Posted on 01/23/2008 5:26:20 AM PST by bilhosty
Gov. Matt Blunt abruptly announced Tuesday that he will not seek a second term, leaving Republicans without a candidate in a race the incumbent had stockpiled millions of dollars for.
The 37-year-old said he had decided not to seek a second term in November because he had accomplished virtually everything he set out to do when he ran for governor four years ago. Blunt has trailed in the polls, however, behind Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon, who has been campaigning against him for several years.
He’s too young to be seeking a VP slot isn’t he?
This is horrible news if you are a conservative. Missouri has better gun laws than Texas because of Matt Blunt. This is a strange and terrible development.
Another one bites the dust. Is MO trending left? They gave the boot to a decent conservative Senator (Talent) last time around in favor of a lib. Not a good omen.
Why did he wait till the last minute? Liberals hate him so I figure he was a good to excellent governor.
We lost Talent (in more ways than one) because of the cloning bill. His margin of loss was almost identical to the margin of victory for the cloning bill.
It appears that MO conservatives are tired of the national “conservative” party betraying them. Blunt has been good, but the folks do not seem to be real involved or supportive. The party has shat upon the base, drifted from its principles and is paying the price.
So where are they gonna go? Blunt is cutting at somewhat the last minute and leaving them holding the bag. The barbarians (libs) are at the gates. Is “the base” going to run and hide somewhere? If the state is trending lib then I understand why Blunt would bail. That’s happening a lot nationwide, including my own state. Based on the ‘06 results, a “true conservative” who only appeals to “the base” is going to get slaughtered here.
Matt Blunt, the Reluctant Governor
The timing of Matt Blunt’s announcement that he’ll be a one-term governor is definitely a surprise.
The content, not so much.
Blunt has never seemed to enjoy being governor of Missouri. From the beginning, he’s been in a defensive crouch. Visibly uncomfortable with the meet-and-greet aspect of his job, he never tried to establish a rapport with citizens.
Blunt’s family never made the governor’s mansion in Jefferson City their home. He commuted between the capital and Springfield.
Maybe he felt a family obligation to run for statewide office. But he hasn’t shown a passion for either politics or governing. He’s done his party a service by passing the baton to someone who has that fire.
Barb Shelly, editorial board
http://voices.kansascity.com/node/461
This country is F*%^ED!
Too bad such a good guy is leaving but think how much better shape the country would be in if more politicians thought this way.
“So where are they gonna go?”
Hunting, fishing, the gunshow, to work, etc.
“Is “the base” going to run and hide somewhere?”
Judging by history, I’d say that they’ll do what their forefathers did: Put up with the crap until it’s bad enough to kill the bastards. The political system is polluted, broken and unusable for free men.
“Based on the ‘06 results, a “true conservative” who only appeals to “the base” is going to get slaughtered here.”
This is a symptom not the problem.
Romney/Blunt ‘08?
If he didn’t want the job that badly maybe he shouldn’t have run in ‘04. I have to wonder if McCaskill had gotten elected then and had not been available to run for the Senate if Talent might have managed to get reelected in ‘06.
Who controls the legislature in MO?
I’ve long been of the opinion that the next revolution this country experiences will be of the Jacobin variety, although until now I believed it would be driven by the economic marginalization of the middle class. Now, I am wondering if it might not come about by some form of political marginalization.
I’m nixon will be thrilled to run in this “cake walk” with the beast or a Black Muslim at the top of the rat ticket.
The republicans control both houses of the legislature.
Jay Nixon is a tool, by the way.
A concern here beyond Blunt’s withdrawing and the governorship possibly turning to a D is the historical fact that whoever carries MO in the presidential election carries the nation. Losing a popular Republican at the state level isn’t helpful nationally in this case.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.