Friday, July 10, 2009

FLASHBACK: Candidate Nixon Ribs Tour

THE LOOK ON HIS FACE? PRICELESS.
Jay Nixon never showed much affection for the Tour of Missouri -- even as a candidate.
From The Notebook Video Library: Here's Nixon ribbing the tour at a Chamber of Commerce gathering on September 9, 2008 -- the same day the Tour was winding through Springfield.
In his closing remarks, the Governor-to-be thanks the packed house for attending his event:
"Thank you . . . 75 people on a beautiful day that could be out watching Belgians ride bicycles in your town . . . (laughter) . . . are here."
How A Bike Race Became A Political Football
DEVELOPING . . .
FOR KY3 NEWS @ 10

9 comments:

Kim said...

these "beligian" riders bring money to your state...and i voted for you??? omg!!!!! obviously you are not a cycling fan. team astana is in the line up, lance armstrong's u23 team trek/livestrong was also in the line up...both of his teams...do you not understand the magnitude of this??? guess not....the race has brought over 60 million dollars to the state the past 2 years....it is free to watch...people (millions if lance shows up) will buy things from merchants...i just booked 3 nights in a hotel. WHATEVER.....

Unknown said...

What a typical idiotic statement from an out of touch politician. No wonder these guys have no idea how to fix the economy, or any of our staes woes. They open their mouths and insert both of their feet. This moron just alienated more people in 21 seconds than most people do in a lifetime. As Kim states, these "Belgians" dump alot of $$$ into the local economy which is then taxed by the state AND Feds. This is why we need to vote all seated politicos out and start fresh with some smart people instead.

cat2bike said...

Gov Nixon, I never would have voted for you if I had seem this!!! I was busy with the Tour of MO...the whole week with 20 countries represented with riders. Besides the North Americans! I'm glad I voted for Kinder, who knows what a fantastic event this is! It's seen around the world on the internet...And if Lance comes this year, it'll blow your socks off. I hope and pray you don't embarrass the state of MO and make us a laughing stock all over the world!! YOU may not follow cycling: BUT a great deal of the world is interested!!
I took a WHOLE WEEK of vacation to follow this race, like I did the last two yrs, if you don't want my money I'll go visit a state that has cycling and spend my vacation!!

Ryan P. Finnegan said...

Thank you for posting this! He's awful short-sighted to freeze the money aloted to the Tour. I will spread this video around, it's classic.

Timeshare Jake said...

Let's see on CNN, Jay Nixon says he is going to spend as much of the stimulus money as he can and he will happily pass off the debt to Missouri's children and grandchildren. Of course all of this was after Nixon gave huge increase in pay to his staff during the first weeks in office and then expanded Medicare roles in Missouri. Now he want's to put on this show that his is fiscally responsible by removing a small amount of money that brings millions in the state. What is this man's problem? Jay Nixon is obviously not friendly to Missouri businesses considering he approves of the coming taxes that are coming to Missouri businesses while playing politics with an event that promotes Missouri tourism, fills restaurants, hotels, and gas stations. This is a no brainer and it gives Missouri international exposure. I know. I am a former USCF license road racer, and I still follow the sport. The cycling world looks at what's happening in Missouri in September, and the UCI has moved the Tour of Missouri as the second most important cycling event in the United States. What part of his does Nixon not understand. He seems to have a chip on his shoulder that only 75 people showed up to listen to his campaign speech. I think McArthur's bakery needs to post a sign that says Jay Nixon isn't business friendly.

Timeshare Jake said...

Dave why don't you do some real reporting here and show all the money Nixon has spent to increase the state's budget and how small this amount is that Nixon has froze and the benefits the Tour of Missouri gives to the state. The state produces a 45 page report that provides the detailed beneifts to the state for the limited sponsorship.

Unknown said...

It's a real shame Nixon didn't research American cyclists before shooting off his trap.

Otherwise, I agree with Roadie1305. If you don't want my dollars, that's fine too. Colorado will continue to take those dollars I was planning to send to Missouri.

Timeshare Jake said...

Dave, why don't you look into if Nixon's attack on the Tour of Missouri has anything to do with Peter Kinder's pursuit of discovering what Jay Nixon's involvement was with the MIAC report. Nixon's decision makes no sense considering the small investment and the positive impact it has to the economy. I can't help but think back earlier this year when it was Kinder leading the push to discover who was responsible for the Modern Militia Movement Report. Obviously, Kinder's office is the leadership behind the Tour of Missouri. You have already shown how petty the Missouri governor is with this video. Surely you wouldn't put it past Nixon to spank Kinder for questioning his participation with the poisonous MIAC report.

Unknown said...

You know...I hope that someday, the Tour of Missouri is understood for what it is. Why on earth would you want a bike race in the middle of the US? To help the sport take hold in the US. Do we want to be on the leading edge of that momentum or do we want to be the backward hick state that couldn't get even our leaders to understand that cycling is a sport that has the potential to bring millions of dollars to our state.

Consider Mr Nixon that there are more fans brought to Missouri and more dollars, over a longer period of time, with less consumption of fossil fuels than a nascar race, a Rams Game, a Cardinals Game and a Chiefs game combined.

Get with it.