Volume 12, Edition 3   •  February 16 , 2007

Missouri Republicans Show Their Strength

The unity and strength of the Missouri Republican Party was never more evident than during Lincoln Days last weekend as enthusiastic Republicans from across the state converged on the Frontenac Hilton. Gov. Matt Blunt gave a rousing speech putting Jay Nixon and the Missouri Democrat Party on notice that the Republican commitment to improving health care, creating jobs and cutting taxes remains strong. Sen. Kit Bond and the members of our congressional delegation also spoke of their commitment to Missourians and their disdain for the kind of divisive and hypocritical policies being promoted by national Democrats like Nancy Pelosi. Republicans also heard a message of unity from our statewide elected officials and legislative leaders who all touted Republican successes and goals during the three-day event. Our State Committee also unanimously re-elected Doug Russell as chairman, while presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke Saturday night to the fired-up crowd. In Missouri, many of the key elements to continued Republican successes are in place for 2008 which is a far cry from where Democrats are. The resignation of their party chairman and the removal of their executive director have left Democrats with a leadership void that parallels their void of ideas. Each and every Republican in Missouri should be proud of last weekend’s events and should build on that enthusiasm as we head into the next election cycle.

Governor Embraces Small Business Insurance Plan

Governor Blunt’s commitment to giving low-income, working adults access to health care was on display again this week after he embraced a plan to create a state clearinghouse that would let small businesses pool their risk. Under the innovative plan, companies would set aside money for each employee to spend on health insurance offered by the clearinghouse. Workers would pick a plan and pay their share of the cost with tax-free dollars. Low-wage employees would get subsidies, with $20 million coming from state funds and $32 million from federal Medicaid funds. The bottom line is that the plan would dramatically increase the number of people who have access to health insurance.

Governor Promotes Trade, Builds on Export Successes

Missouri has consistently set all-time records in terms of exports under Gov. Matt Blunt’s leadership. Increased exports and international trade is a boost to Missouri’s economy and helps create jobs. This week, the Governor headed a trade mission to Mexico to continue progress towards a Customs Port Facility in Kansas City. Mexico is Missouri’s second largest trading partner and opening the way for the customs facility will open the door for increased Missouri exports. The trip also built on the progress and relationships that have grown from the governor’s first visit to the country almost two years ago. The Customs Port Facility will be the first of its kind ever in the U.S. and would allow U.S. exported goods to be cleared through Kansas City instead of along the U.S./Mexican border. The facility would reduce costs and improve efficiency to move goods out of the U.S. and into Mexico. Missouri exported $1.15 billion in products to Mexico in 2005, ranking the country second among the 232 international buyers of Missouri goods. Missouri exports to Mexico have increased over the last five years by more than $469 million or nearly 70 percent.

Nixon, Ameren Ties Exposed

Jay Nixon is known for having a thin skin and the uncanny ability to get caught with his hands in the proverbial cookie jar. Last fall, Nixon admitted he took $19,000 in backdoor contributions from Ameren while he was supposed to be investigating the utility. Nixon, at the time, said he didn’t solicit the money. But that doesn’t appear to be the truth. The media is reporting that Ameren attorney Steve Sullivan actually told a member of the Governor’s staff that it was Nixon’s own cronies who actively sought the contributions. To most Missourians, that sounds like a shakedown. To government officials, it sounds like a serious ethics violation. Nixon is refusing to talk about the issue and Sullivan is also being kept quiet by company officials. But this is not the first time Jay Nixon has pulled this kind of chicanery. In 1999, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that while involved in a court case with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri, Nixon met with the head of one of its subsidiary companies to discuss campaign fundraising and a settlement of the court case. Nixon, of course, denied any wrongdoing just like he did in the Ameren case. A judge saw it differently and verbally reprimanded Nixon. There is a pattern of malfeasance here and Jay Nixon is at the center of it. To read more, go to http://www.news-leader.com or http://www.kansascity.com.

Democrat Chairman Considered Republican Bid

Already reeling from a series of internal squabbles, Missouri Democrats now find themselves chaired by a man who not only considered a Republican run for Congress in 2003 but also embraces conservative social values. There is little doubt that Democrats can’t be to happy with the selection of John Temporiti as their party chairman. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch this week reported meetings between Temporiti and Republican leaders regarding a potential Republican bid for the seat then held by Dick Gephardt. Asked why he considered running as a Republican, Temporiti said: “I do feel that I have friends on both sides of the aisle.” But there’s more. Federal Election Commission records show that Temporiti even gave a $500 campaign contribution in May, 2004 to Kit Bond. Meanwhile, Temporiti was evasive when asked about his conservative position on key social issues: “Temporiti declined to give his personal positions on abortion or other social issues, saying that’s not his purpose as state party chairman,” according to the Post-Dispatch. It goes without saying that the divisions within the Democrat Party are unlikely to heal anytime soon. While Republicans remain united and strong under Chairman Doug Russell’s leadership, Democrats from top to bottom are mired in uncertainty and doubt which most certainly will continue to fester as they prepare to try to hire an executive director.

Called Out by Media, McCaskill Confesses

We all know that Claire McCaskill will do everything she can to try and weasel her way out of trouble. McCaskill has consistently tried to skirt the ethics rules that govern her duty as an elected official and her family’s vast wealth created on the backs of Missouri taxpayers. Which brings us to the Council for Citizens Against Government waste, which named McCaskill “Porker of the Month” for tabling an amendment that would disclose the size, sponsor and purpose of every earmark placed on congressional appropriation bills. This is the same McCaskill who said she was going to Washington to try and change the system? McCaskill’s first reaction when she got caught was to blame her leaders in the Democrat Party. Then, when the media turned up the heat a little more, she responded in an op-ed in the Springfield News-Leader that she had made a “mistake.” Perhaps if McCaskill had chosen to attend freshman orientation instead of a taking a lavish post-election vacation to Bali she would have had a little more insight into how the Senate works. McCaskill said she wants to learn from her mistakes, but the fact is her mistakes are hurting Missourians. McCaskill has embarrassed Missourians with her early and frequent failures and has repeatedly been exposed for telling Missourians one thing on the campaign trail and doing another in Washington D.C. Click here to read more.

 
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