Meet the Oregon Muckraker Who Keeps Taking Down Oregon Democratic Governors

[99th_Monkey]

Would that Nigel would move to Wisconsin (Scott Walker) or Florida (Rick Scott), so he could "take down" Governors who are anti-labor, anti-environment, anti-democratic racist assholes; instead of Dems who didn't manage to quite cover their asses adequately re: their personal lives.

Meet the Oregon Journalist Who Keeps Taking Down Governors
John Kitzhaber and Neil Goldschmidt have something in common: they ended up on the wrong side of Nigel Jaquiss's reporting.
by Joel Weber & Anthony Effinger * Bloomberg * Feb. 14, 2015

The resignation of Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber on Friday is another pelt on the wall for Nigel Jaquiss, a Goldman Sachs oil trader turned muck-raking journalist.

Jaquiss, 52, works at Willamette Week, the free alternative weekly in Portland where he reported on allegations of Gov. John Kitzhaber's influence peddling. From that modest perch, Jaquiss also won a Pulitzer Prize, in 2005, for exposing long-hidden sexual assault by former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, the godfather of Oregon politics. And in 2009, Jaquiss's reporting revealed an improper sexual relationship between then-Portland Mayor Sam Adams and a legislative intern, which Adams initially denied.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-02-14/meet-the-oregon-journalist-who-keeps-taking-down-governors

[Dont call me Shirley]

1. He looks like a gop hitman.

[99th_Monkey]

2. What's maddening is that the Willamette Week is an "alternative" weekly

read mostly by people on the Left. But they need to sell ads i guess by
using yellow journalism against whoever happens to be in office, which
is mostly ALL Democrats as Oregon is very Blue.

[Dont call me Shirley]

3. Working their red state switcheroo.

Just like WI, MI, working on NM, almost had MN.

[Ken Burch]

9. Willamette Week is about as alternative as The New Republic under Marty Peretz

Last edited Wed Feb 18, 2015, 04:34 AM - Edit history (1)

The Portland Mercury is the true alternative paper in the Rose City now.

[99th_Monkey]

11. No argument there

WW is a poser & Mercury is the real deal.

[Kilgore]

4. So I have to ask

Would it have been better to let the corruption remain hidden?

Just asking.

[Maedhros]

5. In this case it looks like Kitzhaber is in the wrong.

And Goldsmidt definitely was as well.

If politicians are in the wrong, they deserve the consequences. A "D" doesn't absolve them.

[99th_Monkey]

6. I agree to a point

but we both know everyone has SOME damn thing in their personal lives that wouldn't look
very good in the headlines. Hayes' "transgressions" are ancient history and don't discredit
her in my eyes, and she's not even the freaking governor, he's just her boyfriend.

anyway, yes, technically, Kitz was what -- indiscreet? -- in his choice for a first-lady, because of
stuff that we both know goes on in both parties. ReThugs get a pass, but not Dems. just sayin'

[Maedhros]

7. I'm not talking about the marijuana growing etc.

Kitzhaber appointed her to a position which she used for personal gain.

My first thought when this story started to break was that the Republicans couldn't win the Governorship fair-and-square, so they dredged up a scandal and sold it to the press. However the information became known, it does look like the Governor made a serious mistake.

As for myself, I think Kitzhaber exhausted his political usefulness and was coasting his last term. I think this may actually represent an opportunity for the Democratic Party of Oregon because Kate Brown may bring some energy and drive that Kitzhaber lacked. If she performs well, the Republicans will lose the 2016 special election. Were Kitzhaber to limp his way through his fourth term, it's much more likely that a Republican would win.

[99th_Monkey]

8. De minimis tempest in a teapot

De minimis is a Latin expression meaning about minimal things, normally in the locutions de minimis non curat praetor ("The praetor does not concern himself with trifles&quot or de minimis non curat lex ("The law does not concern itself with trifles&quot .Queen Christina of Sweden (r.1633-1654) favoured the similar Latin adage, aquila non captat muscas (the eagle does not catch flies).

In risk assessment, it refers to a level of risk that is too small to be concerned with. Some refer to this as a "virtually safe" level.

This whole brouhaha was stirred up by none other than this guy, an ex-Goldman Sachs executive who "retired" to write for a Portland 'alternative' weekly; and who's new hobby is taking-out Democratic governors for 'misconduct' in their personal lives. Kitz is his second, preceded by Neil Goldschmidt.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-02-14/meet-the-oregon-journalist-who-keeps-taking-down-governors

[Ken Burch]

10. Goldschmidt had it coming, though.

Forcing yourself on a 14-year-old girl is not a "no biggie" kind of thing.

[99th_Monkey]

12. Can't argue with that

Can't imagine WTF he was thinking.

On edit: Well actually he obviously wasn't thinking, or not with his brain anyway.

[cascadiance]

13. I think when he crossed the line was when he tried to get a stash of email destroyed...

Up until that point and through the election, it still wasn't completely clear about how involved he was with his fiance's problems, and though there might be some wrongdoing, it wasn't established how much he knew when, and how much he was involved with it at all. But local interview shows former Kitzhaber supporters were saying the same thing. When it was established that he was trying to purge off emails right before an investigation was being done, that's just not something you do, even if there is incriminating stuff in it and even if it was only Hayes that would be implicated in the content. Covering up like that is a crime in and of itself, and showed that he couldn't be trusted to continue in office.

It's too bad he had to end his career this way, but he chose his fiance over his career in effect.