Rod 'Green Balloons' Jetton Enjoys Controversial Missouri GOP Comeback

Signalling that party time in Jeff City doesn't really have a lot of checks and/or balances. 

Here's a peek at the cultural divide betwixt the Missouri good-old-boy network and just about everybody else in the state . . .

On Thursday, Plocher announced to a closed-door Republican caucus that Rod Jetton will take over as his top legislative aide. Jetton was elected to the Missouri House in 2000 and served four terms, playing a key role in the GOP capturing a majority in 2002 and rising to become House speaker in 2005.

“My feeling is that Rod Jetton was a great former speaker, he made a series of very bad mistakes, and he took action to correct them,” Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Patterson of Lee’s Summit said. “He’s paid his debt to society. And he is really a story of, of resilience and kind of making amends in life. I think we see the good in that. And I do think it’s unfortunate that people will always want to bring out the worst things that you’ve ever done.”

Democratic floor leader Crystal Quade of Springfield, however, said Jetton’s past disqualifies him from the post.

“The speaker’s hiring of a man who pleaded guilty to assault for hitting and choking a woman during a sexual encounter is a gross affront to domestic violence survivors,” Quade said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon. “An admitted abuser of women has no business holding a position of influence in the Missouri House, and his hiring marks a failure of both judgment and leadership by the speaker. Missourians deserve better.”

A bit more context for #TBT regarding why Dems still don't like the dude . . . 

"The woman -- who the AP does not name -- claims that she was sexually abused as a child. When she invited Jetton over for sex, they agreed to a safe word of "green balloons" should she have flashbacks during intercourse. The woman told the court she had no idea the sex would be as rough as it was. "

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Rod Jetton's political career ended in scandal. Now he's Dean Plocher's chief of staff * Missouri Independent

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher's new chief of staff is a former legislative leader whose political career was upended more than a decade ago by a federal bribery investigation and allegations of violent sexual assault.

Embattled Missouri House speaker hires a former House speaker who pleaded guilty to assault

Missouri's troubled House speaker is getting blowback after he hired another former House speaker who had pleaded guilty to assault to be his chief of staff.