UPDATE: Page fires back at Kinder for “St. Louis liberal” remark
Earlier we linked to a report from Joplin, where Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder — appearing with former GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson — labeled his Democratic opponent, State Rep. Sam Page of Creve Coeur, a “St. Louis liberal.”
Page’s camp was apparently reading as well, and they’ve issued a statement challenging Kinder’s conservative credentials.
“Kinder hasn’t a conservative ideology, but he has a conservative geography,” Page said in statement. ”He is a conservative in Joplin and then pops up a liberal in St. Louis. It is time he let Missourians in every county know his position on the important issue of stem cell research.”
Kinder hails from Cape Girardeau, but is a frequent guest at St. Louis political events — including ones thrown by Democrats.
In his statement this afternoon, Page noted that Kinder did not receive an endorsement of Missouri Right to Life, a prominent opponent of abortion, because of his support of Amendment 2, the 2006 ballot question that expanded stem-cell research.
Page, a physician, also backed the proposal.
“My stand is a principled one,” Page said. “I can’t oppose research that gives hope to children with diabetes, young people who injure their spines, nor the families with parents and grandparents suffering from Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease. I am not taking that hope away from them.”
He added: “And that’s my position, wherever I am.”
UPDATE: From Kinder spokesman Paul Sloca:
“Peter Kinder stands by his statement that Sam Page is a liberal from St. Louis who continues to criticize Peter for all the work he has done on behalf of the people of St. Louis. But Peter would be happy to call Sam Page a liberal from Carter County if that’s what Sam prefers.”
Page is originally from Van Buren, Mo., a small town in Carter County.
So Page’s response to the accusation that he’s a “St. Louis liberal” was to attack Kinder. So I guess that means he does agree with the characterization.
And there’s not a damn thing wrong with being a St. Louis liberal either. I would proudly bear that label.
Doesn’t Kinder live in St. Louis at least part of the time? I know I’ve seen him in the West End.
Never said there was anything wrong with it, E. Some of my best friends are St. Louis liberals.
Sam - what are you talking about? You have an opportunity - the best one out there - to take out an incumbent and you give sniveling answers like this? No substance and almost makes no sense. Ok for a playground fight but I thought you wanted to be LTG.
Yes, Kinder has spent a lot of time campaigning in the West End on the weekends in an attempt to capture a reliable Democratic base.
Hmmmm… for thse that don’t know…”E” is a member of the Ed Bd.
Also: Sam: you failed the “duck test”
Quack
Quack
I’m waiting for the day when Kinder goes to Kansas City and tells Jim Stowers he’s evil for establishing the Stowers Institute with his own money. I’m sure over the years, Kinder has benefitted nicely with campaign donations from Stowers’ main biz, American Century. Never mind Stowers Institute endowment is now $2 billion after just 14 years. As Kinder will tell you, scientists wanting to do stem cell research are evil. Peter needs to go back to Cape and work for the newspaper there.
Why isn’t family values Kinder married? Anyone know?
I question how “principled” Dr. Page truly is. As a physician, he took the Hippocratic Oath which clearly states that physicians will not be agents of abortion. Yet Dr. Page is an outspoken advocate of taking innocent life through abortion. How principled is that?