Demagogue

This has started to make it around the blogosphere, but, in case you haven't heard, a newspaper in southeastern Iowa reported this a few days ago:

Kevin Wiskus, a candidate for Iowa House District 94, has switched his party affiliation from Republican to Independent following what he said was a “shocking and tasteless” mass-mailed brochure attacking his opponent.

The move, he said, was in response to a brochure from the Republican Party of Iowa attacking current state Rep. Kurt Swaim, D-Bloomfield.

... “Though I had no prior knowledge of this vicious attack on you, I ask that you please accept my most sincere and humble apology to you and Julie,” [Wiskus] wrote in an ad to appear in the Centerville Daily Iowegian.

The mailing accuses Swaim of helping child molesters become eligible for early release. It highlights a former case Swaim defended as a public defender.

“He pled guilty and was sentenced to 200 days in jail. He served four. How did he get such a sweet deal? His public defender, Kurt Swaim, was paid $936.30 to get him back on the street,” the brochure states ....

Swaim said Friday, “I accept and appreciate Kevin’s apology and I hope and trust we can move forward for a positive campaign.”

He noted that a public defender has only a few acceptable reasons for not taking a case, and none applied to the one featured in the mailing. As an attorney, Swaim added, it would be unethical not to represent a client as capably as possible.