Ouch. Dudley busted lying to media; family "vacation" also a fundraising trip
Kari Chisholm
It was bad enough that Chris Dudley had ducked out on a long-scheduled gubernatorial debate before Oregon's newspaper publishers, editors, and writers. But his excuse was at least a bit charming -- he had an out-of-state vacation scheduled with his family.
After all, campaigns are grueling - and not many of us would begrudge a candidate a little down time with the spouse and the kids in mid-July, when many voters are doing the same.
But as Paul Harvey used to say... and now, the rest of the story:
It wasn't just a family vacation. Dudley headed to Colorado to hobnob with millionaire donors and corporate sponsors at a meeting of the Republican Governors Association in Aspen.
As the O's Jeff Mapes noted, the Aspen Times covered Dudley's appearance there.
Oregon's Dudley, a former NBA player, took aim at his state's capital gains tax and government spending, and said there has been a recognition that the state needs to welcome business and reward it for coming. “Out of crisis comes opportunity,” he said.
Now, if he had told Oregon's media, "Hey, you know, there's this meeting of governors and gubernatorial candidates - and I think it'll be good for me to meet with them, share ideas about policy and campaign strategies, and yeah, raise some campaign cash", there would have been some grumbling, but he would have gotten credit for being honest.
Dudley's now in a position where every time he tells folks that he has a seemingly-legit schedule conflict, they're going to wonder: What's really going on? What's he really doing?
This is no longer just an issue about whether Dudley is willing to answer tough questions from the press and for Oregon voters - though it is still that - it's now also a more fundamental issue about his credibility and trustworthiness.
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connect with blueoregon
2:00 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
Full disclosure: My firm built John Kitzhaber's campaign website. I speak only for myself.
3:36 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
I have no problem at all with Dudley missing this debate because he had another more important function to go to.Btw if Kitzhaber had done the same and skipped this debate to go to a democrat governors event and some vacation time as well the hypocrtical BlueOregon crowd would be making excuses for him like he worked so hard all his life and deserves a vaction.Relax BlueOregon crowd their will be plenty of time for them to debate this fall.I cant wait until Dudley cleans Kitzhabers clock in the debates especially on jobs and reforming the state govt and the education system which Kitzhaber has no concrete plan to do either.Look at Dudleys article and opinion piece in this mornings Oregonian newspaper BlueOregon crowd and liberal supporters and look at Kitzhabers website and his no mention of doing anything about unemployment or having a concrete jobs plan to get the private sector back to work and then tell me still that Dudley has no plan?Kari you did a very poor job with Kitzhabers website because he has no concrete jobs plan to get unemployment down or the private sector back to work.All kitzhaber wants to do is raise taxes and fees,continue to grow the state govt and only show up at state worker seiu,opeu and oea union hall luncheons like Kulongoski has done and screw the private sector.Is that the kind of leader Oregon really needs now another union backed do nothing liberal?
4:55 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
if you think the GOP is going to hire you to be a spinning troll, think again. Kitz has had a jobs plan for months: i attended the rollout & heard it directly. he spoke of it in the thousands of debates he & Bill Bradbury (a man whose courage Dudley could emulate). in fact, golly gee, it's right there on his website which makes you, like your free-throw-missing leader, a liar. or would you prefer stupid?
dude, you can't even manage to type a space at the end of sentences. you think you're bitch-slapping us or something? holy frack.
10:26 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
A fund raiser is more important than a debate?
Thank God there are voters out there with higher standards than yours.
9:53 a.m.
Jul 19, '10
"I cant wait until Dudley cleans Kitzhabers clock in the debates..."
Just a shame Dudley doesn't share your eagerness.
Dudley demonstrated his ill-preparedness for higher office by defining his trip. By calling it a 'vacation' and not recognizing the potential issues (or keeping his staff on tighter reins), Dudley shows why higher elected office should not be the starting point for any political career.
I really like and respect Dudley and wish he'd have done a little bit more to hone his political chops before running for the State's highest office.
3:57 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
It isn't about where he went - it's that he lied about it.
4:07 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
Who cares Jenni?Because every time a liberal lies which has happened many many times over the years we hear not a peep from any of you BlueOregon crowd supporters.The liberals and the schools Jenni have lied for years about how much money they really actually get so big deal about Dudley lying because i could care less because we have more pressing issues like unemployment and getting the private sector back working which your liberal buddies have no plan at all to do.
