Robin Carnahan slights Nelly, Berry

Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan ran a straw poll at the Missouri State Fair (hat tip: Political Fix), asking attendees to vote for their favorite kind of "Missouri music." There were only four choices on the ballot: Branson country, Ozarks bluegrass, Kansas City jazz, and St. Louis blues.

Has Robin not heard of hip hop, or how Nelly and a slew of other nationally renowned St. Louis artists have put our town back on the music map?

Or what about rock music fans? I think a Missourian by the name of Chuck Berry had something to do with the popularity of that music genre. (Some might add Ike and Tina Turner, but in fairness, they were from the east side.)

And since when does Kansas City get a higher claim on jazz than St. Louis? Robin, meet Erin Bode.

No classical music on the ballot either. I think the St Louis Symphony won a grammy or two in that genre. Or does Robin regard the predominantly rural attendees of the state fair as hayseeds who aren't sophisticated enough to care much for classical music?

The poll, of course, was designed as a ploy to get some free publicity for Ms. Carnahan. Instead, she seems to have offended pretty much all of the state (except for the ozarks, where they don't vote for her anyway).