Some months ago I was helping this guy with his election and we were Chuck and Jeff, now it's a bit different, he's Senator Jeff Merkley (OR-D) and out there doing the things he said he would; not only for Oregon but the USA. If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Oregon's freshman Senator, make it happen. You will find a very intelligent, dedicated, and down to earth man - an Oregonian - prepare to be charmed.
MSNBC had our Senator on the Ed Show Thursday 4/30, take a look.
Sure, I'm a Democratic activist; but it sure is easy to support people like Sen Jeff Merkley.
Showing posts with label Jeff Merkley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Merkley. Show all posts
Friday, May 01, 2009
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
In Republicanland Lies and Stupidity Grow on Trees...
...and dollars flutter up into the plutocratic sky only to tinkle down later smashing socialist Muslim domestic terrorist anti-American liberal sympathizers under the magnificent rhetoric of the Alaskan Weatherlady. The Portland Fishwrapper touts the Republican Senator as a senior (56th) and bipartisan moderate who only votes 90% with Kinglette George II and hasn't seen a progressive domestic policy he couldn't pretend to support as he voted against it or environmental rapaciousness he couldn't back after decrying it. You might think there'd be an object lesson in the biggest fish kill in US history for Gordon, something along the line of, "hey, you can give farmers money in a drought but fishies ain't got no use for it - they just up an die." But Nooooooooo, that's an attack point he uses against his opponent.
After all this time you'd think one of two things would happen in the alternative reality called Republicanism; either they'd throw up from the cumulative effects of all the lying and stupidity or the citizens would get wise and it wouldn't work at all. So far the only ones getting ill are the ones who know the facts and give a damn that facts exist and considering that the two races prominent in this state nationally are Smith/Merkley and Obama/McCain and neither is a 20 point slam dunk for the Democrat - the lying and stupid is still working. By using the same metric on tax votes that the two Republicans do, Committee votes, Amendment votes, & etc. their records are probably more toxic. Oregon Republican Legislators are now having to run against the Oregon Republican US Senator's advertising on the sensible bipartisan Capital refurbishing bill they helped pass because the Oregon House Leader who treated their Caucus with respect is now running for the US Senate seat held by their fellow Republicanland resident.
The US Congress now needs to be investigated for anti-Americanism because a US Senator who isn't a brain dead Republicanland right winger from Minnesota is running for President. An Alaskan Governor who helped see to it that private enterprise from that State gives checks of $3200 to every Alaskan calls a Democrat a Socialist. The Repulicanland Governor of Federal Welfare Queen Alaska calls a Democrat a Socialist. The Party of Plutocratic Welfare, of Privatize Profit and Socialize Risk, of Corporatize Government...
The Socialized Investment Banks of derivatives and swaps greed head bust get big piles of investment money from...um...Insurance Companies...um...Health Insurance Companies...Socialized Medicine is a dirty word... This election is within single digits and that many won't look at the low hanging fruit on Republicanland trees and want to throw up? A women whose husband belongs to a secessionist Party and who has made herself valuable to that Party, whose founder died in an illegal plastic explosives deal gone bad, can seriously talk about someone's associations? Plastic explosives aren't used to deal with a gopher problem.
People with voluntary associations with anti-Semitics, witch doctors, end timers, and a host of intolerant hate mongering half wits get taken seriously on the national stage? These people think it might be a good idea to throw rocks at a black preacher who has stated that the US has acted badly at times? Now I don't want to beat a dead horse too hard trying to make him get up; but if you can't - at the drop of a hat - think of half a dozen really shitty things the US Government has gotten up to; you don't pay any attention at all. Now I may love my country and work really hard for its benefit - but that doesn't mean I close my eyes to its faults to make some jingoistic Pro-America noises.
