When Did the Riverfront Times Become Such a Prude?

I had to have a little chuckle over St. Louis’s alterna-weekly today after receiving a link to their recent article on Missouri’s Lt. Governor Peter Kinder. The headline? “Peter Kinder: Every Night’s a Pantless Party.”

Today we can tell you where that photo was taken: Verlin’s, a south-city bar famous for its “pantless parties.” And that’s not to say that the lieutenant governor wasn’t wearing pants: The comely bartenders at Verlin’s sling drinks in their undies; the patrons apparently stay fully clothed. As the bar’s ad in the RFT proclaims, “Every night’s a pantless party.”

A bartender at Verlin’s, which recently moved from Soulard to Vandeventer, in the Grove district, confirmed to RFT that Kinder is a fan of the establishment. “People might catch him here,” she said. “I’m not saying he’s here every day…”



And the sexy blond with whom Kinder is posing, Daily RFT can confirm, was a Penthouse “pet of the month” in the early 90s. She was a bartender at Verlin’s at the time the photo was taken.

Kinder, a Republican, is widely believed to be planning a run for governor. The never-married Cape Girardeau native is a favorite of the Tea Party.

Hold up — you’re telling me that Missouri’s single male Lt. Governor has been to a bar where drinks are made by panty’d servers?

WOOT, WOOT, WOOT, OBVIOUS ALERT! OBVIOUS ALERT! STOP THE PRESSES! ALERT THE MASSES! SINGLE RED-BLOODED AMERICAN MALE LIKES BARS WITH WOMEN! WOOT! WOOT! WOOT!

Oh my, I may not vote for him once, I may go all ACORN and vote for him twice.

Kinder’s spokesman, Jay Eastlick, expressed some skepticism over the governor’s presence at Verlin’s when we reached him this morning.

“I really highly doubt the lieutenant governor is going to a bar where they don’t wear pants on a night when they don’t wear pants,” he said. “I saw the picture. I don’t know if it’s an old picture. I just can’t imagine he’d be drinking there.”

And who cares if he did? Last I checked, it was a free country. Kinder is single, no crotch shots were sent while his spouse was away. Kinder didn’t deny visiting the bar afterwards by claiming that I or Andrew Breitbart hacked his social media account, thus Photoshopping him at the bar. No heather-gray manties were involved in this story, he didn’t dress up as Tigger and make unwanted advances towards underage girls.

When did the RFT become such a prude? Is this supposed to be a smear? Does this mean that Kinder detractors get to play Puritan and burn at the stake all the single men going to bars? Seriously, I want to know, because I will pay good money to watch them try to maneuver out of that little corner. Strategy backfire!

By the way, this story comes from a publication whose entire back pages are nothing but soft porn in the form of desperately seeking classifieds. I’m sure we’ll soon see those replaced by ads for modesty swimsuits and arranged marriage brokers now, considering the RFT’s new stance.