And then really, really ugly

     Tuesday's Senate race spat (here and here) between Democrat Claire McCaskill and Missouri Republicans escalated with a personal note from McCaskill to Sen. Jim Talent asking him to have the party stop its attacks on the missing FEC filing and asking for an apology.

   Talent's campaign and the Missouri GOP say: No dice. Instead, Talent's campaign released a condolence letter Talent wrote to McCaskill last weekend after the death of staffer Melissa Berridge.

   More in tomorrow's Star.

Posted by Matt Stearns

Comments

Why can't the GOP just admit it screwed up, say sorry, and let it go? It was decent of Talent to send the note, so why can't he tell his party hacks to admit they made a mistake?

[Political Moderate]

5:23. The reason Jim Talent can't control his people is called leadership, character, honesty and guts.
I am embarressed by the actions of that group of people...

Was there actually news somewhere in this thread? Or is Matt Stearns writing another piece of crap article that he thinks is funny and passing it off as news? Hey Matt, until you ask Cleaver why no one answers the phones in his district office I have no use for you. Grow a set.

This just further shows Missourians what kind of Person Jim Talent really is and how his party really operates. It is unfathomable to any decent human being how they can spew out these heartless and absolutely offending attacks on a fellow Missourian and her family in their time of grief, and not even think for a second about issuing an apology when all the facts became known. This is of course also in complete disregard of the fact that the McCaskill campaign has already proven that the FEC documents were mailed on time (that is what an official U.S. mail "postmark" receipt proves, after all). The Missouri GOP, as well as Talent, should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.

Also, 7:04 - what does your comment have to do with the point of this thread (or anything at all, for that matter)? No one (except perhaps for the Missouri GOP) thinks there is anything funny about this matter.

[James Berridge]

This is Melissa Berridge's brother, James. As her sole relative in the St. Louis area, the past few days have been an utter nightmare. Waiting for my mother and oldest sister to arrive from Pennsylvania, our other sister to arrive from Texas and Missy's long-time boyfriend to fly in from California...meeting with the folks at the Quantum Leap Jump School (Mark, Larry, Jim, etc., etc.)...learning about the work Missy did for the McCaskill campaign from her fellow staffers and Claire all taught me that my sister had touched more lives than I could ever have known while she was living. Missy did all the things I never had the courage to do...from doing something substantive about her beliefs to skydiving for the pure joy of it.

I always knew Missy was incredibly meticulous and dedicated to the work she did beyond limit. I was not at all surprised tp see FIRST HAND that she filed the "disputed" report (which in fact the FEC never ACTUALLY did dispute...only asked for follow-up information on) THREE DAYS BEFORE the due date and just days before her death. In fact, my sister was so organized that other staffers were able to QUICKLY find ALL supporting documentation of the filing three days before it was due along with a copy of the report iself..in her office...three days after her death. No one could ever do that in MY office...how about you. I have copies in hand as I write this of all of her documentation.

So...now...imagine this. Today, we FINALLY were able to view Missy's body and say goodbye to her. This has been the hardest day of my life and I am not alone in that. Others are hurting far worse than I am...namely our mother. The first thing I learned after leaving the funeral home along with my mother and surviving sisters were the preliminary details of the MOGOP's baseless attack on my dead sister's impeccable work.

I am a private citizen who is not overly active politically. I would never have imagined a member of my own family would be "swift-boated" as we are very private people. To do so to someone who's remains have not yet been cremated constitute the actions of people who simply have no moral compass. These are the not actions of "spiritual" people...be they Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Agnostic, any other religion or God forbid even Atheist.

I assure you, my sister will be defended. They have chosen the wrong person and indeed the wrong family to defame!

This is LOW!!

James Berridge, Edwardsville, IL

[Political Moderate]

James,
Thank you for your post. My family offers our sincere sympathy to you and the rest of Ms. Berridge's family.
I am so sorry, at this time, there are these additional burdens on you. It is not right.
I am so sorry...

[CarrieB]

James,
I echo Political Moderate's sentiments and apologize for whatever role this blog may have had in increasing your pain.

I would suggest that we all agree to let this particular thread and topic go without further comment in respect to Melissa's family.

[James Berridge]

I just spoke to the Communications Director for MOGOP, Paul Sloca (Ph 573 301 0576, e-mail sloca@mogop.org). Had a hard time allowing him to have a two-way conversation with me…it would have been easier had he simply answered my two “yes/no” questions...I was not myself. I may call him in the morning when I am more calm. I specifically asked him if the GOP would provide my family and I with a written apology. To his credit, he has taken it under advisement. I was indeed rather unkind to him...like I said, I am simply not myself right now.

