KC Buzz Blog

Congressman Cleaver and his better half go prime time

    Last night's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" on MSNBC included an oddball-ish moment from the National Prayer Breakfast.

   Here's how Keith described the moment as the video played:

"And in a lighter, but in some ways more disturbing note about Iraq, at the National Prayer Breakfast this morning in Washington, when Laura Bush asked her neighbor for coffee, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, stood up, poured the first lady a cup of Joe, did not pour one for the president, put down the coffee pot, then went back to his own seat. 

"The whole exchange triggering some kind of primeval response in the president, who stood up, gestured at the blushing chairman, retrieved the coffee pot, returned to his own seat and poured himself a cup of coffee to hearty guffaws all around.  He then appeared to change course, standing up to take the coffee back to General Pace, filling his cup up, as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff clearly showed his continuing embarrassment, embarrassment over coffee."

   The general also missed filling the cup of the person to the First Lady's right. That person was Dianne Cleaver. She and her congressman husband, Emanuel who led the prayer service, were among those participating in those hearty guffaws and shown throughout the video.

    It was quite the primetime night for the Mo-Kan congressional delegation. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback was featured in one clip on the "Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

UPDATE: Cleaver spokesman Danny Rotert has helpfully provided links after reading the original post. If you want the conservative take on the moment, check out Fox News. If you want the bash Bush take, then check out MSNBC's. 

Posted by DeAnn Smith   

In prayer

President and Mrs. Bush, along with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II and his wife Diane, listened as Dr. Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, sang and played guitar this morning during the National Prayer Breakfast.

Cleaver on Biden

    "I think that had Sen. Biden not been a strong supporter of civil rights, had he been someone who, over his years of public service, had a shaky relationship with African Americans, I think we would all need to be very upset over his comments. But obviously he has done thing likes this before. We realize he made a mistake. He was putting his tongue ahead of his brain. I don't think you're going to find any African Americans who are going to be upset with him. He's a friend, always has been."

Posted by David Goldstein

You want fries with that?

    The editors at foodie mag Bon Appetit gave four stars to Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's cooking grease-powered bus that he uses to travel his district.

     "In a town of ribs and fries, could there be a more perfect way to travel?" Cleaver tells their blog this morning.

    He has been pushing alternatives fuels. A Cleaver bill says his colleagues can only use their office allowance on cars if they run on alternative fuels.

    Cleaver aide Danny Rotert tells Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, that the aroma of barbecue lingers inside the bus. The only question we have is, when constitutents seek assistance as the bus rolls through their neighborhood, do Cleaver aides follow the teachings of one of Kansas City's legendary lords of barbecue and shout, "May I help you?   

Posted by David Goldstein   

Remember the first day of kindergarten?

   Apparently that's kind of like the seating chart for a president's State of the Union speech. A wild scramble ensued last night and seniority does have its perks.(Apparently the "good" aisle seats to be able to glad-hand on national teeevee the president as he walks in and out of the House Chambers require staking 'em out 12 hours or so beforehand.)

   One of those on the aisle was Sen. Kit Bond, who was next to Penn. Sen. Arlen Specter on the Republican side. His bipartisan display was a blue paisley tie.

  On the Democratic aisle side no, that wasn't Congresman Emanuel Cleaver mauling President Bush last night and saying he was going to pray for him. That was his near twin, Rep. Sanford Bishop.

   A spokesman for Cleaver said Cleaver sat dead center in the Democratic side of the House chambers. Cleaver grabbed a salad beforehand and got to the chambers early. He said he couldn't imagine the pressure the president faced last night.

   Afterward, as Cleaver was on the telephone doing an interview with KCUR-FM, he waved at Sen. Claire McCaskill as she prepared to do an interview with KMBC.

   During the speech, McCaskill was several rows back from Sen. Hillary Clinton, which got her on television a bit. But apparently even closer to her and thus getting more camera time was Congressman Dennis Moore, who is today on The New York Times Web site thanks to this picture.

  He may be in the minority now, but Rep. Roy Blunt was one of the first to make his way to Bush after the speech. Cameras caught him broadly smiling his accolades to Bush. Right behind Blunt, but not seeking Bush out for any back slapping would be Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott, who blamed Bush in part for him losing the title of majority leader. Lott was smiling jovially to everyone else on his way out.

