Volume 14, Edition 2   •  April 13 , 2007

Medicaid Reform Bill Clears Senate, Heads to House

Legislation designed to improve health care for thousands of low-income Missourians received final Senate approval this week and now heads to the House for debate. The MO HealthNet program championed by the Governor and passed by a bipartisan majority of Republicans and Democrats will fix Missouri’s costly Medicaid system while also expanding health care and making it affordable for those Missourians who need it most. "I am also pleased the Senate has taken additional steps to help fight waste, fraud and abuse in our publicly funded health care system so that the resources dedicated to helping the vulnerable are actually used to help the vulnerable,” the Governor said after the bill passed. MO HealthNet creates a system to reduce the number of uninsured Missourians and to provide more cost-effective delivery of health care. The Governor said that with five weeks remaining in the legislative session, he remains confident that the MO HealthNet reforms will make their way to his desk for final approval before the legislative session ends on May 18. Meanwhile, the House is doing its part to help provide Missourians with health care by giving initial approval to a plan that will help workers at small companies gain access to health insurance. The bill allows small companies and their workers to pay health insurance premiums with pre-tax dollars. That way, the state and federal governments pick up part of the cost and make it easier for people with chronic health problems to get into the state’s high-risk pool. It also lowers the cost of high-risk insurance by more than 20 percent.

Governor Honors Sacrifices of Veterans, Military

Gov. Matt Blunt this week honored the men and women of our armed forces as well as the veterans who served our country in uniform during "A Grateful Nation Remembers" Veterans Recognition Ceremony and the annual Support Your Troops event in Jefferson City. "The men and women who have worn the uniform of our Armed Forces are the reason the United States of America is blessed with freedom unparalleled," said the Governor, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserves. "Our military heroes' commitment and sacrifice is something to be celebrated. Today, and all days, we honor our service men and women for their dedication to upholding democracy." The Governor has been active in supporting our troops and our veterans by supporting legislation that included a measure banning groups from protesting military funerals. The Governor also signed into law measures calling for state officials to help veterans access their federal medical benefits, allowing veterans without permanent homes to access their rightfully earned benefits through charitable or religious organizations, creating the Vietnam War Medallion Program, implementing a policy that flags will be flown at half staff on September 11, and urging Missourians to fly the POW/MIA flag on select holidays. The Governor also helped create a new program to help support active-duty National Guard and reserve service members' families when the primary income earner is called to active duty for more than four months. He also expanded the Lieutenant Governor’s role as Veterans Advisory Council Chairman to include administering select veterans programs and funds.

Nixon’s Lack of Credibility Exposed

Jay Nixon was caught on tape recently by television station KY3 in Springfield and was instantly exposed as a liar on several fronts from Ameren to health care. While the media analysis of the 10 minute interview can be found in our “Media Watch” section, let’s see how Nixon did in terms of detailed substance: Nixon publicly lied and said that he refunded more than $19,000 in backdoor political contributions from Ameren “once he became aware of it,” even though campaign finance reports show that the Democrat political committees never returned the money to the utility but have given back at least $7,000 of Ameren money to Nixon’s campaign. Nixon also muddled through about a week of media scrutiny before he gave the money back, making ridiculous statements that he would continue to take Ameren money and that his fundraising strategy is no one’s business. So he didn’t give it back “once he became aware of it” as he claims – he gave it back when the heat in the kitchen got too hot. In his bizarre interview with KY-3, Nixon not only said he opposes millions of dollars in new funding for Missouri colleges and universities, but he is also determined to undermine the state’s public school funding formula he is supposed to be defending in court. Nixon outright rejects the $350 million Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative that would fund new facilities at colleges and universities and increase funding for scholarship programs from $27 million to $72 million. In the interview, Nixon calls providing new facilities and scholarship programs to Missouri students “a fundamentally wrong decision” and characterizes the effort as “wrong and I’m hopeful that it stops.” Without being able to stop his own politically-motivated attack, Nixon then launches into a diatribe against public school funding levels that were approved by lawmakers and are supposedly being defended in court by Nixon’s very own taxpayer-funded private attorney. Stay tuned for more from the interview!

The interview can be found here.

