I first heard of Congressman David Wu when he gave his infamous Klingon speech on the House floor in 2007. A Star Strek fan, Wu compared President Bush to the fact-challenged, ideology-driven Klingons. And now that Wu is in the news for his struggle with mental illness, this little anecdote is frequently brought up again. Because of Wu’s obvious political weakness, he has drawn an unusual, strong primary challenge from Oregon’s Labor Commissioner, Brad Avakian. I have been disappointed to hear little support for David Wu and his progressive credentials. Should mental illness really disqualify someone from public service?
David Wu represents a part of Portland and most of northwest Oregon. When Wu first narrowly won the district in 1998, it was a swing district. The district has moved left since then. In January, the Oregonian released a story about Wu’s bizarre behavior just before last november’s election. He talked his way through TSA at the Portland airport, delivered an inappropriate speech to local Democrats, and mostly alarmingly, sent emails to his staff pretending they had been written by his children. After he was reelected, many of his staffers resigned. Since then Wu has given an interview on Good Morning America to apologize for his unprofessional behavior. He has sought help from mental health professionals. He attributes his behavior to the stress of a recent marital separation, raising his children on his own, and leading a competitive campaign. Frankly, his story is convincing.
The American public loves to hate Congress, but our representatives work exceedingly hard. Who does not sympathize with a single father whose job takes him clear across the country for half the year? Congressman Wu has reportedly struggled with his mental illness for many years, and this was just the latest flare up. For 12 years he has served the public admirably. It goes to show that mental illness does not incapacitate an individual, and those who suffer from mental illness can even succeed in society on a grand scale. I think Congressman Wu deserves a second chance.