Just because Jeff Smith is guilty on charges of obstructing justice does not negate what he did or what he stood for. The bills that he sponsored and co-sponsored on in Jefferson City improved the state of education, family matters, energy efficiency and conservation, and other issues. Besides that, his enthusiasm and youthful idealism were a great thing for Missouri politics and a beacon of hope for the future of Missouri and the United States.
Besides, if you watch the documentary, you can see that Carnahan’s campaign mailed negative advertisements about Smith, suggesting that Smith slept with Joan Barry. Were those advertisements any better than Smith’s mailings about “Rusty Carnahan”? Nonetheless, Smith failed on a key moral issue--lying. Did he make a mistake? Yes. Was it wrong and illegal? Yes. Do other people do the same thing with less harsh consequences? Probably. But Smith’s mistake was unfortunate, and one that all people--especially Missourians--should wish he had never made.
