Columnist Lou Brancaccio suggests that Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, with a strong election victory behind her, will become a “player” in the U.S. House of Representatives. Like Mr. Brancaccio, I have tried to observe Herrera Beutler’s leadership skills over the past 10 years. This is not easy, however, because she rarely speaks unscripted in public.
Fortunately, The Columbian releases its editorial interview every two years where Herrera Beutler is forced to respond to tough questions. If you watch this interview, you can see that she is an uncomfortable public speaker and that her knowledge is superficial. What we see now is what we have with Herrera Beutler. If she can’t spontaneously voice her positions to her local constituents, you can be pretty sure that she is inarticulate in Congress. She may have good collaboration skills, she may run a decent congressional office, but she does not possess the gravitas to be a prominent leader.
