The Death of a Missouri Politician
March 2, 2015 1:32 PM Subscribe
Tom Schweich, Missouri's state auditor and a candidate in the Republican gubernatorial primary, died in an apparent suicide on Feb. 26.
Tony Messenger, a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter who had gotten to know Schweich, talks about his impressions of him and their last interactions.
Barbara Shelly's op-ed in the Kansas City Star.
Following the Ferguson protests, Schweich launched a series of audits investigating the use of fine revenue by municipalities, including Ferguson and others in St. Louis County.
Interview in the Missouri Times about the government's response to Ferguson.
Tony Messenger, a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter who had gotten to know Schweich, talks about his impressions of him and their last interactions.
Barbara Shelly's op-ed in the Kansas City Star.
Following the Ferguson protests, Schweich launched a series of audits investigating the use of fine revenue by municipalities, including Ferguson and others in St. Louis County.
Interview in the Missouri Times about the government's response to Ferguson.
What was the antisemetic comment?
posted by oceanjesse at 1:43 PM on March 2, 2015
posted by oceanjesse at 1:43 PM on March 2, 2015
Talking Points Memo has had a couple stories on the weird alleged anti-Semitic whisper campaign angle of this story. It's an incredibly strange story.
posted by zachlipton at 1:46 PM on March 2, 2015
posted by zachlipton at 1:46 PM on March 2, 2015
You have to wonder why anyone in their right mind would run for public office in the US, no matter whether it's local, state or national. Anything you've ever done or said will be used against you.
Do we really want candidates who have never had an opinion (or God forbid, have changed their opinion) or ever done anything even remotely objectionable to someone? Because that's what we're going to get along with those with sufficient money and connections to make sure their own words and actions are carefully overlooked.
posted by tommasz at 1:49 PM on March 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
Do we really want candidates who have never had an opinion (or God forbid, have changed their opinion) or ever done anything even remotely objectionable to someone? Because that's what we're going to get along with those with sufficient money and connections to make sure their own words and actions are carefully overlooked.
posted by tommasz at 1:49 PM on March 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
What was the antisemetic comment?
Sounds like pretty much "Psst, Schweich is Jewish", which is apparently a strike against him in some circles.
posted by Hoopo at 2:01 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Sounds like pretty much "Psst, Schweich is Jewish", which is apparently a strike against him in some circles.
posted by Hoopo at 2:01 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
>You have to wonder why anyone in their right mind would run for public office in the US, no matter whether it's local, state or national. Anything you've ever done or said will be used against you.
You don't run for government because you have a right mind, you run for office because you want the right money. Good people don't run for office and they certainly can't be elected.
posted by GoblinHoney at 2:01 PM on March 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
You don't run for government because you have a right mind, you run for office because you want the right money. Good people don't run for office and they certainly can't be elected.
posted by GoblinHoney at 2:01 PM on March 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
What was the antisemetic comment?
Probably the way in which he was being called Jewish by his opponents. "Jewish" is a dog whistle for a lot of conservatives, especially in the Midwest and South. It implies liberalism, and, obviously, "not a christian". Hell, there are still people out there who consider Jews "Christ killers".
posted by Thorzdad at 2:03 PM on March 2, 2015 [6 favorites]
Probably the way in which he was being called Jewish by his opponents. "Jewish" is a dog whistle for a lot of conservatives, especially in the Midwest and South. It implies liberalism, and, obviously, "not a christian". Hell, there are still people out there who consider Jews "Christ killers".
posted by Thorzdad at 2:03 PM on March 2, 2015 [6 favorites]
The southern half of the state is Bible Belt. It also has a not-altogether-insignificant KKK membership. The only thing worse than Catholics to this demographic are Jews.
posted by readyfreddy at 2:14 PM on March 2, 2015
posted by readyfreddy at 2:14 PM on March 2, 2015
Missouri has transformed over the past ten years into a slightly less insane version of Kansas, but probably on par with Texas, when it comes to zany Republican controlled legislatures. It's doubly ridiculous as the legislature, cognizant that their base is primarily outside of the larger urban areas (Springfield being the exception), have decided to try and score points by threatening to strip away the power of said urban areas to do things as outrageous as investigate the formation of a city run high speed internet utility or ban plastic bags.
