From the Oregonian this week we learned that the Republican Party in Oregon is even worse off than nationally. To quote:
The Oregon Republican Party has hit the financial skids, facing more than a quarter-million dollars in debt and an IRS lien for failing to pay payroll taxes.
Yes, things are so bad they can't even make their payroll taxes! While,officially, it is because an "irresponsible" person no longer with them did not send in the forms. The money was instead spent on party activities. That's their story and they are sticking to it!
Gordon Smith, our erstwhile pseudo-moderate Republican senator must have felt a little quiver of trepidation upon seeing this information made public. An already hard re-election campaign has just been made even more difficult! More over the fold...
First, let me share some of salient points from the article "GOP check wasn't in the mail":
The bad financial news comes as the party is struggling to recruit candidates for open statewide posts. It also comes during a presidential election year when state parties are called upon to help deliver votes in November.
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According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, the party had $35,850 in cash on hand in its federal political action committee as of the first of the year and $263,930 in debt. The state PAC had about $42,000 in cash on hand, according to a report filed with the state Elections Division.
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The growing debt, Hyder said, is the result of a steep drop in donations. Not enough money has been coming in to run the party's office, which includes three full-time employees and the certified public accountant recently put on contract.
Folks, El Gordo's time in office serving BushComay have just haditsleaseon life shortened. Those are some terrible numbers.
We Dems have twostrong candidates in the primary ready to take on El Gordo: the establishment choice, State House Leader Jeff Merkley and iconoclast and true maverick Steve Novick, along with several other minor candidates. Merkley has the party behind him, and is a good guy. He would make a fine senator, much better than El Gordo.
Novick is a character, at 4'9" with a hook for a left hand, yet still very accomplished. He graduated from the University of Oregon at 18 and then attended Harvard Law. As Sourcewatch notes he has quite the resume:
In 1981, after low funding caused Novick's junior high school to close, he enrolled at the University of Oregon. After graduating at age 18, he attended Harvard Law School, earning a Juris Doctor at age 21.
Novick is an attorney and former US Department of Justice litigator. He began his law career arguing on behalf of the EPA, culminating in the Love Canal case, on which he served as lead counsel. Returning to Oregon, Steve worked as policy director for Tom Bruggere's 1996 Senate bid. He then served as chief of staff to the Democrats in the Oregon State Senate from 1997 to 1999.
Subsequently, he was Executive Director of the Center for Constructive Citizen Action, which spearheaded the fight against Bill Sizemore's Measure 91, which would have cut the State budget for schools, health care and public safety by more than 20%.
Here is a recent Harper's interview with Steve, in which he states about El Gordo:
...we know he’s vulnerable because Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, recently commissioned a poll that showed that I had drawn within six points of him already, 45-39. At this stage, when a lot of people still don’t know much about me, those are extremely worrisome numbers for an incumbent.
And his progressiveness comes through in these statements:
Those are key issues. We need to build an economy that works for all of us, not jut the richest one-tenth of one percent, and we need a health care system that gives everyone access to health care, and we need to control health care costs. As far as the overall economy is concerned, I think our goal should be a modernized version of Dwight Eisenhower’s economy. In the ‘50’s, we made investments in infrastructure and education; we had strong unions fighting for a fair share of the pie for working people; we had a strongly progressive tax system.
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So let’s pass the Employee Free Choice Act to restore a real right to organize. Let’s raise money from a progressive tax system to make investments in infrastructure and education; but instead of the infrastructure for a fossil fuel economy, build it for a post-fossil fuel economy. High speed rail between cities, mass transit within cities. New power transmission lines from Wyoming to California, and the Dakotas to New York, to take full advantage of our wind power potential. Replace thousands of crumbling school buildings with new, energy-efficient ones.
On health care, I like Edwards’ and Kucinich’s plans. There’s a strong argument for single payer, and if we were starting from scratch, that’s where I’d be for sure. And if it gets to the floor, I’ll vote for it.
Steve's ads have already garnered widespread attention both inside and outside Oregon for their originality and humor. The first makes light of his height, and the second, which has been called "brilliant", has a literal "hook". They are well worth watching, as they give you an idea of the quirky and intelligent man that Steve seems to be.
And if you want to get Steve's message out even further, here's his ActBlue page.
I lean towards Steve, because he would be far more entertaining and I believe he would be more progressive. But if either of them can unseat El Gordo, that is one more in our quest for 60. I'll help whomever wins the primary, and am hoping that our presidential candidate's downticket strength will help overcome El Gordo's incumbency.
Boy, am I looking forward to getting this year's ballot in the mail!