In other news: Opinion columnists conclude Drazan, Johnson are out of touch with Oregonians on abortion, gun safety
[Portland, OR] – Betsy Johnson dominated the headlines this week, and not for a good reason. Here’s a sampling:
Willamette Week – Betsy Johnson Crashed Into Another Motorist. Then She Tried to Claim Legislative Immunity.
The Oregonian – Governor candidate Betsy Johnson emphasizes personal responsibility. Now she faces questions about her own handling of a 2013 car crash,
KOIN – Court docs: Betsy Johnson argued legislative immunity in crash lawsuit,
Portland Mercury – Betsy Being Bad
Willamette Week – Rival Attacks Betsy Johnson, Unaffiliated Candidate for Governor, Over Her Attempt to Evade Lawsuit
Willamette Week – Democratic Rival Also Criticizes Betsy Johnson Over Car Crash Defense
“I am utterly appalled”: Tina Kotek Responds to Johnson’s Attempts to Dodge Accountability
In response to the news reports, Tina Kotek called on Johnson to apologize to the Oregonian who she rear-ended and said Johnson’s attempt to pass the cost of her car crash onto taxpayers was “atrocious.”
Why Did Johnson Bind Her Car Crash Victim with a Non-Disparagement Agreement? Johnson Won’t Say.
The Oregonian revealed that the driver who Johnson rear-ended said she “signed an agreement” not to disparage Johnson.
Now that she’s a candidate for Oregon’s highest elected office, will Johnson release the non-disparagement agreement so that the person she rear-ended can talk frankly to the public?
Will Johnson share how many other non-disparagement agreements she – or lawyers working on her behalf – has bound people to?
More Questions that Johnson Won’t Answer
The Oregonian also published several questions that Betsy Johnson has so far refused to answer:
“Why did she believe the state of Oregon and taxpayers should take sole responsibility for her car crash? Was Johnson aware of her lawyers’ invocation of legislative immunity to defend against the $260,000 personal injury lawsuit? Did Johnson take any actions following the crash that demonstrated personal responsibility or accountability?”
The public deserves answers to those questions and several more, including: Today, as a candidate for Governor, does Johnson still stand by the argument that Oregon taxpayers should have paid for the costs resulting from her car crash?
Opinion Columnists Say Gun Safety, Abortion Will Shift Dynamics in Tina’s Favor
In a column for the Oregon Capitol Chronicle, Randy Stapilus argues that abortion and guns have moved to the front of voters’ minds due to the recent Supreme Court decisions overturning Roe v. Wade and going backwards on gun violence prevention in Bruen.
“It’s Kotek, the Democrat with strong pro-choice views (endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, Pro-Choice Oregon and The Mother PAC) who has seized the abortion issue with a parade of statements since the court ruling, and for good reason: Her stance is likely close to that of a majority of Oregon voters.”
And in the Oregon Capital Insider, Steve Forrester writes movingly about how Americans – and politicians – need to recognize gun violence as “a public health issue. A calamity. An epidemic.”
“When Johnson told me, more than a decade ago, about the machine gun that she purchased at an auction, I was startled. In U.S. Marine Corps infantry training, I had fired the M60 machine gun. Why, I wondered, would anyone not in uniform want a killing machine of that type at home?”
He goes on to write that Johnson’s refusal to address the need for gun violence prevention “is not leadership for what has become a mortal concern.”
“Put simply, Johnson is on the wrong side of history. And if Oregon has another Umpqua Community College shooting (2015), Clackamas Town Center incident (2012) or Thurston High School shooting (Kip Kinkel, 1998), most Oregonians will want much more than a clichéd response from their governor.”