Watch the crowds being whipped into a froth by McCain and Palin and take their economic measure. These are the people whose incomes and jobs have declined specifically due to the Republicanland agenda. They listen raptly to "class warfare" rhetoric being slung at the Democrats while they've spent the last 30 years on the losing end of class warfare waged on them by the very people they cheer. They espouse truly exotic and non-mainstream religious ideas and lose their minds over the word Muslim. Their lunatic fringe element of their fringe has committed more individual bombings, arsons, and murders than any other group in this country - and they're scared of foreigners...or Bill Ayers?
I'd really like to see a beating handed out on election day that would persuade most of the world and a bunch of people like me that sense actually does prevail with most Americans. Don't hold your breath and don't be satisfied with polls - work for it.
After all this time you'd think one of two things would happen in the alternative reality called Republicanism; either they'd throw up from the cumulative effects of all the lying and stupidity or the citizens would get wise and it wouldn't work at all. So far the only ones getting ill are the ones who know the facts and give a damn that facts exist and considering that the two races prominent in this state nationally are Smith/Merkley and Obama/McCain and neither is a 20 point slam dunk for the Democrat - the lying and stupid is still working. By using the same metric on tax votes that the two Republicans do, Committee votes, Amendment votes, & etc. their records are probably more toxic. Oregon Republican Legislators are now having to run against the Oregon Republican US Senator's advertising on the sensible bipartisan Capital refurbishing bill they helped pass because the Oregon House Leader who treated their Caucus with respect is now running for the US Senate seat held by their fellow Republicanland resident.
The US Congress now needs to be investigated for anti-Americanism because a US Senator who isn't a brain dead Republicanland right winger from Minnesota is running for President. An Alaskan Governor who helped see to it that private enterprise from that State gives checks of $3200 to every Alaskan calls a Democrat a Socialist. The Repulicanland Governor of Federal Welfare Queen Alaska calls a Democrat a Socialist. The Party of Plutocratic Welfare, of Privatize Profit and Socialize Risk, of Corporatize Government...
The Socialized Investment Banks of derivatives and swaps greed head bust get big piles of investment money from...um...Insurance Companies...um...Health Insurance Companies...Socialized Medicine is a dirty word... This election is within single digits and that many won't look at the low hanging fruit on Republicanland trees and want to throw up? A women whose husband belongs to a secessionist Party and who has made herself valuable to that Party, whose founder died in an illegal plastic explosives deal gone bad, can seriously talk about someone's associations? Plastic explosives aren't used to deal with a gopher problem.
People with voluntary associations with anti-Semitics, witch doctors, end timers, and a host of intolerant hate mongering half wits get taken seriously on the national stage? These people think it might be a good idea to throw rocks at a black preacher who has stated that the US has acted badly at times? Now I don't want to beat a dead horse too hard trying to make him get up; but if you can't - at the drop of a hat - think of half a dozen really shitty things the US Government has gotten up to; you don't pay any attention at all. Now I may love my country and work really hard for its benefit - but that doesn't mean I close my eyes to its faults to make some jingoistic Pro-America noises.
Watch the crowds being whipped into a froth by McCain and Palin and take their economic measure. These are the people whose incomes and jobs have declined specifically due to the Republicanland agenda. They listen raptly to "class warfare" rhetoric being slung at the Democrats while they've spent the last 30 years on the losing end of class warfare waged on them by the very people they cheer. They espouse truly exotic and non-mainstream religious ideas and lose their minds over the word Muslim. Their lunatic fringe element of their fringe has committed more individual bombings, arsons, and murders than any other group in this country - and they're scared of foreigners...or Bill Ayers?
I'd really like to see a beating handed out on election day that would persuade most of the world and a bunch of people like me that sense actually does prevail with most Americans. Don't hold your breath and don't be satisfied with polls - work for it.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Attack Politics
I've watched with interest over the past couple weeks as the media follows the campaigns and their statements. Their take on the issue seems to involve making some sort of balance out of the matter. The general theme seems to be that both campaigns are making attack statements; which is true as far as it goes.