If the votes go through and the state legislature begins to dictate what the liberal bastions can or cannot do within city limits, it's going to make the state immensely less desirable to live in - which the Republican argument being that these crazy islands (of liberals) are going to mess up the economics of the state with their hare brained ideas, hence we need the state to regulate them. I don't necessarily want to leave this state, but if it continues to spiral down this path, I definitely will seriously start considering it. Its an atmosphere that makes Schweich's claims hold a lot of credence.
It's also a state where Rex Sinquefield is slowly doing his best to leverage his billions into establishing a libertarian/conservative playground of terrible ideas (and apparently a world class chess museum). Part of Schweich's campaign launch speech was directed at attacking his intrusion into the politics (he supports one of the candidates who would have run against Schweich).
posted by Atreides at 2:15 PM on March 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
If the votes go through and the state legislature begins to dictate what the liberal bastions can or cannot do within city limits, it's going to make the state immensely less desirable to live in - which the Republican argument being that these crazy islands (of liberals) are going to mess up the economics of the state with their hare brained ideas, hence we need the state to regulate them. I don't necessarily want to leave this state, but if it continues to spiral down this path, I definitely will seriously start considering it. Its an atmosphere that makes Schweich's claims hold a lot of credence.
It's also a state where Rex Sinquefield is slowly doing his best to leverage his billions into establishing a libertarian/conservative playground of terrible ideas (and apparently a world class chess museum). Part of Schweich's campaign launch speech was directed at attacking his intrusion into the politics (he supports one of the candidates who would have run against Schweich).
posted by Atreides at 2:15 PM on March 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
Schweich believed Hancock was falsely telling people he was Jewish.
Boy, I first read that as completely the opposite, like Hancock was secretly saying that HE was Jewish. I was trying to figure out what benefits that would convey. I didn't see "Jewish" as being the epithet it was apparently meant to be at all.
posted by graventy at 2:18 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Boy, I first read that as completely the opposite, like Hancock was secretly saying that HE was Jewish. I was trying to figure out what benefits that would convey. I didn't see "Jewish" as being the epithet it was apparently meant to be at all.
posted by graventy at 2:18 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
I don't think he killed himself out of fear of being called a Jew.
posted by jamjam at 2:22 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
The new treasurer of the Citizens for Fairness committee is Seth Shumaker of Kirksville. Schweich referred to Shumaker, though not by name, in his speech announcing his bid for governor.There's something he didn't want exposed in that Sunshine Law requested material.
Schweich said that a “suspended lawyer” was circulating a “dizzying series of lies” about Schweich on social media. Shumaker lost his law license in 2011 for violating “rules of professional conduct.” Schweich’s office confirmed Friday that he was talking about Shumaker.
Shumaker, who did not return a phone call, has filed six Sunshine Law requests with the auditor’s office, seeking voluminous information about Schweich, ranging from several years of his emails and daily calendars to travel and expense records for certain staff members.
posted by jamjam at 2:22 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by ghostbikes at 2:22 PM on March 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by ghostbikes at 2:22 PM on March 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
Several of the links aren't coming up for me here at work, or at best the text is all in grey lines.
Is there any chance/suspicion that this wasn't a suicide?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:22 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Is there any chance/suspicion that this wasn't a suicide?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:22 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
You don't run for government because you have a right mind, you run for office because you want the right money. Good people don't run for office and they certainly can't be elected.
I can point to at least one example which disproves your claim, and I also personally know another (he only got as far as the CT state legislature and is now retired, but still is a profoundly decent guy).
