ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Longtime political analysts John Hancock and Michael Kelley join Total Information A.M. every Friday right before their show 'Hancock and Kelley' and they discuss the top political stories both nationally and locally.
This week was the focused on Missouri politics in Jefferson City. With Missouri's 'Freedom Caucus' most notably making headlines in the state's political world.
The newly formed Caucus has used procedural tactics to slow legislative work, from forcing more rapid consideration of a proposed constitutional amendment that would make it harder to pass citizen-led ballot initiatives such as one backing abortion rights. It had also led to the state's Republican Party fighting within each other. Senate Majority Leader Cindy O'Laughlin (R) most notably reporters at she "absolutely would" like to expel from the chamber state Sen. Bill Eigel, an outspoken member of the caucus.
The tactics by the caucus led to Hancock believing that very few legislation would get passed this session in his opinion.
"It's not conductive to getting things done," said Hancock. "When you have one party control and that what (Missouri) has had in the last 20 years, they tend to devolve into factions. You see it in St. Louis with the Democrats. You see it in Southwest Missouri with the Republicans who have ruled these counties for years."
"The natural tendency to bifurcate is strong and given the personalities involved, it's gotten pretty explosive in Jefferson City."
Kelley say the Republican Party infighting is interesting from his perspective as someone who is longtime affiliated with the Democrats since Eigel and the Caucus policies aren't in line with what a majority of the members' county, St. Charles County, views are.
"If you think about the things that have passed overwhelmingly in St. Charles at the ballot, it includes the legalization of marijuana, Medicaid expansion, the opposition to the right to work, that's what the Republicans in the Freedom Caucus are trying to stop," said Kelley.
Kelley though says he is happy the Party's infighting is happening since the Party won't find some way to hurt people in the state.
"It's good for the working (Missouri) people the party isn't going to be able to pass some ridiculous stuff in the legislature," said Kelley. "They're not hurting working people from my perspective."
