Sanders’ public event will be in St. Louis on Monday March 9th at 11 a.m.
Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market Street, St. Louis. Doors open at 10 a.m.

** Senator Sanders has canceled Monday’s Kansas City rally due to scheduling constraints.

Missouri’s presidential preference primary is on Tuesday. Even though they’re no longer in the race, Missouri’s ballot will still include Amy Klobuchar, Tom Steyer, Cory Booker, Pete Buttgieg, Andrew Yang, Julian Castro, Mike Bloomberg and others.

Missouri’s Hawley wants to hear from Biden and Schiff, if Senate calls witnesses (AUDIO)

January 31, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The U.S. Senate is expected to hold an up-or-down vote Friday afternoon in Washington, on whether to call witnesses in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s official portrait (2020 photo courtesy of Senator Hawley’s office)

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R), who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke to Missourinet’s Ashley Byrd on Thursday about the impeachment trial, and about Friday’s big day on Capitol Hill.

Hawley opposes hearing testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton.

“I don’t see any reason to hear from John Bolton, my view is this: I don’t think we need to hear from any of these people,” Hawley says. “We already have all of the House’s evidence in the record before us, that includes 17 witnesses and their testimony from the House.”

Hawley will vote against calling witnesses, in Friday’s vote. However, he says if the Senate calls witnesses, he has motions ready to call former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and his son, Hunter.

“I’ve consistently said I think for months now that if the Senate does call witnesses, I absolutely want to hear from Hunter Biden. And not just Hunter Biden, I want to hear from Joe Biden, I think he’s absolutely relevant,” says Hawley.

Hawley also wants to hear from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-California, saying he wants to know what Schiff told the whistleblower.

Senate Democrats want to hear from Bolton, on the allegation that President Trump withheld military aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son.

Hawley says President Trump did not commit bribery nor extortion, adding that nothing Bolton says will change that.

As for Chairman Schiff, he tweeted late Thursday: “The President’s lawyers argue on the Senate floor that he can withhold aid, coerce an ally, and try to cheat in an election, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Our Founders would be aghast.”

Hawley also says the president has not been given the same rights that previous presidents have been given, in impeachment trials. He says President Trump was not given an opportunity to cross-examine witnesses.

“And it’s the first impeachment of a president in our history that alleges zero criminal or unlawful conduct, zero,” Hawley says.

He says the president was not given the ability to participate in depositions.

Senator Hawley says the Senate will hear four hours of arguments on Friday, before the afternoon vote.

Hawley says the Senate has already heard more than 50 hours of arguments, and that he’s been taking notes in multiple notebooks. He says he’s looking forward to voting on Friday.

Missouri’s two U.S. Senators, Hawley and Roy Blunt, are Republicans.

U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, tweeted Thursday night with a hashtag #TrumpIsGuilty. Congressman Clay, who was elected in 2000, is one of the deans of Missouri’s congressional delegation. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, is the other.

Click here to listen to the full six-minute interview between Missourinet’s Ashley Byrd and U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, which was recorded on January 30, 2020: