In a scathing editorial this week, The Oregonian called on Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber -- a Democrat whom the paper has supported for decades -- to step down following revelations that he may have allowed his fiance, Cylvia Hayes, to use her position for private gain and professional advancement.
"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 we have here," the editors wrote. "Suffice it to say there's a pattern, and the person who bears the responsibility for allowing it to form and persist is Kitzhaber, who should know better. After all, as he pointed out during Friday's press conference, he's been serving in public office on and off since the 1970s."
That press conference was in response to reporting by the paper revealing that Hayes had been paid as a consultant for advocacy organizations while she was working as an unpaid adviser on energy policy to Kitzhaber's office, and that the two men who arranged these gigs for her subsequently got jobs in the administration.
Hayes has left her policy role in the administration, and the governor has said that his office took steps to separate Hayes's work as a paid consultant and her public duties. He has said he has no intention of resigning and intends to do the job Oregon's citizens elected him to do.
"For a newspaper editorial board to call for a governor's resignation is rare," notes The Washington Post's Hunter Schwarz.
Welcome to Wonkbook. To subscribe by e-mail, clickhere. Send comments, criticism or ideas to Wonkbook at Washpost dot com. Follow Wonkblog onTwitterandFacebook.
What's in Wonkbook:1) The immigration stalemate 2) Opinions, including Gerson and Strassel on vaccines and the G.O.P. primary 3) Conservatives object to climate science in the classroom, and more
Number of the day: $57 trillion. That's the increase in global public and private debt since the financial crisis, according to a new report from McKinsey. Neil Irwin in The New York Times.
1. Topstory:Congress at impasse on immigration
It's unclear whether and how lawmakers will extend funding for border security past this month. "With just two legislative weeks to go before the Homeland Security Department shuts down, Republicans still don't have a plan. For the third time, Democrats blocked a funding bill that would keep the department running on Thursday, and they show no signs of letting up. If Democrats remain unwilling to accept anything less than a clean DHS billwith no provisions blocking President Obama's executive actions on immigrationRepublicans will be forced to pick from an arsenal of limited options. And of those that remain, none look good for the GOP. If Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has a plan, he isn't sharing it with his members, much less the public. Sen. John Thune, McConnell's number three, said Thursday that his party's strategy had 'yet to be determined' and called it 'a work in progress,' while Sen. Jeff Flake said simply: 'We don't know yet.' " Sarah Mimms and Lauren Fox in National Journal.
Read more:
Wonkblog: The politically toxic relationship between Oregons governor and his fiance
- If Brevity is the Soul of Wit ... [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Gang Brutality Caught on Tape [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Kim Jong Tweet [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Fuck Marching [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Monopoly Money [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Mexican Gang War: Both Sides are Cops [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Fruits of Democracy [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- MSM Pwned by Amateurs [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- War on Drugs: Collateral Damage [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Goldman Sachs: Ruler of the Universe [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Sam Dodson Talks to MotorHome Diaries [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- When God and Government Mix [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Mike Gogulski PWNS Social Security [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Stefan Molyneux Interviews Jan Helfeld [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Commander in Chief: Council on Foreign Relations [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Canadian Healthcare Extravaganza [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- My Reply to an Essay on China, the US, and Yu Wan Mei [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Iraq War: A Biblical Event [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Crazy Facts from GovernmentLand [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Remember 9-11 [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Then Again... [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Hillary Clinton Devestates Pakistan [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Jan Helfeld and Elliot Engel [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Report on attacks against Michael Jude Gogulski 5 September 2009 [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- They Are Selling You [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Happy Guy Fawkes Day [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Emergency Aid to Seniors? No Way [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Public Option is the Decoy [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Should Insider Trading be Illegal? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Reefer Non-Madness [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- U.S. Legalizes Medical Marijuana [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Fiddling While Rome Burns [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Massachusetts Should Lower, Not Raise, the Dropout Age [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- No Limits on Executive Compensation [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Execs Quit to Avoid Pay Limits [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Krugman on China and the Dollar [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Obama's Climate Speech at MIT [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Fed and Policy Uncertainty [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Civil Union versus Civil Marriage [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Medicare Shuns Seniors [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Financial Market Reform [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- All You Need to Know ... [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- No Government Health Insurance [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Cap and Trade Will not Reduce Emissions [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Cartoon Commentary [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Did the Stimulus Work? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Letting the Sick Die on the Street [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Renewed Hope for Gridlock? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- An Opportunity for Libertarians? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Not-so-Temporary Stimulus [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Sausages in Financial Reform [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2009]
- Dumb Cops, Dumb Laws, Unnecessary Victims [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Fighting Terrorism in Berkeley [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Obama's Home Teleprompter Malfunctions During Family Dinner [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- School Lunch FAIL [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Insane Mortgage Policy [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Comments Welcome [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Obamanomics: Growing the Pie or Dividing the Pie? [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Right Meets Left on Criminal Justice [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Is Nuclear the Answer to Global Warming? [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Franksgiving: Another Flawed Stimulus [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Dollars for Dishwashers [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- The Politics of Cap and Trade [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- A College for Cannabis [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- George Will, Medical Marijuana, and Legalization [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Bernanke on the Fed [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- A Debate About Mexico's Drug Wars [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Doublespeak [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Tobacco Prohibition, Bit by Bit [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- The U.S. in the Middle East: A Prediction [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Gay Marriage or Civil Union: Would Less be More? [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Whither the Estate Tax [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Late-Term Abortions in Nebraska [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Why Climate Negotations Are a Waste of Time [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- "Mild" Gun Control Laws [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Did the Iraq Surge Really Work? [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Driver's Ed at Age 52 [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Ginnie Mae, Ticking Time Bomb [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Toddler Terrorism [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Policy Insight from David Letterman [Last Updated On: December 14th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 14th, 2009]