The Republican's plan to conclude September with a flourish of legislative activity was almost comical to behold. Both unable and unwilling to do anything meaningful on immigration, they passed another 700-mile fence to nowhere and never had the Conference Committee meet, despite the fact that both the House and the Senate had approved their separate immigration bills months ago. Any "credit" that the Republicans could have hoped to achieve evaporated with the press surrounding Bob Woodward's new book on the Bush Administration disarray in Iraq, not to mention the revelations about former GOP Congressman Mark Foley that drowned out everything else.
As I started a swing of four Congressional districts over four days in four different states in the Northeast, it was hard to imagine a worse set of circumstances for the Republicans. These four candidates I was traveling to support, all non-incumbents, exemplified why there is an excellent chance to change the control of Congress in the next session.
I started the trip with New Jersey Assemblywoman Linda Stender, seeking to represent a district through the middle of New Jersey. The incumbent, Republican Mike Ferguson, has among other failings, an undistinguished environmental record that is getting worse the longer he serves.
I was part of an environmental press conference that highlighted Linda's outstanding grasp of the issues and commitment to the environment. In this difficult district, Linda has successfully mobilized public support, generated money and made it a very competitive race. It was with her that I first saw the swell of the public reaction to Foley and the dissembling on the part of the GOP leadership.
My next stop was with Chris Carney who is running against Don Sherwood in northeastern Pennsylvania. Chris is a university professor who is also a Commander in the Naval Reserve and an expert on terrorism. Chris and his wife of 19 years and five children could not be a better contrast to the district's 12 year incumbent, Don Sherwood. Sherwood gained national notoriety when his mistress called 911 after locking herself in a bathroom, claiming that Sherwood had been choking her. She subsequently sued him for $5.5 million, settling out of court with undisclosed terms. Sherwood was almost defeated in his Republican primary by an opponent who ran virtually no campaign other than she was not Don Sherwood, hypocritically running on family values and then failing to live up to them.
In this extraordinarily strong GOP district, Chris has been shown with a modest lead in the latest polls. I witnessed the enthusiasm and the energy as we worked with his dedicated staff and volunteers. The irony continued when House Majority Leader John Boehner visited the district for a cocktail party fundraiser at a local Country Club as Chris and I were discussing the problems of the GOP leadership. We pointed out that it would probably be a better use of the GOP leadership's time to get their stories straight and protect the young people in the page program than to engage in another political fundraiser.
The next day I was in New York with Mike Arcuri, an impressive three-term prosecutor running in a district represented by moderate Republican Sherry Boehlert, who is not seeking re-election. The Republicans have been throwing everything at Mike in a desperate attempt to hold on to the seat. Mike's proven credentials dealing with sex abuse investigations and sexual predators give him the skills to help deal with an appropriate resolution to the current problems in Washington.
In addition to working on his campaign, we had a terrific event in Caroline, New York with local activists whose homes are all "off the electrical grid" by using locally produced solar and wind power. The community has terrific plans for the future of energy independence and was able to highlight opportunities for the Federal government to be a better partner.
Day Four was in Vermont where State Senate President Peter Welch is working hard to retain the seat being vacated by Bernie Sanders (an odds-on favorite to be elected to the US Senate). Peter and I had a series of events, including a fantastic forum on agriculture with Vermont farmers deeply disturbed by current policies and who are working hard on a vision of a sustainable farm future. We obtained great advice on ways the Federal government could make a difference for them, both policy guidance and practical advice. One highlight was a tour of an energy efficient digester to recycle animal waste.
We dined on a terrific lunch of Vermont farm products as we gained a deeper understanding of the challenge that small northeastern farmers face, it was fascinating how that information paralleled what I have been hearing from local Oregon farmers.
After a series of stops along the way, we concluded at Middlebury College for an environmental forum (that coincidentally included some Oregon students and family members that were there for Parents Week). After that, I took Peter over to Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont, also in Middlebury, I took off the tie I was wearing, looked at the toll free number on the label and called the company from the car and warn them we were coming. Actually, it was a good thing that we warned them, because the president of the company was a staunch Republican who only reluctantly sold me another tie, but the dozens of people who worked making and distributing the ties were very enthusiastic about the Welch campaign. I ended up betting the owner one bowtie that Peter would win the election - more incentive for me to help our outstanding candidates.
While the news was filled with the growing finger-pointing, charges and countercharges about the Foley scandal, I could not help but think of the article in the New York Times titled "New Campaign Ads Have a Theme: Don't Be Nice." The article pointed out while Democrats have concentrated on the political records of Republicans, the Republicans have zeroed in more on candidates personal backgrounds.
Tom Reynolds, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), said his investigators have been delving into the lives of prospective Democratic challengers since the summer of 2005. "These candidates have been out there doing other things, they have never seen anything like this before," Mr. Reynolds said and he promised, "We haven't even begun to unload this freight train."
Democrats are learning just how deep the Republicans have been digging. I could only think that if Mr. Reynolds had spent less time digging for dirt on the personal lives on Democratic candidates, and more time dealing with what he and his staff knew about some of their own candidates, he and the GOP leadership could have been spared a lot of grief with this storm of outrage about Foley. It seems incredible to me that the head of the NRCC would be in the chain of information before the House Page Board or the House Ethics Committee. I was in Mr. Reynolds district when he had his bizarre press conference, surrounded by dozens of children in the arms of their parents, shielding Reynolds from reporters asking him tough questions. Maybe if he had been asking tough questions about his own colleagues and tough questions to deal with the Page Program, he wouldn't be in this fix in the first place.
Despite how interesting and important the campaign swing was, it was good to return home, arriving just in time to take part in the Greek Festival Friday night. Nothing is better for the soul than a quintessential Portland community experience.