Say Billy, how'd it go? How'd you do? Aw, it was great, we're gonna make a Youtube video out of it!

It takes a lot of balls to play golf and to tell your constituents that everyday you are in Washington D.C. you'll be doing the right thing for the right reason.

Yesterday Long, in remarks to constituents, Long talked about reps who are in D.C. for 'window dressing':

"There are so many people that are there for window dressing. They'll run down there and make a floor speech and I'll be back in the cloakroom right off the floor there, watching it on C-SPAN because I can hear it better than I can on the floor....and they'll come back and say, 'How'd I do? how'd I do?' and alltheir buddies will say, 'Aw, you did great, we're gonna take that and make a youtube video out of it.' "

We've already seen how Congressman Long sponsored a bill to establish a "National Auctioneer's Day" because "they called his office and asked him to drop the bill."

Long speech on auctioneer's day was posted by Long's office to youtube.

The same afternoon, Long's office also posted the following video on you-tube:


This morning, the PGA website posts the following story: PGA Professionals, veteran give high marks for visit with lawmakers during National Golf Day.

In that story is this paragraph:

Following a series of meetings, Rep. Billy Long of Missouri, issued an address from floor of the House of Representatives on the benefits of golf, and spoke about the experience he had witnessing Padilla and how golf "adds great benefits to our country in many ways," including the source of 2 million jobs, charitable contributions and as stewards of the environment.

"Following a series of meetings, Rep. Billy Long of Missouri, issued an address from the floor..."

Say Billy, how'd it go? How'd you do?

Aw, you did great! We're gonna take that video and put it on youtube!

Billy has the time to have a 'series of meetings' with PGA golf lobbyists and then has the golf balls to bar me from a press briefing?

There's a major disconnect going on here.

You can't make this stuff up!

Billy is not the guy who would seem to be the poster boy for fitness and golf.

Of all the 435 reps in Washington, why did the PGA choose Billy to give the 'golf speech' on the House floor?

Why Billy?

Because he once went to school with Payne Stewart?

Because his father once owned a minature golf course?

Or maybe Billy did it for sheets and grins?

That thing you do.....

Last September I and two other friends were the only three people who attended the inaugural event of Billy Long's business tour.

Here's an excerpt:

BL: Where’s your bus?

JL: My bus is parked, I always park my bus.

BL: I want to see your bus, it’s, I wanted you to bring your bus.

MM: Well, I’m glad we came out here, I wanted you to hear

JL: I, uh.

BL: Well, thank you, I didn’t know this would be a public deal, we, we’re just touring and visiting with small business guy

MM: We don’t get to ask questions

JL: Well, that’s just

MM: The regular people don’t have much access to ask our questions. As you can see, we’re not here to attack.

BL: No. (overtalk about taking photos between group)

JL: You’re a public figure, we’re gonna make fun of you, no, not make fun of you, we’re gonna take, we’re gonna jab you. I mean, that’ part of the business.

BL: I know, Jim.

Freshman Legislator wants to do away with Electoral College

Roseann Moring, political reporter in Jefferson City for the Springfield News-Leader posted this story yesterday evening: Hough sponsors bill in favor of presidential election by popular vote

JEFFERSON CITY — The House Elections Committee heard a bill from Rep. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, that would move the country toward electing a president by popular vote rather than through the electoral college.

Representatives from National Popular Vote told the committee that the bill would give each person more of a say in presidential elections, particularly voters in states that are not considered battleground states.

“We’re talking about entire states being ignored,” said Tom Galisano, a spokesman for the national campaign.

But opponents say the bill would lead presidential candidates to focus on large population areas and the founders of the country specifically chose to make the country a republic rather than a democracy.

The bill also encountered opposition from several committee members.

Hough said he learned of the idea from constituents, and he contacted the organization pushing the issue.

“Don’t you think it should be fair and equitable nationally?” he said.

He doesn’t expect the bill to move forward this session.

