Gov. Mike Parson’s pal talks about ‘scorned’ opponent Nicole Galloway like it’s 1697

“Scorned” is such a retro word. The incorrectly but (in centuries past) widely quoted notion, often misattributed to Shakespeare, that “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” comes from William Congreve’s 1697 play “The Mourning Bride.”

More than three centuries later, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s friend and fundraiser Steve Tilley has responded to legitimate criticism from Parson’s Democratic gubernatorial challenger, State Auditor Nicole Galloway, by calling her “scorned.”

Galloway’s campaign manager, Chris Sloan, accused Parson of “cutting deals for insider lobbyists like Tilley,” the Republican former speaker of the Missouri House, and for Tilley’s clients in industries regulated by the state.

Parson’s governorship has boosted Tilley’s lobbying business; he’s registered 62 new clients since his friend took office. And vice versa: 25 cents of every dollar Parson raised in the first six months of 2019 was tied to Tilley.

Tilley claims Galloway is really just connecting these dots because he chose to work for Parson instead of for her. Galloway ”begged for $1000’s in campaign cash,” he tweeted, “while asking how she could ‘help’ on issues important to me.”

Why Galloway would put her reputation in the hands of one of Parson’s closest allies defies logic, so if there’s any proof that such a thing occurred, we’d love to see it.