You knew it was a match made in eco-heaven when the ever humorless New York Times reported why the happy couple were drawn to each other: "Their relationship was based on a shared passion for a low-carbon energy future."
The couple in (considerable) question? Oregon's now former governor, John Kitzhaber, and his fiancée Cylvia Hayes, environmentalist and lobbyist, not necessarily in that order. As a result of the scandal that now has engulfed both, the governor is no longer governor and Ms. Hayes is no longer an environmental "consultant." She is now under investigation by both federal and state authorities, accused of using her influence with the governor to advance her own interests.
Ms. Hayes' record abounds with dubious deals. For example, after accepting $25,000 in "consulting fees" from a leftish group called Demos, she promptly began holding receptions at the Governor's Mansion to promote one of its favorite ideas--the Genuine Progress Indicator as an alternative to the staid old measurement known as the Gross Domestic Product. (The idea was borrowed from that center of Progressive thought, the Kingdom of Bhutan.) She also accepted a six-figure "fellowship" from another leftist lobby in exchange for unspecified services, whereupon the group's leader was named the governor's highest-paid aide.
Somewhere along the way Cylvia Hayes also took a few thousand bucks to act as the bride in a proxy wedding to an Ethiopian who was interested in becoming a permanent U.S. resident. Oh, yes, she also got involved in an illegal marijuana-raising scheme.
Let's just say none of this looked good for the governor or his inamorata. We're not sure whether their love story now seems more sordid or comic, but it would make a great television series. If it hadn't already been made--and aired to rave reviews.
It was called Portlandia.
Editorial on 03/07/2015