The Obama campaign is hitting the line that McCain is Bush III and that he doesn't have a consistent stance. There is enough truth in this to pass the smell test, certainly exaggeration and cherry picking is involved, but within the range expected by voters. The McCain campaign has run with the same types of statement, although the truth content has been demonstrated to be low, and lower than voters generally accept. In this respect the media is quite correct in noting dual negativity, and correct in noting that Obama's volume exceeds McCain's.
Obama has stated quite baldly that the McCain camp has lied, and they have quite baldly done so. This is pretty personal and this is where the actual matter becomes messy and outside the media's balance. The statements about lies were laid onto specific statements which happen to have been exactly that - lies. If voters choose to carry that onto the candidate's character, they are free to do so. The contrast with the McCain campaign's rhetoric in regard to Obama's character is complete. The McCain object is to create doubt and fear with direct attacks on Obama's character, with an undercurrent of fear and race. This is the attack subset of character assassination, it asks voters to dislike a person, not policy or ideology.
I do dislike the McCain campaign, personally, and this is on the basis of their behavior in the personal regard. I strongly disagree with their politics and whatever their ideology is ( a label for it escapes me) but that is a different matter. It is personal enough that I would neither shake McCain's hand nor be cordial in the unlikely event we had close contact. He has become the sort of character I detest. Awhile ago that would not have been the case, I'd have been cordial and quite willing to talk politics - that doesn't mean he'd have liked it a lot. I consider these people to be colleagues in public service, whatever political disagreements exist, right up until they demonstrate a set of character flaws I cannot excuse or avoid.
I don't want Gordon Smith as my Senator and will work to get him out and replace him with Jeff Merkley. Gordon has pushed up against my limits with his ads, but my primary objection to him is his record and ideology. Some of my friends with similar views to mine may find that odd, but I am fairly forgiving of electoral necessity in others. I am willing to be careful in how I state things, but I won't mislead, but that is a personal decision - politically relevant to myself only. I would appreciate and state my appreciation for candidates who follow a similar line. In fact, Jeff Merkely gets my endorsement not only for is ideology and policy ideas, but also for the type of character he has demonstrated. Even if Jeff had followed Gordon's lead, I'd have backed him over Gordon, but with less pleasure. That is a simple matter of what is best for Oregon and the US.
You don't throw the laundry detergent through the window because it says, "New and Improved," on the bottle. It still works better than beating the clothes on a rock even as you understand that advertising isn't Truth. People give me grief for being Democratic, a partisan. I am admittedly that because the Democratic Party, for all its failings, has managed to be better than beating clothes on a rock.
The media balance on this is utter nonsense. You cannot lump apples and oranges together as fruits and maintain that they are the same thing in taste and texture or that disliking one means disliking the other. This is not balance, it is not fairness, it an illogical and politically driven theme. It is a statement on what ails the media and our public discourse. If it is raining it makes little sense to give credence to someone who says it isn't because they don't like it and anyone who takes that seriously is going to find themselves all wet.
The Obama campaign is hitting the line that McCain is Bush III and that he doesn't have a consistent stance. There is enough truth in this to pass the smell test, certainly exaggeration and cherry picking is involved, but within the range expected by voters. The McCain campaign has run with the same types of statement, although the truth content has been demonstrated to be low, and lower than voters generally accept. In this respect the media is quite correct in noting dual negativity, and correct in noting that Obama's volume exceeds McCain's.
Obama has stated quite baldly that the McCain camp has lied, and they have quite baldly done so. This is pretty personal and this is where the actual matter becomes messy and outside the media's balance. The statements about lies were laid onto specific statements which happen to have been exactly that - lies. If voters choose to carry that onto the candidate's character, they are free to do so. The contrast with the McCain campaign's rhetoric in regard to Obama's character is complete. The McCain object is to create doubt and fear with direct attacks on Obama's character, with an undercurrent of fear and race. This is the attack subset of character assassination, it asks voters to dislike a person, not policy or ideology.
I do dislike the McCain campaign, personally, and this is on the basis of their behavior in the personal regard. I strongly disagree with their politics and whatever their ideology is ( a label for it escapes me) but that is a different matter. It is personal enough that I would neither shake McCain's hand nor be cordial in the unlikely event we had close contact. He has become the sort of character I detest. Awhile ago that would not have been the case, I'd have been cordial and quite willing to talk politics - that doesn't mean he'd have liked it a lot. I consider these people to be colleagues in public service, whatever political disagreements exist, right up until they demonstrate a set of character flaws I cannot excuse or avoid.
I don't want Gordon Smith as my Senator and will work to get him out and replace him with Jeff Merkley. Gordon has pushed up against my limits with his ads, but my primary objection to him is his record and ideology. Some of my friends with similar views to mine may find that odd, but I am fairly forgiving of electoral necessity in others. I am willing to be careful in how I state things, but I won't mislead, but that is a personal decision - politically relevant to myself only. I would appreciate and state my appreciation for candidates who follow a similar line. In fact, Jeff Merkely gets my endorsement not only for is ideology and policy ideas, but also for the type of character he has demonstrated. Even if Jeff had followed Gordon's lead, I'd have backed him over Gordon, but with less pleasure. That is a simple matter of what is best for Oregon and the US.
You don't throw the laundry detergent through the window because it says, "New and Improved," on the bottle. It still works better than beating the clothes on a rock even as you understand that advertising isn't Truth. People give me grief for being Democratic, a partisan. I am admittedly that because the Democratic Party, for all its failings, has managed to be better than beating clothes on a rock.
The media balance on this is utter nonsense. You cannot lump apples and oranges together as fruits and maintain that they are the same thing in taste and texture or that disliking one means disliking the other. This is not balance, it is not fairness, it an illogical and politically driven theme. It is a statement on what ails the media and our public discourse. If it is raining it makes little sense to give credence to someone who says it isn't because they don't like it and anyone who takes that seriously is going to find themselves all wet.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Baker City Gets A Visit From Jeff Merkley
Friday evening Baker County Democrats held a dinner and speaking meeting for Rep Jeff Merkley as a part of his bid to unseat Sen Gordon Smith (OR-R). The meeting was attended by about 35 people including a couple Republicans and was deemed a success by everyone I was able to check with. Attendees were able to choose a no host dinner from a menu of 4 dinners and spend some informal time meeting Jeff personally. The candidate excels at this, it is easy to see that he enjoys people and that they matter to him as more than potential votes.
His speech covered a fair number of issues of which I'll highlight a couple, he personal story was given to show why it is that he is running and why he cares about what his policies cover. He is the son of a working man, primarily timber related and the first in his family to attend college. He worked for the Defense Dept as a specialist in nuclear weapons issues, as a Director of Habitat For Humanity before the Oregon House. He stressed his ability to get legislation accomplished, deservedly proud of that accomplishment. He believes NAFTA & CAFTA need to be renegotiated and that the tax structure surrounding offshoring needs to be fixed. He stressed that the National Security spending of the US is one of the gateways to improving US manufacturing if it is done here. He covered Health Care, agreeing with Sen Wyden on his Healthy Families Initiative as a gateway health care reform, noting that the status quo has strong reasons to work for the status quo.
Rep Merkley followed up the speech with a Q&A which was mostly about refining his speaking points, but in answer to a question of how often Baker City could expect to see him if he were elected, he noted that he had taken the same pledge Sen Wyden had to visit each of the counties each year with a Town Hall. He believes that if you intend to represent the citizens you need to hear from them.
Jeff Merkley is a comfortable speaker, his thoughts are organized and he is enthusiastic about them without bombast. He seems more saddened by the Rovian electoral behavior of Sen Smith than he is angered. He pointed up the inaccuracies and fake moderate guise of the Smith campaign without taking any real glee in their getting caught out at it. And, yes, they have been caught out by the media rather than just the Merkley campaign. Astonishingly to me, the Oregonian - ordinarily a Smith shill - has poked at Smith several times recently.
