The Trials and Tribulations of Oregon's First Consort

Most of us know by now that the First Consort of Oregon (the Gov hasn't married her yet although the are living together and engaged) tearfully confessed this week that some 17 years ago she married an illegal immigrant from Ethiopia so he wouldn't be deported for over-staying his visa. My first reaction was that I was glad that Willamette Week broke the story and not some Republican-controlled source. Having said that, though, there are a couple of lessons to learn beyond the obvious ones.

First, she could have done this for free if it was based on ideological conviction, however misguided. Instead she took a quick $5K for her efforts. That says something about her character. 

Secondly, unless she is a really terrific actress, I think she was telling the truth at her press conference that she hadn't told the Gov and he was blindsided by all of this. Again, it calls into question her character and judgment since she obviously knew he was in a reelection race and they had already decided to get married. 

Third, Willamette Week started its investigation based on persistent allegations that she was using her connections to the Gov and her title on several state committees to which she had been appointed to grease the skids for lucrative consulting contracts, e.g. - influence peddling. The whole marriage thing surfaced in the course of this broader investigation. If she was willing to take $5,000 for a convenience marriage and was willing to hide this from the Gov despite his political circumstances, it is not a big stretch to think that maybe, just maybe, she hasn't been entirely forthcoming on her business activities either. Which raises a final point.

Perhaps Big John has been kicked in the butt by love and that is why he missed things with her. Or perhaps he just isn't paying a lot of attention in general and this is one more - albeit more personal - example of this trait. He also did not pay a lot of attention to Cover Oregon, which generated a $300M bill and no results, or to the Columbia Crossing fiasco and its goose egg for $190M. Whatever the explanation, it's certainly fair to say that he is seriously distracted and that's not the person we need to lead Oregon through another 4 years in the top state job. We have the privilege of making a peaceful governmental change in our system. It's time.