Endorsements are generally an exercise in futility, no one needs another one.
However, The Missouri Times would like to make a prediction, Eric Schmitt will be a fantastic United States Senator. Give us a moment to explain how we came to this conclusion.
First of all, let’s get a couple of groups out of the way that will disagree.
If you’re a left-winger who hangs on every vote, you are not going to like Eric Schmitt. It may come as a shock to you, but when he campaigns as pro-life, pro-gun, pro-drilling, and pro-tax cut: he is. So if you’re going to hold it against him when he votes like he has promised the state he will vote, then no you won’t like him.
Secondly, if you’re the angry right winger. Since this is a six-year term over the course of those six years he undoubtedly will do something that will return you to your roots of being loud and angry.
This Eric Schmitt that today you believe is this beautiful ideologically pure unicorn, a perfectly angry loudmouth just like yourself, will ultimately as the bloom fades on the rose to you become more of just a chubby unicorn, better known as a RINO. Just like everyone else does.
With that said, for the truck driver from Chillicothe, or that gun store owner from West Plains or that nurse from Chaffee who gets up and works hard every day and primarily uses Facebook for pictures of their family, Eric Schmitt will be a fantastic United States Senator.
Being a good senator is in large part about finding ways to earn the respect of your colleagues. Colleagues from both parties.
In the state senate, Schmitt earned a reputation for being able to work with people from both parties, from all parts of the state. He also had a way of earning their respect. We think you can expect the same from him in the US Senate.
He has enormous shoes to fill and he knows it. He is taking the seat held by Missouri icon Senator Roy Blunt, who took the seat from maybe the greatest US Senator Missouri has ever sent to Washington, Kit Bond.
Those men were as revered and respected in Washington D.C. as they are in Washington County Missouri. Eric Schmitt is a student of history, he knows the responsibility he is inheriting is legendary, and the void they leave is immense. Knowing the responsibility you’re assuming is a big part of tackling it.
Part of earning that respect is about how you handle the legislation you file. Now in the real world, there are two types of bills. Those filed to attract attention, and those filed with the intention of contributing to the public policy process.
In the state senate then State Senator Schmitt was very good at strategically filing a few bills to garner attention. However, he maintained the respect of his colleagues because the legislation he filed with the intention of becoming law he handled very professionally. There is no reason to believe that he won’t have the same success in the US Senate.
Eric Schmitt is someone who has a fundamental understanding of government. He started his career in local government at the Glendale City Council. Just as Senator Blunt started his career at the Greene County Courthouse. He then went into state government just as Senator Blunt did.
Eric Schmitt has voted on a city council to spend the funds from a block grant. He has appropriated federal dollars to state programs. He knows what good those federal dollars actually accomplish on the other end. He has the perspective of what happens with those dollars from appropriation to ribbon cutting.
In the state senate, he went to bat for his suburban schools to keep more of their money in the hold-harmless formula. This was not a politically popular move statewide, but he dug in for the benefit of the people of his district, and he prevailed for his district.
Some have reasonable concerns about his handling of the Attorney General’s Office. Well, to be fair he inherited a tough situation and for the first half of his time in the office made it into an outstandingly well-regarded organization.
There is no real defense to the claim that once he announced his senate campaign the office struggled. To be fair, there was some downright cartoonish behavior. However, the same fairness demands that it was his overwhelmingly popular work to force the lifting of the mask orders on Missouri children that vaulted him to office.
The bottom line is that while some of the lawsuits were at best, stunts, they went over very well with the people of Missouri who were paying for them. Further, if he had not engaged in some of those fights for which he was lampooned for this state might very well have been represented by Senator Eric Greitens.
After the primary should the shenanigans have stopped, well yes. However, if you’re looking for someone with a perfect record Jesus isn’t on the ballot for US Senate.
In the end, The Missouri Times has covered Eric Schmitt more than anyone in the state, and in our view, as our United States Senator, you will find Eric Schmitt on Twitter and Fox News trumpeting the talking points of the day.
You will also find that as your United States Senator he will earn the respect of his colleagues, fight like hell to see Missourians’ tax dollars returned to them, be the person this state turns to when they need those federal dollars spent on vital infrastructure for this state, and someone who will become a force on the national scene.
His opponent, Trudy Busch Valentine is candidly a tremendous person. She is empathic, sincere, and we believe would absolutely throw herself into the role with everything she has.
Unfortunately for her, things haven’t turned out as we’re sure President Biden had hoped. Unless the republicans had managed to nominate a completely unelectable candidate like Eric Greitens no one, including her, could have made this race competitive.
However, when she got into the race Eric Greitens was leading in the polls, eager to make Missouri a national embarrassment again. We believe she got into this race in part to make sure that was a three-month, not six-year embarrassment.
She has also done her part to hold up the top of the ticket and give democrats down the ballot a chance to hold on against an impending red wave.
We will be the ones who remind Missourians of her positive contribution to this race and Missouri politics.
Ultimately, Eric Schmitt did Missouri well by doing what it took to win that immensely challenging senate primary and starting tomorrow night we believe he will do what it takes to be a fantastic United States Senator from the Great State of Missouri.