Polls are showing a tight race between the two, see-sawing the lead. Smith has more money than God himself, but he also has a voting record and as Jeff Merkley is better introduced to the state wide audience he should gain ground. Smith is regarded as handsome and he is fond of very expensive clothing and other externals but he is not comfortable with audiences - possibly a result of his patrician upbringing and lifestyle - an ordinary citizen of Oregon isn't exactly his metric.
Jeff Merkley has all the equipment to be a real leader in the US Senate, including the enthusiastic support of Sen Ron Wyden and he has all the attributes to be that leader for the ordinary citizens of our State and the Nation. Please remember that state wide campaigns are an expensive proposition and if we'd like to own our elections there is one indispensable tool, lots of small campaign contributions - there is a contribution box on my sidebar...
Friday, June 27, 2008
Voting Against Gordon Smith - Jeff Merkley
If you are one of those rare birds, a moderate Republican or moderate right independent, you might find yourself in the position of wanting to vote against Gordon Smith. I'd applaud that decision, he doesn't represent your point of view, his voting record says not. He is in fact a George W Bush lap dog and exercises his "moderate" stance only when his Party knows it doesn't matter to the vote total. He is allowed by the Leadership to "backslide" for left leaning Oregonian voters if they don't need him.
Many of you are finally angry about the corporatism and wealth favoring of the (R) brand, that is the pocket Gordon lives in. He's never seen an ordinary citizen bill he was in favor of, and if you live in OR, you are overwhelmingly in the "ordinary citizen" category. This is not a State of big money interests, not in any comparison to most of the country, our median income lags the average and our business sizes considerably lag the upper end. Our interests in truly big business come mostly in the matter of purchases, we aren't employed by them. When Gordon sides with the Bush faction he ignores the interests of Oregonians.
Jeff Merkley is Oregonian in view point, that is a consequence of his political history and personal history. His business dealings have been small, his contributors small, and as Majority Leader his focus was Oregon. You don't have to think too hard about what that focus means nationally, not that Oregon will get special treatment, but that Oregonian type interests will be served. Jeff certainly is not Republican, not previous incarnations and especially not the current ones, but he is quintessentially Oregonian. He is the guy a nail banger or logger or retailer might know and be friends with, that's his personality but more to the point, his background. It is unlikely a person moves greatly beyond their background, Gordon is wealth and privilege and shows no sign of thinking past that. Unless you're a real wheel, you wouldn't socially find yourself in the same room as Gordon - now or then. I'm not proposing the faux have a beer with George kind of thing, Merkley is the real deal.
I'm a Democrat, and I'm a left Democrat and I've been paying attention to politics for a long time so I don't easily get enthused about politicians. I look at them and take a pretty cold blooded assessment, and no, Jeff isn't as left as I am. That orientation is rare in this country and I don't expect it to be much reflected in politicians with any hope of election. Sometimes I find myself voting against a politician - generally Republican - rather than voting for one; not this time. Jeff Merkley represents what is good about the Democratic Party along with a practical turn of mind that means he can get things done. A frozen ideologue who can't get anything done is useless, maybe it would make for good TV, but that isn't the object of electing people. Jeff knows how to take stands and he's taken some strong ones, but he knows how to make things work. As House Leader Jeff has demonstrated this election cycle already - in Democratic electoral leads - just how successful he has been at reflecting Oregonians.
The Republicans in this State are in disarray, they are getting pounded badly enough that a lot of possible districts aren't being contested by them and they're in trouble in the ones they are contesting. This doesn't happen by accident, it isn't really a reflection of GWB's approval ratings, it is about approval of what the Democrats have done here. Here. Jeff Merkley, House Majority Leader. He gets things done, he gets things done Oregonians approve of, ask yourself how good that is for the nation as a whole to have Jeff Merkley bringing that to national politics.