8:03 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
Because every time a liberal lies which has happened many many times over the years we hear not a peep from any of you BlueOregon crowd supporters.
Examples, please?
12:43 p.m.
Jul 19, '10
Ok Kari remeber Clinton saying i did not have sex with that woman Ms Lewinsky?How about the state govt and legislature for years including govs Kitz and Kulongoski always bald face lying about the state budget and how much they really actually get by only telling the general funds budget numbers ,not the millions of dollars higher all funds budgets?How about all the liberals in the house and senate bald face lying for years about how bad school funding really is by overblowing how bad it is?Enough info for you Kari?
12:52 a.m.
Jul 20, '10
Dude - Clinton/Lewinski was in 1998. BlueOregon was founded in 2004.
As far as the rest of your assertions, you're going to have to actually provide a quote, a source, and actual evidence that it was a lie -- not some random generalized assertions.
The great thing about the internet is that you can actually find the stuff you're looking for, if it exists, and provide a link -- so let's see one.
2:06 p.m.
Jul 20, '10
Now Kari, you want actual facts and not just Republican Party soundbites? You know that's too much work for Matthew.
4:26 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
"we have more pressing issues like unemployment and getting the private sector back working which your liberal buddies have no plan at all to do."
And Dudley's plan is ... ?
4:31 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
Dudley's plan is to cut taxes and cut public employee compensation. He published this in today's Oregonian oped.
8:50 a.m.
Jul 19, '10
A Republican's solution is to cut taxes. Gosh, how original.
4:50 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
"I am outraged that I think you would do what I think you would do if my hypothetical situation arose."
Uh-huh, that argument only works when you're talking to yourself.
5:41 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
As far as I can tell, all this would have never been discovered if it weren't for a small little article in the Aspen Times. I was alerted to it because the RGA was crowing on Twitter about the "productive 2 days with" Dudley. They immediately saw their error and removed their tweets. (But not before we saved them forever.)
http://bodiegroup.posterous.com/more-gop-lies
In any case, there needs to be a shame campaign about this so that NEITHER candidate misses debates in favor of a fundraiser. You know, State before party? And you Dudley sycophants here, say what you want about Kitzhaber, he stood up and talked about his ideas for 75 minutes. He is taking the race seriously rather than passing up debates in favor of raising money to buy the seat. I sincerely doubt Dudley can talk about anything (even basketball) for 75 minutes. Avoiding opportunities to sell his ideas makes Dudley no better than Sarah Palin. Is this what you want??
8:06 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
Sonya, that's a great catch. So, it's not like he attended a single event -- he had a "productive couple of days" with the RGA.
Wow. The lies get thicker.
8:52 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
It was lucky. I was in the right place at the right time. However, I honestly do believe I was the first to discover where Dudley really was, and quite by accident, when I saw the RGA tweets and then I got suspicious when they disappeared. That's why we show the timeline (with tweets removed) next to the removed tweets. My husband was the one who sent the Aspen Times article and the screen grabs of the tweets to Jeff Mapes on Friday night.
I can't abide politicians who think they can buy a seat.
5:50 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
Btw Mr TA Barnhardt what has Kulongoski done about unemployment and putting the private sector back to work? Sorry sir, I am NO "conservative troll" like you claim. I am sick and tired of the do nothing liberals like Kulongoski hiding from public view sitting on his lazy rear end doing nothing about unemployment and jobs and only showing up to public employee SEIU, OPEW and OEA union hall luncheons. Btw Mr Barnhart, I looked thoroughly at Kitzhaber's website and sorry there was no mention of any plan to get unemployment down and the private sector back to work.
8:09 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
Kulongoski hiding from public view sitting on his lazy rear end doing nothing about unemployment and jobs and only showing up to public employee SEIU, OPEW and OEA union hall luncheons.
You know, Matt, your knowledge of Oregon history and politics is deeply flawed.
In 2006, SEIU funded a primary challenge against Kulongoski precisely because he trimmed public employee retirement benefits.
From the Statesman-Journal, March 2006:
8:10 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
Oh, and here's a link to the full article.
12:38 p.m.
