OR-Sen: Bush Republican Gordon Smith Is Panicking

We've been voting here in Oregon for a week already, and most of the political attention in our state at the moment might be focused on one certain race.  There's been plenty of attention focused on that one, and that will certainly increase as we get closer to May 20 when our votes are finally tallied.  But there's another major, major, major race here this year, also - we have a great opportunity to finally rid the United States Senate of Gordon Smith, an infamous Bush Republican who likes to pretend that he's a 'moderate' (yeah, and I'm the Pope...).

So now we know why Gordon Smith is trying to manipulate the outcome of our Democratic Primary by releasing attacks against Jeff Merkley -

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Oregon voters finds Smith leading Jeff Merkley by just three percentage points, 45% to 42%. In late March, he enjoyed a thirteen point lead. In February, he was ahead of Merkley by eighteen points.

Bush Republican Gordon Smith has already made it clear that he's very afraid (he's petrified!) of having to face our Democratic Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives Jeff Merkley, and Smith has already tried to manipulate the outcome of our Democratic Primary by releasing attack ads against Jeff.  I won't link to that ad for obvious reasons, but sarahlane published an excellent diary on this right here yesterday.

And the truth is, Smith has every reason to be afraid of Jeff Merkley.

There are roughly 3,421,399 reasons right here in Oregon (and over 300,000,000 reasons in the US...) why we need a proven progressive fighter like Jeff Merkley in the United States Senate, working for all of us.

Jeff's already proven that he can work with anybody to get things done for all of us.  Leading the Oregon House over the last legislative session with the slimmest of possible margins - he solidly held together a diverse group of legislators from all backgrounds, and led one of the most progressive legislative sessions in Oregon history.  Jeff Merkley is a proven leader, and he has the experience necessary to serve us effectively here.  He's already proven what he can do in office.

A few highlights -

Healthier food options for our children in Oregon Public Schools -

Hoping to reverse the growing problem of childhood obesity, the Oregon House voted Tuesday to ban the sale of most junk food in public schools starting in fall 2008.

That means goodbye to candy bars, sugary colas, high-fat chips, oversized slices of pepperoni pizza and other high-calorie snacks.

Assuring that future problems won't be pawned off on those of us who can least afford it -

"Because of today’s vote, Oregon is poised to finally end the cyclical ‘boom and bust’ pattern that has made Oregon one grand casino and our fellow citizens unwilling gamblers for the last two decades," said State Representative David Edwards (D-Hillsboro), who made the case for Democrats on the House Floor. "No longer will the fate of our economic stability rest largely on speculation and chance. No longer, in periods of recession, will the system continue where our most vulnerable citizens—children, the elderly and infirm, the working poor—suffer because of drastic cuts to essential public services when times are tough."

Taking down the "Payday Leeches Lenders" who prey upon the working poor -

"We’re celebrating the departure of Check Into Cash, which is checking out of Portland," Merkley says. Because of a cap on interest that payday lenders can charge in Oregon—it’s 36 percent now, as opposed to the previous 300 to 500 percent annual interest, thanks to state legislation Merkley spearheaded — "they say they just can’t squeeze enough profit out of Oregonians," Merkley says.

Back in Newark, NJ, where I'm originally from...these 'people' wore jumpsuits and broke thumbs.  Throughout the rest of the country, they wear suits and pose as respectable 'businesspeople'.  They're one and the same, though...and it's about time that somebody stood up for working people and took these bastards down once and for all.

Jeff Merkley will take this issue national, too -

Merkley championed the cause against scurrilous predatory lenders in Oregon by passing the Predatory Lending Cap Act, which imposed a 36 percent interest rate cap on state-regulated consumer loans, and the Check Cashing Fairness Act, which placed strict limits on check cashing fees.[1]

"The Bush economy is squeezing more and more families to the brink forcing them into the hands of loan sharks," said House Speaker Jeff Merkley. "Payday lenders are profiting off of innocent families who need help. We must change the system in Washington D.C. to protect families from predatory loan scams and get our economy growing again. In Oregon we took on the powerful predatory lender lobby and won. We need leaders in Washington D.C. to stand up to these big special interests and do what's right for families."

The Greenest Legislative Session in decades, and a long overdue revision to our Bottle Bill -

Although the law is still working well, it is not fully keeping up with changes in the beverage world and the economy. Recycling rates, although still very high, are reduced from where they were a decade ago. Many new beverages line the store shelves that carry no refund value, even though they are sold in containers similar to beer and soft drinks. These teas, juices, waters, and other beverages are more likely to be littered or thrown away since they are sold in single-serve convenience packaging, are frequently consumed on the road or away from home and carry no deposit incentive for redemption. In addition, inflation has reduced the value of the deposit making it less of an incentive to reduce littering and waste.

