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Our Opinion: Hawley’s policies trump McCaskill’s personality for U.S. Senate

Missouri is fortunate that both parties have nominated qualified, intelligent, and compelling candidates for U.S. Senate who truly have the best interests of the state at heart. However, when viewed against the left lurch of the national Democratic Party, Josh Hawley is the best choice for Missourians who want a conservative federal government that best reflects our Midwestern values.

The bottom line is that while there are many compelling reasons to support Claire McCaskill, and it’s true she does, at times, do her best to separate herself from the radical socialists in her party, even one of Missouri’s greatest politicians in the history of our state can only get so far away from her own party. In short, as the Democratic Party races farther toward socialism, they have drug McCaskill along with them.

When you look at issues from environmental regulations to the 2nd Amendment, from abortion policy to taxes, and from immigration to the nomination of Supreme Court Justices, Josh Hawley simply better reflects most Missourians’ political point of view.

In point of fact, Missourians elected Donald Trump by margins that would make Reagan and Eisenhower jealous and he nominated two mainstream conservative judges to the Supreme Court. Senator McCaskill couldn’t bring herself to support either.

We cannot condemn her for voting for both of President Obama’s nominees as they were both liberal judges appointed by a duly elected liberal president. However, it goes to show you the lack of moderation in modern politics that Senator McCaskill, who brands herself a moderate, couldn’t support either mainstream conservative judges nominated by a duly elected conservative president.

Hawley has rushed the political scene, only entering government service 22 months ago. However, he was tried by fire in those 22 months in a way that perhaps no attorney general since the early 90s, when then-Attorney General Jay Nixon inherited an office in turmoil and was forced to be involved in prosecuting the longtime speaker of the house. Nixon was attacked by blind partisans in his own party at the time, but he put Missouri ahead of party and history will record him as not only the most successful politician in state history, but among Missouri’s premiere statesmen.

When the state was being pillaged by a gang of east coast carpetbaggers, and most everyone in the executive branch was probably rightly afraid of their massive piles of dark money and their aggressive and combative tactics, Josh Hawley dug his heels into the Cole County hills and defiantly risked everything to say enough was enough.

Josh Hawley was the one who cared about Missouri while cowards hid and the partisans wildly tweeted proudly putting petty partisanship over their state – they were too busy selling Missouri out to the east coast crew.

While others hid in fear, Josh Hawley was out in front enduring the attacks that a statesman endures during times of trial.

Can fair-minded people criticize how he defended Missouri in the Confide investigation? Yes. However, the liberal media and paid tweeting class conveniently forget that he laid down that civil investigation in order to pick up the criminal investigation. The criminal investigation that was ultimately part of the plea bargain that ended the most corrupt administration in Missouri history.

If you don’t want to believe this editorial board, go back and watch the press conferences Hawley gave, and you will not only see a leader, but you will see a statesman who boldly stood up to the unlimited budgets of the leader of his own party as a great risk to his own career.

That is what courage looks like. It’s what speaking truth to power looks like. It’s what a statesman looks like.

You will not see this editorial board condemn Claire McCaskill as a poor senator or a bad person. In fact, the attacks the Republicans have made on her family, especially her husband, Joseph Shepard, who is a leading Missouri businessman, are in especially poor taste. She has served this state admirably and certainly deserved re-election in 2012.

In fact, we believe if she won a third term, you would see a more independent-minded senator than ever before. If she is re-elected, Missouri will have a good senator.

However, in 2018, we believe Josh Hawley is the best person to truly represent the political opinions and values of Missourians in the United States Senate.