BLOG RECAP: McCaskill Staff Meet Constituents in Clayton

A staff member from Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) visited the of the St. Louis County Library in Clayton on Tuesday to meet constituents and gather feedback for the senator. McCaskill did not attend the meeting.

A second similar meeting, part of the Kitchen Table Talks series, is happening at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the of the library in Ellisville.

The following is a look at the conversation as it happened.

11:50 A.M.: He ended his presentation by saying that Democratic lawmakers need to get together with Republicans. For starters, he suggested they send their counterparts a dozen roses. The meeting has ended.

11:48 A.M.: An audience member is reading from a list of proposals he has for lawmakers. Among them: Pass a law to reduce the number of lobbyists. "You cannot make a ... decision, they'll put 1,500 lobbyists against you," he said. He also recommended killing pork bills.

11:46 A.M.: Another speaker said he's concerned that China, a communist country, holds a great deal of U.S. debt. He said no one has put forward a plan to address the issue.

11:43 A.M.: A student at Ladue Horton Watkins High School expressed concerns about how budget cuts and layoffs of teachers will affect education. "I'm concerned to how that's going to affect the next generation of Americans," he said.

Another audience member said he was thrilled when he heard Ladue was laying off teachers. He said the citizens should be irate and go to the school board to ask that taxes be raised to support those educators.

11:41 A.M.: Another audience member: "I would like to simply state that I don't know of anybody who doesn't pay taxes."

11:39 A.M.: She said she got involved in politics by working on Bobby Kennedy's campaign, and she said it's the first time she has questioned whether she should continue voting.

11:36 A.M.: An attendee who identified herself as a professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis said she would be willing to pay more taxes. "I think we have a responsibility as American citizens to see this country grow," she said. In part, she faults the Bush tax cuts.

11:33 A.M.: She added: "Let's not be so quick to say 'Those who have the money should be supporting the rest of us' because we are not" a communist or socialist country. Other audience members responded that tax rates on the wealthy have been high in the past and that people still obtained wealth.

11:31 A.M.: One attendee said she doesn't agree with some of the sentiments that have been expressed about McCaskill. "I think that reducing the deficit is a very reasonable and necessary part of this country's future," she said.

11:30 A.M.: Another audience member asked whether the U.S. Senate has plans to discontinue its page program. She said she read an article in the newspaper stating the program in the U.S. House of Representatives will be discontinued.

11:29 A.M.: Another audience member: "For bullying to be the way … that some Congress people dealt with the (debt-ceiling) negotiations set my teeth on edge." She said it doesn't set the right example for children.

11:28 A.M.: She also said she supports efforts to spend money on infrastructure and energy efficiency, and she wants a public works program to be formed.

11:26 A.M.: Another audience member is expressing concerns about McCaskill's support of the continuation of tax cuts backed by former President George W. Bush. "We need the wealthy to be paying their fair share," she said. She said the idea that tax cuts for small businesses, corporations and the wealthy create jobs is ridiculous.

11:25 A.M.: Moore has directed audience members to fill out a "Questions for Claire" form if they would like an answer to their questions from McCaskill.

Another audience member has expressed concerns that Democrats are acting like Republicans. She said someone needs to stand up for the middle class.

11:22 A.M.: An audience member is expressing concern that McCaskill has begun adopting Republican principles, such as embracing a balanced budget amendment. She said President Franklin D. Roosevelt had to go into debt after the attacks of Pearl Harbor, and she said that action spawned job creation.

11:21 A.M.: McCaskill is touring Missouri cities such as O'Fallon, Troy and St. Louis to talk about jobs. Another interesting tidbit: McCaskill's office will provide congratulatory letters for birthdays and anniversaries.

An audience member asked Moore to begin answering audience questions.

"We've wasted 20 minutes," another audience member said.

11:17 A.M.: McCaskill receives between 10,000 and 15,000 pieces of correspondence each week, Moore said. She said she will work to get constituents a response.

11:13 A.M.: Among the responsibilities of McCaskill's local offices: "We assist constituents with federal government issues," Moore said.

11:10 A.M.: There are more than a dozen audience members in attendance.

11:09 A.M.: Mattie Moore, deputy director for McCaskill's St. Louis office, is introducing herself and explaining the purpose of the meeting. She apologized for the late start of the event.

11:05 A.M.: A McCaskill staff member has arrived.

10:59 A.M.: The meeting is set to begin at 11 a.m.