Brandjack News

By Quentin Langley

There are a few things which, you might think, would grab the attention of an ambitious American politician. 

The shooting by police of an unarmed civilian would be one. I have no particular insight to the circumstances in Ferguson, Missouri, but I would think that the shooting of a civilian is something which warrants concern and investigation.

Three consecutive nights of protest against police brutality would also seem to be worthy of note. Again, I don't know the circumstances. Perhaps the police did nothing wrong, but this would seem to be something about which the governor of the state should be asking questions. 

The arrest of a Washington Post reporter would seem to be a matter of interest too.

The silence of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon until after the third night of protests is therefore something rather odd. I do not suggest he should have rushed to judgement. I do think he should have indicated very publicly that he was paying attention to the issue and was determined that the matter should be resolved in a clear, transparent and sensitive way. 

You would think Nixon would have noticed this new internet thing. News seems to travel quite fast these days. Three days for a response would probably have been considered slow in the late nineteenth century. It is appalling in the days of Twitter and Facebook. 

Missouri is a reddish purple. It is a state which Barack Obama did not carry in either of his elections, though he lost by only 0.13% in 2008. Nixon has been touted as a potential presidential or, more realistically, vice-presidential candidate in the past. He has not been dismissive of this, arguing that "the heartland" needs a voice.

His slow response to this issue, when the president had already spoken out, has probably obliterated any credibility he may have had. This would probably be so even if there were no racial element to the issue, but there was, and that will make any future run for office particularly problematic. 

I think we can assume that Governor Nixon's career has peaked.