   Getting the biggest post-speech interview from our neck of the woods was McCaskill who charmed MSNBC's Joe Scarborough. (Check it out here). She was rewarded with almost 10 minutes of airtime, a lifetime by teevee standards. The best part of the interview was when she joked about the difficulties in knowing when to stand and clap and when to sit stoically.

   "It's a mess!" she joked, adding it was "silly" the whole "game" about when to stand up.

Posted by DeAnn Smith

Cleaver, Bush pray together

   Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver met with President Bush today to discuss plans for the National Prayer Breakfast, which Cleaver is co-chairing this year with Rep. Jo Ann Davis, a Virginia Republican. The breakfast is Feb. 1.

    “We talked a lot about Texas and football,” said Cleaver, a Texas native who said it was his first meeting with Bush since Cleaver's 2004 election. “Karl Rove called Rep. Davis and I into the Oval Office after the president had finished his morning prayer. I mentioned to the President that I would have been glad to join a fellow Methodist in prayer and he said he would be glad to have me pray with him after the business part of the meeting. So, before we left, I prayed for us and the nation.”

Posted by Matt Stearns

Emanuel Cleaver: Greased lightning!

   Like many members of Congress, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri has a publicly paid mobile office in his district to help with constituent service.

Unlike most, Cleaver's doesn't run on gas or diesel. He retro-fit it to run on used cooking grease. That means a fill-up costs 70 cents a gallon, kids.

   The retrofit is in tune with Cleaver's re-introduced bill to force members of Congress to lease vehicles that run on alternative fuels if they're going to lease a vehicle with taxpayer dollars (The Star revealed last year that such leases, many for gas-guzzling SUVs and luxury cars, cost taxpayers more than $1 million a year.)

   "We are taking a normally discarded waste product and turning it into a replacement for foreign oil," Cleaver said. "And, honestly, the humor is not lost. In the town of ribs and fries could there be a more perfect way to travel?"

   Grease is the word.

   More in tomorrow's Star.

Posted by Matt Stearns

Emanuel Cleaver: Moderate (It's all about context)

    Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver was named Second Vice-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus today, joining the policy-making executive committee of the 43-member group, all Democrats.

   Cleaver was recruited for the position by CBC leaders. Why?

   "To add a voice of progressivism flavored with Midwestern moderation," Cleaver said, explaining he is the only CBC member from a district with a black population of less than 30 percent (MO-5 is 23 percent black).

   UPDATE: Cleaver said his top priority as an officer for the CBC will be to end the state election laws that require voters to present state-issued identification to vote. "Congressman Ike Skelton, my friend and member of Congress for 30 years, couldn't vote because he showed up at the polls and didn't have a driver's license -- Ike has polio and can't use his arms and has no need for a license. That kind of foolishness has to stop."

   He added that the CBC leadership would work "to make certain CBC members are given optimum consideration" for important committee posts. Given the ire between the black caucus and incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her decision to pass over member Alcee Hastings to lead the House Intelligence Committee, Cleaver said he expected that effort would be easier because Pelosi "realizes there's a great deal of disappointment in our caucus over the Hastings decision."

Posted by Matt Stearns

The Rev keeps promise to Chris Moreno

   Congressman Emanuel Cleaver is headlining a fund-raiser for up-and-coming politico Chris Moreno. As reported previously on KC Buzz Blog, Cleaver's folks had promised that Cleaver would campaign for Moreno, who is running for the 48th District Missouri House seat.

  Obviously, the Democrats are smelling blood in Moreno's bid against Republican Rep. Will Kraus. That's because virtually every major Democratic politico is locking hands in this event, including seven state lawmakers, four county lawmakers and several Democrats unopposed on the November ballot. The Hispanic political leadership is also stepping up for Moreno.

  And making another Kansas City appearance will be Attorney General Jay Nixon, who along with Jackson County Prosecutor Mike Sanders is joining Cleaver in hosting the event at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at a Lee's Summit banquet hall.Tickets start at $25 and go up to $325.

Posted by DeAnn Smith

More on North Korea

    Rep. Emanuel Cleaver: "I think we've gotten into this because we haven't been paying attention. I think this could ignite an Asian arms race. No leader of a nation will sleep better tonight because of the test by North Korea."

    Rep. Ike Skelton: "North Korea continues playing a highly dangerous game...Because of its importance to both regional and international security, this issue must be given far greater priority...including the appointment of a high level coordinator for North Korean policy within the administration."