The 2007 Legislature took note of all these changes and passed legislation that adds water and flavored water containers to the bottle bill, beginning in January 2009, and establishes a task force to study what further changes may be needed (see fact sheet titled "The Expanded Bottle Bill").

The Oregon Family Fairness Act, attempting to ensure basic civil rights to all Oregonians -

The Oregon Family Fairness Act, Oregon’s domestic partnership law, was passed in 2007 by the Oregon Legislature to provide the legal protections necessary for families to care for their loved ones. This legal recognition keeps children safe in the event of crisis, brings financial and emotional security, and strengthens our community as a whole.

While domestic partnerships are not the same as marriage, they do provide a way for committed same-sex couples to protect and care for the people they love.

Unfortunately, for right now that one's currently under attack by the forces of hatred and intolerance which sadly exist everywhere in the US these days...

Just a bit about who Jeff Merkley is -

Merkley deserves a "great deal of credit" for Democratic gains in the 2004 elections and winning back the majority in 2006, Tresidder said.

Then Merkley managed to keep the 31 House Democrats unified in the 2007 session, when only one defector could cost the caucus its majority needed to pass bills.

"The legislative achievements of the last full session were really quite awe-inspiring," said Kevin Looper, executive director of Our Oregon, a liberal political group backed by public employee unions."With a one-vote majority, you’ve got to have a velvet hammer. "

And there's also this -

Neither of his parents went to college, but Merkley's father pressed his son to set his educational sights high. And Merkley did. He excelled in math and science and got accepted to Stanford -- a rare feat for a David Douglas kid. He majored in international relations and soon felt the tug of politics. He took a year off to work at various internships in Washington, D.C., intrigued by the newly inaugurated President Carter.

He studied international law of the sea. He went door to door to promote energy conservation. Later, he would use his connections and political credentials to land fellowships and jobs that took him into the bowels of the Pentagon, to Brussels, Belgium, on an assignment with NATO and into the cubicles of the Congressional Budget Office. By then, he was writing reports on U.S. and world nuclear weapons capacity.

[...]

Schwartz, who has remained close with Merkley, says he barely recognizes him in news stories about the campaign. He's anything but "establishment," Schwartz says.

"Given his national security background, given his academic pedigree -- if this is a guy whose objective was to make a career in politics or to make a buck, he had plenty of potential. Instead, he comes back to Oregon and works for Habitat for Humanity.

"That doesn't happen by serendipity. That's a conscious choice.  I'm scratching my head, wondering who are they reporting about? It ain't Jeff."

A list of some organizations who stand with Jeff Merkley -

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555
International Longshore and Warehouse Union
Oregon AFSCME Council 75
Oregon AFL-CIO
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 97
Oregon State Association of Electrical Workers
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 48
American Federation of Teachers-Oregon
Exterior & Interior Specialists Local 2154
Council for a Livable World
Oregon Small Business for Responsible Leadership
Citizens for Global Solutions
American Nurses Association
Oregon Nurses Association
Service Employees International Union
The Sierra Club
Basic Rights Oregon
Planned Parenthood
eQualityGiving
Oregon Machinists Council

And also, every single Democrat in the Oregon House has endorsed Jeff in this race.  The people who know him best.  

Every. Single. One.

..........................

Help us end Gordon Smith's Reign of Error in Washington!

We can donate or sign up to volunteer for Jeff Merkley here, and help send a proven progressive fighter to Washington for all of us!

Jeff's latest endorsement is from 21st Century Democrats -

The 21st Century Democrats, a national grassroots organization that supports candidates who fight for working families in the tradition of Paul Wellstone, endorsed Jeff Merkley's campaign for U.S. Senate. Founded to give progressive and populist candidates the support they need to win elections, 21st Century Democrats has grown to become one of the largest political action committees in the nation.

"21st Century Democrats don't make endorsements lightly, particularly in contested Democratic primaries," said Mark Lotwis, the Executive Director of the 21st Century Democrats. "But this Senate race is a real opportunity to defeat an entrenched Republican in Gordon Smith, who consistently works against our core values of universal health care, a clean and sustainable environment, living wages and secure jobs, and fair taxation.

"Jeff Merkley has been a leader for progressive values in Oregon and a fighter for working families. 21st Century Democrats enthusiastically supports Jeff's campaign because Jeff brings the courage and skill needed to take our nation in the right direction."