Do you know who John Kitzhaber is?
If you live in Oregon you know him as Governor Kitzhaber.
But, despite his assurances that he will not resign, that title may very soon be ex-Governor Kitzhaber. And, if the editorial board at The Oregonian – Oregon\’s largest newspaper – and one which not only has no ax to grind against Kitzhaber, but actually endorsed him – is correct (read the editorial, and you\’ll see there is very little doubt about that), he may soon be trading in his Governor\’s residence and fiance for an 6 X 8 barred premises with a live-in cellmate; one who, to his chagrin, may be just as interested in an intimate relationship as the fiance presumably is.
Here are the first three paragraphs of said editorial – but I urge you to use the link provided above, because you have to read it all to get the full import of what is going on:
“I\’mnot going to consider resigning,” said Gov. John Kitzhaber ata disastrous press conference held Friday following revelationsabout the apparently borderless world of public policy and privategain in which he and fiance Cylvia Hayes exist. “I was electedby the people of this state to do a job, and I intend to do it.”
Nodoubt, the governor does intend to do the job Oregonians gave him,which, simply put, is to pursue the interests of his constituents.That intention, however, is no match for an ugly reality of his ownmaking, whose sordid elements keep surfacing with dispiritingregularity, most recently this week thanks to thework of Nick Budnick and Laura Gunderson of The Oregonian/OregonLive.Two people involved in Kitzhaber\’s 2010 campaign helped Hayes findpaid work with groups interested in Oregon policy, Budnick andGunderson reported. Both have landed in Kitzhaber\’s administration.
Moreugliness may surface, but it should be clear by now to Kitzhaber thathis credibility has evaporated to such a degree that he can no longerserve effectively as governor. If he wants to serve his constituentshe should resign. To recite every reported instance in which Hayes,ostensibly under Kitzhaber\’s watchful eye, has used public resources,including public employee time and her “first lady” title,in pursuit of professional gain would require far more space than wehave here and, besides, repeat what most readers already know.Suffice it to say there\’s a pattern, and the person who bears theresponsibility for allowing it to form and persist is Kitzhaber, whoshould know better. After all, as he pointed out during Friday\’spress conference, he\’s been serving in public office on and off sincethe 1970s.
How bad is this? Enough so that if even a fraction of the charges detailed in the rest of this editorial are true, Kitzhaber should be in “don\’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out” mode.
Regarding his assurance that there will be no resignation? Don\’t bet on it. Congressperson Michael Grimm (R-NY) said he wasn\’t resigning too…the week before he resigned.
Oh, one other thing. John Kitzhaber happens to be a Democrat, which – despite its commendable integrity him when this information came to light – The Oregonion did not bother to mention in its editorial. The closest it came was noting that a low carbon standard was a priority for Kitzhaber and Democratic legislators – but doesn\’t say he himself is of the same party.
Just like it would have done if he were a Republican, I\’m sure…….