Posted by David Goldstein

Cleaver ranks 5th in House in seeking tariff relief

   Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver ranked fifth in the House when it comes to granting tariff relief.

   Cleaver, the Kansas City Democrat, sponsored 21 tariff breaks during the current Congress all for Bayer's Crop Protection division in his district. The Washington Post conducted the rankings analysis.

   According to the Post, tariff relief is a largely unknown congressional tool that allows companies to skip paying tariffs, which are taxes levied on products and materials shipped to the U.S. from abroad.

   The breaks granted to Bayer were for chemicals that are processed in KC into pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers for farmers. Cleaver's office said all of the chemicals have to be imported.

   "Essentially Congressman Cleaver sees these bills as a way to help the 800 workers at the Bayer plant, here in the district, get the raw materials they need cheaper," a spokesman said.

   Critics, though, say the practice is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions in lost revenue. And yes, Bayer contributed $2,000 to Cleaver's re-election campaign.

Posted by Steve Kraske

McInerney says nope to prosecutor gig and other Torch tidbits

   Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Pat McInerney was the early front-runner to be the next Jackson County prosecutor to replace Mike Sanders, who is expected beat in November less-financed foes. McInerney had the backing of important folks on the courthouse's second floor and even had the endorsement of at least one district court judge. He had the necessary telegenic presence, the experience and the Democratic connections. The Buzz was that Chief Deputy Jim Kanatzar would get the consolation gig of county counselor, where he could ably continue keeping Sanders out of hot water. Now, Kanatzar is the No. 1 possibility with a bullet.

   Torch Dinner hostest-with-the-mostest Beth Gottstein saw fit to place KC Buzz Blog next to McInerney. And the obvious question had to be asked. And the Blackwell Sanders partner forthrightly admitted without any Hillary Clinton puss-footing around that he was content at his current gig (read: ka-ching!) and has no interesting in moving his shingle to the courthouse again. So McInerney is out as a prosecutor candidate, but like most everyone else he wonders who will wind up on the blue-ribbon selection committee.

  Buzz Blog even moseyed over to the Sanders table to try and get a scoop from Women's Caucus VP Georgia Sanders while her hubby was off kibitzing with KC Councilman Terry Riley and others. She swore no decision on the prosector has been made (Mike would die if he knew what she did confide!).

  But other decisions were made last night before, after and during the Westin gathering. Expect to see Congressman Emanuel Cleaver politicking on behalf of Missouri House candidate Chris Moreno in his race against Republican incumbent Will Kraus.

   Cleaver got stuck in DC but sent his ever gracious and lovely wife Dianne to speak in person on his behalf. (He also sent taped comments that talked about the influence in his life of strong women and a precocious granddaughter as well as funny comments about how mean his three sisters were to him as a child.)

   Missouri Auditor Claire McCaskill got the first standing ovation last night. A late-arriving from Wichita Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius also was well received, particularly when she offered up as an unexpected auction item dinner for six with her and the First Dude at the Governor's Mansion. Speaking of auction items, this is what happens when former Jackson County employee/former KC school board member Sandy Mayer allows hubby Bob to go to the Torch Dinner by himself. He successfully bid $1,000 for lunch with Her Honor, Mayor Kay Barnes.

   Barnes was wearing a lovely cream and apricot jacket (sans flower! and she wasn't one of the many people wearing stickers promoting the stem-cell initiative). The outgoing mayor (in perhaps her swan song?) spoke about past leaders, future leaders and being assured that the future is in good hands. Which all in all could have been the theme of a night where progressives partied like it was 1999 and certainly hope it will be again come the morning of Nov. 8.

Posted by DeAnn Smith   

Please Mr. Postman

  In an era of often divisive politics, one federal agency's cost-cutting move has managed to bring bipartisan opposition from Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat, and Republican Senators Kit Bond and Jim Talent.

   After getting a call from Jackson County Ex Katheryn Shields, Cleaver became so angry at the decision of the agency that he went, er, postal, calling it "customer disservice." Bond fired off a letter to federal officials making clear his concerns. And Talent offered any assistance possible to Jackson County to get its service restored.

    One Jackson County judge joked that if the county went to court to stop the move he would sign a temporary restraining order blocking it.

  What has 'em all up in arms? And did the federal agency back down in the face of Congressional outrage or just postpone the inevitable?  You'll have to read tomorrow's Star to know, or check The KC Buzz Blog in the morning.

