A Morality Play... Jeff Smith Doesn't Live In St Louis Anymore-- He's Been Exiled To NYC

Last Saturday, so exactly a week ago, I sat in my car outside a restaurant in the sweltering heat, listening to the end of this broadcast from This American Life. Ira Glass was examining the difference between a mortal sin and a venal sin. What made it especially compelling to me was that he was using the case of a state senator from Missouri, Jeff Smith, caught up in a minor FEC infraction that landed him in prison and ended his political career. It's 33 minutes of NPR and worth every second of your time... if you have any interest in political corruption.

Jeff Smith is a very smart (PhD, Phi Beta Kappa, professor) young Democrat who represented the western part of St. Louis in the state Senate-- until August 25, 2009 when he pled guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice and resigned his seat. His electoral career began in 2003-- at the age of 30-- when he ran for the congressional seat being vacated by conservative Democrat Dick Gephardt. His main competition was another garden variety Dem, Russ Carnahan. Smith was the liberal, grassroots candidate in the race-- and he came in a very close second (out of 10). His race was so inspiring that it was the subject of an award-winning documentary, Can Mr. Smith Get To Washington Anymore? And the following year he won a highly-contested state Senate primary and was unopposed in the general election. Flying high, right?

He did well in the state Senate and was certainly viewed as a rising star for Missouri Democrats. But there was something going on as he was rising in esteem. And that's what the radio program is all about. He went from being a rising star to... well, now he's a writer for Politico... not a lobbyist, true, but at least lobbyists are paid well for what they do. And in between he served a full year in a federal prison in Kentucky.

What Smith was convicted of stems from coordinating with an independent PAC. He barely did-- certainly not nearly as much as Romney or Eric Cantor does, not a millionth as much as Gingrich was doing-- but he was investigated and he lied about it and his best friend wore a wire and... it just turned into one ugly mess. Let me urge you again, listen to the broadcast up top.