Publisher’s endorsement of Hulshof is heartbreaking

by J Scott Christianson, Columbia Daily Tribune Columnist

My hat’s off to Tribune Publisher Hank Waters for writing the weakest endorsement of a congressional candidate I have ever read.

After providing a long laundry list of the bad policy decisions that Congressman Kenny Hulshof has made, Waters endorsed him in his Oct. 16 column using the best argument he could summon: “He is a good guy.”

I am less concerned about whether my representative is a good guy than about whether he will provide good representation and be a good decision maker. I want a good congressman! I want a representative in Congress who will not be a rubber stamp for his political party’s policies without thinking about the effect on the people he represents. I want a congressman who will provide oversight when the executive branch reaches too far and who will respect the independence of the judiciary. I want my congressman to respect the rule of law. I frankly don’t care whether he is a “good guy,” just whether he is a good representative.

But let’s just assume for a minute that being a “good guy” is the main quality you want in a congressman. Is Hulshof really a good guy? Based on his record, I don’t think so.

Does a good guy support a “stay the course” war policy when it is clear that the current course is leading to disaster? Does a good guy endorse illegal wiretaps? Does a good guy vote to support torture? Does a good guy vote to create the biggest…