This blog predicted it over a year ago. And repeated it multiple times.
Walden is not running for re-election.
Note the date on the post heading below: November 8, 2018
Then, in December of 2018, I repeated it:
And repeatedly in posts ever since then I have been observing that Greg Walden would leave.
Once you have been Chairman, I said, it would be galling to have to address someone else as "Mr. Chairman." And besides, I have written, his real calling is as a lobbyist. He is comfortable with lobbyists, he is obviously well liked by them, and he has been raising money from them for himself and others for years.
He could go in the direction of drug companies, he could go in the direction of telecoms, he could could be the frontman for a national organization, e.g. the National Association of Broadcasters. Anything has to be better than being a spear carrier in a caucus that has to defend Donald Trump by ignoring what he proudly does--things he would raise holy hell about if a Democrat were to do it.
Increase the deficit.
Ignore the Congressional power of the purse.
Encourage foreign interference in our elections.
Work to end health coverage of pre-existing conditions.
Let me note here that I have zero "inside information" on Walden. Neither he nor his staff every told me anything about his plans, nor should they. If they had, I would have written about it.
I saw this coming because I watched Walden closely enough to think he was sincere in not personally wanting to reduce the expansion of Medicaid and the coverage of pre-existing conditions, but that as Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee he needed to do the ugly work of his president and GOP caucus, so he did, the good soldier. The status was nice, but the job wasn't. Now, without the status of being Mr. Chairman, his job required that he defend the indefensible. Walden isn't really a Trump-type Republican. He was more a Romney-type Republican. They are on the outs now.
And he wasn't stuck. He has lobbyist friends, and now he can be with them.
Put all that together and I predicted it, and said so.
Walden could read the writing on the wall. Conservatives in blogs and on talk shows have been boycotting Walden for years, and he saw his support slipping from the right. Walden is not a conservative. He's a liberal republican just like Mitt Romney. The reason that Jamie McCloud Skinner did somewhat well against Walden is because many conservatives refused to support and vote for Walden, and it was only going to get worse for Walden in the future, so he decided to leave now.
ReplyDeleteKnute Buhler v. Jamie McLeod-Skinner?
ReplyDeleteWhat’s Peter’s crystal ball say about that?
I see Jeff Golden running for the democratic congressional nomination.
ReplyDeleteJamie Skinner already signed-up to run for secretary of state. She would look foolish changing course now.
Anonymous is totally right in comparing Walden to Uncle Mittens. They are both spineless with the core values of well oiled weathervanes. I really wish Ms. Skinner had not decided to go for SecState, as I think she might well have beaten Walden like a drum.
ReplyDeleteI predict a Golden vs Gomez election. I like them both.
ReplyDeletePeter C.......of course you like Jessica Gomez. She's a liberal democrat just like you are. She's financed by the Chamber of Commerce, so she has to pretend that she's conservative, but she's not. Thanks for acknowledging that she's liberal just like you are. :>)
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous: Just so you know, I identify myself as a Kennedy Democrat...John Kennedy. Saved us from WWIII, a nuclear one. And I'm proud to be a Liberal.
ReplyDeleteJeff Golden is not a "Kennedy Democrat". Jeff Golden is a "Bernie Sanders Democrat", and he's far to the left of Gomez. Nevertheless, both are liberals.
ReplyDelete