To say Governor Jay Nixon’s second term as governor was a bit rocky would be putting it mildly. Once thought to be a front runner for a potential pick as Vice President on a Democratic ticket, Governor Nixon watched his political future deflate as police handling in Ferguson, racial justice issues in Columbia, and Republican waves in the state house & state dominated his term in office.
Last night in Jefferson City, Governor Nixon delivered his last state of the state address, filled with some moments of vision, but, unfortunately, lacking in the bold posture that many in his own party displayed just a few short weeks ago.
In Governor Nixon’s 2015 address to the legislature, Governor Nixon spoke about healing following the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. In 2016, the Governor focused on making his address about being a moderate — with a few signature issues he cared about.
Here in Missouri, fiscal discipline is a value.
We balance budgets. We keep taxes low.
And we continue to downsize state government … while improving services through innovation.
We trimmed the state workforce by more than 5,000 positions ... paid down debt ... and sold off property.
At a time when pension costs were dragging down other states – we worked together to shore up our pension system, saving taxpayers more than $600 million over ten years.
Strict fiscal discipline helped protect our AAA credit rating, giving us the opportunity to make essential, long-overdue investments in the future.
Spending his speech embracing the idea of a small-government Democrat, Nixon proposed that his term in office was one Missouri residents could look back on as a period of growth amid adversity, and that steady leadership was part of what made Missouri succeed.
Still, Governor Nixon took time within his speech to also promote the progressive ideas put forward by a united Missouri Democratic House & Senate Caucus, throwing his support behind MONA16, the Missouri Non-Descrimination Amendment and Medicaid expansion.
The CEO explained that his hospital was going to cut 60 jobs in Missouri, but hire 62 new workers across the border in Arkansas.
The CEO wrote – and I quote:
“The reason we are hiring in Arkansas and laying off in Missouri is that Arkansas chose to expand Medicaid … and Missouri did not … I fear that Missouri will never recover the ground it is now losing statewide as a result of political posturing.”
End quote.
The Republican response was expected, as Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard noted that Senate Republicans will not act on MONA16, and will not work on non-discrimination. Kurt Schaefer, the previously “moderate” Republican who is swinging for the fences in a statewide race made an effort to tell press that there will be no work on medicaid expansion, but rather, Republicans will push for a “fact checking” piece on medicare recipients in order to catch those who are “committing fraud” within the system.
The Republican points of attack in Missouri this session have been rooted in a deep distrust of their fellow citizens, as numerous bills have been pushed forward on Abortion, Medicare limits, supposed voter fraud prevention methods and calls for more counties and cities to pick up the tab on roadwork and construction.
In the end, the Republican super majority has led a body that lives in fear of members within their own district; convinced they are welfare cheats eager to commit acts of vote fraud while sponsoring county and city governments that never pickup the tab on construction projects.
For Governor Nixon, facing his last term, the goal was to build some common ground with Republicans in hopes of a legislative agenda. This message occurs everywhere, nationwide.. an appeal to “work together”.
Republicans who dominate Jefferson City have made it very clear they are disinterested in the idea of “working together” and instead are focused only on election victories.
Democratic house and senate members in Missouri worry about this as well; that for too long the extended hand of working together has so far resulted in more bitten hands then handshakes.
For the Missouri state party, the decision to begin the session with an active legislative agenda wasn’t only about the hope of accomplishment on those issues, it was about the realization that Missouri residents are eager for leadership.
Governor Jay Nixon’s efforts last night to do that will receive tepid praise by many — praise for it’s support of signature issues, but tepid reservations for not taking a bold enough stance on numerous issues that impact Missouri residents, especially minority community members who continue to feel alienated in too many areas around the state.
Now, the agenda moves to the hands of the House & Senate — and a year long slog for re-election or advancement.
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