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No one could have predicted…

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When I was faster i was always behind.

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Fuck these fucking interesting times.

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Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

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No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

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Clean Energy, Dirty Money

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Someone is lucky he does not live in the DC/NYC media market:

The editorial board of the largest newspaper in Oregon called for the state’s governor to resign in an editorial published Wednesday, following a slew of allegations of potential ethics violations.

The Oregonian editorial board asserted that Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber’s “credibility has evaporated” after an investigation by the paper revealed that Kitzhaber’s fiancée Cylvia Hayes, the state’s first lady, advised the governor on energy policy while continuing to work as a paid consultant on the same issues.

Kitzhaber announced Friday in a press conference that Hayes will no longer play a policy or political role in his administration.

But the Oregonian’s editorial board was not satisfied by that change or Kitzhaber’s answers during the 20-minute press conference when placed side-by-side with a slew of allegations revealed through an investigation by two of the newspaper’s reporters.

“More ugliness may surface, but it should be clear by now to Kitzhaber that his credibility has evaporated to such a degree that he can no longer serve effectively as governor,” the editorial board wrote Wednesday. “He is now less a governor than a source of unending distraction. He can no longer lead Oregon effectively and should resign.”

Among other things, some long time friends of Kitzhaber basically made up jobs for her with corporations who were trying to receive favorable action from the Governor. It’s as clear cut or more, IMHO, as the McDonnell case, with the chief distinction being that the corporations in question were not selling pseudo-scientific claptrap.

He’s got to go.

Reader Interactions

43Comments

  1. 1.

    JPL

    The Atlanta Journal has been investigating Deal’s deals for years, and he just got reelected. The governor was on the verge of bankruptcy when he entered office, not so much now.

  3. 3.

    Keith G

    I always shutter when I heard blowhards opine on how state governments are the real guardians of the American democratic experiment.

    Then again, I live in Texas.

  7. 7.

    Mike in NC

    Any list of ‘Top 10 Most Corrupt Governors’ would have to include Pat McCrory (R-NC), AKA Pat McCrony.

  9. 9.

    Tree With Water

    Is it just me that hears the faint echo of the McDonnell’s story in this account from Oregon? (the McDonnell’s of Virginia, i.e., the former governor and his blushing bride).

  14. 14.

    jl

    I checked and if Kitzhaber resigns, his potential replacements are Democrats all the way down.

    So, there would be no immediate danger of a humanitarian crisis or failed state, if the governor goes.

    So, if he’s guilty of bad things, too bad for him, out he should go asap.

  15. 15.

    Mandalay

    @jl:

    So, if he’s guilty of bad things, too bad for him, out he should go asap.

    Isn’t it a lot worse than that? If the ugly stuff being reported about him is true he’s facing time in the slammer.

  17. 17.

    Elizabelle

    Mr. Kitzhaber should go.

    I like that you don’t usually have Democratic politicians hanging on by dear life. William Jefferson of the cold hard freezer cash in Louisiana yes, and his voters re-elected him. There are probably other examples.

    I was glad Anthony Weiner was out of there, post haste, although that was NY voters too. Poor judgment and distraction.

    Who have I forgotten (scoundrels who stuck it out on the Democratic side; I guess Charlie Rangel might fill that bill, sadly)? Am sure there are several. It seems to me that it’s the Republicans that truly brazen it out (and their party values holding a seat over accountability every time).

  18. 18.

    Elizabelle

    Speaking of people who are gone from political employment: Aaron “Downton Abbey” Schock’s Facebooking pastor turned Communications Director, Benjamin Pope, is out the door.

    March 2014 until his FB posts came to broader view.

    Wonkette and TPM are covering the Ben Pope story with pleasure.

  20. 20.

    Pogonip

    John, can you give us any info on Ginger’s cancer? Is it treatable? Does she seem to be in pain?

  21. 21.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Elizabelle:

    It seems to me that it’s the Republicans that truly brazen it out (and their party values holding a seat over accountability every time).

    Not true. Boehner wasted no time at all in throwing Michael “I’ll throw you off this balcony” Grimm once he was convicted. One can argue he should have been gone before then, but a person is still innocent until proven guilty in this country.

