Primarying Wu: Meet David Robinson

Carla Axtman

David Wu's hold on the First Congressional District is formidable. Wu first won the seat in 1998, defeating Republican Molly Bordonaro in a hotly contested race. GOP stalwart Charles Starr tried to knock him off in 2000, only to be walloped 58% to 38%. In 2002, Wu won the seat again at 62%. In 2004 it was Goli Ameri's turn to lose to Wu. In 2006, poor Derrick Kitts didn't stand a chance.

David_portraitIn 2010, at least one guy is going to try a primary challenge against Wu. Meet David Robinson.

From the press release:

A Navy Reservist, David has served his country and community in uniform since high school and has had the opporunity to travel worldwide. In 1998, David coordinated the Navy’s support for the National Ocean Conference convened by President Bill Clinton and chaired by Vice President Al Gore. The conference was a resounding success, developing and directing the implementation of 150 actions to protect, restore and explore America’s ocean resources. Seeing politicians lead the group to a proper understanding of the issues and solution to fix them inspired David’s desire to serve in elected office.

David is married to Sandy Webb, an attorney and local business owner. They are active in numerous charities, non-profits and local politics. David and Sandy live in Aloha with their two chocolate Labrador retrievers.

Kinda thin on details, but there's more about Robinson's background on his website bio, which includes less-than-specific details about his current work:

Now a commander in the Navy Reserves, David continues to contribute to our nation’s security and Oregon’s welfare by leading Oregon’s Reserve sailors as they prepare for missions all over the world. He is a department director at a local government and is also a co-founder and part owner of an international business development company that helps small companies in distressed regions of the world to increase their business capacity. He has completed the Navy’s Advanced Management Program for senior leaders.

According to this article in the Hillsboro Argus, Robinson is the director of the City of Hillsboro's Fleet and Facility Department. Which apparently means that he has something to do with the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in town, among other things.

Robinson's website also sports an "issues" page, but it's a bit short on specifics too.

Robinson penned guest column here at BlueO in February entitled Climate Change and American Leadership.

So far, I'm not seeing much to convince me that Mr. Robinson is ready to take on Wu and his campaign war chest. But my read on the First Congressional District is that there's a lot of unrest with Wu and if the right primary challenger comes along, he'll have his hands full.

Hopefully Robinson will have more specifics and substance for us in the near future.

  • LT (unverified)
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    Will be interesting to see if he speaks out on veterans issues.

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    ...or any issues, really.

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    Will be interesting to see if he speaks out on veterans issues.

    ...or any issues, really.

    As with any politician, his viability as a candidate and the amount to which he speaks out on the issues will be in an inverse relationship.

  • backbeat (unverified)
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    ...or any issues, really.

    Well, I'm all ears. Let me guess, Kari, you do Wu's site and work on his campaign too?

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    Nick Wirth: As with any politician, his viability as a candidate and the amount to which he speaks out on the issues will be in an inverse relationship

    What you are saying is that voters don't consider positions when considering candidates. Nothing could be further from the truth.

    It is true that voters consider more than just positions. They also vote based on whether they identify with the candidate in question. Experience (the devil you know) is also a factor, as is the perceived strength or weakness of a major rival.

    I know David Robinson personally. He is a good man. That said, any neutral political analysis shows that Congressman Wu is not out of step with his district; he is certainly not out of step with the average Democratic voter in the first CD. So voters will simply not fire the Congressman for no good reason.

    So the real benefit to David Robinson in doing this is to build up his name recognition, so that he has a good shot at office later. If he runs an honorable and positive campaign, I expect that that is exactly what will happen.

  • LT (unverified)
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    Steve, thank you for being a non-cynic. And tell your friend there is never enough discussion about veterans issues.

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    What you are saying is that voters don't consider positions when considering candidates. Nothing could be further from the truth.

