THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY
THE GOOD: After three days of watching the US Women's Amateur earlier this week at Pumpkin Ridge's Witch Hollow golf course, one is struck by the good sportsmanship demonstrated by the players. As a forecaddie [a person who marks balls in the rough or out of bounds]. it was nice to see players competing against each other giving the verbal equivalent of high 5s for good shots. The caddies (often parents or siblings) also got into the act as well. A caddie and a golfer even thanked me for being a volunteer. Given the straight and long hitting RAD had little work to do except to seek shade and risk eye strain trying to pick off a ball hit off the tee coming at me 200 plus yards away. My oh my can those women hit the ball - long and straight. Off the tee they were hitting anywhere from 200 to 275 with very little roll.
THE BAD: It's sad that Senator Ben Westlund has packed it in for the governor's race in Oregon. RAD was warned earlier in the political season that Westlund would bow out. I'm very sorry to see this insider information was right on. How can one collect 45,000 signatures to put your name on the ballot and then walk away? One suspects it's the old money game. When the two major party nominees are going to be spending $5 plus million each, Westlund's war chest of less than 500K was paltry. The other factor was no doubt poll ratings, Westlund never got above 10% of the potential vote - so at this point in time - he would have simply been a spoiler not a viable candidate. But that's before the fall campaign has started and before any TV debates. Ben unlike Jesse (either one!) - you didn't "give hope a chance."
THE UGLY: Given Westlund's decision RAD will probably do a "Hunter Thompson" - vote for Ted Kulongoski "with fear and loathing." I stood on principle in '68 and refused to cast my vote for Humphrey. Since that vote was cast in Minnesota - it was academic as they say since HHH won his home state in '68. But given the electoral college math, other ticked off Ds may have helped Nixon win in '68 in other closely contested states. The basic lesson of politics, according to RFK and which the Nixon era should have taught us - "don't get mad, get even." But Ben, you let us down and appear to be just another craven politician after all. How disappointing. Westlund has short-changed the Oregon voter by listening to the wrong people - pollsters, consultants and money men - the same political con artists who have run Oregon aground under Kitzhaber and Kulongoski.
RAD RANT: Politics should be about principle not simply winning - just like golf. One loves golf not for the score but for the challenge of doing your personal best. Don't get me wrong RAD hates to play a poor round, but that comes with the territory. Ben didn't give Oregonians the chance to show us what their personal best was. RAD feels Westlund could have won in a 6 person race - money be damned. But in the final moments, it's not about money it's giving the voters a choice not an echo. Now all we'll get is a choice between the same old tired hacks running the show and a choice between two very flawed major party candidates. Politics is about principle and process not just winning. Yes, winning is exhilarating and at some point if you don't win - you can't make a difference. But by bowing out now, we'll never know what a difference Westlund might have made. That's a sad commentary on politics and Ben Westlund. By bowing out now, Ben didn't risk making the cut by being a "no show."