Discussion for article #233744
A Jewish auditor? Whodathunk that teh Jews were good with money matters? /snark
There has to be more to this than meets the eye. Was the guy that insecure regarding his background (familial heritage) to give in–in the most complete way possible–to a possible smeary whisper campaign? I understand that it is possible that such tactics might work with the majority of socially very conservative Republican voters who truly believe Jewish folks are headed to Hell, but I fail to see how claiming (obviously wrongly) the man is Jewish is something to push him over such an edge. Suicide, possible. Murder, yes, possible. Or the man has a much deeper, darker closet than others knew.
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Sad news, but I have to say that if he viewed Jewish heritage as a disqualifier in Republican politics, then that say a lot about Missouri Republican politics.
Also - no election is worth your sanity or your life.
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Hancock, who probably did* make anti-semitic remarks, now gets to play the victim card.
*I say “probably did” not because i have any knowledge of Hancock or Missouri republican party goings-on. But when a republican says something, history tells me that the opposite is more likely the truth.
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I thought that the GOTP and Faux Noise are totally behind the Jewish people and the state of Israel?
I guess that underneath it all, the Teahadists are antisemitic and racist. Watch out Piyush Jindal and Nimrata Randhawa.
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Any suggestion that a Republican would do something underhanded and/or disgusting is likely true.
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I don’t want to believe this man would kill himself because he was afraid of a “whisper” campaign, when he was supposedly proud of his Jewish heritage though he practiced another religion. This sounds ridiculous. But if true----it says a whole lot about the state of Missouri and even more about those godly Evangelicals who seem to worship Israel— but hate Jews.
Sad for this poor man and his family.
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Or he just developed a mental illness. Unfounded belief that others are saying/doing things against you is not uncommon in such cases.
I don’t believe at all that it was Jewish heritage that made him kill himself. I believe that someone in the Missouri GOP was going to expose something else about him in retaliation for exposing their bigotry.
He had already told people about this the day before he died.
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He should’ve been proud of his Jewish heritage. Levi Strauss, Jonas Salk, Irving Berlin, Ann Landers, Estee Lauder, Bob Dylan, Mel Brooks, Lauren Bacall, Jon Stewart, Eli Wallach, and Jerry Seinfeld are all Jewish. Poet and author Emma Lazarus was Jewish. She wrote the the words, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” that are engraved in our statue of liberty. People in Missouri can’t be that ignorant.There must be something else we are not aware of.
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It wasn’t unfounded. Here’s the head of the Missouri GOP giving his account of what “may” have happened:
“I don’t have a specific recollection of having said that,” Mr. Hancock told The Associated Press on Thursday, “but it’s plausible that I would have told somebody that Tom was Jewish, because I thought he was, but I wouldn’t have said it in a derogatory or demeaning fashion.”
Right…Glad that is all cleared up now.
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Or he suddenly got a clear sight of the party he belonged to and found it both shocking and depressing.
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" Because I thought he was" On what basis did Hancock think that? Given that Schweich was a Episcopalian with a Jewish grandfather? Clearly not because he met him in church.
It matters whether Hancock just mentioned this in casual conversation or whether Hancock was going around to anyone who might be prejudiced and telling them in the nicest possible manner that Schweich was Jewish with the aim of destroying Schweich’s chances in a hard fought primary.
It will be interesting to see who, if any one, comes forward and confirms that Hancock said something of this nature to them.
Good points.
An oppo was digging for information on Schweich and turned up the Jewish heritage and, I believe, something that must have really troubled Schweich.
I’m assuming the worst here of Hancock because of his bizarre statement. Also, as head of the MO GOP, Hancock likely was the one ordering the oppo research.
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Thsnk you.
Today’s GOP is so filled with hate, it’s eating America up alive.
As a reason for suicide? I’d still bet mental illness factors in.
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Gelfing,
I do not believe that fear of Jewish heritage being “exposed” is what caused this. Mental illness, maybe, but not his heritage.
I said earlier that " I believe that someone in the Missouri GOP was going to expose something else about him in retaliation for exposing their bigotry."
Mr. Schweich’s suicide in the face of a hard fought campaign is a tragedy for him and his family and does indicate a certain mental fragility. All of that however is basically a personal matter. The degree to which his perception of anti-Semitic campaigning by certain elements of the Missouri GOP is correct,on the other hand, is a matter of public interest and should be investigated to the fullest if only clear people’s names.
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