Over the past week, community conversations inside Rep. Cliff Bentz’s district have centered around the question, “Did Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario) fail Oregonians when he voted against the certification of Pennsylvania’s electoral votes?”
Yes, he most certainly did.
It was enough for us to answer that question, knowing that Bentz—our new representative in the 2nd Congressional District, who himself was elected in this same election cycle that far too many Republicans decry as “fraudulent” and “suspect”—had decided to play along in this political game that now has deadly ends in the United States Capitol. But that is not the only reason for us to give a big fat “boot” to Bentz after his first week in Washington, D.C.
In a report in the Malheur Enterprise, titled, “Bentz’s effort to dump one state’s presidential results rested on 10,000 votes never counted,” Bentz said his decision to object to Pennsylvania’s votes rested on a concern about some 9,428 mail-in votes that were postmarked by Election Day but were received in the days following. Because the issue of these ballots was so contentious, Pennsylvania did not include them in the count that it ultimately sent to Congress, and Biden still won that state by roughly 80,000 votes.
“Bentz said in the interview that he wasn’t aware the votes hadn’t been included in Pennsylvania’s totals. He acknowledged that had he been successful in his challenge, his questioning of about 10,000 uncounted ballots would have overturned the results of voting by nearly 7 million people,” the Enterprise reported. Bentz countered by saying his judgment was that Pennsylvania had violated the Constitution.
Bentz’s reasoning for taking a stand against the will of the people was based on incomplete information—based on an objection to some nearly 10,000 votes that were set aside anyway—and ultimately in opposition to the findings of elections officials in every state, further fortified by the 59 of 60 election-related cases the president and his lackeys lost in state courts.
Should we chalk this up to our new member of Congress’ freshman-legislator ignorance? Or can we attribute it to a freshman Republican trapped in a party hell-bent on stoking fear and misinformation, to the point of leaving out crucial details during their pre-voting deliberations on Jan. 6? Either way, this is not the leadership from elected officials that Oregonians deserve.
We believe that the ignorance Bentz claims could very well be feigned. We also believe Republican party leaders, ahead of Wednesday’s deadly violence, were so emboldened by the support they were receiving about their baseless and dangerous assertions of voter fraud that they thought it perfectly OK to gloss over the important detail about Pennsylvania’s contentious votes being set aside to preserve overall voter integrity.
While we hardly find occasion to give nods to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, we find it telling that even he—who could earn the title of Obstructionist in Chief for his work —could not bring himself to take a stand against a legal, free and fair election.
Bentz, who continued on the path of sowing uncertainty about our electoral process, failed Oregonians on Jan. 6. In addition to the ire of his constituents, Bentz may now face the wrath of a corporate America, where more companies are vowing to withhold campaign contributions to objectors as the days go on.
It’s no longer a question. Cliff Bentz failed Oregon.
This article appears in Jan 13-20, 2021.
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Cliff Bentz is clearly in over his head. Plus, he doesn’t give a shit about the 37% of the Second District voters who didn’t vote for him. Especially voters who live in Deschutes County. I would not be surprised if he didn’t open an office here. And, the remaining 63% will learn soon enough that he doesn’t give a shit about them either. He will screw them over just like Trump screwed over the people who voted for him. So, essentially, the vast Second District is without any effective representation in the House of Representatives. But he’ll be a reliable vote for corporate campaign contributors. And I am sure the white supremacists Oathkeeepers and Three Percenters can count on him. After one week in Congress he sounds dumber than the dirt that makes up 99% of the Second District.
Why would anyone be surprised by Bentz….. he got elected because he’s a “Trump Humper” plain and simple. Deschutes County should try to get out of the Second District ASAP!
The Malheur Enterprise article (link below) makes for interesting reading. Regardless of whether Mr. Bentz was truly ignorant of the 9,428 Pennsylvania votes (hard to believe of a lawyer with his years of experience in discovery and evidence) or whether he used them as a convenient excuse to support the seditious attempt to overthrow a legally-held, democratic election, there is an even bigger problem. He admitted in the article that he saw “no evidence” of election fraud involving mail ballots, voting machines, or restrictions on election observers. He voted to disenfranchise millions of legal votes because “you’ve got to stick with your principles.”
This man’s principles should trigger appropriate sanctions from the Oregon Bar Association and the US House of Representatives, and should cause Second Congressional District voters to bring his political career to a screeching halt if he chooses to run again in 2022.
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/01/cliff-bentz-says-he-acted-on-principle-in-vote-to-throw-out-some-presidential-ballots.html
This is not the first time Cliff Bentz enabled and flirted with extremists. During the multiple illegal walkouts recently staged by Oregon State Senators and led by Bentz and Brian Boquist, the militia groups the III%ers and Oathkeepers echoed Boquist’s threats against police sent to bring them back to Salem. (“They should send bachelors and come heavily armed.”) Reddit administrators quarantined the subreddit forum known as The_Donald for publishing these threats.
I found no reporting that indicates Bentz disavowed or denounced any of this incitement to do bodily harm.
Will the GOP allow itself to become the political arm of violent extremists?
Because of the walkouts, the Oregon legislature was unable to advance bills dealing with gun safety, wildfire and forest management, disaster relief and emergency preparedness, behavioral health services, public safety, and housing and homelessness. Bentz’ main objection–the cap and trade bill to reduce carbon emissions–was cheered on by Ash Grove Cement, an Eastern Oregon mercury polluter that donated $18,750 to his campaign fund.
“In addition to the ire of his constituents, Bentz may now face the wrath of a corporate America, where more companies are vowing to withhold campaign contributions to objectors as the days go on.”
Here’s thought: why don’t we limit the amount a corporation can give to a politician? Take the big money out of elections.
In the months leading up to the 2020 general election, it was clear that now-congressman Bentz was not the dynamic candidate OR-2 needs or deserves. He ran a “aw-shucks-good-ol’-boy” campaign that would appeal to the rural areas of the district—which probably got him elected but also has relegated him to back-bencher status in Congress. He is even less of a leader than former Congressman Walden, which says a lot. And at his age he won’t be around long enough to develop the relationships and seniority necessary to do the things our district needs. Further, if he failed to recognize that the 9,000+ votes in dispute in Pennsylvania wouldn’t overturn the state-wide results, he’s either in over his head intellectually or just a craven political hack.
That said, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee missed a real chance to flip this increasingly blue district. Bentz is a weak candidate, and any change in congressional district boundaries in the next year might render him weaker. the DCCC would do well to get busy on this task—a young and energetic candidate might well render Bentz a one-term congressman.