In fact -
You have to wonder why anyone in their right mind would run for public office in the US, no matter whether it's local, state or national. Anything you've ever done or said will be used against you.
The man in the CT legislature started out running for the board of selectmen in my hometown, and then went on to run for mayor. At some point, during his mayoral campaign, he got a call from the current principal of his old high school back in Chicago - "do you know why the RNC in your town is asking for a copy of your school transcript?" He realized that this meant the RNC in town wasn't able to dig up any recent dirt on him, and that this was their desperate attempt to try to learn whether he'd flunked trigonometry or had TP'd the gym or something so they could use it as a smear campaign. (They didn't find anything on him then either.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:27 PM on March 2, 2015 [9 favorites]
I can point to at least one example which disproves your claim, and I also personally know another (he only got as far as the CT state legislature and is now retired, but still is a profoundly decent guy).
In fact -
You have to wonder why anyone in their right mind would run for public office in the US, no matter whether it's local, state or national. Anything you've ever done or said will be used against you.
The man in the CT legislature started out running for the board of selectmen in my hometown, and then went on to run for mayor. At some point, during his mayoral campaign, he got a call from the current principal of his old high school back in Chicago - "do you know why the RNC in your town is asking for a copy of your school transcript?" He realized that this meant the RNC in town wasn't able to dig up any recent dirt on him, and that this was their desperate attempt to try to learn whether he'd flunked trigonometry or had TP'd the gym or something so they could use it as a smear campaign. (They didn't find anything on him then either.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:27 PM on March 2, 2015 [9 favorites]
.
from the sound of the link about the audit, it sounds like he had bipartisan support for what he was trying to do , which was keep local municipalities from being dicks to poor people.
terrible tragedy anytime a person finds the only recourse to be taking their own life.
posted by OHenryPacey at 2:27 PM on March 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
from the sound of the link about the audit, it sounds like he had bipartisan support for what he was trying to do , which was keep local municipalities from being dicks to poor people.
terrible tragedy anytime a person finds the only recourse to be taking their own life.
posted by OHenryPacey at 2:27 PM on March 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
(...Although, ironically, my father could have taken him down by releasing a video they made of the two of them trying to cook while drunk as skunks and singing "Girlfriend Is Better" at the top of their lungs. But Dad liked the guy, so no.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:28 PM on March 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:28 PM on March 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
I can point to at least one example which disproves your claim...
While I'm not a fan of everything he's said & done, I've seen way too much Decent Human Being behavior out of Cory Booker to give up on him yet, too.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:29 PM on March 2, 2015
While I'm not a fan of everything he's said & done, I've seen way too much Decent Human Being behavior out of Cory Booker to give up on him yet, too.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:29 PM on March 2, 2015
I don't know why I'm shocked that being thought of as Jewish can possibly be a slur in this day and age, but I am. Sigh.
Just a few days ago I was mentioning to a mefite (although I had misattributed the line to Disraeli) the response that Judah Benjamin gave to a veiled insult by a rival senator of German descent, some 150 years ago:
Just a few days ago I was mentioning to a mefite (although I had misattributed the line to Disraeli) the response that Judah Benjamin gave to a veiled insult by a rival senator of German descent, some 150 years ago:
"The gentleman will please remember that when his half-civilized ancestors were hunting the wild boar in Silesia, mine were princes of the earth."posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:29 PM on March 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
There's something he didn't want exposed in that Sunshine Law requested material.
And/or he was sick of being lied about. And, at a wild guess, if there is something he was afraid of coming out, most likely it was something that any rational human would shrug their shoulders at, but that GOP assbags (and yeah, I get that he was GOP too) could spin into something that sounds awful. Or at least awful to 'the base.'
What might prove that assertion one way or the other is whether this person continues the requests (showing that there was action out of principle) or whether they drop it (showing it was muckraking only).