    That's actually not what I'm saying. Whether or not voters broadly consider issue positions is a different story. What I'm saying is that most candidates are loathe to actually stake out clear positions on a large variety of issues for fear of offending some percentage of the electorate. You can boil the campaign down to a few catch-words or slogans that polled the best. Have you ever seen "The Candidate"?

  • JTT (unverified)
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    Cheap shot Kari...and it added SO MUCH to the conversation. Thanks!

    I would appreciate it if Mr. Robinson would address one of the most critical issues: health care. Pretty surprised he misses the boat on what is probably the most important issue next to the economy.

    Hopefully Wu has a tough primary fight; he needs to go. He has been such an embarrassment: from the rape allegations to the Klingon speech, to a lackluster performance of doing anything remarkable.

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    Backbeat -- No, I don't work with David Wu for Congress, and I never have. If I did, I'd have said so.

    Nick -- I'm not so sure about that. Mr. Robinson seems like a nice enough guy, but his announcement speech didn't even suggest a critique of the incumbent -- a basic requirement for mounting a challenge, especially a primary challenge.

  • LT (unverified)
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    Best scene in The Candidate:

    Consultant tells Robt. Redford's character what to say on the TV appearance, Redford decides to say something else instead, nothing the consultant can do.

    However, anyone has the right to question any candidate to make sure if elected they don't utter the last line in the movie, "What do I do now?"

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    Carla, one final point on this. I have a difficult time reconciling your "read" about there being unrest with Congressman Wu, with the simple facts that you began with: his constantly increasing margin of victory in each of his elections.

    This should be no surprise. The 1st CD is filled with pragmatic moderate-liberal Democrats who work in high tech, just like David Wu.

    I suspect your read is more influenced by downtown Portland politicos like JTT, who are wishing for the great Naderite/Green hope, than your average Democratic voter out here in Silicon Forest. And the strong left is unlikely to rally around a naval commander like David Robinson.

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    Carla, one final point on this. I have a difficult time reconciling your "read" about there being unrest with Congressman Wu, with the simple facts that you began with: his constantly increasing margin of victory in each of his elections.

    Those are against Republicans in the general, Steve. CD 1 is a pretty Democratic trending district. I've spoken with a significant number of Washington County folks who tend to vote for Democrats who would be very willing to vote for someone else in a primary against Wu, should the right person come along.

  • LT (unverified)
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    Carla's relevant words, "should the right person come along".

    It is Robinson's job to show he is the "right person" and each indiv. voter will decide for themselves, no matter what "a significant number of Washington County folks " say.

  • mamabigdog (unverified)
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    It's so nice to see support of new faces to the Oregon Democratic Party scene be accepted with such open arms! /snark

    Rather than suggest Robinson does not hold positions on any issues, or deride his viability in CD-1 because he's former military, why don't you just hold your fire until you have the opportunity to hear more about him, more from him directly and see how the campaign progresses. No candidate ever laid out every biographical detail, every opinion, every issue and every attack on the opposition all rolled into one announcement speech. You'll all have plenty of chances in the coming campaign to fire away, since this is likely going to be a real primary for Wu for a change!

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    Consultant tells Robt. Redford's character what to say on the TV appearance, Redford decides to say something else instead, nothing the consultant can do.

    Except that McKay's (Redford's) heartfelt improvisation at the debate is a political disaster and only his seasoned politician of a father manages to deflect the media attention. But that's all a little off topic and I was mostly joking to begin with.

    I partially agree with both Steve and Carla (though I'm somewhat offended by the notion that liberal voters wouldn't support a candidate that is a member of the military). I do think that there's some space for the right candidate to unseat Wu, but not because Wu doesn't represent his district on the issues. Rather, I get the feeling that at least some of his constituents are less than satisfied with his completely undistinguished record. He has been in the House for 10 years and has no real accomplishments to speak of. The most notable moment of his career was when he gave his "Klingons in the White House" speech, making a complete joke out of himself. He doesn't have any particularly prestigious committee appointments. If Robinson or anyone else managed to successfully defeat Wu in a primary, I suspect it will be more for that reason than anything else.

