Blunt to contributors; Godfather what can I do for you?

A post by the Missouri Political News Blog discussed an interesting article written by Ken Midkiff. The article, Blunt, Childers and CAFOs, discusses an unusual visit made by Governor Matt Blunt and the head of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Doyle Childers, to the offices of the Joplin Globe. Midkiff wrote;

• This was quite unusual. It is almost unheard of that a Governor visits a newspaper and meets with the editorial staff. While there were a number of issues on the table – educational funding, tightening Medicaid requirements, the state budget – Governor Blunt and Director Childers went down to Joplin to talk about…Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, otherwise known by the acronym CAFOs.
  The position of the Joplin Globe was most problematic for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). The Globe had published several critical articles about the proposed poultry CAFO near to Roaring River State Park. A Globe editorial was issued in opposition to CAFOs. The Letters to the Editor section carried numerous complaints from citizens.
  The Globe’s offices are in Joplin in the heart of Jasper County – the most conservative area of a conservative state. Just south of Joplin, in McDonald County, large poultry operations of Tyson’s and Simmons have long existed. Moark, owned by Land O’ Lakes, has massive egg-laying operations in Newton and McDonald counties – within the Globe’s area of coverage.
  Yet, the newspaper had taken a position opposed to those very operations – and in doing so had incurred the wrath of the Governor and the MDNR Director. Both Blunt and Childers were avid proponents of this “modern” style of meat, milk and egg production, and agribusiness lobbyists had heavily courted both. It is telling that these two placed agribusiness interests so high on their list that they traveled to Joplin from Jefferson City (a 4 hour drive) to attempt to change the position of the Globe.

On whose behalf was Blunt making this visit? Clearly this was a visit in his role as Governor, therefore, we can presume Blunt will claim the visit was on behalf of his employers, the citizens of Missouri. While I cannot speak for all Missourians I doubt many of us want our Governor wasting his time and our money trying to keep newspapers from writing something negative about Blunt's friends (and campaign contributors) in agribusiness. Which is why I believe Blunt made the trip to Joplin for his other job, which is as a capo to intimidate those who dare to speak out against Blunt's big business, campaign contributing Godfathers.