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 6:35 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
And/or he was sick of being lied about. And, at a wild guess, if there is something he was afraid of coming out, most likely it was something that any rational human would shrug their shoulders at, but that GOP assbags (and yeah, I get that he was GOP too) could spin into something that sounds awful. Or at least awful to 'the base.'
What might prove that assertion one way or the other is whether this person continues the requests (showing that there was action out of principle) or whether they drop it (showing it was muckraking only).
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 6:35 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Good people don't run for office and they certainly can't be elected.
One wonders why someone with such a belief even bothers to write such obviously futile protestations on such an obviously futile website. Especially when the effort would be better spent building a hut in the woods somewhere.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:44 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
One wonders why someone with such a belief even bothers to write such obviously futile protestations on such an obviously futile website. Especially when the effort would be better spent building a hut in the woods somewhere.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:44 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
THE WOODS ARE ALSO CORRUPT. HAVE YOU EVER MET A NICE TREE. I HAVE NOT
posted by Sticherbeast at 6:48 PM on March 2, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by Sticherbeast at 6:48 PM on March 2, 2015 [7 favorites]
THE WOODS ARE LOVELY DARK AND DEEP AND THEY WILL GET YOU YOU LITTLE CREEP
posted by octobersurprise at 7:29 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by octobersurprise at 7:29 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
THE WOODS ARE ALSO CORRUPT. HAVE YOU EVER MET A NICE TREE. I HAVE NOT
Durkon, your accent has changed.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 7:39 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Durkon, your accent has changed.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 7:39 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Without evidence of skeletons, we should go for the least hypothesis, the most common reason that people kill themselves: depression.
I can see why the thought of going through the entire grinding brutal election process might be too much for someone who was already prone to suicidal ideations...
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 7:55 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
I can see why the thought of going through the entire grinding brutal election process might be too much for someone who was already prone to suicidal ideations...
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 7:55 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
A long-time St. Louisan/Missourian, I wonder from afar what the inside baseball really was/will be surrounding this tragedy. Schweich was a protege of former U.S. Senator John Danforth (a strong Bush family/Republican establishment supporter). Having watched Missouri grow ever more Tea Party conservative over the past decade, I wonder if this is a serious turning point in the party's rush to the far right, or just an isolated, tragic event unrelated to that rightward lurch.
posted by riverlife at 7:57 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by riverlife at 7:57 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Can we get some decent help for suicidal (and all mentally ill) people in this country?
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 11:11 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 11:11 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
...I wonder if this is a serious turning point in the party's rush to the far right, or just an isolated, tragic event unrelated to that rightward lurch.
Collateral damage.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:33 AM on March 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Collateral damage.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:33 AM on March 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't think the Sunshine request is a major issue. State officers have been pretty knowledgeable on the power of e-mail and Sunshine requests after the big blow up in the Blunt Administration about seven or so years ago. My assumption that no state wide elected officer is ignorant enough to put much, if anything incriminating in their emails. It doesn't stop others from emailing you terrible things, but you can do your own personal damage control on your end.
posted by Atreides at 7:06 AM on March 3, 2015
posted by Atreides at 7:06 AM on March 3, 2015
Jerry Berger, an old-school gossip columnist in St. Louis who started blogging after he "retired" from the daily paper, has published an item suggesting that Schweich may have killed himself because he was about to be outed.
This certainly would be a more potent smear than having a Jewish grandfather, because while the religiously motivated RWNJs in Missouri may have no great love for Jewish people, they hate and fear gays even more.
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 7:24 AM on March 3, 2015
This certainly would be a more potent smear than having a Jewish grandfather, because while the religiously motivated RWNJs in Missouri may have no great love for Jewish people, they hate and fear gays even more.
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 7:24 AM on March 3, 2015
jamjam: “I don't think he killed himself out of fear of being called a Jew... There's something he didn't want exposed in that Sunshine Law requested material.”
feckless fecal fear mongering: “And/or he was sick of being lied about. And, at a wild guess, if there is something he was afraid of coming out, most likely it was something that any rational human would shrug their shoulders at, but that GOP assbags (and yeah, I get that he was GOP too) could spin into something that sounds awful. Or at least awful to 'the base.'”