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    No candidate ever laid out every biographical detail, every opinion, every issue and every attack on the opposition all rolled into one announcement speech.

    Thank you. People here seem to forget sometimes that campaigns take time.

  • Steve (unverified)
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    "David Wu's hold on the First Congressional District is formidable"

    Did you really type that with a straight face?

    Dear god, what if the Repubs find someone who actually has a couple of ideas in their minds to run against him? That would give them two more than Wu has ever had.

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    Regarding veterans' issues, judging by his military record as an Annapolis graduate and Marine officer, I feel quite comfortable predicting that he supports veterans in every possible way. I'm sure he will address veterans' issues in detail soon. I'm also sure that he's considerably more in touch with the CD1 constituency and certain realities than Mr. Wu.

    Here's an excerpt from his website (http://davidrobinson2010.com): "As Director of Civil-Military Operations for Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, he directed the US Government’s Humanitarian Assistance program in Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, and other countries in the region. The Horn of Africa was opened as the second front in the war on terror after Afghanistan because of the region’s role in the illicit transportation of terrorists and weapons and because the extreme poverty there makes it a fertile recruiting ground for terrorists. Working and negotiating with governments, embassies, and non-governmental organizations, David initiated numerous projects. These projects included drilling new water wells, building schools and medical clinics, and providing medical, dental, veterinary and disaster assistance to the distressed and impoverished people throughout the region."

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    Regarding the view of Wu among his constituents, it is quite likely that despite his incredible neglect of communication with those constituents, he retains a considerable hold on the district. Steve Maurer's pretty much nailed that fact down real tight. However, Steve overlooks real unrest among the troops about Wu and his record. When Alexa Lewis ran against him in the primary, she came in with 8 percent of the vote; the next one in line came in with about 14 percent. There's a trend there.

  • joel dan walls (unverified)
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    All kinds of verbiage here--starting with Mr. Robinson's own website--about how he has "served his country and community in uniform". So, when (and WHY?) did "serving one's country" become synonymous with "serving in the military"? I'm a civilian federal employee; am I not also serving my country? What about the schoolteacher, the firefighter, the librarian? What about the farmer who grows your food? Arent't they all serving their country?

    I have no problem with Mr. Robinson joining the US Navy, but I have a huge problem with genuflecting to the US military.

  • Bob Tiernan (unverified)
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    Carla:

    David Wu's hold on the First Congressional District is formidable. Wu first won the seat in 1998, defeating Republican Molly Bordonaro in a hotly contested race. GOP stalwart Charles Starr tried to knock him off in 2000, only to be walloped 58% to 38%. In 2002, Wu won the seat again at 62%. In 2004 it was Goli Ameri's turn to lose to Wu. In 2006, poor Derrick Kitts didn't stand a chance.

    Bob T:

    You make it sound as if Wu is a great campaigner with a legislative record that's hard to challenge. He's simply in a relatively safe Democratic seat that will keep re-electing this mediocre politician unless and until he's caught with a freezer full of cash. Dems like Marc Abrams admit that Wu is nothing special and that ven Goli Ameri was a pretty good candidate, and I dount he's alone. You remarks show no insight or analysis at all.

    Carla:

    So far, I'm not seeing much to convince me that Mr. Robinson is ready to take on Wu and his campaign war chest.

    Bob T:

    I hope Dems don't let the fact that Wu will outspend his primary opponent(s) cause them to vote for him. Here's a chance to bounce this creep and then elect a new Democrat in November. Primary losses are the only real way we can see a lot of the dead wood and other losers from both parties get replaced. So far as I'm concerned, every incumbent with at least four terms under their belts should be replaced if only for their role in creating the large debt and making the dollar something that no longer impresses most of the world as something of value (and no, I'm not interested in hearing any bullscat about the debt being solely the Republican's fault - anyone who believes that is too partisan to engage in an intelligent, objective discussion about this).

