Rush Limbaugh Archives

‘Political trailblazer for women’ inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians

August 27, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

America’s first female county clerk has been inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians. A bronze bust of Annie White Baxter of southwest Missouri’s Carthage joins 47 others in the esteemed hall already showcasing journalist Walter Cronkite, radio host Rush Limbaugh, and the 33rd U.S. President – Harry Truman. They line the third floor of the Missouri Capitol Rotunda in Jefferson City to pay tribute to the legacy they have left.

Bronze bust of Annie White Baxter unveiled on August 26, 2020 (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, House Communications)

As House Speaker, Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, gets the final say on who is inducted into the hall. During a ceremony today in the Missouri House of Representatives, White Baxter was remembered as one of the state’s best county clerks and a political trailblazer.

In 1890, she defeated her opponent by about 400 votes to become the Jasper County Clerk during a time when women did not have the right to vote. White Baxter, a Democrat, later served as state registrar of lands and financial secretary of the Missouri Constitutional Convention.

Her induction coincides with today being Women’s Equality Day to commemorate the 1920 adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – prohibiting government from denying the right of American citizens to vote based on gender. Women of color were not guaranteed the right to vote until later.

Rep. Peggy McGaugh, R-Carrollton, led today’s opening prayer. She is a former Carroll County clerk.

“Thank you for allowing her to pave the way for the 85 female county clerks and personal friends serving throughout the 114 counties in Missouri today,” she said.

The Pledge of Allegiance was then flawlessly led by Haahr’s three daughters.

Former state Rep. Charlie Davis, the current Jasper County Clerk, said White Baxter blazed the trail for women – not only in Missouri but in America. He notes the county auditor, assessor, circuit clerk, public administrator, prosecuting attorney, recorder of deeds and treasurer in Jasper County are all women.

“It’s amazing that half of our elected officials in Jasper County are women,” he said. “That kind of shows the importance that women place on our society, but especially our community of Jasper County.”

Davis said the second female Jasper County Clerk was elected 100 years later. Out of the last 30 years, he said 20 years were served by female Jasper County clerks.

According to Davis, a bust of White Baxter will also be placed in the Jasper County Courthouse.

Wendy Doyle, the President and CEO of Women’s Foundation, said millions of people who visit the Missouri Capitol each year, including many students, will enjoy the symbol of inspiration that White Baxter represents.

“I’m thrilled she’s getting the recognition she finally deserves,” she said. “By writing women back into history, we can ensure that women can see themselves in the change makers and barrier breakers of the past.”

Women’s Foundation and its supporters, particularly generous Missourians from White Baxter’s home county, funded the project.

“It’s important to the Women’s Foundation that we are able to go back in time to preserve legacies and history so that we can see how far we’ve come but also for us to see who we could be, to show women that there is a path forward – that we are working toward equality,” she said. “We are demonstrating to Missouri women that we are making progress.”

The cost of the bust is in the neighborhood of $15,000.

Haahr said putting White Baxter in the hall was a no-brainer.

“There’s a lot of really talented people that are not yet in the Hall of Famous Missourians. I started thinking about Annie White Baxter back in 2018 when I first became Speaker. It made a lot of sense – it’s the 100th General Assembly, it’s the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote. So, it all kind of dovetails together,” said Haahr.

He hopes today’s event will serve as a learning experience for his three daughters.

“My mom was my first political advisor,” he said. “But having three daughters, they are going to grow up in a world where they are never going to worry about not being able to vote, not being able to hold office. And so for me, without having to go through that struggle to remind them of the people that did, I feel like is very important.”

The sculpture was crafted by E. Spencer Schubert of Kansas City.

Missouri Congressman Smith pleased with fentanyl vote and State of the Union Address (AUDIO)

February 13, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

An extension of bipartisan legislation involving fentanyl has been signed into law by President Trump. Supporters say the legislation will decrease the number of opioid-related deaths.

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, (left) visits the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority in Scott City in January 2019 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Smith’s office)

Longtime Poplar Bluff Police Chief Danny Whiteley had been calling on Congress to approve the extension. The chief was a special guest of U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, at last week’s State of the Union Address in Washington.

“He (Chief Whiteley) is an individual that I rely on heavily for his advice, his expertise, because he’s been combating this for over two decades as the police chief there in Poplar Bluff, Missouri,” Smith says.

Congressman Smith voted for the extension. Poplar Bluff is located in southeast Missouri’s Butler County, which has seen 19 opioid-related deaths in the past two years.

Chief Whiteley tells Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS that the majority of fentanyl and heroin in the Poplar Bluff area is coming from St. Louis.

As for the State of the Union Address, Congressman Smith says it’s one of the best speeches he’s heard the president deliver. Smith, who represents 30 southern Missouri counties, says America’s economy is booming and that the middle class is thriving. He credits President Trump for what he describes as America’s comeback.

“We have seven million new jobs that’s been created, 56,000 new jobs just in the state of Missouri under his presidency,” says Smith.

The White House says 11,000 of those new Missouri jobs involve manufacturing and that real median Missouri household incomes are up eight percent under the president, at $57,000.

Smith is the GOP Conference Secretary on Capitol Hill. His district includes Cape Girardeau, Kennett, Rolla and West Plains.

Not everyone in Missouri’s congressional delegation agrees with Smith.

U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, sees the economy differently. Clay, who’s a dean in Missouri’s congressional delegation, is critical of President Trump and his proposed budget, saying it includes a $182 billion cut to the federal food stamp program. It’s known as SNAP.

Congressman Clay says the president is not lifting people off food stamps, but is “kicking them off.” Clay describes the president’s budget as “an assault on working families.”

Congressman Smith also wants Congress to focus this year on lowering prescription drug costs and addressing the mental health crisis.

Smith is also pleased with another part of the State of the Union: President Trump awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to national talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who’s from Cape Girardeau.

Smith says it’s special for southeast Missourians, noting the award is the nation’s highest civilian honor.

“His family lives in Cape Girardeau, his brother, his nephews, his cousins,” Smith says. “I mean, he’s from southeast Missouri.”

The 69-year-old Limbaugh announced last week that he’s starting treatment for lung cancer, saying he’s been diagnosed with an advanced stage of the disease.

Limbaugh was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians in 2012.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, which was recorded on February 6, 2020: