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Governor Nixon Begins Second Term

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Jay Nixon has been sworn in for his second and final four-year term as Missouri Governor.  Thousands of people braved temperatures in the 20’s to hear Govenor Nixon's inaugural address on the steps of the State Capitol, which focused a lot on the Show-Me State’s history.  He said despite the fact that two different political parties control the General Assembly and the Governor’s office that Missouri is not as divided today as it was during the Civil War.

“For a time, Missouri had two state governments, two state capitals, and two governors...two state flags fluttered above the boys in blue and gray, the sons of farmers and cobblers, tinkers and slaves," says Nixon.

He also cited his administration’s efforts at keeping automotive jobs in Missouri and in responding to the Joplin tornado and other natural disasters, and he called on leaders in both parties to put shared principles above small differences. 

Republican State Senator John Lamping of St. Louis County, however, described Nixon’s inaugural address as a, quote, “say-nothing speech from a do-nothing governor.”

Marshall Griffin is the Statehouse reporter for St. Louis Public Radio.
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