This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 21, 2011 - The Missouri House on Thursday sought to undo some public-relations damage by passing a resolution that praised the F/A-18 jetfighter built in St. Louis by Boeing.
Earlier this month, the House passed a resolution that appeared to insult Boeing by lauding a rival aircraft built by Texas-based Lockheed Martin.
The earlier resolution was sponsored by Rep. Caleb Jones, R-Clarksburg, at the behest of a Republican lobbyist who works for Lockheed. Jones and his allies said the resolution, which praised Lockheed's F-35 strike fighter, was aimed at encouraging Congress to stick with the plane. About 500 Missourians work for subcontractors in the state who produce parts for the plane.
But the resolution's veiled criticism of the F/A-18, although not by name, was seen as a jab at Boeing, which employs about 15,000 people in the state, mostly at the St. Louis plant.
Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, and GOP congressional candidate Ann Wagner were among the bipartisan cadre of public figures who condemned the resolution as an insult to Boeing.
House Majority Leader Tim Jones, R-Eureka and Caleb Jones' cousin, attempted to diffuse the controversy last week by publicly apologizing and emphasizing that House leaders hadn't intended to jab Boeing.
So on Thursday, the House unanimously approved a resolution that urges "Congress to recognize the importance of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet program to the State of Missouri, our military, and our national security, and to support the continued production and full funding of the F/A-18E/F program."
"There's been a lot of discussion in the last couple of weeks about what is the value of a House resolution," said Rep. Doug Funderburk, R-St. Peters, a Boeing employee who sponsored the resolution. "My response to that is 'Our words mean something.' Some of the most powerful weapons you can use are the words that come out of your mouth."
"Other people are listening to what we as Missourians say, as well as people across the country," he added. "So don't think that our words don't mean anything just because we're passing a resolution."
Rep. Clem Smith -- a Velda Village Hills Democrat who also works for Boeing and voted for the errant resolution -- said "things kind of got out of control" last week when it was approved.
"I don't think there was any malicious intent in anything this legislative body did," Smith said. "We support the great employers in this great state. We support the great men and women that work on these projects… I would not do anything personally to take the food off somebody's plate."
Funderburk's resolution passed without opposition.
Majority Leader Jones called the flap "a good lesson for all of us to make lemonade out of lemons" -- to have a good relationship with all Missouri employers.
Beacon political reporter Jo Mannies contributed information for this article.
