I mentioned “Blunt Fatigue” the other day while discussing Roy Blunt’s interest in the Missouri Senate race, but it should be emphasized that it was not necessarily merited by the just-exited governor. This reader from Missouri gives an accurate picture of Gov. Matt Blunt (R.) and his legacy.
Although the Blunt “brand” is indeed damaged in our state, it is not through lack of competency, rather because our governor was an adult in a state where the voters are children. Blunt campaigned forthrightly on the issue that Medicaid costs required either maintaining current benefits with tax increases or reform and no tax increase, endorsing the latter view. Four years later, there is a new Medicaid program on the books, no new taxes and Missouri is among the most fiscally sound states in the country. When Blunt actually did what he said he was going to do, folks who lost the Medicaid benefits the state could not afford cried foul…[T]he St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Kansas City Star…used relentless profiles of folks cut from Medicaid roles in a feeble attempt to improve their cratering circulation. Unsurprisingly, neither newspaper has run a single story on the comparative fiscal health of our state.
After two years with a liberal democrat at the helm the Blunt “brand” might look a little better …
Not only did Missouri’s budget include a $281 million surplus last year, but its municipalities are in sound fiscal condition as well as tough economic times set in. The downside to competent fiscal management is that it is not always appreciated.