Two Nerds, One Big Idea

Compromise and election-year messaging are often lightning bolts streaking in opposite directions. Congressional Republicans, intent on uprooting President Obama from the White House, have felt the tension. And so has Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, who teamed with House Budget Chair Paul Ryan on an improbable proposal to reform Medicare.

Congressional Republicans buckled to election pressures as they agreed to a compromise last week to extend a payroll tax cut, continue jobless benefits and block a Medicare fee cut to doctors.

But Wyden has no reason to buckle. A Democrat, he was re-elected comfortably in 2010 and remains one of Oregon's most popular political figures, in part because he is willing to work across the political aisle. Seeking bipartisan solutions on controversial issues is viewed today as the act of a political maverick in much the same way as Senators Wayne Morse and Mark Hatfield opposing the Vietnam War.

The Potomac Watch column in the Wall Street Journal ran a piece describing what it called the Democratic establishment's "War on Wyden” for his Medicare collaboration with Ryan. It noted New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called Wyden a "useful idiot" to Mitt Romney's presidential election bid. House Democrats, according to WSJ, "hissed the plan would end Medicare as we know it." And a former Senate staffer complained Wyden undercut a key argument for Democrats regaining control of Congress.

Even Ryan's Democratic opponent jumped on the pig-pile. The WSJ quoted Ron Zerban as saying Wyden's co-sponsorship of a Medicare plan with Ryan gave the controversial Republican political cover. Zerban added, "Wyden is no longer a Democrat."

Not following party orthodoxy is nothing new for Wyden. Branded a young liberal when he brashly defeated sitting Congressman Bob Duncan in 1980, Wyden immediately set about building a reputation centered on job creation (a new lock at Bonneville Dam) and health care reform. The former head of Oregon's Gray Panthers knew a lot then about the strengths and weaknesses of Medicare, gathered by talking personally with hundreds of men and women covered by Medicare.

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Wu's Woes Now Include Primary Challenger

Congressman David Wu (left) has a new political worry – a Democratic primary challenger, State Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, who has electoral experience and a statewide platform.Oregon First District Congressman David Wu has had a year he would like to forget and now may be facing a year he wish he could avoid with a formidable Democratic challenger.

State Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian announced his candidacy today, more than a year before the May 2012 primary, giving him plenty of time to swing away at Wu, as well as tout his own credentials. He is a former state senator whose district straddled Washington and Multnomah counties, where a Democrat must score big to win the seat.

Avakian also has shown himself adept in his current post of attracting publicity, most of it positive. Wu has gotten a lot of ink, too, most of it not so positive. The Oregonian has been especially relentless on his case.

Avakian may not be the only fellow Democrat to challenge Wu. State Rep. Brad Witt, who has a background in organized labor, has expressed interest, as have a handful of others who sense Wu's political vulnerability.

According to campaign records, Wu anticipated another serious Republican challenger and has hit the trail early raising funds for his 2012 re-election bid. But records show he has a lingering debt from last year's campaign. The beleaguered congressman also has to replace his campaign staff, which quit after he was re-elected last November.

It is too early to tell whether Wu is actually in political hot water. He won election over a credible GOP challenger by a comfortable margin. But post-election coverage has been a nightmare for Wu. With Avakian and maybe others in the race, Wu's nightmare just keeps getting scarier.