To quote
these guys:
PORTLAND -- The gubernatorial primaries could get bloody, a fight is brewing over control of the Oregon Legislature, the hunt for signatures to get several incendiary initiatives onto the ballot is already under way and the possibility of a special legislative session to patch a gaping hole in the Human Services budget is looming.
And there's still 11 months to go until Election Day.
So what's shaping up in this little tree-huggin' state?
So, I lied. Lon Mabon has nothing to do with anything anymore. Though, he's still crazy after all these years.
Gubanatorial Primaries
The Players
- Current Governor Ted Kulongoski (D)
- Former Governer John Kitzhaber (D)
- Eugene Senator Vicki Walker (D)
- Former Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey (R)
- Republican Party Chair Kevin Mannix (R)
- Ron Saxton (R)
- Grants Pass Senator Jason Atkinson (R)
- Lars Larson (R-Wackjob)
How it all fits together
Kulongoski holds his own against the status quo, but hasn't done much to impress people. Kitzhaber, a former ER doctor and medical insurance and coverage activist has expressed interest in running, and the current $172 million debt in the Human Services (under which both the Food Stamp and Oregon Health Plan fall) budget may tip him towards running. Of course, if Kitzhaber doesn't run, Walker will, which leaves her senate seat up for grabs (Torrey has said he's going to run for that seat).
Mannix almost won Governor last go'round, and will run again. Saxton, who lost the 2002 GOP nomination to Mannix is giving it another try, and, because no nomination race is fun without three people playing, Atkinson wants to play too. Larson, our local version of Rush (the wackjob, not the band) really likes Atkinson.
When these guys (again) called it a "potential bloodbath", I think they were on-track.
Various Initiatives
- Initiative Petition #39: Term Limits
July 20, 2002 - A judge in Marion County ruled that Oregon's 1992 Term Limits law was
unconstitutional based on the Single Subject Rule, which requires initiatives to only address one subject a time.
The group, U.S. Term Limits has promised to push the issue in the upcomming elections. The original 1992 initiative passed with roughly 70% of the vote in favor.
- Initiative Petition #8 and #37: State Campaign Finance Reform
-
To quote the guys over at FairElections:
Oregon has no limits on political campaign contributions for any state or local race. None!
The result is that corporations dominate politics in Oregon. They outspend labor unions by 5-1 and massively outspend all other groups and causes put together, including those for more healthcare, environmental protection, human and civil rights, decent and living wage jobs for all, consumer protection, and sufficient funding for education and other needs. Corporations have pushed up the total reported spending on political races in Oregon from $4.2 million in 1996 to $49 million in 2002 - a factor of 12 in 6 years. Legislative candidates who spent more money won 91% of the time. 75% of the money came from only 1% of the contributors. Only 4% of the contributions were in amounts of $50 or less.
Inititave #8 is a Constitutional Ammendment, while #37 is a detailed statute. It should be noted that Oregon is one of the five states without current campaign finance limits on contributions or spending in place.
- ..and more
-
Also up of note,
- An initiative to elect State Supreme Court Justicies by district instead of state-wide
- An initiative to prevent the state from condemming property and turning that property over to private developers.
- FreedomWorks, out to put limits on state spending across the board is still poking at Oregon with a pointed stick curiously
- ..Multnomah County's 3-year income tax is set to expire, leaving things like school funding and county operations in limbo
- PERS (Public Employee Retirement fund) has some [sic] funding issues, as does the Human Services budget to the tune of $172 million.
The point? Don't forget to vote in 11 months, I guess. And try to be a little informed.