This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 14, 2011 - Missouri House Majority Leader Tim Jones, R-Eureka, says he's prepared to deliver a "mea culpa'' when his chamber reconvenes next week as part of a move to correct what he acknowledges was a mistake when the House overwhelmingly approved a resolution that indirectly jabs at the F/A-18 strike fighter built in St. Louis by Boeing Co.
Jones -- slated to be the next House speaker -- said the anti-Boeing language was overlooked and unintentional. He's pressing for a new resolution lauding Boeing.
"It was a mistake to have a resolution that even implied" a jab at Boeing by making "a back-handed comment about one of their products,'' said Jones.
Jones added, though, that Boeing's lobbyists should share the blame for failing to uncover the errant wording before the House took action.
"It's a fact that the resolution was on file for many weeks," he said, and then was reviewed and approved by the House Rules Committee.
The House's favorable vote of 127-7 also should make clear that many people overlooked the resolution's Boeing misstep, Jones continued. "I don't know that anybody combed through it."
Jones also observed that although it's been a week since the House vote, he has yet to hear directly from any representative of Boeing. "I'm not sure why,'' he said.
Jones made similar observations about Boeing's lobbyists in an email to a constituent who inquired about the House vote. That email was forwarded to KTRS (550 AM) radio host McGraw Milhaven, who asked Jones to come on his show this morning to discuss the email and the issue.
Jones declined, telling the Beacon that he's willing to discuss the issue -- but not the email, which he views as a confidential communication with a constituent. Milhaven is expected to pursue that angle on his show this morning.
Anatomy of a Mistake
Boeing employs 15,000 workers in Missouri -- most of them in the St. Louis area. Boeing is the state's second-largest employer and the largest manufacturer.
As Jones tells it, he first learned of the resolution when his cousin -- state Rep. Caleb Jones, R-California -- told him about it and sought help in getting a floor vote. Tim Jones said his cousin explained that he wanted the House to show support for an aircraft that employed hundreds of Missourians.
"I just heard the words 'strike fighter,'" Tim Jones recalls.
That aircraft is the F-35, which is built by Texas-based Lockheed Martin. Some parts are made in Missouri, employing about 500 workers.
Critics contend that Caleb Jones was acting, in part, at the request of Republican consultant Jeff Roe, whose firm does some work for Lockheed Martin. Tim Jones said he believes the House researchers drafted the resolution.
In any case, the resolution effusively praises the F-35 and says it will replace "aging and obsolete aircraft."
Those four words obliquely refer to the F/A-18 Hornet, which has been in production for about 30 years. The F/A-18 long has been the backbone aircraft for much of the nation's military, and it is still produced in St. Louis.
Within a day after the House vote, Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, condemned the House's action, prompting praise from Boeing.
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also has been sharply critical of the vote, citing the F-35's much higher pricetag and calling the resolution "an incredible slap in the face." U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Wildwood, issued a statement this week defending Boeing.
All sides are aware of the political ramifications. Boeing contributes campaign money to Missouri politicians, as do many of its employees and executives. Nixon and McCaskill are seeking re-election in 2012, while Akin is among three Republicans vying to challenge McCaskill.
Nobody wants to be perceived as an enemy of Boeing.
Tim Jones said that he has found out since the House vote that state Rep. Doug Funderburk, R-St. Peters -- who works at Boeing -- pointed out the language's perceived slight during the Rules Committee meeting.
But Funderburk had to leave Jefferson City because of a family emergency and wasn't present when the full House considered the resolution and voted to approve it.
If Funderburk had been in the chamber when the matter came up, Jones said, "I have a feeling we would have tabled it'' so that the resolution's wording could be changed.
Jones noted that another legislator who works at Boeing voted in favor of the resolution because he didn't notice the offensive language, either.
But the House leader emphasized that he wasn't trying to shift the blame. "I'm more than happy to do a mea culpa,'' Jones said. "I meant no criticism of Boeing whatsoever."
Jones said he has asked Funderburk to prepare a new resolution that praises Boeing, with an aim of getting it before the full House next week.
Jones said he's also seeking a meeting with Boeing's governmental affairs representatives. "I would like to talk to them about how we can have a positive relationship going forward," he said,
Jones added dryly that his overall aim was obvious: "I'm trying to make lemonade from lemons."
Boeing: Not Looking for Apologies but Expects Respect
George C. Roman, Boeing's vice president for state and local government operations, replied in an interview this morning that the company "isn't looking for apologies from anyone" and doesn't make it a practice to call legislators or members of Congress to complain about actions they took.
The Boeing executive did note, though, that since the resolution passed, Caleb Jones has called to apologize, and that state House Speaker Steve Tilley "has called several times."
What Boeing does expect, Roman continued, is "respect for the company, which is the largest manufacturer in the state" and injects at least $1 billion annually into Missouri's economy.
"I don't expect my home state to come out with something negative about the Boeing Co.," Roman added.
Roman said the resolution had caught Boeing's representatives in Jefferson City off guard because the special legislative session was supposed to be about an economic development package that had nothing to do with Boeing.
As for the resolution itself, Roman took issue with its implication that the F/A-18 or any Boeing aircraft was outdated or obsolete. "Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.
Roman cited the Navy's latest order for 133 Hornets and recent sales to Australia. The plane, which is constantly upgraded, should be a competitive aircraft internationally into the 2030s, he added.
Roman also noted the continued use of Boeing's F-15 around the world, which is "106-0 in air-to-air combat."
Roman emphasized that his aim was simply to emphasize the facts. "This isn't a debate," he said. But the Boeing executive's implication was that Tim Jones shouldn't expect a call from Boeing to point any of that out.