Jul 19, '10
So Kari you have no answer to my question on what has Kulongoski done about unemployment and putting the private sector back to work do you? Sorry your view of things is one sided and very narrow minded. Sorry my knowledge of Oregon history is not seriously flawed. What is seriously flawed Kari is the BlueOregon.com crowd including you and the continual baloney and lies on here about state govt spending and school funding and the fact that you hate republicans.You liberals cant honestly answer questions posed to you on here. Hey Kari i have an idea for you:instead of calling someone like me a conservative troll which i am not how about honestly answering my questions without name calling? Can you liberals do that? How about criticizing a done nothing liberal like Kulongoski for once Kari?
12:53 a.m.
Jul 20, '10
What is seriously flawed Kari is the BlueOregon.com crowd including you and the continual baloney and lies on here
So, why are bothering to hang around here?
6:03 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
Bruce miller please enlighten us on what Kitzhabers plan to get unemployment down and the private sector back to work because i looked at his website and sorry i saw no plan.At least Dudley is talking regualrly about jobs and unemployment and doing something about it unlike Kitzhaber who dont care and only wants to kiss the rear ends of his OEA,SEIU and OPEU state worker union pals who put hime in office.Kitzhaber has the mantra to the unions if you scratch my back i will scratch your back and i could care less about how anyone in the private sector is doing now and this is the same mantra Kulongoski has had for 8 years.I personally know people who work for the state of Oregon and i hear this from them all the time when Kitzhaber and Kulongoski have regularly shown up to state worker union hall luncheons.Instead of calling me a troll why dont you liberals engage in a friendly conversation with me and honestly answer my questions about Kulongoski and Kitzhaber and explain what they have really done? which is nothing.
7:20 a.m.
Jul 19, '10
Bruce miller please enlighten us on what Kitzhabers plan to get unemployment down and the private sector back to work because i looked at his website and sorry i saw no plan.
There are at least 16 pages on Kitzhaber's website about job creation and economic growth -- and that's just what I found in about a minute of looking at the site. It's at least as much of a "plan" as the 25 talking points Dudley posted on his site.
6:12 p.m.
Jul 18, '10
I have seen numerous clips of Kitzhaber speaking and im sorry i have not once ever heard him mention his plan to do anything about unemployment,make oregon more business friendly or get the private sector back to work.Sorry Mr TA Barnhardt i am not stupid as you claim because i have read Kitzhabers website thoroughly and have heard hime speak time and time again and have not seen or herad any concrete jobs plan from him at all.
9:07 a.m.
Jul 19, '10
Matt,
I'm a Republican, and I side with Kari and all others on this. Kitzhaber has clearly outlined his plans for jobs and the economy, not to mention other important issues. I've watched debates, and read articles. It's not that difficult to figure out where Kitzhaber stands.
12:20 p.m.
Jul 19, '10
Of course Mr Carr its easy to see where Kitzhaber stands raise taxes and fees and bend over backwards to appease Seiu,Opeu and Oea unions that put him in there.Now he has to go kiss their rear ends and give them anything they want and screw the private sector.Sorry Kitzhaber has no jobs plan or any concrete plan to get the economy back on track.Kitzhaber was a miserable train wreck before and will be an even worse train wreck this time if Oregonians are stupid and dumb enough to reelect him again. State spendin under Kulongoski and Kitzhaber grew 83% from 1999 to 2009.Is that what Oregon really needs now for the liberals to spend us into the ground?Dudley will clean Kitzhabers clock on jobs and the economy.If Kitzhaber has such a wonderful plan like you claim then how come he was too scared and lazy and refused to put a reply to Dudleys column in the sunday Oregonian on 7-18-10?Why is Kitzhaber running scared like that and refusing to rebut what Dudley said in that column?Is it because Dudley is speaking the truth about him and he cant handle it?Kitzhaber was a lazy do nothing governor before and will be a lazy incompetent do nothing governor again this time.As far as i am concerned Kitzhaber is unfit for office and look at what all his expereince got this state high debt and high unemployment.Kitzhaber left the economy in the tank before when he left and will do it again.
12:57 a.m.
Jul 20, '10
bend over backwards to appease Seiu,Opeu and Oea union
Dude. Are you even reading the newspaper?
9:31 a.m.
Jul 19, '10
Oregonians are watching a rookie candidate who's handlers calculated wrongly that avoiding the Newspaper Publisher Association debate was a smart move. Sending him to Colorado in hopes their candidate wouldn't be spotted at the RGA wasn't smart either. It signaled one thing and one thing only that their candidate Mr. Dudley isn't ready or prepared to participate in a debate.
