St. Louis' Own David and Goliath Story

Since the passage of Cap and Trade in the US House of Representatives, St. Louisans have watched as a local David and Goliath story has been brewing. This story is about a real David who has left a mark on the local political machine. It all started when the House of Representatives rammed through the monstrous Cap and Trade bill on June 26 by a vote of 219-212.

In the brief run-up to passage of the bill, Missouri Representatives leaning toward or favoring the bill were bombarded with faxes, letters and phone calls from constituents asking them NOT to vote for the bill as Missouri (along with most of the central United States) is in the cross hairs of the cap and trade debacle due to the fact that electricity production in this part of the US is primarily coal based. The burden on the central US from cap and trade is predicted to be the most punitive and costly for the regular citizens and for businesses in this area. In the 2nd district of Missouri, Russ Carnahan (D) was one of the Cap and Trade proponents who was begged by constituents NOT to vote for the bill, but to no avail. Rep. Carnahan voted for Cap and Trade and the saga began....

The real David, Dave McArthur, of McArthur's Bakery, a family owned baking business that has been an icon in St. Louis for over 50 years stepped up to sling the first pebble. After Cap and Trade was passed, Dave wrote a letter to Rep. Carnahan expressing his displeasure and went one step further. He put notice on the marquee sign outside of his flagship bakery in South St. Louis County (in Carnahan's district) that "Russ Carnahan voted to ... close us and other ... small business." This salvo was but the first in a story that has snowballed to crescendo with Dave McArthur being enlisted to appear on Glenn Beck's TV show on Fox News on Thursday, 7/9/09.

It was only a very short time until Dave McArthur was contacted by Rep. Carnahan's staff asking that the sign come down and Dave and his brother Randy were invited to meet with Carnahan's staff. Dave told his story on a local talk radio station and garnered a large group of local supporters. Dave's brother Randy McArthur was tagged to speak at the St. Louis Independence Day Tea Party held in Washington Missouri. On 7/7/09, the story was picked up by Fox News and covered nationally. With the national coverage, the McArthur brothers have gained a national following, receiving supportive phone calls and emails from all over the country.

The much awaited meeting happened yesterday, 7/7/09 at Carnahan's district office and Rep. Carnahan did not attend....he sent his minions to meet with the McArthurs. In a rather astonishing exchange, Dave was told...."The bill is not law yet. It has to go to the Senate. In the Senate it will be perfected to be a good bill. The people that you need to talk to are your senators who will be dealing with the bill, Senator McCaskill and Senator Bond's staff." You can hear the entire discussion here at the bottom of the page, under AUDIO... 07.08 Dave McArthur.

Dave and his brother Randy are just ordinary small businessmen in St. Louis. They are not public speakers. They are little people just like Joe the Plumber who was catapulted into the limelight by asking a simple question of then candidate Obama last year. By using the bully pulpit of their marquee sign, they, too, have been thrust into the spotlight and have risen to the challenge by putting themselves and their business on the line for something that they believe in. This is true grass roots activism from the conservative perspective. You can be sure that Russ Carnahan will be watched carefully in the next weeks and months and he will be marked for ouster in 2010 by a growing group of small businessmen and constituents who are very unhappy that he has not served the interests of the people who put him in office.