Monday, July 03, 2006

Miracle lobbyist does it again

Miracle lobbyist Andrew Blunt has done it again.
Documents posted Saturday on the Missouri Ethics Commission website indicate the governor's younger brother continued his streak of months in which he did not spend a cent to curry favor with legislators for his impressive list of clients. Blunt has filed no expenditure reports every month since his brother became governor in January 2005.
While it took other lobbyists years to build their power in Jefferson City, Blunt, who just turned 30 a few weeks ago, has managed to come up with an impressive list of clients that includes AGP, a company heavily involved in ethanol plants, Ameren UE, AT&T, the Friedman Foundation, the nation's first and foremost proponent of school vouchers, the Missouri Hospital Association, and Phillip Morris.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

He's come a long way from organizing pizza parties for his Young Republicans high school club. I wonder if he filed an expenditure report for those pizzas?

Anonymous said...

Let's see, Randy, you keep a running tab of how much legislators accept in meals and/or other perks from lobbyists. And then you rail on about these fat cats taking anything.

Now you have a lobbist who doesn't provide dinner and a glass of wine - and you rail against him.

Which way do you want it? Lobbyists handing out free meals or lobbyist who don't pay for meals and such.

Sorry, you're losing your credibility on this - you can't have it both ways.

Or is it that you just want to find something to complain about .

Anonymous said...

Yea, he doesn't provide anything. Andy B. is more into getting than giving.

But isn't that the way it works? You get elected, tip your bro that you're going to introduce a bill and let him make the money?

Or, in another situation, let your son know that the city is going to buy some property and make sure he buys a house on that property in advance??

One back scratches the other.

Go Andy. You go, boy. The only thing better than being governor is being the governor's brother.

Randy said...

Let me explain this as simply as possible. The reason Andrew Blunt doesn't spend money on lobbying is because he trades on his family connection to his father and his brother. Whether it is money or connections, these lobbyists have advantages our politicians' average constituents do not have.

Anonymous said...

So, he trades on his family name....how unique...

Need I say Kennedy, Clinton, Bush, Eisenhower, Ford, Fonda, Carnahan, Jackson (Jesse), ....

get over it....people in small town America and in big time politics or Hollywood do this...how many people trade on their father's name because he's the doctor or the banker or the lawyer or whatever?

You are just making this an issue because of your personal dislike of an individual....as I still believe, you have no credibility on this...

Sorry Randy - it flies only with other disenchanted.

Randy said...

Considering we are in a state which has a governor who would not have been elected without family connections and living in a country where the president would not be there without family connections, I would say you might be the one who is out of touch on this subject. I won't disagree that it happens everywhere, where I do disagree with your attitude that we have to roll over and accept it.

Anonymous said...

Are you going into every community in this country and tell the bank his son or daughter can't accept a position in the bank and plan to take over at some point....or some merchant shouldn't take in a family member to run the business...or some manufacturer making parts for a larger industry should keep out his son or son-in-law? Should a son not join his father's law firm?

What's all this about just rolling over and accepting it? I say young people should be free to ride someone's coattails or take a different route if they choose. Why should their right to do their own thing be thwrated by family connects....

That's small thinking....I would love to see my children follow in my or my spouse's footsteps and if they get a leg up because of who they are - fine...and I wish that same to any other family....

I think it is great when young people appreciate the profession of their parents - be they teachers, preachers, scientists, truckers, insurance agents or cowboys...

I say go for whatever star you want to hitch your wagon to and good luck!

Anonymous said...

Wow, the governor was elected because of family connections. For some reason I thought the people voted for governor, but I guess not in randy's world.

Anonymous said...

I guess I am one of those people in Randy's world that has a problem with the favors afforded the Blunt family and I agree that it is an abuse of public funds that belong to the taxpayers of this Country. This isn't much different than nepotism which is illegal except here Matt Blunt didn't have to actually hire his brother to take care of him.

In England they still take care of a family they call royalty and they too are afforded great benefits by the taxpayers. I guess that is the government that some of you that oppose Randy believe in.

I have been in politics and I believe in America we need more people willing to serve the public, not themselves and their familys. I am not saying that they should not be compensated for their time because if they trully do their job, it is hard work but to funnel public funds to your family is just wrong!!!!!!

Jack