   Posted by DeAnn Smith

Cleaver to move congressional office

   Congressman Emanuel Cleaver said today he's moving.

   His downtown Kansas City office, at the (still) new federal courthouse, draws a paltry number of visitors a month, he told The Star's editorial board this morning. That's because of the security wall that makes easy access impossible, not to mention the tough parking situation.

   Cleaver's Independence office draws a steady stream of visitors each week, he said.

    And, Cleaver said, he's paying $72,000 a year for rent.

   But early plans to move to Union Station have been scrapped. Cleaver didn't say why. But he said he's still looking because his courthouse lease expires in early January.

   Meantime, the Democrat said he's continuing his focus on restoring civility to Congress.

   "You won't hear nastier comments about al-Qaida than you will hear members say about each other," Cleaver said.

  And he complained that the Bush administration still isn't including costs of the Iraqi war in the budget.

   That's because adding it to the budget will jack up the deficit, he said.

Posted by Steve Kraske

Hey Jamaica Congressmon

   Congressman Emanuel Cleaver opened up his part-sermon, part-speech at the Jackson County Democratic Party's unity brunch Saturday morning by talking about his recent trip to Turkey.

   The former KC mayor lamented the anti-Americanism sentiment he found there. "We are hated everywhere," he said.

   How bad did it get? Well, the first four days he would proclaim he was from the United States when asked where he was from.

  "After about five days, I stopped telling people where I was from. When people would ask me where I was from, I would say, "HEY MON!"

Posted by DeAnn Smith

How did you spend your summer vacation?

   Congressman Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri's 5th (Kansas City) District spent his in....Turkey.

   Ten days, a spokesman said today. Cleaver returns tonight.

   Turns out that the Democrat, who doubles as a United Methodist minister, was there on church business and not on the taxpayers' tab. It was part of an interfaith exchange involving six other Kansas City ministers who met with Muslim leaders and clerics.

   The goal: to strike up a dialogue.

Posted by Steve Kraske

Claire, the Rev. brunching their way to unity

    State Auditor Claire McCaskill and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver will headline Saturday morning's "unity rally" for the Jackson County Democratic Party.

   The Dynasty-like catfights during the Democratic primary for the Jackson County executive will be formally put behind the party at this breakfast, which incumbent Katheryn Shields, winner Mike Sanders and vanquished foe Charles Wheeler will attend. Other candidates up and down the ticket as well as party leaders will also be there.

  If you want to attend the event at 9:30 a.m. at the Ararat Temple in south Kansas City, call Lanna Ultican at (816) 228-9317. Tickets are $25 each and you have until 5 p.m. Thursday to make your reservation. Doors open at 9 a.m.

  Bon appetit!

Posted by DeAnn Smith  

Cleaver to march for minimum wage

   On Wednesday, 10 years to the day had passed since Congress last raised the minimum wage.

   In recognition of that anniversary, Kansas City Congressman Emanuel Cleaver has organized a Ministers' March for the Minimum Wage at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at Mill Creek Park on the Country Club Plaza.

   Cleaver backs a minimum wage boost from $5.15 an hour to $7.25. He voted against a Republican-backed bill in the House this week that tied a minimum wage bump to an estate tax cut.

   Why?

   "...It saddles the government with another $900 billion in debt over the next decade to pay for yet another tax cut for the rich," Cleaver said.

Posted by Steve Kraske

Kansas? Kansas City? It's all looks the same from the Beltway

   Once again, that whole Kansas City/Kansas/Missouri thing has flummoxed the East Coast.

   An entertaining article today in the Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill focused on the desperate, sometimes inadvertently humorous, attacks made by desperate, sometimes inadvertently humorous, candidates.

   It quotes U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver: "Oh, Lord, I’ve been accused of going to a California winery drinking champagne and eating caviar while I was mayor of Kansas,” ...He added, “I don’t drink, and I don’t eat caviar.”

   A photo of Cleaver also has a caption citing his years as "mayor of Kansas."

   Cleaver was mayor of Kansas City from 1991 to 1999. Mayor of Kansas? Now that would be a tough job.

