Just like much of the country, Oregonians are fed up with the Republicans and their harmful economic policies. Oregon Senate candidate Jeff Merkley is proud of the fact that Oregon is one of the states with the lowest approval rating of George Bush in the country. But Bush isn't the only Republican Oregonians are fed up with - it seems Republican Gordon Smith is facing his own devastating approval ratings. Only 38% of Oregonians approve of the job Republican Gordon Smith is doing. For an incumbent Republican, that is an astoundingly low approval rating. Oregon's other Senator, Democrat Ron Wyden, enjoys a 56% approval rating. More below the fold....
Full disclosure, I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley
While Smith has spent millions on negative attack ads and ads misleading Oregonians into believing he's some sort of moderate Republican, his numbers continue to slide. Obviously, Oregonians are not buying what the Smith campaign is selling. Considering Smith's approval rating dropped seven points since the last SUSA poll, it looks like all those millions spent aren't giving the Smith campaign the results they're after.
In other news, Republican Gordon Smith decided to skip out on the GOP convention this week. The Smith campaign claims that he had to ditch his party's convention because he'll be busy focusing on his campaign in Oregon. But, as far as anybody can tell, there have been no scheduled events this week. It's already Wednesday....how is the campaigning in Oregon going, Gordon?
Maybe it's time Gordon Smith come clean and tell Oregonians the truth. Smith didn't skip out on the GOP convention because he had to stay in Oregon and campaign. Obviously, that is not the case. Instead, Republican Gordon Smith is blatantly running away from the Republican brand in an effort to fool Oregonians into thinking he's not really a Republican.
Unfortunately for Oregon, Gordon Smith is a Republican. A big one! Gordon Smith voted for the Iraq War and has voted to keep the war going five times last year alone. Gordon Smith supports Bush's tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest among us while driving our country further into debt. Gordon Smith voted against raising the minimum wage six times and supports harmful trade deals that ship our jobs overseas. Gordon Smith supports economic policies that hurt the middle class and financially benefit industries like big pharma and the oil companies. No matter how hard he tries to run away from the Republican party, he is one of them and consistently supports their policies.
Just in case Gordon Smith decides to change his mind at the last minute and show up at the GOP convention, we decided we'd help prepare remarks for him. The Merkley campaign wrote a convention speech for Smith, using all his own words. Here are the prepared remarks ready for Gordon Smith to use if he so chooses:
Thank you all so very much. I'm very proud of you for being here. And I'm very grateful that you're here, because this event gives us a chance to come together.
It's very meaningful to have African-Americans support me because I view them as God's children, too.
The Democratic Party is not my constituency. These are people that believe in socialism. I don't.
My campaign people will kill me for saying this but, President Bush has set our country on the course of recovery at home and strength abroad. We are safer today because this president has had the backbone to follow terrorism where terrorists are and go after them, and they have failed to strike us again on our own shores since 9-11.
I believe when President Bush stood in front of ``mission accomplished'' on an aircraft carrier that, in purely military terms, the mission was accomplished.
And I for one am thankful that we have a military as capable as this, and a commander in chief that had the courage not to listen to Hollywood, or the New York Times, or the French.
It's not John Kerry's fault that he looks French.
George Bush understands what creates opportunity in America.
President Bush represents economic recovery and American leadership.
And, I'm for John McCain. I'm in his kitchen cabinet. I'm one of six senators on his advisory committee.
Thank you.
Something makes me think Smith won't take us up on the offer, but the speech is there for the taking if he wants to start showing his true colors again.
If you'd like to help oust Republican Gordon Smith and replace him with progressive Democrat Jeff Merkley, donate here.