This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 11, 2011 - Boeing Co. offered up effusive praise this afternoon for Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, and his statement last Friday chastising the Republican-controlled state House for a resolution that appeared to jab at Boeing, the state's No. 2 employer.
The resolution asked Congress to continue funding the F-35 strike fighter, which is built by rival Lockheed-Martin, based in Texas. Legislators backing the resolution cited the 500-plus jobs in Missouri tied to the F-35.
Nixon issued a statement last Friday blasting the resolution as inaccurate and ill-advised.
Boeing's kind words today could be politically significant as Nixon makes his re-election bid next year and could be a signal to any potential Republican opponent, now expected to be Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder. The resolution may be souring the aerospace giant's relationship with some House GOP leaders.
So far this year, Boeing or its employees have contributed at least $14,000 to various Missouri politicians, Republicans and Democrats. But during the 2009-2010 election cycle, Boeing gave out more than $50,000 to various candidates, officials and political groups, including at $4,000 to Kinder and $8,000 to the Missouri Democratic Party.
Said Boeing executives in today's statement: "We commend Gov. Nixon for his strong commitment to business in the state of Missouri and appreciate his efforts on behalf of the men and women of Boeing.
"Gov. Nixon has been a long-standing supporter of Boeing, our 950 Missouri-based suppliers and our skilled workforce of over 15,000 employees. We look forward to continuing to work with him to build highly capable, versatile and affordable fighter aircraft right here in Missouri."
Boeing previously had been close to now-retired Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo. A couple years ago, Boeing and its unions appeared to have a strained relationship with Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., but any rifts appear to have healed.
Boeing has said little about Bond's successor, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who hails from southwest Missouri -- as did some of the backers of last week's House resolution.
Meanwhile, later Monday, Republican congressional candidate Ann Wagner also issued a statement that, like Nixon, blasted the GOP-led House for approving such a resolution.
Said Wagner:
"The Resolution passed by the Missouri House disparaging Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet in favor of the Texas-built F-35 was wrong and is an affront to a great corporate citizen of the St. Louis area and the state of Missouri. The F/A-18 Super Hornet is important to the United States Military as they complete critical missions around the globe in the name of freedom and prosperity...
"The economic impact Boeing has on the St. Louis area and the state of Missouri cannot be understated ... instead of working against a top employer in the state of Missouri like Boeing, we should be working with them in support of their very important mission...."
Wagner is competing for the 2nd District congressional seat that, until the 2001 redistricting, represented Boeing (or its predecessor at the site, the now-defunct McDonnell-Douglas Corp.)
Boeing currently is in the 1st District, represented by Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, and would continue to be in the 1st under the new boundaries approved by the General Assembly this spring over Nixon's veto. Clay, so far, has said nothing about the House resolution -- although he is a former member of that chamber.
