Impressions from the interview with Kenny Hulshof
I sat in on the P-D editorial board’s endorsement interview today with gubernatorial candidate Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-MO, 9th), who is running against Missouri state treasurer Sarah Steelman in the Republican primary.
I liked a lot of what Hulshof had to say. He was articulate, clearly very knowledgeable about the issues important to Missouri, and gave off an authentic down-to-earth charm.
Perhaps the most interesting portion of his comments came when he addressed ethics — an issue he is very passionate about — and the work he has done on ethics reform in Congress. His criticism of the DeLay-Abramoff “hold-on-to-power-at-any-cost” mentality among many Republicans in Congress, who he said had gotten away from the original conservative principles embodied in the 1994 “Contract With America,” struck a very positive chord.
He even went so far as to say that he thought it was a “good thing for the American people that Tom DeLay is no longer in Congress.”
Hulshof hits on the main reason for the Republican decline over the past few years. The Republican party of today is a far cry from the Republican party that swept into the majority in Congress in 1994. After years of minority status, Republicans in 1994 were energized, driven, and dedicated to their conservative principles. By 2006, far too many had abandoned those principles, becoming the party of the status quo — of simply maintaining power for the sake of maintaining power — or, as Hulshof put it, “to get re-elected to hold on to power to get re-elected.”
And it is that perception — among other things — that contributed to the massive Democratic victories in the midterm elections in 2006. Congressional Republicans hadn’t proven that they deserved to keep their majority, so they lost it. That same negative perception of Republicans is no doubt playing a part in the expected expansion of Democratic majorities in the 2008 election cycle as well.
Kenny Hulshof’s example is an exception to that trend. And in my opinion, the only hope for the GOP is for more Republicans to follow suit.
(Photo credit Eddie Roth)
Am I the only one that things that first and foremost, this state needs a princpled leader without any baggage? Hulshof seems to fit pretty well with that. I’d be interested to see what the liberals on the Post Dispatch editorial board think of Steelman.
It couldn’t have been better said
Single-digit approval level for Pelosi’s Congress portend similar results
===
Congressman Hulshof did what he was elected to do in Congress: he represented the state of Missouri in an ethical and professional manner, putting what’s right ahead of what’s politically correct, and voting with the people in mind rather than furthering his political career.
His experience in Congress has provided him with valuable knowledge of the workings of our country in the world market, agriculture on a national and world level, and protection of our people. When he was not in session, he spent time traveling the 9th Congressional District talking to the people about issues relating to life in Missouri. With his experience in D.C. as well as representing the 9th District, he is much more qualified to know how Missouri can be a player in the national and world market.
I’m glad Mr. Mayer had the opportunity to sit down with Kenny Hulshof and see for himself what a decent, ethical and moral man he is and what a great governor he will be.
Mr. Hulshof faced the critical moment of his career as he served on the House Ethics Committee, and blinked!
Tom DeLay got a handslap from Hulshof and his GOP fellows when much more was deserved. I remember Newt Gingrich and Jim Wright were out after book deals, a lot less than what Delay had done.
Mr. Hulshof may want to try to frame a hit from a tossed marshmallow as a Al McInnis slap shot but, voters shouldn’t buy it.
Mr. Hulshof’s new TV commercials show he has over 50 felony jury trials as a prosecutor (as many as a regular prosecutor has in a couple of years!)and got the death penalty in several cases but, Mr. Hulshof forgets to mention several of those convictions were reversed on appeals because of Mr. Hulshof’s misconduct at trial.
In Congress, Mr. Hulshof had no major accomplishments, tossed marshmallows when howitzers should have been fired, and now touts relatively little courtroom experience (where he was frequently cited for misconduct!)as reasons for supporting him for Governor.
I think not!
Kenny is a “breath of fresh air” and we should thank him for being willing to leave his congressional position to run for Governor of our state. While I don’t know him personally, seems to me that he cares about the people he represents which is more than can be said for most of the other politians. I, for one, am tired of some of them only doing what they want instead of what the people want!