Well, That's Blunt:

"I think it is critically important to the country who wins this seat," Blunt said, contending that "we're sort of in a 'hinge moment'" when Democrats are close to wielding absolute power in Washington.

"I never have had so many say, 'I'm scared about the future of the country I love' and mean it," Blunt said.

The Democrats now controlling the federal government, he said, are even looser with the federal checkbook and "spend too much 'on steroids.' "

The audience was receptive to his assertion that the nation will be in dire straits if Democrats succeed in passing a bill that overhauls the nation's health-care system and puts in place a public option. Regardless of how it's constituted, such a program would overpower private insurers, he said, much like an elephant in a room full of mice.

The GOP's best hope, he said, is for its Senate bloc to block passage.

What the Senate and the country need, he continued, are more Republicans in the Senate who will "stand for the fundamental values of the country."

If elected, he pledged to do so. Among other things, Blunt called for turning off the spigot to the massive federal stimulus package approved earlier this year. He noted that less than 20 percent of the stimulus money has been spent so far.

"Let's just stop," Blunt declared, winning cheers.

And he also contended that Democrats fail to recognize the serious threats the country faces overseas from terrorists.

"The world is a very dangerous place and the president needs to understand that," Blunt said, implying that Obama -- now on a trip to Asia -- does not.

Blunt won cheers when he called for Obama to set a specific objective for the war in Afghanistan: "I think we need to insist that the president specify the mission, then we need need to get it done or get out."

He also touted his opposition to any sort of amnesty for illegal immigrants and made a general call for securing the nation's borders.

Throughout the evening, Blunt made a point of emphasizing his rural roots in southwest Missouri, from his childhood in a house without indoor plumbing to the region's conservative philosophy.

The part of the country where he comes from, he said, "is so conservative it believes that government should defend the government and deliver the mail" and not much else.

Blunt drew laughs when he added that lately, "we're not quite so committed to delivering the mail."