Posted on 01/11/2005 3:06:36 PM PST by MissouriConservative
“Over the next four years, we will be bold. We will be willing to experiment.”
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt
JEFFERSON CITY – Matt Blunt became Missouri's 54th governor at noon Monday, declaring that “change begins today, at this hour, in this place.”
On a blustery day under gunmetal skies, Blunt was sworn in by Missouri Supreme Court Judge Stephen Limbaugh, his hand on a pair of family Bibles held by his wife, Melanie.
In a succinct inaugural address, Blunt called for a renewed commitment to public education in the context of smaller, more responsive government. He also encouraged Missouri lawmakers to put aside the partisan rancor of the last two years and work together to reach common goals.
“As differing points of view compete, I encourage all to remember Jefferson's admonition that ‘every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle,” Blunt said.
Blunt made several references to his religious faith and the importance it should play in the political process.
“The values that spring from our soil and are cultivated in our homes and places of worship should be embraced rather than scorned,” Blunt said.
And he expressed his disdain for big government, saying that it falls short when it sets itself above the “wisdom, common sense and values of the people.”
“Government is not the author of progress,” Blunt intoned, “nor the first source of wisdom, nor the Creator of our freedom, nor the wellspring of the values of faith, family and freedom that make America the greatest nation on earth. Government is the people's tool. It should be the servant, not the master.”
Blunt's inauguration was witnessed by several thousand dignitaries, family members, friends and political supporters. The crowd included U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, U.S. Sens. Kit Bond and Jim Talent, and the rest of Missouri's congressional delegation, including Blunt's father, U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt of Springfield.
Blunt arrived at the Capitol riding in the back of a white Ford Mustang convertible. He got out on the north side of the building and joined his family in a viewing area overlooking the parade route.
Others sworn in, too
The inaugural ceremony began at 11:30 a.m. on the south side of the bunting-draped Capitol. Outgoing Gov. Bob Holden and his wife, Lori Hauser Holden, descended the Capitol steps a few minutes later.
Jay Nixon was sworn in for his fourth term as Missouri attorney general. State Sen. Sarah Steelman took the oath of office as the new state treasurer from her father, John Hearne.
Robin Carnahan, daughter of the late Gov. Mel Carnahan and former U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan, was sworn in as secretary of state. Peter Kinder, the former president pro tem of the Senate, took the oath as lieutenant governor.
Blunt, 34, became the second-youngest governor in Missouri history as he took the oath of office. Only Kit Bond, who was 33 when he took office in 1973, was younger. First lady Melanie Blunt held two family Bibles, a fact that Blunt alluded to in his address.
Blunt said one is the Bible he turns to every day. The other is the Bible that he and his pregnant wife will give to their first son, who is due in March.
“It will remind me that what we do today, tomorrow and across the next four years will help define the future opportunities of every Missouri child,” Blunt said.
After completing the oath, Blunt received a 19-gun salute from the Missouri Army National Guard. But a flyover of jets by the Missouri Air National Guard was canceled because of the weather.
Blunt, whose speech lasted less than 10 minutes, said Missourians demanded change in the priorities of government.
His great purpose, he said, would be to lead the state in a new direction. He said the state must create a climate where “the spirit of free enterprise will flourish.
“We must also remember that Missouri's future rests with the creativity and genius of the people — not in government programs,” Blunt said.
But Blunt promised not to be complacent.
“Over the next four years, we will be bold,” he said. “We will be willing to experiment. We will not fear failure. We will bear setbacks with resolve and press forward with determined innovation.”
Blunt's day began with a 9 a.m. prayer service at First Baptist Church three blocks east of the Capitol. While there, Blunt got some candid, unsolicited advice from his hometown pastor.
The Rev. John Marshall, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Springfield, told Blunt to be honest and avoid the plastic, artificial tone that many politicians adopt. But most of all, be true to yourself, he told Blunt, who was seated in the front pew with his wife, Melanie.
“Missourians love you because you are genuinely simple,” Marshall said.
Be humble, Marshall advised, reminding Blunt of Harry S. Truman's admonition that accolades are for the office, not the officeholder.
“Don't start believing your own press releases,” Marshall said as the overflow crowd burst into laughter.
