Nixon to counterpoint State of State address

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

By Marc Powers

Nevada Daily Mail

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Matt Blunt's State of the State address on Wednesday will feature two probable firsts: It will be delivered in prime time, and Democrats will immediately follow with a formal rebuttal.

While it is traditional for a prominent member of the opposition party to give an official response to the president's State of the Union address, such has not been the practice in Missouri with regard to gubernatorial speeches.

With Republicans controlling both the executive and legislative branches of state government for the first time in generations, however, Attorney General Jay Nixon will lay out the Democratic position.

Nixon, who just began an unprecedented fourth term in office, is arguably his party's most well-known sitting state elected official.

"Democrats just want to show a unified front and let the people of Missouri have a small dose of what we have planned for the next four years," said Missouri Democratic Party spokesman Jack Cardetti.

Typically, leading legislators of the opposition party have simply held a joint news conference after the State of the State to field questions regarding their reactions. Putting forth a unified response is at the very least uncommon and perhaps unprecedented.

Cardetti said Nixon was given the job because of his reputation as a charismatic and persuasive speaker.

Nixon's selection as the Democratic standard bearer, however, helped to fuel some speculation that he could be his party's nominee to challenge Blunt for re-election in 2008.

Missouri Republican Party spokesman Paul Sloca said the GOP has no problem with Nixon giving a rebuttal.

"We are focused on the message the governor is going to give to the people of Missouri," Sloca said. "If the Democratic Party wants to weigh in, that's part of the Democratic process."

In the past, the State of the State address has been delivered during a morning joint session of the General Assembly. Blunt scheduled his speech for 7 p.m. in the hopes some Missouri broadcast media outlets will carry it live. Nixon has requested that any stations that broadcast the speech also carry his response.

Rules fight

Although House Speaker Rod Jetton characterized new chamber rules as the most bipartisan in decades, they were adopted last week on a largely party-line vote.

Jetton, R-Marble Hill, said the overhaul in operating procedures will make the House more efficient while bolstering the ability of minority Democrats to influence legislation.

House Minority Floor Leader Jeff Harris, however, isn't so sure.

One area of concern for Harris, D-Columbia, is a new time limit on floor debate on major bills.

While each party would be given equal time, the party leaders would decide which of their members get to speak.

That requirement could prevent lawmakers who disagree with their party's position on a given bill from being heard in the debate.

"There are often more than two sides of every issue," Harris said. "All sides must have their say if the democratic process is to work."

Harris is also worried by provisions that shift power from rank-and-file lawmakers to legislative committees and their chairmen, including granting the House Rules Committee, which consists of five Republicans and three Democrats, the authority to kill legislation approved by other panels.

Gross suggestion

Folks in Columbia went into a tizzy last week after state Sen. Chuck Gross, R-St. Charles, introduced legislation intended to punish city voters for approving lax local marijuana laws last fall.

Gross' bill essentially would bar public school athletic competitions from being held in Columbia.

In addition to depriving the city of its status as host of annual state championship tournaments -- a major source of economic activity for Columbia -- the bill would prevent local schools from holding regular-season games within the city limits.

Although the bill generated much consternation among Columbia lawmakers and business owners, it is being viewed primarily as a political statement that has no realistic chance of becoming law. Even if it did, it is highly questionable that the measure could withstand a legal challenge.

In November, Columbia voters approved a pair of ballot measures that reduced penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana and authorized medicinal use of the drug with a prescription.

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