The Onion Declares Merkley "Weirdo Senator"

Parody worries about the senator's increasingly violent tendencies

By ANDREA DAMEWOOD

Describing Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., as a "loner" and a "weirdo," America's favorite parody site, The Onion, posted a "news brief" Sunday featuring Oregon's junior senator as someone his colleagues are worried about.

The story recounts the Democrat as a guy who hangs around listening to his headphones by himself near the Capitol building, and has "become increasingly violent and disturbing in recent months."

It also quotes Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said: "I asked him to insert an amendment on mortgage loan ratios, he just added a long paragraph about watching blood pour out of somebody's head. I'm starting to really worry about him."

A spokeswoman for Merkley's office emailed this response to WW: "The Onion got something right. Senator Merkley does like fighting… Fighting for Oregon's working families." (Oh, snap.)

This isn't the first time The Onion's taken on Oregon's top politicians. In 2010, the site posted one of our all time favorite entries—about Congressman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., rebuilding the entire U.S. government after the deadliest midterm in history. (Sadly, sources in DeFazio's camp say the representative never warmed to the post.)

Former U.S. Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., naturally also got some treatment over his tiger-costumed antics.

And we can only hope that someday one of our politicians can rise to the legendary status that is Joe Biden in The Onion.

WWeek 2015

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.