Isn't the Electoral College part of the U.S. Constitution? Is Hough advocating changing the Constitution? I thought he was, like Billy Long, one of those guys who kept his constitution 'rode hard and put away wet'.

In 2008, Hough stirred the pot with an interview he gave to
Springfield's GO magazine.

Controversy also followed Hough in 2010 over whether or not he paid personal property taxes on $100,000 worth of hay hauling equipment.

What's the difference between a duck? Reflections on meetings with Representative Billy Long and Senator Claire McCaskill 04/19/2011

Representative Billy Long in Springfield, MO earlier this morning.

Senator Claire McCaskill in Billings, MO earlier this evening.


When we were growing up, my Dad used to tell my brothers and I two old riddles. One riddle explained why fire engines are red and the other riddle was "What's the difference between a duck?"*

Today, I had one of the 'what's the difference between a duck' days, only instead of a 'duck', I'd like to substitute 'politician'.

Like, What is the difference between a politician?

My morning started at the Experience Works Billy Long Senior Forum. Some 100 seniors gathered in the Boys and Girls club gymnasium to hear our Congressman, Billy Long, discuss "discuss issues impacting the lives of Southwest Missouri seniors.".

The unspoken irony was that Experience Works operates the federal government's Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) with funding from Title V of the Older Americans Act, and state and local grants-- And we all know how Billy feels about government money.

In a talk billed as "free and open to the public" Long said he gets 80 to 85 people wanting to see him 'every single day' but if you mention you are from the 7th district he will "push you to the top of the list".

Long told the seniors he thinks "government spending is out of control".

As he related how he voted for budget extensions before voting against the budget extensions before voting for them before voting against them, Long said, “A business cannot budget two and three weeks at a time."

A person sitting next to me commented upon hearing this, "They certainly can if it not doing so would wreck the economy."

Long said during the budget discussions they were "throwing out so many numbers I couldn't keep up with them." I thought this was a cue for this. Didn't happen. I guess this audience was more sophisticated than the Joplin Tea Party audience.

About this time Long started losing his audience and he started talking about our troops and how Congress was "playing chess with our troops". Long was referring, I think, to this press release he issued: Congressman Long: Support the Troops.

In an unintended irony, Long said that after he voted NO on the house budget compromise, a New York Times reporter asked him "Are you happy?" Billy wasn't, perhaps finally realizing that by voting against the budget compromise, Long was voting AGAINST our troops.

Long said we need people in Washington who are not afraid to take the hard vote, who don't care if they are not re-elected.

"There are so many people that are there for window dressing. They'll run down there and make a floor speech and I'll be back in the cloakroom right off the floor there, watching it on C-SPAN because I can hear it better than I can on the floor....and they'll come back and say, 'How'd I do? how'd I do?' and alltheir buddies will say, 'Aw, you did great, we're gonna take that and make a youtube video out of it.' "

I'm not sure, but is he talking about congressman giving floor speeches and making youtube videos like this one?

Or maybe this one?
Ah jeez.

Long also said "he was not popular with leadership" because he's "not voting how they tell me to vote."

Once again alluding to the mythical "THEY", Long closed his remarks by saying "They shouldn't come up here with common sense ideas."

At the entrance to the gym, attendees were given the opportunity to write down questions to ask Long. Someone, maybe these two, chose which questions Billy would answer, or attempt to answer. Unlike Senator McCaskill's town hall meetings where the questions are pulled from a jar, the questions at today's event were pre-screened.

The first question was when would seniors receive a pay increase for Social Security. Long's long involved answer was that seniors vote and Washington listens when they speak. Later, when Long was asked which senior programs are on the chopping block, Long again did not give a direct answer. But he did tell the audience not to believe everything they read in the newspaper.

As one reader phrased it:

If you are going to stand in front of a group of your constituents and tell them not to believe what they read in the paper, you should at least tell them why. You should be well versed enough in the budget you voted for to explain what the misconceptions are and what the effects will or might be.

