Around the city and county, signs supporting Republican Presidential Candidate Ron Paul have been popping up on roadsides and overpasses.

The signs aren’t being put up by the official Ron Paul campaign, though. Paul, a Texas Congressman has several devoted, internet-based grassroots support teams. Online, the supporters flood YouTube, message boards, social networking sites and blogs with comments, graphics and videos supporting their favorite candidate. Offline, these street teams are less visible but they make their support known through signs, fliers and protests.

The St. Louis area Ron Paul support group started this past summer. The group has grown from 40 members to roughly 250. On top of that, nearby cities like Edwardsville and St. Charles have their own groups.

The essentially Libertarian Paul is attracting Internet support reminiscent of former Democratic candidate and current DNC chairman Howard Dean. According to the lead organizer for the St. Louis area Ron Paul group, Tim Blessing, Representative Paul has won over many local apathetic and first-time voters, like Blessing himself, who admittedly voted for Ralph Nader twice, just to support a third party.

“Apathy is a tremendous thing, I’ve found out,” says Blessing. “It’s pretty easy to cure once you find someone or something to inspire you.”

Blessing sat down this week for an interview with PubDef.net to discuss how he came to lead the group and what he’s doing to attract new members.

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Last weekend, State Rep. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield) launched her campaign for the state Senate.

According to Jo Mannies at the Political Fix, former St. Louis Democratic state rep. Fred Kratky’s “Facts ‘O Life” band was there, as was State Senator Scott Rupp, State Rep. Allen Icet and Speaker-Elect Ron Richard.

The kick-off’s host committee included the mayors of Chesterfield, Town & Country, Creve Coeur, Manchester, and Fenton.

Rep. Jane Cunningham with State Rep. candidate Robin Harris and Wanda Harris

Nicholas Britto, St. Louis City school board member Veronica O’Brien, Celeste Oakland, and Jack Hoffmann of Chesterfield.

Guests at the Stand by Me fundraiser, left to right around the table…Dr. Ben Mayes (closest), Joan Kehr, Kent Kehr, Donna Hearne, Mark Hearne, Bob Bacon (mostly hidden), Karen Bacon and Ellen Mayes.

Chesterfield Township Republican Committeeman Paul Matteucci, Alicia Matteucci and Donna Hearne.

Carl and Debbie Bearden.

Cunningham campaign manager Kit Crancer with Molly Tallarico, who represents the University of Missouri.

Photos from the Cunningham campaign

The President of the 24th Ward Democrats sat down with PubDef.net this afternoon to discuss the ongoing effort to recall Mayor Francis Slay and why his organization opposes it.

John Corbett, president of the 24th Ward Regular Democratic Organization, was active in the recall of his own alderman, Tom Bauer, just two years ago. Corbett is a retired University City firefighter and has spent time lobbying on behalf of firefighters in state government. He says he sometimes worked with, and sometimes against, former Fire Chief Sherman George back when George was an active member of the black firefighters’ organization, F.I.R.E.

“Sherman has his own agenda, just like I did when I was president of the firefighters’ union,” says Corbett. “I don’t think Sherman ever changed from working for F.I.R.E.”

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Saturday night, the St. Louis Democratic Central Committee and the Young Democrats of Greater St. Louis hosted their annual Halloween party at the Glazier’s Union Hall.

Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce and her husband.

A much slimmer Circuit Clerk Mariano Favazza.

Under all that hair gel is State Senator Jeff Smith.

See more party pics at our Flickr page: www.flickr.com/photos/pubdef/

Before his rally at Union Station Friday, Presidential Candidate Barack Obama met with a group of local elected officials at his Washington Ave. campaign office.

Local electeds in attendance included: Congressman Lacy Clay; State Auditor Susan Montee; St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley; President of the Board of Aldermen Lewis Reed; License Collector Mike McMillan; Aldermen April Ford-Griffin and Frank Williamson; State Senator Rita Days; State Reps Rodney Hubbard, Robin Wright-Jones, and Ted Hoskins; Chairman of the City Democrats, Brian Wahby; U-City Councilwoman Hazel Erby; former St. Louis mayor Vince Schoemehl; and former state representative Betty Thompson.

This morning, nearly 200 people from St. Louis and surrounding areas will ride out of town on the 6:00 am Amtrak train to Chicago, or as they call it, the Peace Train.

The passengers are going to the Windy City to take part in the Mobilization to End the War, a demonstration against the war in Iraq. Chicago is one of eleven cities taking part in the Mobilization, and it will serve as the Midwestern hub for those taking part in the protest.

170 Peace Train tickets were available, and all were sold by Friday afternoon.

For more details about the demonstration, click here.

School officials attending a conference this weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks may get a political message on their drive to the Tan-Tar-A resort.

A group called Americans for Prosperity - Missouri has bought a billboard attacking the nearly 300 school boards, including St. Louis Public Schools’ and its Special Administrative Board, for supporting a lawsuit against the state seeking more money for public education.

Carl Bearden, the former state representative who left the House to accept the state director position with the group, says many of the state’s school districts are guilty of a “misguided effort” to funnel tax revenue to lawyers in an unsuccessful effort to force the state to increase state aid to public schools.

Bearden said that if the school districts prevail in court, “the state would either have to raise taxes by $1 billion, cut services by that amount or a combination of both.”

The billboards direct people to a website which outlines the group’s position on the school funding lawsuit.

Americans for Prosperity calls themselves “the nation’s premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity.” According to campaign finance reports, AFP spent $25,000 last year opposing the proposed tabacco tax increase.

The Service Employees International Union, Local 2000 will be endorsing Chris Koster’s campaign for Attorney General.

Koster finally formally announced his bid for AG yesterday in Harrisonville, MO. He held another announcement today in Independence. And late yesterday, a third stop was added to his cross-state announcement tour — St. Louis City — or more specifically, the headquarters of SEIU Local 2000. That press event is scheduled for Monday at 10:30 AM.

In related news… Koster’s new website is now live. ChrisKoster.com was designed by A D French & Associates. Feedback is welcome.

PubDef.net is scheduling interviews with all four announced Attorney General candidates. Check back next week for our interviews with Senators Mike Gibbons (R) and Chris Koster (D), and State Reps Jeff Harris (D) and Margaret Donnelly (D).

Just a couple of days after opening a campaign office here, Senator Barack Obama will be in St. Louis today at a rally at Union Station.

Organizers say they are undertered by the sprinkles of rain. “I think it’s going to be a great crowd and a great event,” said Mike Dorsey, the Obama campaign’s state director for Missouri. “Rain or shine, we’re fired up and ready to go!”

Doors open for the St. Louis “Countdown to Change” rally will at 5:00 PM at the south parking lot of Union Station. Tickets are $25 ($15 for students).

Also tonight, city Democrats — young and old — will be putting on the make-up and wigs for their annual Halloween Party.

The St. Louis Democratic Central Committee and the Young Democrats of Greater St. Louis
host their annual party tonight from 6:00 to 10:00 PM at the Glazier’s Union Hall, 5916 Wilson Ave. (Southeast of Hampton and I 44). Tickets are a less-than-frightening $15 per person.

Paul McKee, the man behind the mysterious Blairmont land assemblage project, was expected to address members of the community in which he has purchased dozens of acres of property at a forum Thursday hosted by Metropolitan Congregations United. But as it was rumored he may be, the developer was a no-show.

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