Endorsed

From Baker City Herald, 4/7/06
"2006 Primary Endorsement"
"Walden vs. Butcher"

"The Second District might be a slam dunk, but at least the court is full"

"Greg Walden is the Earl Blumenauer of Eastern Oregon: all but unbeatable in his district.

That hasn't stopped one Republican and four Democrats from taking to the floor in an attempt to unseat the four-term Congressman from Hood River."

***
"And while we suspect Walden will walk away with the vote in November, Democrats at least have a choice this year - and local Democrats can cast their ballots for a favorite son who is helping baste Oregon Democrats with some Eastern Oregon flavor.

Four candidates have thrown their hat in the ring for the Democratic nomination, and they are campaigning together to take as long a running start at Walden as possible.

For Baker County Democrats, a unified vote for Baker City's Chuck Butcher seems a logical choice.

Butcher spearheaded the effort to place explicit respect for gun rights in the Oregon Democratic Party's platform. If nominated to face Walden he'll have an opportunity to stump against a background of Northeastern Oregon pragmatism - something candidates from Medford or Bend or Hood River just can't tap."

I didn't know this was going to happen and I never expected them to suggest that waldenbush was vulnerable, and they didn't. But it certainly is nice, and I do appreciate the inclusion of Hood River in the last sentence. There is in fact a vast difference in the "world view" of waldenbush and myself. I'll make a simple allusion, if a framing specification calls for a structural member capable of bearing a certain load, it must be able to at least do so, ideology or wishful thinking won't work, the house will fall down, I absolutely can not have that. Waldenbush's world operates in a different manner, there are multitudes of excuses, blame games and responsibility ducking. Pragmatism isn't a dirty word, it means, make it work. Yes it means I can work with others (that was required to take that Resolution through), it also means understanding that taking a principled stand can carry a high cost and bearing it. Making things work with the tools at hand is what we manage to do around here.

Thanks Herald