Thank you for the warm thoughts...

[CarrieB]

How do you take owing a grieving family an apology "under advisement"? You just do the right thing, apologize, and move on. Geez.

Again, James, I am so, so sorry for your loss. Your sister was about my age and in a similar line of work as I. Although I never met her, I feel close to her loss.

[Old Drum]

Someone has already noted that this incident is very instructive on the nature of "compassionate conservatism" in the Missouri GOP.

[James Berridge]

Thanks Carrie. Depending upon the MOGOP's response to my request, I may be encouraging folks to contact Paul to share their thoughts with him about this whole thing. This may not be the biggest news in the campaign...all the more reason to do the right...I mean correct...thing.

[CarrieB]

I'm sure it will be like talking to a brick wall but I'm willing to give it a try if they give you any hooey. No, it's not the biggest news in the campaign - far from it. And it shouldn't be "campaign" news at all. At least not in the political sense.

[THAT was my foot]

This is shameful behaviour; all based on one party "one upping", the other.

May Melissa rest in peace, and her Family have comfort knowing she made a difference in this life.

[Sara W]

My sister just called me and told me to read this post. She is a big democrat, but I kinda don't follow it all. I vote, but not always. She is always trying to convince me that I should be against republicans. This is truly unbelievable. If this guy doesn't say he's sorry, it will make me sick. I'm so sorry for this family.

[brendan]

don't apologize.

i live in philly PA but have have friends in missouri who will be happy to complain on your behalf.
Sorry, not to be rude but Talent sounds like a royal d0uchebagg.
what total a$$hole$. no goddammn respect.
sorry this just makes me mad.
i'll hold him, you hit him.

[nanajayhawk]

To the family of Melissa Berridge:
As a Christian and a Republican, I am ashamed of the way the Talent campaign is handling everything. I will NOT vote for Jim Talent. I have NO respect for anyone who drags your sisters' name into a political argument. Jim Talent MUST have knowledge of what his staff writes and says in public. I am very, very, sorry for your loss.
I just wanted you to know that not all Christians and Republicans are like Jim Talent. I hope and pray your family can find peace in this difficult time.
A Soon to be ex-republican

[Josh D]

This refusal to apologize is a sign of weakness, not stregnth. I am so sorry Jim for your loss, and please tell your mother and the rest of your family that they are in many Missourians' prayers. For all the readers of this blog and comments, please remember this incident when the Talent campaign starts talking about values.

[md]

James,

Don't let the bastards get you down.

So sorry for your loss.

[susieq]

I am compelled by Jim Berridge's post above to say how sorry I am that his family is seeing the ugly underbelly of political ambition at the moment of unimaginable grief. And this from the folks that specialize in condemning others for their lack of "values". For gosh sake, read the New Testament. Apologize. Show love and compassion.

[Emmy]

Frankly, I am a little surprised that the Talent people aren't smarter than this. It seems to me that a simple "I'm sorry" would have made this story go away. For me, this incident makes me question whether Talent is truly smart enough to stand tall in the US Senate. This makes them look very dumb. Also, please let me add my condolences.

[Conservative Eagle]

I think that under the circumstances, the McCaskill campaign should stop using this unfortunate death as a ploy to avoid complying with the law. Talent apologized, even though he did not have to. The issue here is McCaskill's blatant and cavalier disregard of her legal obligations and her inability to run a campaign. She should take a page from her party's playbook and cut and run from her doomed and moronic campaign.

Hey, Eagle, McCaskill's campaign did follow the law and did file the paperwork with the FEC. The Post-Dispatch reported on their blog that the FEC confirmed they received the filing on time.

Berridge's family and the McCaskill staff who lost a co-worker and a friend deserve better and so do the voters of Missouri.

[stephanee]

Conservative Eagle,
Where are your eyes? Read these posts and news coverage. The McCaskill campaign did comply with the law and Talent has not apologized. The point of all this is that a human being died and her family is being hurt by a baseless political kick in the shin. All of this would go away if Senator Talent or the MO GOP would just say they are sorry.

[Conservative Eagle]

Jim Talent has done nothing that he needs to apologize for. In contrast, it's not surprising Democrats are using this poor woman's tragic death as a ploy to attack a good man for his devotion to the rule of law. It's Cindy Sheehan all over again.

Conservative Eagle: Wake Up!!! No law was broken. The only thing that was violated was common decency by the Missouri Republican Party and Jim Talent.