It's All About the Economy

During the election one of the biggest issues is the economy. With the current economic state of the nation, people want a governor who will bring results. Both candidates concentrate heavily on the economy but take different approaches to the way they articulate their plans to strengthen Missouri’s economy.

Both candidates rely heavily on their past records to convince the public that they are more fit to improve the economy.

For Nixon, he concentrates on what he has done to fix Missouri’s problems during his tenure as governor. He puts emphasis on his ability to balance the budget, create jobs and keep Missouri’s AAA credit rating.

Spence touts his record of growing his company Alpha Packaging. He says he created jobs and kept a balanced budget during the tough economic times.

Their emphasis on their backgrounds is the only part of their rhetoric they have in common. Both have very different views on the current state of the economy, as well as how to fix it.

Nixon believes Missouri’s economy is doing very well and recovering from the economic crisis.

Nixon is trying to convince the public that he is doing a good job. As the incumbent it is important for him to show that what he is doing is working, so the people believe he can continue to make the economic situation better. Even though Nixon says he believes Missouri is recovering well, he has a detailed plan to keep the momentum going. In his plan he does mention creating jobs, along with ways to increase the products Missouri exports and continuing to balance the budget without raising taxes.

Spence on the other hand has a very negative view on Missouri’s economy. According to Spence Nixon has actually hurt the economy.

Since he is facing an incumbent, Spence has the challenge of showing how Nixon is not doing a good job. Spence repeatedly attacks Nixon, calling him a “career politician” and calling for change. Spence also attempts to differentiate himself from Nixon by referring to himself as a business man. Spence does this because he needs to prove to the people that he is more capable of being governor and fixing the economy because he is so different from Nixon. In his detailed economic plan, Spence concentrates on job creation. Spence is showing that he believes jobs are the way to revitalize Missouri’s economy. Again in his plan he touts his ability to create jobs at his company.

When it comes to the way journalists cover the economy, they do not concentrate on jobs as much as the candidates. They give reports on all aspects of the economy. While reporting on the candidates, journalists are more likely to talk about jobs and the unemployment rate than other topics, because that is what the candidates talk about. Overall, journalists do not seem to favor either candidate’s opinion and just stick to the facts.