  28. 28.

    PsiFighter37

    @Elizabelle: Well, even Jefferson lost at some point – fucking gifted the NOLA House seat to the GOP for a couple years because they didn’t vote him out in the jungle primary.

    As for Kitzhaber – he just got elected to his fourth term as governor. Would’ve thought he would know better by now. I’m still surprised he’s with his fiancee after she admitted to the green card marriage before the election last year.

  31. 31.

    Cacti

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    It’s not unheard for a foreign head of state to address Congress.

    It’s a major breach of diplomatic etiquette for said person to not inform the US head of state of their plans for an official visit.

  33. 33.

    HinTN

    Pursuant to Zandar’s earlier post, the lower the level of government (federal, state, local) the higher the level of corruption.

  34. 34.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Peale: That and she has g*dawful ideas about cooking.

    Kitzhaber needs to resign. Ideally, yesterday.

  35. 35.

    Morzer

    If Democrats are to be the party of sane, clean, competent government, this is the sort of thing we need to root out. Kitzhaber has to go and Democrats should take the lead in removing him stat.

  36. 36.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Berial: Which is PRECISELY why the Rethuglican dogshit that makes up the Oregonian‘s editorial board is making such hay out of this.

  37. 37.

    sdhays

    While I know it’s not directly related, I think it’s clear now why the Oregon Obamacare exchange website was a complete and total failure…

  38. 38.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @sdhays: Had very little to do with Kitzhaber, and had a lot to do with Oracle and really, really stupid decisions about site design.

  39. 39.

    billb

    Kitz has been the best Gov in OR history. He is a Doctor and a long-term member of the Legislature, in addition to being a multi-term popular Gov. supported heavily by liberal folks.

    In contrast the Oregonian Rag has been a right-wing paper my whole life [55yrs] and is now owned by some rethuglicans out-of-state. They have their hack Board attack all Dems all the time, they are a running joke. AND they are going out of biz in the near future. They print about twice a week. Going going gone.

    Kitz has the same human issues we all have. The girlfriend does her own sht, and you don’t own it. He is a great Oregonian, and at the best he is being loyal to his partner, and doing a good job of being my Gov. So lay off trolls.

  40. 40.

    West of the Cascades

    Kitz is a doctor who was ultimately responsible (being Governor and all) for the unbelievably massive shit dump that was Cover Oregon, our state healthcare exchange. It was a fucking fiasco, so much so that we transitioned to Healthcare.gov as our exchange this year. His record on the environment is awful (I do environmental law). So not all liberal folks in Oregon support him — I voted for the Green Party candidate this year, three weeks before election day, and then regretted that (because the far, far, far worse Republican came too close for comfort to winning). And I agree with billb at 39 that The Oregonian is the worst piece of shit right-wing rag whose reporting and opinion page are essentially unreadable if one is looking for objective or truthful reporting. But I for one would like to see Kitzhaber resign and a better Democrat replace him. But I don’t know who that would be.

  41. 41.

    West of the Cascades

    @billb: Tom McCall was the best Governor in Oregon’s history. Period. Permanent protection of the Oregon coast for the public and the unmatched land use planning laws we have were his legacy. Kitz’s legacy is … what?

  42. 42.

    james low

    Yes, the Oregonian is a terrible right ring rag, but Kitz has been pretty stinky for awhile. Columbia River Crossing smelled bad, CoverOregon was a disaster, and this mess with his GF is embarrassing. On the other hand, next one up if he gets booted is Secretary of State Kate Brown who just sent a letter to the FCC supporting the Comcast/Time Warner deal. Better Democrats!

  43. 43.

    jmac

    @West of the Cascades:

    The Oregon Health Plan he developed during his first term, his big veto pen he used during his first term to ward off a repub leg., and his suspension of executions in Oregon to name just a few. Also, for what its worth, my many close friends in the Oregon enviro movement have a great deal of respect for him.

    PS, for those not aware, Kitz was just reelected for his fourth term. He was out of office eight years between terms 2 and 3. He is a giant in Oregon politics.

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