Knute Buehler is running as a moderate. The first ad I saw shocked me, and I wondered if he were running a different ad in the Willamette Valley than in the rest of the state.
It appears to be more of a calculated risk. One of his primary opponents openly bragged about being the first candidate to come out in support of Donald Trump. There are many states where candidates have to be careful to not put down Trump, but apparently even Republican Oregonians didn't like that guy. That probably made running as a moderate more appealing.
It's also really dishonest.
(Note: Buehler has not completely distanced himself from Trump, cheering Trump's pardon of the Hammonds, who slaughtered deer and committed arson on federal land: https://www.wweek.com/news/2018/07/10/knute-buehler-cheers-trumps-pardon-of-eastern-oregon-arsonist-duo-they-are-good-people-not-terrorists/ )
To be fair, on a national level the Republican party has been producing media about Democrats who left - switching to voting Republican - and about persuadable voters who could go either way but end up being swayed by Republicans. However, on looking further into it, a lot of the persuadable voters were actually local Republican leadership, and a lot of the "Why I left" people are stock photos, so perhaps one should not expect that approach to be implemented honestly anyway.
Regardless, there are a few issues that stand out to me.
One is Buehler's stated support for a woman's right to choose, when he is on record fairly recently as wanting to increase abortion restrictions. Elected leaders are free to change their minds. They usually have a story about why they changed though; they can explain why they feel differently.
There is none of that here. I suspect the issue is that he is leaving support for contraceptives on the table while still wanting to restrict abortion. I base that on the vague wording of some answers and on his voting record. Granted, allowing women access to birth control is still better than some Republicans, but the sneakiness is not reassuring. Tim Kaine did better at navigating the ground between personal beliefs and honoring other people's rights and needs. Of course, Kaine is not a Republican.
Buehler is a bit more open on the environment, but that mainly comes down to saying the environment needs to be protected and then criticizing various plans for doing just that. That's the kind of attitude that might lead to a lackluster legislative record.
That is a common thread. Buehler acknowledges the importance of access to health care, but voted against Medicaid expansion, and now makes it a cornerstone of his plans. Again, you can change, but there should be a mea culpa of some kind. Beyond that, there should be some time demonstrating the change before we trust. If he is truly committed to bipartisan reform, perhaps he could demonstrate that as a state representative for a few years and show his sincerity.
I could write similar things on all of his talking points (attacking PERS as the problem with education funding is not even creative), but I want to focus on Buehler's plan to fight homelessness.
Buehler's plan involves curbing fees on developers and turning over state lands - ideas nodding to supply side economics and privatization of federal lands. That's pretty Republican.
https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-homelessness-housing-gubernatorial-candidates-2018/
The article doesn't mention his interest in sit-lie ordinances, probably because they have been ruled unconstitutional, though with Kavanaugh's confirmation that may mean less. I have heard the ad mentioning "tough love" since the ruling, and I interpret that as what he means. Solving the homeless problem by driving homeless people further into hiding and sheer exhaustion sounds pretty Republican.
Finally, I am not against increasing beds, but I have read that the budget he has allowed for it is only a tenth of the amount that would actually be needed. Underfunding a needed service so you can then claim government is the problem and cut services is pretty traditionally Republican. Thomas Frank wrote a whole book about it, The Wrecking Crew. Mitch McConnell would be proud.
Knute Buehler is a very traditional Republican. If you are conservative, you may very well choose to vote for him. That is your right, but don't do it because of him being moderate, because that is really just him being a shameless liar.
And it is amazing how many people fall for it. When I saw ads blaming Kate Brown for literally everything, regardless of whether there was adequate funding or other resources available, and failing to acknowledge any progress, I was reminded of the glass ceiling's partner, the glass cliff.
I am glad I was not the only one to see that. I shared this from a friend, and am linking to it now for your reading pleasure: https://www.facebook.com/sporktastic/posts/10156872397264074
I endorse Kate Brown for governor.
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