Is news broke over the death of Missouri Auditor Thomas Schweich, a candidate for governor in 2016, the Missouri Legislature across both aisles went into a somber quiet through the house - heads bowed, tears were shed. Many had known Thomas, some quite well, and the news of his suicide was a shocking, stunning blow to the house.
Source: Eli Yokely, Politcsmo
With Schweich's funeral tomorrow, many are asking the difficult questions we ask after all suicides: why did they do this? What could have been done to prevent this from happening?
The answers are troubling, particularly for the Missouri Republican party.
Tomorrow Jack Danforth, Schweich's mentor, will speak at his funeral. The question through the weekend was how do we address the elephant in the room? The brutal attacks that Schweich had told editors he was under - attacks based on his genetic makeup as a reason to spoil his chance for election.
http://www.kansascity.com/...
1) One big question is what former Missouri Sen. Jack Danforth will say in his eulogy for Schweich on Tuesday. Danforth was Schweich’s political mentor, and some wonder whether he will address the so-called whispering campaign about Schweich’s Jewish heritage.
GOP sources said this weekend that they expect Danforth to meet that issue head on. That could have grave implications for Hancock, who is at the center of that dispute and was elected chair just eight days ago at Reagan Lincoln Days in Kansas City.
Hancock has acknowledged that he might have mentioned to some Republicans his belief that Schweich was Jewish. But he denied that he was trying to smear the candidate.
Tony Messenger of the St. Louis Post Dispatch had pointed out that Schweich had contacted him repeatedly about a whisper campaign of sorts that used his ethnicity as a reason to clear the path for Republican (
and Rex Sinquefield's Million Dollar candidate) Catherine Hannaway.
The Republican Chair responded with this letter, released via several Missouri Republicans who received:
By now each of you has heard of Tom Schweich’s tragic passing.
The news came as an absolute shock to so many of us who knew him as a tenacious, energetic, and effective elected official who worked tirelessly on behalf of the citizens of this state and this nation.
No one will ever fully understand what led to yesterday’s tragedy. Still, I am sad to have learned that some of Tom final moments were spent thinking of an ongoing disagreement with me.
Many of you on this committee are aware of the issue, as it came up in several of our conversations during the past few months. While those who know me understand I would never denigrate anyone’s faith, Tom had mistakenly believed that I had attacked his religion.
Now, some political opponents—particularly liberal Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger—are using this tragic incident as an opportunity to criticize me and to smear the Missouri Republican Party. These attacks are not only disgusting; they are wrong.
I would like to set the record straight, once and for all: Until recently, I mistakenly believed that Tom Schweich was Jewish, but it was simply a part of what I believed to be his biography—no different than the fact that he was from St. Louis and had graduated from Harvard Law School. While I do not recall doing so, it is possible that I mentioned Tom’s faith in passing during one of the many conversations I have each day. There was absolutely nothing malicious about my intent, and I certainty was not attempting to “inject religion” into the governor’s race, as some have suggested (in fact, I have never met with donors or raised money on behalf of the Hanaway campaign).
Over the past several months, I had hoped to dispel these untrue rumors about me and make peace with Tom. It is my sincerest regret that we will be forever unable to do so.
We may never know what drove Tom to take his own life—but it seems clear that there were deeper and more profound issues than a minor political squabble.
Ultimately, I continue to believe that Tom was good man and a terrific State Auditor. I hope you will join Georgann and me as we continue to pray for his family.
If you have any additional questions or want to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your leadership in our state.
Best regards,
JH
If there was ever a worse time for Missouri Republicans to face down anti-antisemitism and racism in their own party, now may be the worst time imaginable.
Nerves in the Kansas City Metro area are still raw as Aurora, Missouri Resident Frank Glen Miller (Pictured Right).
Miller, who faces multiple charges of attempted murder today in Johnson County, Kansas, not only hails from Missouri, but is credited for his works in building up the KKK in North Carolina as well as other similar racially divisive organizations.
With his trial starting today, the Kansas City Metro will be spend time focused on a horrific incident of domestic terrorism, conducted out of hate, against a community because of their birthright.
Tomorrow, Missouri Republicans will lay Thomas Schweich to rest, a faithful servant of the state who for his own reasons took his life in "the prime of his career" as numerous reporters have acknowledged.
Whether or not Hancock believes the pointed attacks on Schweich were fair game, it will still lead to troubling consequences for the Missouri GOP. And that is even assuming his truthfulness that there was no anti-Semitic whisper campaign, despite Schweich's allegations prior to his death.
Whether or not Hancock can hold onto his job or not is certainly in question. More importantly, will the Missouri GOP be prepared to take the public and significant stances against racial targeting to wash themselves clean? Or will the ongoing public debate on what is and is not fair campaigning be an ongoing issue in Missouri for 2016?
We may find out some of those answers tomorrow.