"For me, the time has come to pursue new challenges and opportunities."
Greg Walden, announcing he will not run for re-election
I already noted that I predicted this a year ago.
Off to become a lobbyist.
Walden does not consult with me. My predictions are based on publicly available observations. Readers said I was just trolling him when I wrote last year and subsequently that he would be leaving office. Actually, I was being sincere. It was a guess, but an educated one.
I don't know for certain what "new challenges and opportunities" he plans. For all I know, he plans to get into great shape and do marathons and write poetry. As I said, he doesn't open up to me.
But here is what I am confident he will do. He will be part of the revolving door of public office and then lobbying. Nowadays, to the peril of our republic, public office is the semi-paid internship, the dues people play before they leave office and cash in. Donald Trump called this "the swamp" and the campaign message got real traction. He was too rich to bother cashing in, he said.
It helped him get elected. Hillary Clinton was a better example of the revolving door of public service and big money than was Trump. Trump said he played the contribution game as a guy who gave money and got favors, and said he played to win but disapproved of the game.
Hillary played the game and didn't seem to disapprove. Her paid speeches were a body-language signal that she got money for playing the game. As with prostitution, the recipient of the money is perceived worse than is the payer of the money. Trump won that matchup.
Democrats have taken a step back from PAC and big lobbyist contributions, and even contributions by well heeled individual donors making the maximum $2,800 contribution are suspect. Sanders and Warren contrast their fundraising with that of Pete Buttigieg.
Republicans are less picky. Trump gets money from rich and poor. Greg Walden's own announcement noted that he had raised a great deal of money. In the Republican view, there is no shame in being beloved by people who write big checks. Walden gets those checks, especially from two of the industries his Energy and Commerce Committee oversees: health care and telecommunications. He has friends in those industries.
I predict the revolving door will turn exactly 180 degrees. He will go to work representing one of the industries he worked to regulate.
They owe him.
5 comments:
Walden has been representing special interest groups (and not the average citizens) for years. Walden talks a good game, like he's concerned about you, but he's more concerned with special interest groups than he is in you. Walden has been the puppet of the Chamber of Commerce for years. Now, Walden doesn't have to pretend any more, and the special interest groups can pay him lavishly for his past years service to them. Walden is slime (as are most professional politicians).
"I will drain the swamp!" How's that working for ya?
Even Uncle Joe is going back on his word to accept PAC money because individual donors are bailing on him.
Guess no one has the integrity and fortitude to only accept individual contributions.
Oh, wait ...
Knute Buehler announced today that he's considering a run for congress.
My crystal ball says it's going to be Knute Buehler versus Jeff Golden in the November 2020 congressional district two race.
Buehler will beat Golden hands-down.
60 of the fortune 500 companies paid no taxes last year. The DNC promised to not take any money from the fossil fuel industry and then reneged a month later. Leonard Cohen sang it best in "Everybody knows" ...the dice are loaded/Everybody knows the captain lied..."Old Black Joe's" still pickin' cotton/For your ribbons and bows/Everybody knows..
The best "government" money can buy and consumer cognitive dissonance...thanks to artificial entities called corporations being people since 1886 Santa Clara supreme court decision, ironically based on the 14 Amendment freeing slaves and subsequent decisions (Buckley v. Valeo 1976, Citizens United, 2010.
"The Corporate Coup D' Etat, Nov.6 at 6pm, Meese Rm. Hannon Library, SOU (free parking, lot 12 off Indiana). Media watchdog Jeff Cohen will be on Thom Hartmann, Nov. 1 11 am to explain his film and on Geoff Riley's JPR Nov. 5, 8:30 am. (Shameless plug...)
Andy Seles
Greg Walden’s retirement is shaping up to be his only effective plan for stimulating the economy in our sprawling district. Whoever the Republican Candidate is will end up spending mountains of money on both a potentially competitive primary and on the general election election. What’s more—the Democratic contender will be forced to raise and spend money to stay in the game.
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