Saturday, July 26, 2008

Missouri GOP rips Zweifel comments, praises Blunt's stewardship of economy

In a news release issued this morning, the Missouri Republican Party fired back at Democratic state treasurer candidate Clint Zweifel's TV ad in which he criticizes how Gov. Matt Blunt has handled the state's economy:

Clint Zweifel has a new 30-second ad stating that he wants to return to the old system and the failed policies of the previous administration that left Missouri with a $1.1 billion budget deficit and a nearly bankrupt Medicaid system that was riddled with fraud and waste. Zweifel also opposes the changes Gov. Matt Blunt has made to make education the state's top budget priority. Zweifel wants to go back to the old system of education cuts and withholdings that occurred under the previous administration.

"When the previous administration left office they left Gov. Matt Blunt with a mess including a $1.1 billion budget deficit, a broken Medicaid system and a state government that was not living within its means. Gov. Blunt turned what some believed was an insurmountable deficit into three surpluses in a row-without raising taxes-while fixing the Medicaid system and reining in the out-of-control spending of the past. Zweifel also prefers the old way of cutting and withholding education funding from our students, schools, colleges and universities. Like Jay Nixon, Clint Zweifel does not want to fix anything, he wants to break state government by returning to the failed policies of the past," said Tina Hervey, communications director.

Even Democrats have acknowledged there is an $833 million surplus. This is the third surplus in a row under the leadership of Gov. Matt Blunt.

Gov. Blunt saved Medicaid by eliminating waste and fraud and he replaced the old, broken system with a new one that focuses on health and wellness.

Gov. Blunt also increased education funding by $1.2 billion over four years, the largest such education increase without a tax increase in the history of our state.

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Not that I would ever think of criticizing the Missouri Republican Party, but is it really wise for the Republicans to be praising the same Medicaid cuts which are likely to be their albatross in the general election?

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