One of the things I admire about U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is how openly she speaks about growing up with an alcoholic parent.
Substance abuse issues of family members – and politicians themselves — have long been a taboo subject. And that’s unfortunate.
But Klobuchar has helped push aside the veil of shame that has long surrounded the subject. In politics, more than in any other profession, image rules. That is why Klobuchar’s candor is so refreshing.
The U.S. Senator from Minnesota withdrew from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday without winning a single primary. But her candidacy still had impact.  
One thing she demonstrated was that addiction should be treated like any other health concern. It’s a disease, not a personal shortcoming.
Jim Klobuchar’s addiction brought consternation into Klobuchar’s early life. He showed up drunk at her high school and college graduations. The well-known Minneapolis sportswriter was repeatedly arrested for drunken driving. But his daughter was instrumental in getting him to seek treatment.
The senator spoke lovingly of her father’s decades of sobriety and used it as a reference point when calling for taxing opioid prescriptions to provide substance abuse rehabilitation services to all Americans in need.
For generations, those who have chosen public service have treated family members with addictions as embarrassments. And the press has shied away from reporting it.
With very few exceptions, it’s only when substance abuse results in the arrest of someone in the public eye that reporters mention the matter.
“It has long just been considered a private matter that isn’t reported on unless it affects how an elected official does his job,” said Charles Wheeler III, a longtime statehouse reporter and retired director of the public affairs reporting program at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

I understand the argument, but perhaps it’s time to rethink that axiom.
After all, a family member with a substance abuse problem can affect how well someone can do their job. It also can be a factor in how elected officials make public policy decisions.
For example, in the case of Klobuchar it sparked a desire to expand addiction services.
But it can affect policy decisions in other ways. For example, former Gov. Bruce Rauner opposed legalizing recreational marijuana. It was rumored in the statehouse that his opposition stemmed from a family member’s history of addiction.
When I asked his administration about this several years ago, I was met with silence.
Again, addiction is a disease, not a black mark on a family.
It would be wonderful if our chosen leaders exhibited leadership in this area as Klobuchar or Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has.
Reynolds has been open about her alcoholism and nearly 20 years of sobriety. She also has been open about how her recovery experience has affected policy judgements, such as her decision to veto a medical marijuana bill.   
While such moves toward greater openness about addiction and recovery are encouraging, there is a legacy of shame and silence that needs to be overcome.
For example, former Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner’s  wife Helena suffered from alcoholism. At one of his inaugurations the governor had to physically support his inebriated wife as he took the oath of office.
And yet the governor – and the press – never mentioned the matter in a near conspiracy of silence.
It is difficult to imagine if his wife suffered from some other disease — such as diabetes or cancer — that he would have cloaked it in the same type of shame that surrounds alcoholism.
When those in the public light choose to do this they only magnify the stigma that surrounds the illness.
Klobuchar is to be commended for speaking out. And others should as well.

Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist and freelance reporter; ScottReeder1965@gmail.com.