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A response to ‘To whom does the future of Missouri…?’

By Rep. Sheila Solon, R-Blue Springs

My duty as the Representative of District 31 is to vote in a manner that best reflects the beliefs of my area. I did that. I did that after receiving great pressure and coercion to change from my previous vote. I did that knowing that a $500,000 fund had been established as an intimidation and punishment to those Republicans that did not uphold the veto. I did that knowing there would be wrath.

Solon
Solon

Last week’s vote on right to work was a constitutional and legal procedure and it produced winners and losers. Peter Kinder does not live in my district. I did not fail him by not taking his opinion into consideration when voting.

Peter Kinder lashing out in his op-ed was petulant and unbecoming of a Lt. Governor. Instead of acting like a true leader and bringing our party together, he took great pains to assail, malign and vilify those who dared to have an opinion that was different from his own. The column was purposefully written to discredit and destroy careers.

Publicly advocating for revenge on fellow Republicans is not only breaking Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment, but in doing so, he has called for the removal of over 1/3 of the Republican women currently serving in the House. Kinder is playing into the narrative of the Republican Party’s “War on Women”.

Presently, there is a lot of spinning occurring to clarify his statement so they conform to provable evidence. If a person will lie about the little things, can we trust them with the big ones? We will need a united party as we face tough statewide elections in 2016. Peter Kinder has not only failed to be an example for Republicans, he has also fostered an environment for future bullying and a lack of diversity in our party. Shame on him.

Have we not learned anything since the tragic suicide of our State Auditor Tom Schweich six months ago?

The twenty Republican’s who voted no on right to work are all great public servants. They are conservative Republicans who vote for tax cuts, school choice, protecting our 2nd Amendment rights and who are strongly pro-life. Are they any less Republican because of one vote where they voted for their districts and did what the residents elected them to do…to be their voice in Jefferson City?

 

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Kinder: To whom does the future of Missouri, and the Missouri Republican Party, belong?