Sherrod Didn't Think of His Kids

It's news to me that Democrat Sherrod Brown had an extremely sour breakup with his first wife. He and Larke Brown split in 1986 and divorced in 1987 but they continued to be tied together by their two children. And, it has been a bumpy ride.

Court records tell the story of harshness between Sherrod and Larke. Sherrod had to respond to contempt motions for nonpayment of child support and restraining orders alleging overly assertive and abusive behavior. Allegations flew on both sides.

Now, ugly divorces happen all the time so, in that regard, the Brown breakup was not unusual. However, reading through the synopsis of the episode, one gets a strong feeling that not once did Sherrod Brown think of the impact of the divorce on his children. Divorce, by definition, is devastating to the kids from a marriage. A prudent, compassionate and thoughtful father would assure that the welfare of his children was paramount in his mind.

Obviously, I can't look in Sherrod Brown's mind but I can see what he did. If anything, Sherrod seems to have made his divorce more painful for his kids as opposed to less painful. In fact, it appears as though he viewed himself as an island and acted accordingly. Way too much I and me with little hint of we and us.

I personally know how divorce can make kids feel as though part of their entire being has been stripped away. It produces a sad emptiness. Like I said, it's devastating. Any kindness helps.

Sherrod Brown apparently didn't have any of these thoughts during his drawn-out divorce feud with Larke. I've always questioned Brown's political compass but this is the first time I've seen his character laid bare. I now have no questions regarding his soul nor his lack of the right stuff to be a public servant.

Matt Hurley has all the details at WMD.