Rep. Greg Walden, chairman of the House Energy Committee, is a very nice man.When I lived in Oregon and drew cartoons for the paper in Portland, one thing you could get anyone to agree on in Oregon politics was that Walden was really niceTalented, too. Amusing. Warm. Charming. Low key. He has a beautiful, dulcet radio voice, which he used to great effect as the owner of a radio station in Hood River.
. . .
When President Barack Obama got the Affordable Health Care Act passed, Walden spent time trying to dismantle it. When Donald Trump was running for president, Walden, the nice guy, would say that he was disgusted by this remark or that action, but he gamely stuck with Trump. Now he’s the lead guy on “repeal and replace.” People credit Walden with coming up with the phrase. He worked it for seven years.Now that Walden, the very warm and kind man, has gotten this hollow mockery of a bill out of the House and it heads to the Senate, where, I am sure, other nice men and women will take up the cause. Warm. Funny. And 24 million Americans, many of them also warm, funny and amusing, stand to have their health care taken away.
I’ve decided Walden isn’t so nice after all. Sorry, Greg. The amusing announcer guy voice won’t cut it now. But maybe he can use that funny voice to cheer up someone whose family member died because he helped cut their insurance. Or maybe they’ve got cancer, or a terrible congenital heart defect, and they’re just, well, sorry. Use the voice. I’m sure they’ll find it amusing.
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Watch: Angry Crowd Confronts Republican Greg Walden at Town Hall
on April 12, 2017 at 5:44 PM, updated April 12, 2017 at 5:53 PM
An angry, overflow crowd shouted Rep. Greg Walden down Wednesday at his first town hall since the failed Republican attempt to overhaul health care. More than once, he asked the crowd to give him a chance. “Let’s do this the Oregon way, let’s be respectful.” he said. “You’re starting to sound like Congress.” Walden closely supported Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, primary sponsor of the bill, even though more than a third of constituents in the Second District are recipients of Medicaid, the federal health care program for the poor.
Watch April Town Hall in Oregon
WALDEN’S PRESS RELEASE — MAY 4, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released the following statement on the passage of the American Health Care Act:
“For seven years, our constituents, patients, friends, and family, have suffered under a one-size-fits-all law that is collapsing under its own weight,” said Walden. “The American Health Care Act will put patients, families, and their doctors first. It will protect those with pre-existing conditions and provides states with the flexibility they need to help meet the unique needs of their citizens. Simply put, the American people deserve better than what they received under Obamacare and the American Health Care Act delivers on our commitment to rebuild our health insurance markets and provide relief to the American people. We want to thank President Trump, Vice President Pence, and our colleagues in the House who have worked so hard to get this bill over the finish line today. There’s more work to be done, and we know we are up to the task.”
