Here in Oregon, the Smith Campaign has a Pinochio problem. Gordon Smith aired yet another, misleading and deceptive campaign ad. Republican Gordon Smith wants YOU LIBERALS to believe that he's:
A) A champion for gay rights
B) A champion for women's health care
C) An anti-war hero
D) An opponent of oil drilling
Full disclosure, I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley
Gordon Smith has aired a ton of ads cozying up to Democrats claiming to be some sort of moderate Republican. His electioneering is amusing considering Smith himself said, "The Democratic Party is not my constituency. These are people that believe in socialism. I don't."
Back when the Smith Campaign released their first ad using Elizabeth Furse, there was a lot of push back against the ad because Furse claimed that Smith was, "one of the first," to oppose the Iraq War. When Oregon Democrats united against her false claim, Furse came out in the Oregonian and said she, "Misspoke." She misspoke? In an ad? Didn't she read the script when she READ the script?
Apparently, misleading Oregon voters in one ad wasn't enough for Elizabeth Furse, the Smith Campaign dropped another ad using Furse in an effort to deceive Oregonians AGAIN. Check out the new ad released by Smith:
What are those principals you're talking about Elizabeth Furse? Did Gordon Smith stand by his principals when he voted to amend the constitution to ban gay marriage? Did Gordon Smith stand by his principals when he voted twice against making HMO's cover outpatient surgery for childbirth and mastectomies and casted the DECIDING vote to kill the 1998 bill? Did Smith show his support for women's health when he voted multiple times to overturn Roe v. Wade?
Elizabeth Furse claims that Gordon Smith's integrity and honesty are good for Oregon. In the ad Furse also claims that Smith opposed drilling in ANWR. Was Gordon Smith honest with Oregon voters when he told them he would not vote to drill in ANWR? NO! Once Republican Gordon Smith won reelection, he broke his pledge to Oregonians and VOTED TO DRILL. Twice.
Lastly, Elizabeth Furse claims that Republican Gordon Smith was one of the first Republicans to stand up to Bush and oppose the Iraq War. Not True. Make no mistake about it, Republican Gordon Smith has supported the Iraq War from the beginning and continues to vote to fund the war. In fact, in 2007 alone, Smith has voted to continue the war five times.
In honor of Elizabeth Furse and Gordon Smith, I'm going to ask you to throw in for Jeff Merkley. Right now, the Blue America PAC which consists of the blogs Firedoglake, DownWithTyranny, Crooks and Liars and Digby, are holding an online contest for their five endorsed Senate candidates. All of the candidates are very deserving of netroots support, but I'm going to ask you to pull the lever for Jeff. We're in a close race with Gordon Smith and he's got a war chest that is hard to compete with. For just one dollar, you can vote for Jeff and help him win this contest.