Media Watch

The most telling part of Jay Nixon’s KY3 interview this week was how uncomfortable and uninformed Nixon appeared under pretty intense media scrutiny. For months, Nixon has been avoiding the battle-hardened Capitol press corps and likely expected to get an easier ride in southwest Missouri. Instead, he fumbled and stumbled his way through an interview filled with rhetoric, incorrect information and non-answers. Just to recap: Nixon lied to KY3 and Missourians about returning the Ameren donations that have since been funneled back to his campaign. Nixon says he couldn’t remember a questionnaire in which he supported taxpayer funded education and health care for illegal aliens. Nixon waffled when asked if he supported Republican-backed legislation supporting the tax cuts for elderly Missourians. Nixon pledged to bilk taxpayers of billions of dollars by throwing money back into the broken Medicaid system. Nixon criticized the state’s school funding formula even though he’s supposed to be defending it in court. And then there’s his non-answer to a question about Hillary’s chances in Missouri. It is clear that Jay Nixon doesn’t come across very well because he doesn’t know the facts and is often aloof when his cronies aren’t close at hand. Nixon has a thin skin and doesn’t do well when cornered. All one has to do is look at his performance in two races for U.S. Senate. You also have to remember that it has been a long time since Nixon has had significant political challenges in his attorney general races. While we may be 18 months away from the 2008 elections, it’s pretty clear how Nixon will react when the really tough media interviews begin: Watch the KY3 debacle, and multiply it by 10.

Where’s the Outrage???

By Jared Craighead, Executive Director

I couldn’t resist penning some personal thoughts about the information regarding Attorney General Jay Nixon that is detailed above. Some readers may think that the flaws we are pointing out in Jay Nixon’s behavior are mean-spirited attacks and political rhetoric – let me assure you they are not. My frustration level with the liberal media in our state reaches new heights on nearly a daily basis. If a high-profile Republican prosecutor had extorted money from the target of an investigation in our state, you can rest assured the media would have tried and convicted that person in the court of public opinion immediately. Editorial after editorial would have been written denouncing what we all know to be inappropriate behavior. And yet with all of the evidence that has been uncovered regarding Nixon’s Ameren contribution scheme, and given new evidence that he still has funneled Ameren money in his campaign account, the media refuses to ask the tough questions of the Attorney General and to get to the bottom of this sordid tale. Nixon won’t tell Missourians who solicited the contributions and why he still has Ameren contributions in his campaign account. He just lies and says he gave the money back “once he became aware” that he had received Ameren money. This just isn’t the case folks.

With the feigned outrage by Democrats and the media in Washington regarding US Attorney firings, obviously some Democrats and media outlets feel that having honest prosecutors who aren’t pressured by their boss to pursue or not pursue a matter is important. It’s just as important that our state’s chief law enforcement officer execute his duties in a professional, honest and unbiased way. When a cop takes money from someone to get them out of a traffic ticket they are fired. When a judge takes a bribe he goes to jail. When U.S. attorneys are fired there is intense media scrutiny. So why is it that Nixon can solicit nearly $20,000 from a corporation he’s prosecuting in a criminal matter and no one in the media, or in the Democrat party for that matter, stands up for the rule of law and says, “I don’t care who you are, that’s wrong and it won’t be tolerated!”

This isn’t political gamesmanship. Of course we don’t want Nixon to be successful in his bid for governor. I believe Gov. Matt Blunt has the conservative values and principles that are dramatically changing our state in a positive way. But this isn’t about who will or won’t be governor. This is about the integrity of our state government. This is about respecting the rule of law that makes our state and country so wonderful. This is about holding our elected officials to the high standard Missourians deserve. The election is eighteen months away and in due time we’ll debate the issues and Missourians will decide their course for the future. Right now it is appropriate for Nixon to answer for what he’s done. If there are facts we have wrong, the Attorney General should point those out. If there is some explanation that somehow makes what he did OK, let’s hear it. But if there is no explanation for this behavior that absolves Nixon of his apparent unethical conduct, I can’t help but wonder – where’s the outrage?!?

Thoughts and Prayers

The Missouri Republican Party encourages Republicans across the state to keep these individuals in your thoughts and prayers:

The family of Alex Barlows, 25th Ward Committeeman and longtime Republican supporter, who passed away.

Paul Busiek, husband of Mavis Busiek. Paul’s health concerns continue.

Mike Keathley, Commissioner of Administration, is fighting cancer.

Tony Snow, White House spokesman, is fighting a second bout with cancer.

Dawn Sprick, daughter of Gary Harris, is fighting another battle with cancer.

John Wessel, husband of Lincoln County Chairman Carol Wessel, lost his battle with cancer.

 

 
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