Why are Oregon Republicans so wimpy?

Kitzhaber is seeking 4th term            WaPo

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has done such a lousy job on his second go-around running this state that you would think Republicans would be eager to take on such a vulnerable incumbent this year.

But, no, Republicans are so afraid of losing the governorship yet again, that they failed to put forth a viable candidate.

Of course, the Oregon GOP is so fractured that it hasn't won any statewide election for years.

Still, Kitzhaber is sure beatable. Heck, even GOPer Chris "Airball" Dudley, a political nobody, nearly upset Kitzhaber in 2010.

Kitzhaber, a former emergency room doctor and the state's longtime leader in making health care accessible to all, completely botched the rollout of the Affordable Care Act through Cover Oregon, which still doesn't have a functioning website.

Plus, he wasted thousands on high-priced education "guru" Rudy Crew, who lasted long enough to get a better job at Medgar Evers College in New York.

Kitzhaber forced out the popular president of the University of Oregon, Richard Lariviere, because he gave professors raises.

This led UO to form it's own board to oversee its practices.

Kitzhaber's education initiative, to shepherd students from pre-K through college, is so unfocused and underfunded that it's essentially pointless.

With all these problems, Kitzhaber should be easy to defeat this time around.

Yet, Kitzhaber faces token opposition in the May primary against someone named Ifeanyichukwu C. Diru. Yeah, that's what I said.

He also faces token opposition in the general election when he runs against the likely GOP nominee, state Rep. Dennis Richardson, from southern Oregon.

Richardson is another anti-government extremist who is anti-gay rights, anti-public education except for arming teachers, and a devout Mormon. He'll win the Tea Party vote, but fail to win over many independents.

He's a perfect representative for southern Oregon, which wants to secede from Oregon and form the state of Jefferson along with some disgruntled counties across the border in California. Maybe Richardson can be Jefferson's first governor.

At least Richardson has a spine to take on Kitzhaber.

That says something about the current state of GOPers in Oregon.

In other words, they're wimps in "mom-jeans."