Missouri Democrats held their annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on Saturday night, honoring a trio of party stalwarts and gearing up for the November election.

Receiving the “Legacy of Leadership” nod were three lions of Show-Me politics: Dick Gephardt, Jean Carnahan and Bill Clay Sr.

All of that, though, was on the program - here are some nuggets that came off the cuff.

Enjoy:

• Plenty of attendees made it a family night. The Clays and the Carnahans, of course, had a strong showing. But there were also a troop of Temporitis (Party Chairman John J. Temporiti and son, John Jr., to name two) and a whole book full of Pages, as in Sam, who is running for lieutenant governor. State Senate hopeful Robin Wright-Jones was seated next to her son, Damon, while Greg, the city alderman, and, Chris, the State House hopeful, represented the Carter clan.  
• If lapel pins count as votes, Barack Obama has the clear support of Missouri Democrats. Though not everyone was wearing an Obama seal on their coat or blouse, there was no one at all, it seemed, wearing any Hillary Clinton gear.
• Speaking of Obama supporters, Claire McCaskill used some of the insider knowledge she’s gained traveling with his campaign to make a crack on Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Obama, McCaskill told the crowd, is known to his Secret Service detail by the moniker “Renegade.” In a dig at his age, McCaskill said McCain should be known as “Old Spice.”
• Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, who flirted with running for governor this year, made clear that she is firmly behind the nominee, Attorney General Jay Nixon. “He is going to use passion to encourage folks to follow his lead,” Carnahan said while introducing Nixon. “He’s not going to be outworked - and I’m going to be there right with him to try to get this job done.”
• Attorney General candidate Margaret Donnelly was pitching her campaign table-to-table, while an opponent, Republican convert Chris Koster, seemed at ease in his first Jeff-Jack dinner. The other major competitor in that race, Jeff Harris, was on hand as well.
• Nixon said the party has an advantage in recruiting younger voters: “It’s cool to be a Democrat again.” But, when courting the younger set, be succinct, Nixon cautioned: “They got short attention spans.” Then he said something else, but I sort of dozed off.
• Former Fire Chief Sherman George attended the dinner with his wife, Catherine.
• The Young Democrats hosted an after party down the street at the Side Bar that was set to last until 3 a.m.
• Though Gephardt left early, diners were still treated to a video tribute of his life and career. He’s the son of a milkman, you know.
• As we reported on earlier, union troubles led Dems to move the dinner from the America’s Center to the Renaissance Grand hotel. The ballroom at the Grand, though, was too small to fit the entire crowd, forcing organizers to set up about a half-dozen tables outside the main doorway. The exiles consisted mostly of younger Democrats who have plenty of time to work their way up the party ladder - or, at least, to the main room.