Carnahan Can’t Run on His Record: Political Hatchet Man Comes to His Rescue

Russ Carnahan cannot run on his voting record, so he – like Democrats all over the country – are resorting to lies, smears and proxy attacks to tear down their opponents.  Religious bigotry is not beneath the party elders trying to protect Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.  Up to now, the filthiest assault took place in Kentucky when a Democrat accused his challenger of denouncing Christianity as a hoax.  Even Claire McCaskill called it “dangerous.”

Russ Carnahan may yet take the dubious crown of “Most Appalling Smear of 2010.”  His campaign manager Angela Barranco, air dropped in from Washington DC has long-standing connection with political hatchet-man Michael Corwin.  Corwin is a “researcher” (Much like Al Capone was an entrepreneur) in various races where Barranco has been on staff or connected through the party.  Corwin has been tasked to dig up or fabricate dirt on opponents of Barranco’s clients.  His method is to spread unsubstantiated claims from fellow hacks.  He has smeared men and women who are running for office in ways that would make Joseph McCarthy proud.  His “clients” contribute to one another and pass him around as needed, a tool in their pursuit of power.

Corwin found a candidate sufficiently desperate to overcome whatever dignity that might remain within them to accept his “help.”  Russ Carnahan is that candidate.

Corwin’s approach in service to Russ Carnahan is to imply that I was somehow involved with the criminal conduct of priests within the St. Louis Archdiocese.  The proof?  I worked there. Many people have served faithfully and to the best of their ability in churches all over St. Louis.  Is it now the new standard that Catholics who serve their church are open to being slandered like this?

To speak directly to the implied accusation: I worked for the Catholic Church doing education and advocacy about charity and service to our community. I had zero involvement or authority on the adjudication or disposition of those accused of crimes or wrongdoing.  The only scandal I was responding to was that the Human Rights Office was supporting goals and making contributions to organizations that reflected poorly on the Church and her mission.

The abuse scandals that has been rocking the church for years is a still-open wound.  There is still much work to be done to heal and make whole those who were betrayed by the men and women of the Church.  Much work is being done by men and women in the church who tirelessly pour their hearts into these victims.  Dragging this scandal into the political world is a heartbreaking tactic.  This is not being done to pursue justice, healing or reckoning.  It is a vulgar attempt to maintain power by an unpopular politician.

This is a lie so awful that I was shocked to learn the connections with Russ Carnahan’s office, but I ought not have been.  His inner-circle of supporters have been implying this smear was coming with questions and statements in online forums that ordinarily would not be dignified by a response.  We initially wrote this off as overly-zealous volunteers, but now we see that Russ Carnahan’s inner circle of activists were telegraphing the Carnahan campaign strategy.

This is why good people are not willing to run for office.  This foul assault is not a symptom, it is a cause.  When only shameless vermin can stomach running for office, that’s all we’ll have in office. If Russ Carnahan finds this sordid McCarthyism appalling, I call upon him to say so publically and hold those who hatched this plan accountable.  We already know what kind of representative Russ Carnahan is. If he does not call out the cockroach Corwin, then we will know what kind of man Carnahan is.