Another questions was about domestic oil drilling (Long's for it), one question was about debit card increases (Long didn't have a position)

When asked "How influential is the Tea Party?" Long said he had not joined the Tea Party Caucus because "(I) don't have time to go to every caucus there is." Luckily for us, he did have time to join the "Cowboy Hat Caucus".

In another easily checked comment, Long said "I'm voting more conservative probably than the tea party is right now."

Billy talked a little more about cardboard boxes, nails from China and Mexico which means it's time to cue this important video, "How do you keep a free market free?"

After Long's prepared remarks and the pre-screened questions, some from the audience came up to Billy for more "Billyisms". I was part of this group, we had a question to ask Billy.
Unfortunately, this was as close as I got. A phalanx of young men surrounded Long, continually cutting me off at the pass.
I soon tired of playing hide and seek with the congressman and headed over to the anteroom for the press conference.

What happened next has gone viral: Representative Billy Long Doesn't Play Well With News Media



Not able to attend the press briefing, I waited outside by the side door, patiently, thinking maybe I might be able to ask Long a question as he exited the building.

I too saw the black F150 with Bozo the Clown on the dash. The driver was furiously texting.

When I walked down the side of the building, I saw who the driver was texting.

Then I realized what they were texting. As I turned back to the black F150 with Bozo the Clown on the dash, I saw the passenger door shutting as the truck pulled away.


I went home, got in my dump truck and went to the leaf dump.




This evening, I went to a Claire McCaskill function in Billings. About 40-50 people were gathered in a side room waiting for McCaskill to arrive. And when she arrived, what a difference to this morning's event.

McCaskill is accessible to her constituents,

Smiling,


Confident,


Friendly,


Outgoing,


McCaskill is in the crowd,

No phalanx of young metro somethings running interference

I was welcome to wander about and take photos

Senator McCaskill spoke from the heart.

Senator McCaskill shares a moment with a long-time supporter

In her remarks, McCaskill said she was "looking out for our pocketbooks." She is working hard with her collegues taking care of the people. She spoke of the last 13 months of private sector job growth, of protecting Medicare and Social Security, not that there aren't some changes that need to be made.

McCaskill "won't balance the budget on the backs of seniors and the middle class."

After her remarks, the Senator came up to me and introduced herself, and asked about my day -- I was glad to share my opinions with her.


As the Senator and her entourage left in her black Ford, I couldn't help thinking about the last time I saw a politician getting into a black Ford.

Oh yeah, the difference between a duck? One of its feet are both the same. Long and McCaskill are both my elected representatives. Long's demeanor today was that of a tired, angry old man who looked exhausted and angry and not welcoming of any dischord, in complete contrast to McCaskill.

How much does it cost to 'drop a bill'?

I don't know, let's ask Billy.

Remember this?

That was from one of Billy Long's campaign commercials, you remember, the one he called "Doing the right thing", you know, the one where he said he was 'Fed up" with "politicians in Washington and their cronies", the one where he said "I'll do the right thing for the right reason everyday I'm there", yeah, that one.

Here's the whole commercial:



Saturday, at the Joplin Tea Party, now Congressman Billy Long spoke for about 20 minutes to the 150 or so people who came to the party.

Long's speech was noteworthy not only because he avoided the local media afterwards, ("at the moment we are focused exclusively on our district press") but also because at the end of his speech, just before he auctioned off the national debt, he made this comment:

The National Auctioneer's Association called the office and they said, "We want you to proclaim the third Saturday in April, which a lot of states already have an auctioneer's day, a lot of cities already have an auctioneer's day. They say, "We'd like for you to 'drop that bill'.

Here, listen for yourself. You have wade through his explanation for why he has Bozo the Clown on the dashboard of his truck first, though.

Billy Long, our congressman, who wasn't going to Washington to scratch other people's backs, dropped a bill because someone asked him to do so.

I also know that the same group that asked Billy to "drop the bill", the National Association of Auctioneers, their PAC gave Billy Long $5,000.00 that was reported in June, 2010. Some think the lobbying group also gave Long another $5,000 later on in the campaign.

