Claire McCaskill has been in the news after calling for the resignation of State Representative Bob Burns after his despicable comments on a racist talk show. But McCaskill has been well aware of Burns’ penchant for this type of rhetoric for years, and has done almost nothing.
Burns is a former member of Claire McCaskill’s staff, who in 2010 came under fire for comparing conservatives opposed to Obamacare to Nazi Brownshirts. Rather than firing Burns, McCaskill let him off with a one week suspension.
So what took McCaskill so long to distance herself from Burns? She had the opportunity to fire him for disparaging her constituents, but did not. She had the opportunity to warn Missourians of his behavior when he first ran for State Representative, but did not. It seems McCaskill is loyal to her friends no matter how reprehensible their behavior…unless it causes a distraction in an election year.