Be a good husband, Marshall added, quoting Thomas Jefferson, who said when a man takes on a public trust, he becomes public property. Missourians, Marshall said, need role models of good marriages, and Blunt and his wife will have the opportunity to show them a godly home.
Finally, be holy; Christians believe, the pastor said, that God decides who will govern.
“You are governor because God ordained it,” Marshall said. “You owe him …. Don't let the Lord down.”
Open house
After the inauguration, Blunt and the new first lady greeted members of the public at the governor's mansion from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Well-wishers hoping to meet the new governor lined up by the thousands around the Governor's Mansion. The line wended through a tent on the lawn of the mansion and then up the steps into the residence.
Evelyn Griffin, 67, came from the southeastern Missouri town of Bloomfield for the inaugural. Griffin, like others in the line, cited Blunt's religious values.
“This is a Christian nation, and it was founded on Christian principles,” she said. “We need to stick to our heritage.”
Along with a handshake from the new governor, people who made it into the residence on Monday received their choice of a small cup of hot chocolate or apple cider.
Among those who came to the Capitol on Monday was Ron Rushly. The Harrisonville resident stood out in the crowd with his cowboy hat, bushy beard — and 10 children in tow. Rushly, who teaches his children at home, said the family's first trip to Jefferson City was part of a lesson about government.
“They're at school today; this is school for them,” he said.
Of Blunt, Rushly added: “He's a neat young politician. We're looking forward to seeing what he becomes.”
The governor and his wife were hosts for the inaugural ball, which included the Grand March of elected officials who enter the Capitol rotunda down the grand staircase from the second floor.
The staircase railings were adorned with evergreen and four sprays of white flowers. Men in tuxedo jackets and women in evening gowns and mink coats mingled with uniformed police officers and young women in prom dresses.
The ball was noticeably more subdued than four years ago, with less-lavish food and decorations. The third floor seemed to be the center of most partying, with many lawmakers offering food and alcoholic beverages.
Sen. Dan Clemens, a Marshfield Republican, noted that this was the first time since 1921 that a Republican governor took office while his party controlled both legislative chambers.
“There are a lot of people here,” Clemens said. “Remember, we haven't had this in 84 years.”
Following tradition, Blunt and his wife took a turn on the dance floor, dancing to the “Missouri Waltz.”
ping
Hope he keeps looking. It's nice for our state to have so many pubbies in office.
well..looks like the eras of Big Government, and Dick Gephardt, are both over in Missouri..
I hope he lives by the words he spoke today. If he does, it's going to be a great 8 years here in Missouri. It will also mark the begining of Republican rule in Missouri for generations to come.
It's too bad that the Carnahan child won Sec. of State. She got in on the name only. Hopefully that will be changed come the next election and she will be shown the door like her mom.
Ping
Nostalgia speaking here................
I guess it's obligatory to say this.
Gotta put out those feelers. Plus it makes him sound better than those screeching democratic banshees.
Imagine: It's 2012. Immigration reform has been to President Hillary what Welfare Reform was to President Willie. But the economy is still in the crapper. With 62 votes in the Senate and 18 straight years of house rule, the Republicans are focussed on one office alone: the White House. But who will save them?
Lo, what here? A 41-year old hick from the mid-west? No! A savvy, Republican governor who has served two full terms and is looking for another job.
Ladies and Gentlemen, let's get ready to rumble...
Hold your wallets
Situations like this are very important. In most states, the Rats have either full control, or, more often, veto power because they control either one house, both houses, or the governorship. In the states where the GOP controls the governorship and both houses by more than a slim margin -- for example, in Missouri -- there have the opportunity to actually enact legislation without getting taken to the cleaners by the Rats.
How they handle such wonderful opportunities can have a big impact on voters' willingness to entrust them with real power elsewhere -- and on the federal level.
Looks like I may have to change my screen name. Hope he sticks with it.
What happened to St. Louis? I thought they ran this state.
Didn't Holden say something like that four years ago?
Seems the rural people have gotten their act together and decided to take back their state. All I can say is that it's about dang time.
I'm sure he did. It's obligatory for a politician to say this.
Yes, but Holden was a democRAT. We never expect them to stick by anything. The only thing Blunt left out was "or else". He has the majority.
(Crickets chirping)
One Term Bob (Holden) was lying when he said that.
He couldn't even get the demo nomination to run for governor in '04.
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