Governor Jay Nixon is in his second term in Missouri. He's pro-choice and pro-union, but overall a moderate, perhaps a tad left, if at all, of Senator McCaskill. Yet the fact he is governor saved education, mental health care, and a variety of government programs in Missouri and prevented an unconstitutional nullification bill from becoming law today.
Faced with a super-majority of Republicans in the State Assembly and State Senate (2/3), also known as a veto-proof majority, Governor Nixon vetoed 29 bills and two line items this year.
Yesterday his veto of bills with sharia law prohibitions and the right wing conspiracy theory of UN Agenda 21 were upheld. Today, two more important vetoes were upheld. This took some Republican votes and all Dems refusing to overturn the veto.
Missouri’s Republican-dominated state legislature was dealt a stinging blow on Wednesday when lawmakers failed to override the Democratic governor’s vetoes on two emotionally charged measures: one for sweeping tax cuts, and another preventing the enforcement of federal gun laws in the state.
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“It’s a defining moment,” Mr. Nixon said at a news conference after his veto on the tax-cut bill was upheld. “Today was about protecting our economy, our communities and, especially, our schools from this costly and misguided bill.”
Over the summer, Mr. Nixon devoted most of his attention to the tax-cut bill, barnstorming the state to argue that it would decimate financing for education, mental health and other services. The bill would have slashed taxes for businesses and lowered the state’s income tax rate for the first time in more than 90 years.
The governor stitched together a broad coalition of support from the educators, with more than a hundred school boards across the state passing resolutions to sustain the veto.
Mr. Nixon also enraged some opponents by withholding $400 million in state spending that he said he would release only if the tax cut failed. On Wednesday he said he would work to distribute the money quickly.
After a summer of escalating confrontation and more than an hour and a half of debate on the House floor, 94 members, all of them Republican, voted in favor of overriding the veto of the tax cut, and 67 voted against it, with 15 Republicans joining the Democrats. That fell well short of the 109 votes needed.
New York Times
He played hardball and won. Withholding the $400 million brought home what the tax cut would do. More than a hundred school boards across the state passing resolutions to sustain the veto.
Some right wing group has been running TV ads incessently in favor of the tax cut for the rich and corporations and even Governor Perry of Texas came up here to call vetoing it a tax raise. Nixon fought back against Perry. From an article in late August:
Nixon released a radio ad Tuesday, attacking Perry for “taking shots” at Missouri,” according to the Kansas City Star.
“Make no mistake, our businesses aren’t going to Texas, and here’s why. One: Missouri has lower property taxes than Texas. And lower sales taxes. Two: Our students score higher on standardized tests. Graduation rates are higher. Three: Missouri’s unemployment rate … lower than the national average for four years. And unlike Texas, Missouri has a perfect Triple-A credit rating,” the radio ad said.
Politico
Defeating the uncosntiutionla nullification bill is nice. It saves Missouri from embarrasment.
Nixon is term limited in 2016. Republican Senator Blunt comes up for re-election then. Another option is VP nominee. Missouri has 9 electoral votes and Nixon has been winning state wide elections since 1992. (He was AG until 2008 when he was first elected governor). He might help pull 9 electoral votes for Hillary Clinton, if she is nominated. VP is a long shot. I suspect he will run for senator.
In any event, he saved Missouri with his vetoes and I'm glad they were upheld. This will make a difference to many people in our state.