Traitor Cove
What is it with Oregon politicians and New York?
I poke a lot of fun at Senator Ron "Gatsby" Wyden ("D"-"Oregon") because his wife and three young children have lived their whole lives in New York City and rarely set foot in Oregon, where old Ronnie supposedly lives. Uh huh.
Lately we have Nick Kristof running for governor of Oregon, despite the fact that he voted in a New York City suburb a year ago. The state constitution requires that you live in Oregon for three consecutive years leading up to the election in order to be on the ballot for governor. Kristof appears to be short by at least a year.
The local media report these inconvenient facts once in a while, but they quickly drop them, and these guys just roll on like it's no problem.
Now I see that Congressman Kurt "Traitor" Schrader, the DINO from Canby, owns a beachfront home on Shelter Island, just up the road from the Hamptons on Long Island. Schrader comes across as this gun-toting salt-of-the-earth small-town veterinarian, but he's rolling with some toney Tonys in that neck of the woods. It ain't Yachats.
Apparently you can rent the Schrader place, or at least you could three summers ago:
Facing West with beautiful sunsets, this ideal beachfront summer retreat has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. The pool area with heated pool offers a great view of Peconic Bay and is just a few steps from the beach directly in front of the house. The North wing has a Lounge/guest/ media room with full bathroom, a compact eat-in kitchen, a studio/office, a bedroom with attached full bathroom, and a dining room. A spacious water view living room centers the house. In the South wing there is a master bedroom suite with bathroom and two other bedrooms served by the fourth full bathroom. Available throughout the summer for $5,000/wk. Call to check dates.
The only reason we know about this luxury love shack is that it's co-owned by members of Schrader's extended family, and from all appearances they don't like him. So much so that they're in an Oregon court fighting with him from time to time. The latest flareup is reported here. As of last year, the family foes told a different Oregon court that Kurt was the only one actively using the property.
Aside from the chuckles the latest story provides, it also points out that Schrader is getting primaried next year. Well-deserved.
Rep. Shrader has sold his constituent's best interests away as long as he's been in office and its time to retire him to his home in The Hamptons. Trouble is, we're very likely to get someone as bad or worse, given the kinds of people attracted to 'public' service. Almost all of them are "fame & fortune" seekers, intending on enriching their own pockets while they network during their terms.
ReplyDeleteSadly, people no longer seek public office for altruistic reasons, i.e., working for the greater good and representing the interests of the people instead of following their egos, building their net worth, and pushing personal pet projects.
A friend who lives in the district tells me that his best candidate to primary Kurt is his ex. She was evidently heavily responsible for his initial election and, from what I'm told, she is more of a Democrat that the DINO Kurt.
ReplyDelete