12:05 p.m.
Jul 19, '10
I agree with Jenni and will reproduce part of Kari's post above. It's right on point:
"Now, if he had told Oregon's media, "Hey, you know, there's this meeting of governors and gubernatorial candidates - and I think it'll be good for me to meet with them, share ideas about policy and campaign strategies, and yeah, raise some campaign cash", there would have been some grumbling, but he would have gotten credit for being honest."
12:31 p.m.
Jul 19, '10
I actually think that Dudley would be in trouble on this one no matter what, unless he changed his mind and attended the event.
The fact that the Dudley campaign wasn't honest about what he was up to exacerbates the problem, but favoring a bunch of swank GOP Governor's Assn events over the traditional debate kick-off of the Oregon campaign season is bad ju-ju, no matter how you slice it.
12:52 p.m.
Jul 19, '10
I beg to differ with you Carla.Hey Carla if Kitzhaber would have skipped this debate to go to a democrat governors function would you be bellyaching and moaning about it?Of course not because its ok for liberals with no jobs plan to skip a debate and its no big deal to you.but since its a republican who Blue Oregon hates you cry and moan.Sorry maam Dudley aint in any trouble and big deal if he lied because Kitzhaber and Kulongoski have lied about far worse things than that and Blue Oregon.com never griped about that so zip it on Dudley.
1:00 a.m.
Jul 20, '10
The Kitzhaber jobs plan is right here.
You don't have to like it, but let's at least acknowledge that Kitzhaber has released a plan for jobs, helpfully labeled on his website, "Jobs for Oregon" in 18 point type, above the fold, on the home page.
12:09 p.m.
Jul 19, '10
Yes the unions did not endorse kulongoski in 2006 in the primary ,but they did against Saxton in the fall.Btw Doug Kelso i did look at the 16 pages on Kitzhabers website and sorry there is no plan its all hot air and nothing of substance.No plan to cut taxes,fees or stifling regulations that are killing jobs and businesses in Oregon now.Jason Carr sorry i didnt see where Kitzhaber talked anywhere about getting unemployment down or the private sector back working.i looked at the whole plan and read it word for word and sorry its the same old tired liberal green jobs and renewable energy garbage that wont do anything to reduce unemployment and it sure hasnt in years.Sorry im voting for Dudley becaues he has a plan and cares about the private sector and is actually talking about the private sector.Is Kitzhaber doing that?Of course he isnt.
12:25 p.m.
Jul 19, '10
Btw folks if Kitzhaber has such a grand plan like you claim then why does he have to ask for suggestions on his website then?That there tells me he has no plan because if you had a good concrete clear plan which Kitzhaber does not then you would not have to ask for suggestions on what to do then.
2:15 p.m.
Jul 20, '10
Oh, Oh, I know! (Raises hand)
So that constituents will have buy-in into Kitzhaber's plans because they will have been able to contribute their own point of view and ideas?
Seriously, Matthew, what world are you living in? Is the sky a pretty color there?
6:33 p.m.
Jul 19, '10
I don't know if anyone's said that Kitzhaber's plan is "grand" or that they support all points. What they are saying is that Dudley has no plan so far, grand or otherwise.
It'll be another Palin deal, only a bit easier to execute. After many failed attempts at brain stem location, Randy Schuenemann has successfully attached himself like a parasite to the top of Sarah's spinal column, and suddenly she's completing sentences and using words of more than two syllables.
Once Dudley's symbiot is installed, we will not hear much that is new, but he will be able to offer up the "cut taxes, dismantle gummint" mantra with style. Couple that with "Democrats are all commies or socialists" and by golly, you've got a campaign.
5:57 a.m.
Jul 20, '10
i say the dems should run some campaign adds with highlights of dudley's playing days with the blazers.
dudley was the worst offensive player in the history of the nba. watching him try to score a basket was comical.
the dems have to get tough with the tea party.
10:51 a.m.
Jul 20, '10
wow, read about this on Daily Kos this AM.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/20/885426/-OR-Gov:-Dudleys-dishonesty
Wow, what a shocker. I mean, lying this early on? Why? How about just asking to reschedule the event - being at the event he was at is not an offense, but why lie about it? Seems an unnecessary shooting @ one's foot.