by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
There was a time when the Honorable John C. Danforth truly was honorable, but that ship has sailed.
Danforth, an heir to the Ralston-Purina fortune and an ordained Episcopal priest - as well as a lawyer, was considered a wunderkind when he was elected Attorney General of Missouri in 1968 at the age of thirty-two. His win signaled the first crack in a Democratic Party domination of Missouri state offices that went back for generations. He was young, dynamic, and regarded by many as a sign of the future of the Republican Party.
Friends from both political parties commonly referred to him as "Jack."
Interestingly, three of his assistant staff attorneys in the Attorney General's office were Kit Bond (a future governor and U.S. Senator), John Ashcroft (a future governor, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Attorney General), and Clarence Thomas (a future U.S. Supreme Court Justice.). It was Danforth's association with and promotion of the latter, Clarence Thomas, that put an indelible stain on his once choirboy reputation.
Jack Danforth recommended Clarence Thomas to George H.W. Bush to fill the seat on the Supreme Court that had been vacated due to the resignation of Thurgood Marshall, the Court's first black justice. Bush, seeing some warped symmetry in one black jurist replacing another, even if Thomas was unfit to iron Marshall's cloak, much less wear it, went forward with Danforth's suggestion and nominated his Missouri friend to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991. Soon, as those of us of a certain age remember all too well, the political maneuver went to hell in a hand-basket when Anita Hill came forward and told, under oath, a raft of sordid stories about being sexually harassed by Clarence Thomas.
Thomas, who otherwise would have been handily confirmed by the Senate, instead squeaked by on a 52-48 vote - and garnered a tarnished reputation that persists to this very day.
Danforth finished out his term in the Senate following the Clarence Thomas debacle - and then retired, never to run for public office again. (He did serve as Ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush, and he performed the service at Ronald Reagan's funeral, but other than that Jack Danforth has lived a very private life back home in St. Louis.)
But now another Supreme Court confirmation vote is on the horizon, and like the one that was held for Clarence Thomas way back in 1991, this confirmation process also appears to be revolving around allegations of a sexual nature directed toward the nominee - and many journalists are drawing strong comparisons between the nominations of Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh.
Jack Danforth still reads the papers, even at the advanced age of eighty-two, and he still bristles over the treatment that his friend Clarence received back in the day. He can't let it go, and now, with the attacks on Brett Kavanaugh, Danforth is not only getting wound up, he is also becoming vocal.
Here is a clipping from a news story that circulated yesterday. I borrowed it from the Twitter account of Missouri State Representative Stacey Newman:
You sir, have aged into a disappointment.
Citizen Journalist
There was a time when the Honorable John C. Danforth truly was honorable, but that ship has sailed.
Danforth, an heir to the Ralston-Purina fortune and an ordained Episcopal priest - as well as a lawyer, was considered a wunderkind when he was elected Attorney General of Missouri in 1968 at the age of thirty-two. His win signaled the first crack in a Democratic Party domination of Missouri state offices that went back for generations. He was young, dynamic, and regarded by many as a sign of the future of the Republican Party.
Friends from both political parties commonly referred to him as "Jack."
Interestingly, three of his assistant staff attorneys in the Attorney General's office were Kit Bond (a future governor and U.S. Senator), John Ashcroft (a future governor, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Attorney General), and Clarence Thomas (a future U.S. Supreme Court Justice.). It was Danforth's association with and promotion of the latter, Clarence Thomas, that put an indelible stain on his once choirboy reputation.
Jack Danforth recommended Clarence Thomas to George H.W. Bush to fill the seat on the Supreme Court that had been vacated due to the resignation of Thurgood Marshall, the Court's first black justice. Bush, seeing some warped symmetry in one black jurist replacing another, even if Thomas was unfit to iron Marshall's cloak, much less wear it, went forward with Danforth's suggestion and nominated his Missouri friend to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991. Soon, as those of us of a certain age remember all too well, the political maneuver went to hell in a hand-basket when Anita Hill came forward and told, under oath, a raft of sordid stories about being sexually harassed by Clarence Thomas.
Thomas, who otherwise would have been handily confirmed by the Senate, instead squeaked by on a 52-48 vote - and garnered a tarnished reputation that persists to this very day.
Danforth finished out his term in the Senate following the Clarence Thomas debacle - and then retired, never to run for public office again. (He did serve as Ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush, and he performed the service at Ronald Reagan's funeral, but other than that Jack Danforth has lived a very private life back home in St. Louis.)
But now another Supreme Court confirmation vote is on the horizon, and like the one that was held for Clarence Thomas way back in 1991, this confirmation process also appears to be revolving around allegations of a sexual nature directed toward the nominee - and many journalists are drawing strong comparisons between the nominations of Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh.
Jack Danforth still reads the papers, even at the advanced age of eighty-two, and he still bristles over the treatment that his friend Clarence received back in the day. He can't let it go, and now, with the attacks on Brett Kavanaugh, Danforth is not only getting wound up, he is also becoming vocal.
Here is a clipping from a news story that circulated yesterday. I borrowed it from the Twitter account of Missouri State Representative Stacey Newman:
Former Senator John C. Danforth, Republican of Missouri, who was one of Justice Thomas's most prominent defenders, said that he sees a tragic repeat. "I just feel so terribly sorry for Kavanaugh and what he's going through," he said. "Here's a man who's just had a marvelous reputation as a human being and now it's being trashed. I felt the same way about Clarence."
He added that the presumption of guilt has only grown since 1991. "With the #MeToo movement, it makes it even harder for him," Mr Danforth said. "It was bad enough for Clarence, but this is really going to be difficult."Heads up, Jack. It's also difficult for the women who have to stand before a room full of crotchety old men, like you and me, and recount their most horrifying memories - and lay themselves open to criticism and prejudices rooted in 1950's America. Those brave women have strong reason to feel that they will be treated with the same level of distrust and disdain as was apparent in your statement.
You sir, have aged into a disappointment.
1 comment:
After giving this some serious consideration I am concerned that the Reverend Mr. Danforth is seriously out of touch with the teachings of the Episcopal Church regarding allegations of sexual abuse of children and youth. Clearly the complainant was by definition when the alleged incident took place; as was the alleged perpetrator.
The Episcopal Church has clear teachings and policy on this matter. In Father Danforth's resident diocese, the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, the policy is clear and can be found at https://www.diocesemo.org/building-congregations/safe-church. This page will take the reader to these various pages: Diocesan chart of required and recommended training (49 KB pdf)
Policy for the Protection of Children and Youth (June 2018) (329 KB pdf)
Policy for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (June 2018) (277 KB pdf)
Policies and Procedures Concerning Allegations and Incidents of Sexual Misconduct (Jan '95) (51 KB pdf)
Acknowledgment of diocesan policies-to be signed annually (31 KB pdf)
The Diocese of Kansas, like all dioceses of the Episcopal Church USA, has similar protocols in place for the protection of youth and children. Our policy is set forth at: http://www.episcopal-ks.org/resources/documents/SafeChurchPolicy2014.pdf; then additional training is required.
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