   As for the caviar? Back in the mid-1990s, a Kansas City city manager sent 15 administrators to Napa Valley for training. They did have caviar. And lobster. At taxpayer expense. Cleaver criticized it at the time, after learning about it in The Star. But his Republican opponent, Jeanne Patterson, still used the incident in an ad questioning Cleaver's ethics during their hard-fought 2004 race (The ad, it should be noted, did not accuse Cleaver himself of partaking in the Napagate, as it was then known.)

Posted by Matt Stearns

Emanuel Cleaver and gay rights

   Matt Stearns had a great story and earlier post about Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's position on a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

   Cleaver's history on the overall subject of civil rights for gays and lesbians is actually pretty complicated, and interesting.

  In the late 1980s, the Kansas City Council considered an ordinance that added sexual orientation as a protected class under the city's existing anti-discrimination ordinance.  It was very controversial.  Hundreds of people -- pro-gay-rights and anti-gay-rights -- crowded into the council's chamber each time it was discussed.

   Ultimately, the Council voted to send the measure back to committee, effectively killing it.  The vote was 8 to 5.  Among those voting to return the measure, thus killing it:  Emanuel Cleaver.

   At the time Cleaver insisted his was not the deciding vote.  Other councilmembers, though, said at the time Cleaver's vote against the ordinance gave them cover to also vote no -- allowing them to claim they were not anti-civil-rights.

   The gay community certainly blamed him for the defeat. The AIDS activist group ACT-UP Kansas City staged several protests, including pouring blood on the chamber doors.  At one point protestors chanted "Cleaver and the Klan/Go hand in hand" -- prompting an emotional outburst from the councilman, who went into the audience, loudly telling the protestors to "shut up."

   Interestingly, the human rights ordinance (as it was known) was reintroduced in 1993 by then-councilman Mike Hernandez.  For whatever reason, tempers had cooled: there were protests, but they were smaller and not very effective.  The ordinance passed, with the vote -- this time -- of Mayor Emanuel Cleaver.

   Now, as Paul Harvey might say, you know the rest of the story.

Posted by Dave Helling

Emanuel Cleaver is really angry

   The House is expected to vote next week on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

   In a provocative interview with The Star, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver - the only practicing minister in Congress - displayed an uncharacteristic, visceral anger about the amendment, which he opposes.

   He's mad at Republicans for messing with a holy sacrament. And he's really mad at African Americans leaders who support the ban.

   "I give Republicans credit," Cleaver said. "They have discovered that some African Americans will abandon their concern about and interest in issues that impact their congregations in favor of a candidate who speaks in opposition to homosexuality."

   "The Voter ID card is way down the line. Doesn’t matter that it will prevent many African Americans from voting. Their No. 1 issue becomes homosexuality...There needs to be some kind of sociological study to find out why African Americans are so intolerant on the issue of homosexuality. I don’t know. People have talked about it for years."

   "Was Jesus against this? Jesus never addressed it. But we do know Jesus was for love. That an inextricable part of the preaching of Jesus Christ was love...And I think many people who are so anti-homosexuality slip into a level of meanness that does not reflect well on Christianity."

   Read more about Cleaver's take on the gay marriage ban in this weekend's Star.

Posted by Matt Stearns

Cleaver: No time for The Times

   Rep. Emanuel Cleaver weighed in on the controversy over newspaper disclosures of the White House program to track international banking transactions in the hunt for terrorists. He took a cautious approach.

    The Kansas City Democrat didn't accuse any of the papers of treason, or channel Hitler like conservative talk show host Melanie Morgan and suggest that New York Times Executive editor Bill Keller be sent to the gas chamber. He was more concerned that only three members of Congress knew about it.

    "This is a critical matter that we need to take seriously," he said at hearing on the issue Tuesday. "If The New York Times broke the law, they should be held accountable. But over the long term I am much more concerned with the administration ignoring the oversight role of Congress."

Posted by David Goldstein

They've got the power - sort of

   This just in: Republican Pat Roberts of Kansas is the 24th most powerful senator and Kit Bond of Missouri is No 30. At the other end of the scale, Democrat Emanuel Cleaver turned up fourth from the bottom in the House. But he's a freshman in the minority party, after all.

    To find the rankings of every senator and House member, go to http://congress.org, site of a new report by Knowlegis, a Virgina company that tracks Congress. It measured lawmakers' clout by committee assignments, leadership roles, bills passed, media time and more.

     Check The Star tomorrow for a detailed report on the rankings.

Posted by David Goldstein 12:40 p.m.