Sort of reminds me of how he co-sponsored this bill because someone asked him to do so. Long, by his own admission, didn't know what was in the bill and that he only co-sponsored it because Peter King asked.

At least King is a representative and is the Chair of the Homeland Security.

Now Long is dropping bills because a lobbying group asked to do so.

I am reminded of how important lobbyists are to Congressman Long. Remember how he skipped the reading of the U.S. Constitution on the House floor because he was meeting with a lobbyist? I do.

Billy Long co-sponsors bills he hasn't read.

Billy Long 'drops a bill' because a big campaign contributor asks him to do so.

Billy Long skips out on House business to meet with a lobbyist.

Something ain't right here."oops!"

Billy Long - the man behind the mask: "It's all about me!"

Earlier this week, in reply to a request for an interview focusing on Congressman Long's campaign promise to sell his auction company, Long, through his spokesperson, said, "that at the moment we are focused exclusively on our district press and our constituents."

It came as somewhat of a surprise then when reports started filtering in that Long was unavailable for reporters who were poised to question him about his votes this past week in congress. Long was reported as skirting reporters who were awaiting him in Joplin.

Last year, in Joplin, Duane Graham, "The Erstwhile Conservative", was able to interview Long.

Last year, while at the Tea Party event in Joplin, Duane Graham, author of the blog "The Erstwhile Conservative", videotaped an interview with Billy Long.

Here it is again, in slow-motion, with sub titles:

Is it any surprise then, that during this year's Tea Party event Billy Long refused to go on camera with Graham.

Here is Graham's account of his interaction with our Congressman, Billy Long yesterday in Joplin, MO:

Ozark Billy Snubs The Erstwhile Conservative
By R. Duane Graham

On Saturday, I continued my tradition of attending the annual Joplin Tea Party rally.

Unfortunately for organizers, though, there weren’t that many teapartiers who were willing to continue their tradition of attending. This year’s contingent was much smaller than last year’s, which was much smaller than the year before. But the sparse crowd—maybe 150 folks—was nevertheless thrown lots of blood-red meat from the speakers, which besides the usual locals, included would-be senator Rep. Todd Akin, who has never met a Democrat who wasn’t also a socialist, and, of course, Colonel Ozark Billy Long.

Now, I happened to be standing in the back of the crowd, when I spotted Colonel Billy trying to slip away from the area where the speakers were huddled.

Sensing a chance to talk to the Colonel one-on-one, I hurried over to where I thought he was heading, camera in tow. I was prepared to make and post a newsworthy video for my faithful readers. As I was walking, I looked up and saw Ozark Billy staring at me as I approached, with an unwelcoming look on his face. Nevertheless, I pressed on, again, with camera in tow.

As I walked up to my congressman, my representative, I introduced myself and told him I was from Joplin, clearly identifying myself as one of his constituents. I asked him if he minded if I interviewed him with my camera on. No, he said. Really? I asked. No, he said, I don’t want you to do that. Well, I protested, why can’t I use it? He anxiously looked around as if he were waiting on someone, then responded again that he didn’t want me to use the camera. He said, what is it you want to ask me?

Okay, I thought. No camera, thus, no record of our conversation, but I must soldier on.

I told him I wanted to talk about his vote on the Ryan budget plan the previous day, which essentially does away with Medicare while giving tax cuts to the wealthy. I asked him how he justified that vote. We have to do something, he said. He told me that what the plan does is merely give people a “cafeteria” plan like he gets as a government employee. Since Ozark Billy didn’t know I had been a government employee, I suppose he thought that his response would suffice to shut me up. But, of course, it didn’t.

I hurriedly explained to him—he was getting fidgety waiting— that the Ryan Medicare plan would end Medicare as we know it, and the so-called voucher proposal for those under 55 would not be sufficient to purchase insurance and people would have to pay much more out of their pockets. I added that those under 55, even while receiving reduced benefits themselves, would be forced to pay for the current Medicare system, the beneficiaries of which will continue to receive the current generous benefits for many, many years.

