GOP faithful flock to Cape to campaign for Sen. Talent

By TJ GREANEY

Southeast Missourian

U.S. Sens. Jim Talent and Kit Bond and a veritable who's who of Missouri politicians are traveling around the state to drum up support in the last days before the neck-and-neck Senate race.

On Monday in Cape Girardeau, Talent instructed people in the enthusiastic crowd to do their part to get out the vote.

"Find a way to bring it up to people," he said. "I'm serious. If you run into people in the supermarket ask them if they plan to vote."

About 80 people gathered at local Republican headquarters at the corner of Broadway and Kingshighway Monday for the 30-minute event. Fox News cameras also were on-hand broadcasting the race to a national audience.

Bond praised Talent for his stances on renewable energy, his championing of the Combat Meth Act and his support of tax cuts in 2001 and 2003.

This tax reform, Bond said, has created 6.6 million jobs during the past 3 years.

"Jim's opponent wants to cut out those tax breaks," he said. "I guess if you are someone who has off-shore tax shelters in Bermuda for example, you don't worry too much about taxes."

Bond's reference was to Democratic candidate Claire McCaskill's husband who has business interests in a Bermuda-based reinsurance company.

Talent also painted a rosy economic picture during his speech.

"Government revenue is up 14 percent and 11 percent in the last two years and my opponent is still indicating her support for a tax increase," he said. "... How much is enough?"

After the speech, Talent responded to a question regarding a recent report by Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz that the war in Iraq is costing taxpayers $6,300 per second and the total costs are on pace to exceed $2 trillion.

"The cost is significant, but the cost of lives is the much more important figure," Talent said. "With the dollar figure, you can also look at it a different way. It's only one percent of our gross domestic product," he said.

The U.S. GDP is about $12.5 trillion.

Field trip

Eagle Ridge Christian School students were brought on a field trip to watch the speeches.

Danielle Owen, a junior, said she was excited to see the senators in person. "I know it's a really important election, so it was interesting to know a little bit more about what the candidates stand for," she said. "When he talked about the different values of the two parties, I think his values are the same as mine."

Accompanying the senators were U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau; Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder; Sandra Thomas, a candidate for state auditor; state Sen. Jason Crowell; state Rep. Nathan Copper and others.

The group made stops in Farmington, Sikeston, Dexter and Poplar Bluff Wednesday.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245