Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Hancock puts positive spin on Blunt announcement

If you believe GOP operative and blogger John Hancock of The Pulse, Matt Blunt's decision not to seek a second term was the most noble act ever considered by mortal man and a wonderful thing for the Republican party:

Blunt is the first governor of Missouri to make a self-denying decision with respect to a second term since the Constitution was changed to allow governors to run for two terms.

-Our polls show that this was a winnable race for Blunt if he had decided to seek a second term. Blunt and Jay Nixon were both under 50 percent and separated by only a few points. This past October, national pollster Scott Rasmussen released a poll showing Blunt ahead 44-43.

-Polls also show when Missourians know what has been accomplished in recent years they support the Governor and the actions of Republicans in the General Assembly.

-Blunt's fundraising consistently outpaced that of Nixon, and Nixon has spent considerable time and financial resources running against the wrong opponent.

-The donor pool will be essentially untapped for our Republican candidate.

-Some will argue nine months is not enough time for an election, but the entry of a fresh candidate is helpful to Republicans. Claire McCaskill decided to challenge Bob Holden on October 20, 2003 and defeated him just over 9 months later on August 3, 2004.

-Announcing the decision now prevented months of Republican infighting.

-Without the distraction of an election, Blunt's new role enables him to be an even more effective communicator for change as he can now engage in a direct policy debate with Nixon and other liberal Democrats who favor the old way of taxing and spending.

-Blunt is now able to be a selfless fundraiser for Republican candidates and the Missouri Republican Party.


Can the Nobel Peace Prize also be in Matt Blunt's future?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was a noble thing to do, thank god he decided to run to the storm shelter. Here's my take on it.

The handlers knew he wasn't electable, and he is putting his eggs in Romney's basket. He hope he and Talent can get a plum "if" and thats a big if Romney is the party's nominee.

Also, the handlers did not want to take a chance of him possibly being re-elected and then resign to take a slot in the Romney party. If he had ran for re-election it is possible the Lt. Governor could have been a Democrat, and his resignation would have laid the Governor's office squarely in the hands of a Democrat. Not a pleasant thought for the Repuklicans in Missouri.

So, for now he's out. Maybe Steelman, maybe Kinder or maybe Hannaway. All of which would effectively turn the stomach of most Missourians might scurry for the slot.

Anonymous said...

The Fired Up Missouri website reports that Blunt's Re-Election campaign committee spent almost $90,000 in legal fees during November and December last year. That is an astounding sum for a campaign committe to spend. For instance, in looking through Nixon's campaign disclosure, he spent $0 in legal fees. Why in the world would Blunt's committee, or for that matter, any committee spend $90,000 in legal fees in less than two months? I would suggest we haven't heard the last of the Eckersley lawsuit. A lawsuit, by the way, which has yet to be mentioned in the Joplin Globe.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of stories not seen in the local press, I would have thought there would have been something said on the donations Governor Blunt received last month from Newton and Jasper counties.

For instance, the Newton County Republican Central Committee donated to Blunt a $12,000 monetary contribution on 12/18/07, and a $12,000 "in-kind" contribution on 12/31/07

The 129th Republican Legislative Committee gave Blunt a $10,375 monetary contribution on 12/18/07, and a $12,775 "in-kind" contribution on 12/31/07. Amazing how the Newton Countians and the 129th were making 5 digit contributions on the same days of the month. Also, what do you think the "in-kind" donations were? Sweaters? Candy canes? Fruit cake?

Also of note would be the 32nd Senatorial District Republican Committee giving Blunt $11,100 on 12/27/07, and $12,775 on 12/31/07. Both monetary.

Blunt did alright down here on New Year's Eve, didn't he? I would be interested to know if the members of these committees, especially the Newton County Republicans, even realized they were so generous to Blunt last month.

Anonymous said...

I have heard the rumor of Blunt being a Vice President candidate. Would this be a reason to not run for governor or not?

Anonymous said...

The handlers? Democrats take their marching orders from Moveon.com,and the Republicans have handers,guess it would be better to have handlers then being a puppet

Anonymous said...

Or will he join his brother and sister and make some "real" money?