On Sunday’s episode of This Week in Missouri Politics broadcasting from the Kansas City studio, host Scott Faughn talks with Lt. Gov.-elect Mike Parson about his ascension to the second highest office in the state, his plans to promote Missouri in the next four years, and his successful campaign against former Congressman Russ Carnahan.
“Somebody says, ‘Well you can’t win because of where you come from in the state or pedigree’s not quite good enough or you don’t have the money,'” Parson says. “Every time I heard those things, I got up a little earlier, I worked a little later.”
They also discuss his relationship with Gov.-elect Eric Greitens on agriculture issues, being from a rural part of the state, and attempting to bridge the gap between rural and urban Missouri.
The opinion maker panel is a “who’s who” of Kansas City senators. Sen. Jason Holsman, Sen. Ryan Silvey, Sen.-elect John Rizzo and former state Rep. Noel Torpey sit down to discuss what the legislative session will look like in 2017 with Republicans in the executive branch
“You’re going to see right-to-work, you’re going to see paycheck protection, you’re going to see tort reform… pro-business legislation get passed, probably before spring break,” Torpey says.
They also discuss what Democrats have to do to regain prominence in the national and state-level political scene, and what it means at the state level as labor reform and tort reform likely pass early in the session.
“As Democrats, we understand there are going to be parts of the Republican agenda that are going to move forward… but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a part in shaping that,” Holsman says.
They also discuss Trump’s early days in office, the budget woes facing Missouri, and what Medicaid funding may look like in the future.
This episode of TWMP will air at 11:00 a.m. in the St. Louis area on ABC 30 KDNL, in the Kansas City area on 38 the Spot at 10:00 a.m. and in mid-Missouri on KRCG at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 11. The show is available online at 11:00 a.m. at twmp.tv.
