To Greg Walden: "You have betrayed your base. TRAITOR."
To the Oregon Republican Party: "What is this, North Korea?"
HERETIC! RINO!
Trump supporters take no prisoners.
As this blog noted two days ago, Greg Walden was one of seven GOP Members of Congress to vote to end the government shutdown.
As this blog noted two days ago, Greg Walden was one of seven GOP Members of Congress to vote to end the government shutdown.
Walden is the outlier of the seven. The District is supposedly safe for Republicans. That creates its own peril. He could face a primary election threat.
The Official Oregon GOP Facebook received anti-Walden comments and they are being left up and visible. "Nothing but a RINO!!!!" one person wrote.
Also,"We need a wall!!!!."
And, "What the hell is this I hear about Walden voting to reopen Government without funding for the wall?"
And, "Looks like you crossed the aisle."
And, "Build the WALL! Don't side with Pelosi."
The Official Oregon GOP Facebook received anti-Walden comments and they are being left up and visible. "Nothing but a RINO!!!!" one person wrote.
Also,"We need a wall!!!!."
And, "What the hell is this I hear about Walden voting to reopen Government without funding for the wall?"
And, "Looks like you crossed the aisle."
And, "Build the WALL! Don't side with Pelosi."
There are lots more like those.
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| Trump Republicans circle wagons |
It was an opportunity to begin re-establishing his credentials in the District as a moderate bi-partisan Congressman, not a Republican soldier. No. Instead, he cast a vote that was noteworthy in DC--but he is quiet about it here.
He understands Republican voters want a soldier. He thinks his political risk, if any, is in the primary, if he were to run again. (He won't. He is ready to retire and cash in as a lobbyist. His time in majority leadership fouled his political water in the District. His vote to end the shutdown had a different purpose, re-positioning himself within the DC bubble as a guy who can work with everybody.)
District media ignores the story.
In a curious bit of good fortune, most 2nd District media has so far not reported the story of his decision to break ranks with Trump and the GOP caucus. Oregon Public Broadcasting's Jeff Mapes reported it, and the Medford NBC Affiliate KOBI picked it up from them and it is on their website. Pat Caldwell, an enterprising reporter for a weekly newspaper, the Malheur Enterprise, made contact with Walden and got a statement from him: “I think it was the right vote and the right vote for my district,” Walden said. Their Salem branch of the Malheur Enterprise picked up the story.
That's it.
Nothing in the big monopoly newspapers in the District in Medford, Bend, Klamath Falls, and Pendleton.
Lucky Walden. The vote was GOP heresy. The less said the better for Walden.
That's it.
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| Walden Website: Silence |
Nothing in the big monopoly newspapers in the District in Medford, Bend, Klamath Falls, and Pendleton.
Lucky Walden. The vote was GOP heresy. The less said the better for Walden.
Meanwhile, the state GOP fight heats up another notch.
The current leadership of Oregon's GOP is under a new round of attack by Sam Carpenter, hoping to Make Oregon Great Again by making the Oregon GOP an unabashed pro-Trump party. Carpenter associates the current leaders with Knute Buehler, a moderate. He has sharpened his language.
This weekend he sent an email blast to 2,000-plus Oregon Republican Precinct Committee People, with the subject "We need your help!
He led with an accusation that he and his team have been unfairly thwarted because the Oregon Republican Party leadership is "refusing to give us the full list of newly elected Officers and their contact information." They are stonewalling him, he accused.
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| Facebook criticism |
He criticized the Party website as out of date, hard to navigate, and evidence of "serious organizational dysfunction."
He criticized the lack of contact information for the Party's executive officers.
He criticized their intention to vet candidates for party office and questioned who would do the vetting and what criteria they might use. In an interview with me he said it was so that his slate could be smeared in personal attacks.
"What is this, North Korea," Carpenter asks?
Tomorrow the attacks move to the next level. Carpenter wrote a book, to be available free of charge for download, with sharp criticism of Party leaders as Republican turncoats, people who subvert the Trump agenda.
Oregon goes into Legislative session. Republicans are in a minority and they have a decision to make on how to maintain influence. Senate President Peter Courtney has insisted that votes that come to the Senate floor contain some GOP support. It is a rule that demanded the legislature maintain some bi-partisanship. Republican legislators are being pulled in two directions. One is toward bipartisanship and cooperation; the other toward closing ranks and being a party of opposition and obstruction.
Observers inclined to think that bi-partisan cooperation is always better than brawling and obstruction may be under-estimating the forces we see at work within the GOP. It is Trump's GOP, and Trump's approach to governing is to please his base and attack the people outside the base. That attitude is trickling down to party leaders and voters.
Bipartisanship may not be an option.
Oregon goes into Legislative session. Republicans are in a minority and they have a decision to make on how to maintain influence. Senate President Peter Courtney has insisted that votes that come to the Senate floor contain some GOP support. It is a rule that demanded the legislature maintain some bi-partisanship. Republican legislators are being pulled in two directions. One is toward bipartisanship and cooperation; the other toward closing ranks and being a party of opposition and obstruction.
Observers inclined to think that bi-partisan cooperation is always better than brawling and obstruction may be under-estimating the forces we see at work within the GOP. It is Trump's GOP, and Trump's approach to governing is to please his base and attack the people outside the base. That attitude is trickling down to party leaders and voters.
Bipartisanship may not be an option.
1 comment:
The DC virus has spread to Oregon! Lock your doors! Avoid public places! Stock up on Lysol!
Poor Rep. Walden. After two years of suffering an onslaught of insulting Facebook comments from Oregon progressives, now he's getting hit from his own voters, albeit a vocal minority. As far as being quiet about it that's actually what we should expect when he does the right thing.
Howling "rigged" and casting blame is the Trumpian go to tactic for justifying a loss. The problem with the Trump playbook is that it really only worked for Trump, and it remains to be seen if it's transferrable. As we sit on pins and needles waiting for the New Year's shoe drop one wonders how his minions will react if Mueller reveals irrefutable crimes or kompromat. Will they abandon him as their standard bearer? I 'd say probably yes, ("I never liked the guy!") but Regressives will remain emboldened and will continue to bedevil society, and will likely find another equally repulsive individual to worship.
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