A meeting between GOP Senate hopefuls in Oregon and a Portland newspaper turned heated as one candidate called out a reporter for writing “blah blah blah” in his notepad, which ultimately led to the Republican’s dismissal.
First spotted by Jim Romenesko, reporters with the Willamette Weekly, an alternative weekly, met with Oregon Republican Senate hopefuls looking for an endorsement from the paper. The meeting, however, got intense when Mike Callahan caught reporter Nigel Jaquiss scribbling “blah blah blah blah” while another Senate hopeful, Jo Rae Perkins, was speaking.
Perkins was addressing the group via telephone.
“I see what you’re writing there. You just wrote down ‘blah blah blah blah’ for everything that Jo Rae said,” Callahan told Jaquiss. “Jo Rae is a respectful woman. Why are you not respecting her by writing ‘blah blah blah blah’ in your notepad?”
As Callahan continued to protest, the group’s moderator attempted to direct the conversation away from the reporter’s antics by asking for his views on climate change.
“It’s a myth,” Callahan responded immediately.
“Where are you on the Easter bunny?” Jacquiss then provoked.
Callahan did not take too kindly to the reporter’s ribbing.
“Are these really the questions that I was called here to answer?” he asked. “I called you out for putting ‘blah blah blah’ on your notepad, and now you’re asking me questions like this? Really? Really? Are we talking about this now? How about you ask a very serious and respectful question instead of asking a little childish question?”
The moderator then interjected and threatened to kick Callahan out of the meeting if he didn’t allow him to ask the other candidates about climate change.
“And if you’re not going to let me, I’m going to ask you to leave, OK?” the moderator said. “That’s two strikes.”
Callahan, however, grew even angrier.
“Who do yo think you are?” he replied before being asked to leave.
Callahan managed to get the last word upon exiting, though, as he called the newspaper and its staffers “disrespectful, thin-skinned liberals.”
Callahan faces a crowded field in the May 20 Republican primary. He ultimately did not receive Willamette Weekly’s endorsement.
Watch the exchange between Callahan and Willamette Weekly staff below. The heated dialogue begins at 1:06:15.
US Senate from wweek.vimeo on Vimeo.
