John Kitzhaber's political career in Oregon was characterized by his unwillingness to go negative against opponents. And just this cycle, he asked the Democratic Governors Association to pull an attack ad against GOP candidate Chris Dudley. But with Charlie Cook moving the race to toss-up category, and Dudley continuing to outpace in fundraising, Kitzhaber seems to be ready to begin defining his opponent. This is a good start.
“OK, the job is governor and you’re hiring.
“You can hire Chris Dudley who has never managed anything...Never tried to create jobs to help Oregon’s families...
“And never shown much interest in Oregon...Because Dudley lived in Washington to avoid paying taxes that support our schools and health care.
“Or you can hire John Kitzhaber, who spent his life working for Oregon- creating over a hundred thousand jobs and giving healthcare to thousands of children.
“It’s your hire but if we want to create jobs and create change...vote for someone who already has.”
There's a lot about Dudley that most Oregonians don't know (other than his lousy free-throwing ability), and the Kitzhaber campaign needs to start taking care of that. Dudley's lack of any kind of governing experience and Oregon tax evasion issues are good places to start. Here's the next one to highlight:
Dudley indicates that he is in favor of rolling back abortion access and supports restrictions to choice that Oregon voters have rejected on the ballot time and time again. And he also favors abstinence-only education -- a failed concept that has been proven to be unsuccessful and is only supported by 12% of all Oregonians.