Kehoe blames veto overrides on Nixon’s ‘management’

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Republicans have spent the last week celebrating Gov. Jay Nixon’s status as the most overridden governor in Missouri history. But Sen. Mike Kehoe, the majority floor leader, lamented that there had to be so many in his Capitol Report to constituents.

Republicans overrode 13 bills on Wednesday, adding to Nixon’s record-setting total. Kehoe said that if Nixon had been more actively involved in the process, vetoes and veto overrides would be a lot less common.

I have known Governor Nixon for much longer than my political career, and I just do not understand his management style.  Since assuming the office in January of 2009, Governor Nixon has vetoed more bills, and had those vetoes overridden, more than all previous governors combined.  Success or failure is not determined by the number of vetoes or overrides, but they certainly do reflect the leadership style of the chief executive.  As a businessman and as a senator, I have found it preferable to be involved in the problem-solving process from the beginning…before the dust really begins to fly.  Governor Nixon’s leadership style is different, in that he has not inserted himself into the problem-solving process (the legislative process) until after session has been completed via the prolific use of his veto pen.  When the governor does not engage with the legislature during the legislative process, it is easy to find cause for veto.  Similarly, when the governor does not engage the legislature during the legislative process and simply vetoes bills after-the-fact, it is easy to find cause to override those vetoes.

At the end of Nixon’s term, Kehoe has repeated a refrain common among legislators on both sides of the aisle: they just don’t hear from Nixon enough. With a new governor on the way in January, it’s still to be seen whether Nixon’s red stamp has been an outlier or a new trend.