I have that Jeff Merkley ActBlue button on my sideboard and I'm proud to have it there. I'm proud that the Merkley campaign considers my respect and advocacy of value to them because I seldom give this level of support to any politician. I am a Democratic Party of Oregon functionary and I do work for Democratic politicians pretty much as a matter of course, this is more than that. This isn't a matter of a generalized our guy versus theirs, this is a matter of Jeff Merkley can be a real good Senator, bringing to the US Senate the things about Oregon that are good and right. Jeff Merkley isn't a little better than Gordon Smith with a different ( ) after his name, Jeff Merkely is better than most candidates anybody is running anywhere for any office from any Party. That's strong language - it's merited.
***Use that button - this stuff doesn't happen for free, ya know***
Merkley for Senate
Many of you are finally angry about the corporatism and wealth favoring of the (R) brand, that is the pocket Gordon lives in. He's never seen an ordinary citizen bill he was in favor of, and if you live in OR, you are overwhelmingly in the "ordinary citizen" category. This is not a State of big money interests, not in any comparison to most of the country, our median income lags the average and our business sizes considerably lag the upper end. Our interests in truly big business come mostly in the matter of purchases, we aren't employed by them. When Gordon sides with the Bush faction he ignores the interests of Oregonians.
Jeff Merkley is Oregonian in view point, that is a consequence of his political history and personal history. His business dealings have been small, his contributors small, and as Majority Leader his focus was Oregon. You don't have to think too hard about what that focus means nationally, not that Oregon will get special treatment, but that Oregonian type interests will be served. Jeff certainly is not Republican, not previous incarnations and especially not the current ones, but he is quintessentially Oregonian. He is the guy a nail banger or logger or retailer might know and be friends with, that's his personality but more to the point, his background. It is unlikely a person moves greatly beyond their background, Gordon is wealth and privilege and shows no sign of thinking past that. Unless you're a real wheel, you wouldn't socially find yourself in the same room as Gordon - now or then. I'm not proposing the faux have a beer with George kind of thing, Merkley is the real deal.
I'm a Democrat, and I'm a left Democrat and I've been paying attention to politics for a long time so I don't easily get enthused about politicians. I look at them and take a pretty cold blooded assessment, and no, Jeff isn't as left as I am. That orientation is rare in this country and I don't expect it to be much reflected in politicians with any hope of election. Sometimes I find myself voting against a politician - generally Republican - rather than voting for one; not this time. Jeff Merkley represents what is good about the Democratic Party along with a practical turn of mind that means he can get things done. A frozen ideologue who can't get anything done is useless, maybe it would make for good TV, but that isn't the object of electing people. Jeff knows how to take stands and he's taken some strong ones, but he knows how to make things work. As House Leader Jeff has demonstrated this election cycle already - in Democratic electoral leads - just how successful he has been at reflecting Oregonians.
The Republicans in this State are in disarray, they are getting pounded badly enough that a lot of possible districts aren't being contested by them and they're in trouble in the ones they are contesting. This doesn't happen by accident, it isn't really a reflection of GWB's approval ratings, it is about approval of what the Democrats have done here. Here. Jeff Merkley, House Majority Leader. He gets things done, he gets things done Oregonians approve of, ask yourself how good that is for the nation as a whole to have Jeff Merkley bringing that to national politics.
I have that Jeff Merkley ActBlue button on my sideboard and I'm proud to have it there. I'm proud that the Merkley campaign considers my respect and advocacy of value to them because I seldom give this level of support to any politician. I am a Democratic Party of Oregon functionary and I do work for Democratic politicians pretty much as a matter of course, this is more than that. This isn't a matter of a generalized our guy versus theirs, this is a matter of Jeff Merkley can be a real good Senator, bringing to the US Senate the things about Oregon that are good and right. Jeff Merkley isn't a little better than Gordon Smith with a different ( ) after his name, Jeff Merkely is better than most candidates anybody is running anywhere for any office from any Party. That's strong language - it's merited.
***Use that button - this stuff doesn't happen for free, ya know***
Merkley for Senate
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