"... it’s now our duty, yours and mine, to turn politics into something much better than its now-so-miserable state."

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New political low
By Jeff Myrick, March 7, 2015

Political campaigns seemingly get worse every year, but what happened to the east in Missouri last month goes beyond bad. It’s so bad that former U.S. Sen. John Danforth, a widely respected elder statesman of Missouri’s GOP, called it hideous.

Danforth, who is also an Episcopal priest, made his comments as he eulogized Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich, who was also a gubernatorial candidate. Schweich committed suicide Feb. 26 as a result of what Danforth and others have called “political bullying.”

“The death of Tom Schweich is a natural consequence of what politics has become,” Danforth said during the eulogy. “I believe deep in my heart that it’s now our duty, yours and mine, to turn politics into something much better than its now-so-miserable state.”

Danforth was not only a colleague, but a friend of Schweich’s. He detailed what the auditor had been going through in his attempt to win the governor’s race. He built his campaign on exposing corruption and stepped on a few political toes along the way. There were a series of radio ads that “belittled” Schweich’s stature, referring to him as a “little bug” to be swatted away.

“As for the radio commercial, making fun of someone’s physical appearance, calling him a ‘little bug,’ there is one word to describe it: bullying. And there is one word to describe the person behind it: bully,” said Danforth.

But there was something that bothered Schweich more. There was a “whispering” campaign going on within the state’s GOP, headed by its top official, John Hancock, that involved calling Schweich a Jew, even though he was Episcopalian. Hancock has admitted that he may have mentioned his mistaken belief that Schweich was Jewish, but he didn’t mean it as anti-Semitism.

Danforth thinks otherwise.

“Tom called this anti-Semitism, and of course it was. The only reason for going around saying that someone is Jewish is to make political profit from religious bigotry,” Danforth said. “Someone said this was no different than saying a person is Presbyterian. Here’s how to test the credibility of that remark: When was the last time anyone sidled up to you and whispered in your ear that such and such person is Presbyterian?”

Many Missouri GOP leaders are calling for Hancock’s resignation. Danforth did not mention Hancock by name in his eulogy, but his message was clear.

“Even at this early date, what has been said is worse than anything in my memory, and that’s a long memory,” said Danforth. “I have never experienced an anti-Semitic campaign. Anti-Semitism is always wrong, and we can never let it creep into politics.”

In Missouri, evidently it has. It’s a new political low that needs to be fixed.
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