Jackson County Democratic Committee

Jefferson City, Mo.—After being caught distributing campaign literature that inaccurately stated David Spence graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia’s School of Business, Spence blamed “staff oversight” for the inaccuracies. But news reports show that Spence has willingly allowed his academic credentials to be exaggerated since 1989.

“Instead of throwing staff under the bus, David Spence needs to take responsibility for years of academic dishonesty,” said Caitlin Legacki, Missouri Democratic Party spokeswoman. “For at least 23 years, Spence has walked around acting like he got a degree from Missouri’s Business School when it’s simply not true. So two months into his candidacy, the only things Missourians know about this guy is that his bank refused to pay back its $40 million bailout and that he has a hard time telling the truth.”

In an interview yesterday, Spence’s campaign told the AP it distributed campaign materials that inaccurately stated Spence attended the University of Missouri’s business school because of “staff oversight.”

But Spence told the Post-Dispatch in a 1989 profile that he was a 1980 graduate of the University’s business school. Spence never requested a correction from the Post-Dispatch, but was forced to admit on Tuesday that he didn’t have the grades to attend the business school.

BACKGROUND

Spence Campaign Said Misleading Claim Was “Staff Oversight.” “Spence campaign manager Jared Craighead said the statement about the business school was a ‘staff oversight that was corrected.’” [AP, 1/12/12]

…But The Same Error Appears As Far Back As 1989. A 1989 profile of Spence in the St. Louis Post Dispatch indicates that Spence has been misleading the press and the public about his academic credentials for years. The biographical snapshot said Spence was a “1980 graduate of the College of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri-Columbia.” [St. Louis Post Dispatch, 1/2/89]
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 For the whole interview please click here

Congress is in town for a little more than a week. That’s it.

Time is running out for more than 33,400 Missouri residents who can’t find work and are relying on emergency unemployment coverage.¹ They’ll lose their lifeline in January if Congress fails to act.

These are real people with real stories. People like Cil from St. Louis. She’s not only unemployed—she’s responsible for caring for her elderly, infirm parents—and unemployment is all she’s got.

Instead of voting for a clean extension of unemployment for people like Cil, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to cut unemployment for jobless workers, cut pay for public employees, cut preventive health services, reduce premium assistance for low- and middle-income individuals buying health insurance and raise premiums for many Medicare beneficiaries.

Now, the fight moves to the Senate.

Tell your senators: Don’t pick on people like Cil—the 99%—make the 1% pay their fair share.

In the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, when there are more than four unemployed workers for every one job, it would be stunningly cruel for Congress to cut off—or cut—this vital lifeline. But it really might happen.

Missouri communities are relying on every penny of unemployment—and every penny in cuts shrinks the economy and destroys jobs. Missouri will lose $8,050,736 each week that Congress does not extend unemployment coverage—and an extension with cuts still would take millions of dollars a week out of the state’s economy.²

Tell your senators to do the right thing and extend unemployment with no cuts and no strings attached.

Thanks for all the work you do.

In Solidarity,

Richard L. Trumka
President, AFL-CIO

^1,2 http://uistories.aflcio.org/files/fact_sheets/MO.pdf

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For Immediate Release: October 12, 2011

Washington, DC – Today, Chairman Emanuel Cleaver, II released the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked consideration of the American Jobs Act:

“As Americans continue to suffer from unemployment Republicans in the Senate refuse to consider President Obama’s American Jobs Act.  I have said it before and I will say it again, the time for political grandstanding and posturing is over. The economic crisis we now face is because of years of fiscal irresponsibility. To play political games with the livelihood of the American people is deplorable. The American Jobs Act is a bill based on bipartisan ideas that will help put people back to work.  The Jobs Act has been commended by leading economists who acknowledge that it provides timely solutions for boosting our economy by creating nearly 2 million jobs.

“With 16% unemployment in the African American community, we have seen firsthand the devastating economic conditions of the American people.  This is why we launched our national ‘For the People’ Jobs Initiative. CBC members have introduced over fifty job creation bills since the beginning of the 112th Congress,  in addition to providing nine job creation recommendations targeting our nation’s most vulnerable communities.

“Last night the Senate had a chance to demonstrate to the American people that they had their best interests at heart and failed. To demonstrate that this Congress is not only fiscally but morally responsible bring this bill to the House Floor for immediate passage of the American Jobs Act.”

- Chairman Emanuel Cleaver, II