Shawn Lindsay Fails at the Art of Civility

From oregonlive.com:

Lindsay Botches First Chance to Lead

By Nick Christensen

Whatever David Edwards’ reason for dropping his re-election bid, Shawn Lindsay’s response missed the mark.

Edwards, a two-term state representative from Washington County’s House District 30, was a rising star in the Democratic Party, an articulate, dapper, business-savvy representative from a politically moderate and financially healthy district.

Many were shocked by his decision to drop his shot at re-election, which he attributed to concerns about his wife’s health.

Of course, we’ve all heard the “family reasons” explanation for candidates dropping out of races. We’re trained enough to be cynical of any candidate dropping a race.

But the reaction of the Republican candidate for Edwards’ seat, attorney Shawn Lindsay, escaped the political norm.

Just after noon on July 6, Lindsay wrote on Twitter: “My opponent just quit his campaign. Now is the time to get on board. Please sign up now to volunteer and contribute.”

Two hours later: “Some Amazing News — My Opponent Just Abandoned His Campaign for Re-election.”

Ten days later, and still not a mention of support for the Edwards family.

A couple of days after the Twitter posts calling Edwards’ alleged family situation “amazing,” I talked to Lindsay. He said he was caught by surprise when he started getting phone calls from reporters asking about the new dynamic in the House District 30 race.

“I’ve heard lots of rumors that David Edwards’ heart was not in this race, that he was just holding this seat until they were able to find somebody to replace him,” Lindsay said.

So Lindsay doesn’t believe Edwards’ explanation for dropping out?

“I did not say that,” Lindsay said. “I take David at his word. If his wife is suffering, I wish him the very best. I have no reason to question his authenticity.”

Then why drop the word “if” in there? Why Tweet that the news was amazing, instead of sending a very public get-well card to the Edwards family?

“I did not even know the reason for his withdrawing until after I had posted that post,” Lindsay said. “And I am excited. My opponent withdrew. That’s a good news day. I’m not excited because of his wife’s health concern. I’m not celebrating that. I am celebrating I’ve got an upper hand now.”

Evidently they don’t teach tact in law school.

Edwards’ replacement on the Democratic ticket, longtime area teacher Doug Ainge, declined to comment on Lindsay’s reaction to Edwards’ family situation.

The addition of Ainge to the race brings an interesting new dynamic to an already-close election. Ainge doesn’t talk like a Democrat, saying he wants to shore up education budgets but emphasizing he wants to go through the budget line by line to find potential savings.

Ainge also brings tremendous name recognition. His son, Erik, was a star quarterback at Glencoe High School and the University of Tennessee before backing up Brett Favre and Mark Sanchez for the New York Jets. His brother, Danny, is the general manager of the Boston Celtics. 

“When times are tough, you put an Ainge in the game,” the Democratic candidate said.

Lindsay, on the other hand, is running in large part based on his opposition to Measures 66 and 67, which voters in District 30 supported.

Ainge declined to say whether he supported Measures 66 and 67.

“Questions need to be asked,” Lindsay said. “Where does he stand on 66 and 67? Where does he stand on land reserves? Where does he stand on prevailing wage?”

Ainge has a few months to figure out those answers. But for Lindsay, the bigger issue may be whether he’s capable of civility — even if it’s feigned — the next time the circumstances call for a politician to be magnanimous.

Readers can reach Nick Christensen at 503-214-1129 or nickc@hillsboroargus.com.