Nixon readies for State of the State

The governor will give the address tonight at 7 p.m.

By Greg Young

Published Jan. 27, 2009

Gov. Jay Nixon will deliver the State of the State Address tonight amid concerns about Missouri's economy and budget situation.

Nixon is expected to address the economic wellbeing of the state, along with the state's budget crisis and his promise to not decrease funding to higher education.

"I would assume the governor is going to have to acknowledge the dire fiscal situation facing the state and begin to lay out how he will address those financial shortcomings," MU political science professor Peverill Squire said.

State Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, said the federal stimulus package being proposed in the federal government, some of which is dedicated to various state governments across the U.S., will free up the governor "to make some pretty bold statements."

"Although he might not mention the federal stimulus package by name, he will refer to some initiatives that he knows are going to be funded potentially by federal stimulus package money," Schaefer said.

Nixon will also have to work with Republicans, who control the House of Representatives by a 90 to 73 margin and the Senate by a 23 to 11 margin. Former Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat who served from 2000-2004, said bipartisan outreach will be vital for Nixon to have policy successes.

"It is going to be important, and I think the governor has been very aggressive in trying to reach out to the leaders of the House and the Senate," Holden said.

The speech might be quite different than former Gov. Matt Blunt's speech last year, which spoke positively about the state's economy and budget.

"Today, the sun has risen and Missouri's economy is on the move," Blunt said during last year's State of the State. "Jobs are coming back and staying in Missouri,"

Squire said the economic conditions of Missouri will dominate the speech, which averaged about 50 minutes in length while Blunt was in office.

"I think that given how dire the economic situation is," Squire said. "It will be hard to find room for other topics."

Missouri Young Democrats President Rick Puig said Nixon would find room in the address for other major issues.

"Surely the economy will be the biggest part of the speech, but you are also going to hear a lot about education and health care," Puig said.

Regardless of the topics within the speech, observers say the address gives Nixon an important opportunity to explain his vision for Missouri.

"It gives him a chance and a platform to make the arguments he wants to make about why his priorities should be the states priorities," Squire said.

Holden said the State of the State gives Nixon a chance to speak directly to Missouri's voters.

"It's a tremendous opportunity for him to try to lay out his agenda for the state of Missouri," Holden said. "Its an opportunity to truly have a state-wide audience."

Holden said Nixon would use the speech to set a vision of how he will govern.

"I think the governor will be visionary in what he believes the state should be doing in terms of education, health care, the environment, energy, infrastructure," Holden said. "He's got a new administration in D.C. that wants to work with him, and I hope he's got leadership in the state of Missouri that will work with him."