Or – Tom Schweich was angry at the price of milk. Or sick at the state of the world. Or depressed for personal reasons that we don't know – that being the primary cause in most suicides.
Is it understandable that people want to theorize about why a public figure committed suicide? Sure. Still, it feels pretty unseemly to me, given the vagaries of human life and the complexity of things like depression and sadness and the calculus of self-destruction.
InsertNiftyNameHere: “Can we get some decent help for suicidal (and all mentally ill) people in this country?”
Hear, hear.
posted by koeselitz at 8:04 AM on March 3, 2015
feckless fecal fear mongering: “And/or he was sick of being lied about. And, at a wild guess, if there is something he was afraid of coming out, most likely it was something that any rational human would shrug their shoulders at, but that GOP assbags (and yeah, I get that he was GOP too) could spin into something that sounds awful. Or at least awful to 'the base.'”
Or – Tom Schweich was angry at the price of milk. Or sick at the state of the world. Or depressed for personal reasons that we don't know – that being the primary cause in most suicides.
Is it understandable that people want to theorize about why a public figure committed suicide? Sure. Still, it feels pretty unseemly to me, given the vagaries of human life and the complexity of things like depression and sadness and the calculus of self-destruction.
InsertNiftyNameHere: “Can we get some decent help for suicidal (and all mentally ill) people in this country?”
Hear, hear.
posted by koeselitz at 8:04 AM on March 3, 2015
Or depressed for personal reasons that we don't know – that being the primary cause in most suicides.
I've attempted suicide multiple times. I wrestle with depression daily. I know what suicide is about, thanks.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 8:52 AM on March 3, 2015
I've attempted suicide multiple times. I wrestle with depression daily. I know what suicide is about, thanks.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 8:52 AM on March 3, 2015
I'm sorry if that came out sounding like I was lecturing you, fffm. It was jamjam's theorizing that bothered me.
posted by koeselitz at 9:33 AM on March 3, 2015
posted by koeselitz at 9:33 AM on March 3, 2015
Jerry Berger, an old-school gossip columnist in St. Louis who started blogging after he "retired" from the daily paper, has published an item suggesting that Schweich may have killed himself because he was about to be outed.
This was my thought as well, and I wondered whether by likening him to Barney Fife his opponents meant to sow doubts about his sexuality, but the only thing with even the weakest overtone of gayness I've ever heard about Don Knotts or any of the characters he played was that John Waters had a big crush on him growing up -- and Knotts was about all that made the Andy Griffith Show tolerable for me.
posted by jamjam at 9:35 AM on March 3, 2015
This was my thought as well, and I wondered whether by likening him to Barney Fife his opponents meant to sow doubts about his sexuality, but the only thing with even the weakest overtone of gayness I've ever heard about Don Knotts or any of the characters he played was that John Waters had a big crush on him growing up -- and Knotts was about all that made the Andy Griffith Show tolerable for me.
posted by jamjam at 9:35 AM on March 3, 2015
Having a tough time squaring yesterday's Israel love-fest of the Netanyahu speech with the Missouri Republican Party apparently hounding one of its own candidates to suicide with a whisper campaign that he was Jewish.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:36 PM on March 4, 2015
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:36 PM on March 4, 2015
Ugh.
Aide Reveals Stunning Details Of The Moment Guv Candidate Killed Himself
.
posted by tonycpsu at 1:08 PM on March 6, 2015
Aide Reveals Stunning Details Of The Moment Guv Candidate Killed Himself
.
posted by tonycpsu at 1:08 PM on March 6, 2015
Oh, god. That poor aide, his poor wife. The guilt they're going to be carrying.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 1:51 PM on March 6, 2015
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 1:51 PM on March 6, 2015
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