Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan brings an impressive resume in her Senatorial campaign. Though we are impressed with her, Rep. Roy Blunt’s depth of experience is much more applicable and attractive.
Blunt, the Republican candidate, has earned our endorsement for U.S. senator, to replace the retiring Sen. Christopher Bond.
Experience is the key issue for members of our editorial board, because today’s problems urgently need solutions, and the raging, partisan fires in Congress show no signs of dying down. Blunt has served Missouri’s 7th District since 1996, and he’s seen plenty of changes in that body over the past 14 years. He’s served as a majority whip and, thanks to the criminal indictment that led to Tom DeLay’s resignation, served as an interim speaker of the House.
Locally, he is most known for everything he has brought back to his district. We can point to several projects in the area that would not have happened without Blunt’s work.
As for today’s pressing challenges — most notably, the lack of jobs and the depressing economy — Blunt says he has solutions. In a meeting with our editorial board, he stressed the importance of bringing more jobs and fixing the recently-passed health care bill that has rallied so many on the right.
As a representative, Blunt has a history of rallying votes and reaching across the aisle (more than others in his party). He was part of passed legislation on key issues, but he also keenly remembers the bills that died in Senates (of both parties’ majorities) for lack of action.
But our concern, and ultimately our challenge, for Blunt: If elected, will he be more like the vote-rallying, compromising representative that got bills passed? Or will he become the same kind of senator that squashed the House’s work?
Our problems have existed for much longer than this election cycle and across different majorities. We believe that Republicans recently lost power in the House and Senate, and gained the White House, because there was no progress on these pressing issues.
Blunt said he has two goals: To get elected on Nov. 2 and to open the doors of compromise on Nov. 3. For him to keep the latter goal if elected, he’ll need to retain his representative roots and break outside his party’s reputation of being “the party of no” — and work for real bipartisan communication.
That’s the only way work will get done in these partisan days. We believe Blunt can do it.
Opinion
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In our view: Blunt has experience
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