There is a very important political race being run in my district to replace David Wu who has been our Congressional Rep for 6 terms. David Wu has got to go. He's a do-nothing disaster who does not think for himself or care about his constituents. He simply does whatever Nancy Pelosi tells him to do.There are three Republican candidates running to replace Wu: John Kuzmanich, Doug Keller and Rob Cornilles.
A few days ago I got the chance to hear from all three of them during the Candidate Forum at the Yamhill County 9-12 Project's monthly meeting.
Prior to the forum, I had some limited contact with each of the candidates, starting with hearing them all for the first time when they each spoke at the Oregon Tea Party protest April 15, 2009.
Since then I have followed both Kuzmanich and Cornilles on Facebook. I hadn't heard much about or from Doug Keller and only recently joined his FB Fan Page.
Prior to last week's forum, I was leaning towards supporting Cornilles. And after hearing more about him and the other two, I am still supporting Cornilles.
As far as the issues and wanting to represent the people better than Wu, all three are pretty equal in my eyes. My choice of preference is more of a personal choice and that I can better envision Cornilles representing us in Congress.
I really liked Doug Keller's campaign manager and also am really impressed by Keller's refusal to take any PAC money for his campaign. He has also put his entire platform right on his website which goes against the recommendations of those experienced in campaigns. I like that he is willing to go against the tide. We need more of that in this country.
But Doug Keller the candidate did not impress me. He was too soft-spoken and seemed unsure of his positions and opinions when answering some of the questions. I just don't think he's ready for a position in Congress yet.
Kuzmanich turns me off for several reasons. One, I just don't find him genuine. I really get the impression that he is just telling us what we want to hear and he's really just after a high-paying job with stellar benefits. The fact that he's a mortgage broker doesn't help his case in my eyes. I know a LOT of mortgage brokers who are now pretty much broke and several that have lost their homes and are filing bankruptcy.
I also closely watched Kuzmanich's face as the other candidates spoke. Several times some not-so-nice expressions crossed his face which to me is a very clear sign of disrespect. I'm not interested in someone who may run a nasty campaign.
Although I don't know if it's true or not, I have heard that the Oregon Republican Party has thrown their support behind Kuzmanich. Sorry, but that's a huge red flag to me and another reason to support another candidate.
Cornilles is a business owner and although I'm sure his business has taken a hit during this down economy, he's not in an industry that has bottomed out like the housing industry has. Something tells me that Cornilles' wallet doesn't "need" this position as badly as Kuzmanich's does.
Cornilles showed respect to the other candidates at all times during the forum, even when Kuzmanich directly accused him of supporting earmarks.
So yes, Cornilles for Congress!
~kate
