TheChat: Bernie Sanders isn’t giving up

Good morning.

▪ “As you read this, thousands of supporters are responding to tonight’s results with contributions because they believe we can win.” — Democrat Bernie Sanders in a fund-raising appeal just hours after Hillary Clinton swamped him in the New York primary.

Sanders is still fighting, but the road ahead looks shaky. The big prize next week is Pennsylvania, and Clinton holds a commanding lead there.

▪ ”So it’s progress that you can’t be a legislator-consultant any more. And it’s progress that you can’t be a legislator and hit on college interns any more.” — a St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial that nonetheless laments the lack of forward momentum on ethics reform.

A number of other measures are bottled up. Among them: a ban on lobbyist gifts to lawmakers and a waiting period before a lawmaker could go to work as a lobbyist. Both are needed reforms.

▪ “All year, House Republicans have failed to offer a realistic plan to fix Missouri’s crumbling roads and bridges.” — House Democratic Leader Jacob Hummel after his proposal to for a small gasoline tax increase was shot down.

Republicans said they’re prepared to address the issue this session — just not yet.

▪ “It’s steadily getting worse and worse and worse.” — Kansas state Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, acknowledging to two employees of the western Kansas mental hospital that he’s aware of serious problems at the facility.

The workers indicated that staff shortages are making Larned State Hospital a dangerous place to work.

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 12:06 AM.