He didn’t dispute that but merely reiterated that something needed to be done because the system was designed when people only lived to be “48 years old.” Aghast at that, I responded with a “that’s simply not true,” and was poised to explain why. Except that a vehicle—the one Ozark Billy had been so anxiously awaiting—pulled up beside us. And without even saying goodbye, in went the Colonel and off went the car.

I, one of Congressman Long’s constituents, was left standing on the sidewalk, camera in tow.

Long returned a short time later and gave a speech that was mostly a repeat of an interview he gave on local right-wing radio station, KZRG. He even gave us another rendition of his now-famous “auction chant.” The small crowd cheered. I turned red with embarrassment.

But toward the end of his speech, Ozark Billy said the following to the crowd, and to me, the camera-toting constituent he had earlier snubbed:

We’re just having a lot of good success helping people. But it is the House of Representatives. Never forget that. It is the House of Representatives.

I’ve got a Bozo on the front of my truck—a lot of people say how come you got Bozo on the dash?—that’s to remind me—and I’ve had it on there for years—that’s to remind me not to take myself too seriously. I’m doing your work in D.C.*, and I was standing right down there last year with ya and I’ll be back down there in a minute…

Good! I thought to myself. He’s doing “our” work. And he’s coming down here among “us,” the folks. That would give me a chance to continue my conversation with him. What a man of the people! Colonel Ozark Billy Long, man of the people!

Except that after he finished his speech, I watched him leave the podium, walk over to his Bozo-guided truck, and get in the passenger side. Then someone drive him away.

Still holding my camera, all I could think to say was, Bye-bye, Colonel Billy! Thanks for stopping by and chatting with your constituents!

*Here is a video of Billy 'doing our work' on the floor of the House this past Friday.

Yes. He's speaking about golf.

ah jeez. It's not about us, it's all about him.

Fed Up with Billy Long? So's the Joplin Globe

From The Joplin Globe, April 16, 2011, "Our View: Now we're fed up"

JOPLIN, Mo. — The political blogosphere went nuts this week over hearing U.S. Rep. Billy Long, the Springfield auctioneer, conduct an “auction” of the national debt on the floor of the House. Videos of Long’s auction-speak spread across the Internet like sales of Rolaids before tax day.

While that part of the video was entertaining, we were much more disturbed by what came before all the auction babble.

Long was on the floor to address the first bill with his name as sponsor. If passed, it would establish the third Saturday of April to be National Auctioneers Day. He and another auctioneer-turned-lawmaker are pushing the bill to recognize auctioneers’ role in America’s economy.

This is not what we had in mind when Long made election promises of less government, or no more business as usual. It sure doesn’t work toward cutting spending and reducing the deficit.

In fact, according to the bill’s language, this day of observance might actually cost taxpayers extra money. No Congressional Budget Office numbers have been released, but the bill would request the president to call “upon the people of the United States to observe the week with appropriate ceremonies.”

We understand that Long has spent only a few months in the House. Budget problems and other national issues have kept Congress busy, so we can understand the need to start slow.

And a new day of observance is hardly something to get riled about. In the big picture, National Auctioneers Day (if passed into law) would be one of a myriad of similar days, where the sheer quantity of them erases any meaning.

But for our new 7th District representative’s first bill to heap lavish praise over his chosen industry just doesn’t sit right with us.

It’s the principle of the whole thing: When Long campaigned for the 7th District, we heard him talk about how members of Congress weren’t meant to be career politicians. They were supposed to serve their term, then go back home and live under the laws they created.

If that’s true, then it makes an unpleasant statement about Long’s true motivations for seeking office.

Long is acting in poor taste by backing this bill. We’d like to see him get back to work on the important mission of actually cutting government.


Reports are filtering in that following his remarks at the Joplin Tea Party, Rep. Long skirted past four local reporters set up to ask questions and quickly left the area.