    Bob Tiernan Portland

  • LT (unverified)
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    Just got an email from a friend in that district who, in passing, said Wu was the only member of Congress he knew about looking at a particular issue, and he gave him credit for doing so.

    Not gung ho supporter, but not necessarily "looking around for another candidate" either.

    If someone thinks Wu is dead wood, by all means campaign for the challenger. Just make sure the challenger will not surprise you once elected to Congress.

  • Bob Tiernan (unverified)
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    Steve Maurer:

    And the strong left is unlikely to rally around a naval commander like David Robinson.

    Bob T:

    Well, they sorta like Kerry.

    By the way, if, as his website says, Reserve Commander Robinson continues to contribute to our nation’s security and Oregon’s welfare by leading Oregon’s Reserve sailors as they prepare for missions all over the world, then one of his charges is the other Bob Tiernan, a lieutenant commander in the reserves.

    Bob Tiernan Portland

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    No candidate ever laid out every biographical detail, every opinion, every issue and every attack on the opposition all rolled into one announcement speech. Thank you. People here seem to forget sometimes that campaigns take time.

    Yes, they do. And it very definitely takes time to get all the issues compiled in a comprehensive way - and you roll out your attacks in due time.

    But, when you're running against an incumbent, it's your job to tell the voters a) why they should fire that guy, and b) why they should hire you. And that messaging should start on Day One.

    If a challenger, especially a primary challenger (who can't just rest on "we have different ideologies"), can't articulate a single reason to eject the incumbent, then there's only one reasonable question to ask: Why are you running?

    I tell my clients that there's only two things you need to have written on Day One: the bio and the "why I'm running" piece. It doesn't need to be a master's thesis, but it should be articulate. And if you're challenging an incumbent, tell the voters why.

    It took months for Steve Novick and Jeff Merkley to fully flesh out their proposals -- but on Day One, each one had a healthy critique of Gordon Smith.

    ....or maybe y'all can just dismiss this as the cranky musings of a political professional who knows what it takes to launch a campaign and is just grumpy when he sees incompetence.

    Whatever. David Robinson got his one day of guaranteed free press. From here on out, he will - like all candidates - have to earn it.

  • Bob Tiernan (unverified)
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    joel dan walls:

    I'm a civilian federal employee; am I not also serving my country?

    Bob T:

    In short, no.

    Bob Tiernan Portland

  • joel dan walls (unverified)
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    Hey, thanks, Bob, just to be clear, who else is not serving his country?

  • joel dan walls (unverified)
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    Forgot to say, the ranks of those who are NOT serving their country clearly includes Libertarians, who are in thrall to a suspicious, foreign "Austrian" economic model ;-)

  • Fireslayer (unverified)
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    Dissatisfaction with Wu is growing- especially from the left. Wu is set to catch a lot of cash from the Insurance and Big Pharma lobbies.

    Let us see if he deserts public option. The longs knives will come out if he does.

    On the other hand, Robinson's wrap yourself in the flag approach is better suited for the Republican primary.

    Waiting to hear more on the issues, but Wu will be tough.

  • Carol (unverified)
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    I, for one, am looking for a STRONG progressive to take Wu's seat. I haven't trusted him since he voted for the bankruptcy law and sent me an extremely lame and ridiculous form letter explaining why later. This year at the Washco Dem's picnic I met him and was even less impressed. Anytime he was pressed for details on his stand for healthcare his eyes glazed over and he went into robot mode. Typical politician more concerned about being reelected and offending the least number of people than in taking a stand on principle.

    He's better than a Republican but certainly no progressive and he has no intention of fighting or taking a strong stand on anything.

    Crossing my fingers SOMEONE with strength of character will come along and take him out of the picture.

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