Are you interested in putting more *progressives* in the US Senate in the upcoming election? Would you like to double your impact thru a matching contribution? If so, read on!
For the past 12 years, Oregonians have been cursed with a do-nothing Republican Senator who currently polls at under 50% approval. His name is Gordon Smith and his list of legislative accomplishments in the US Senate is as meager as his committment to George bush is great.
Following the Democratic landslide of '06, Smith furiously tried to create the appearance of distance between himself and the Bush administration without actually distancing himself in a meaningful way. He's a pretend 'independent' Republican Senator who 'independently' votes with George Bush approx. 90% of the time. He's sort of like a dumber, more inactive and almost-as-insulting-to-your-intelligence version of Norm Coleman.
To refresh your memory, Gordon Smith crawled out from under Jack Abramoff's rock shortly after the '06 elections and declared, after 3 years of lock step support of the Iraq War:
I, for one, am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way being blown up by the same bombs day after day. That is absurd. It may even be criminal. I cannot support that any more. I believe we need to figure out not just how to leave Iraq but how to fight the War on Terror and to do it right.
Needless to say, he hauled off and did absolutely nothing to investigate the possible criminal behavior he spoke of. It was nothing more than a sham designed to dupe his voters into thinking that he had developed a backbone. He pretended that he would stand up & represent Oregonians (and Americans) when in fact, Smith went right back to supporting big oil, big pharma, big telecom and other monied interests that aren't even located in Oregon.
This is not the first time he has attempted to dupe his voters into thinking he's a 'maverick' who does something other than what Bush tells him to do. Arguably, his ability to pull the wool over the eyes of Oregonians is his only real skill.
You may have heard about his ridiculous campaign advertisements this season where he cuts-and-runs from mentioning the fact that he's a Republican and talks up his work with Sen. Obama. He even talks up his work with Sen. Kerry who, in '04, he accused of looking 'French', thereby insulting our intelligence yet again.
Smith cares about nothing more than keeping his job. I suspect it's because he knows his profound lack of accomplishments in DC make him useless to even the most 2nd rate lobbying firms and as a result, he'll be forced to rejoin the family frozen vegetable business in a part of Eastern Oregon that doesn't even have many golf courses at which he can show off his $1,250,000 golf clubs(no, that's not a typo).
I could rage against Smith all day. Like about the fact that when you call his office to ask his position on a controversial piece of legislation, he never has one (even minutes before a vote). Or the fact that, as a rule, he simply approves every Bush judicial nominee - regardless of how ill-suited they may be for the bench. Or the fact that the national debt exploded as he sat (doing nothing, as usual) atop his perch of the the Senate Finance Committee's Subcommittee on Long Term Growth and Debt Reduction. Or the fact that he seems to be hiding from his own constituents like a cut-and-running fool.
However, this diary is actually about a progressive who stands a very good chance of replacing Smith in the US Senate next year. That progressive is Jeff Merkley, the Speaker of the Oregon State House. I’m not sure if there is a more progressive candidate running for US Senate this year with the possible exception of Al Franken, so if you want to support progressive candidates in this election - especially candidates for the US Senate in totally winnable races - get on board this high-speed train because we’re riding it all the way to DC!
The Oregonian, Oregon’s largest daily newspaper, called Jeff’s most recent session as Speaker of the Oregon State House, "Oregon’s most productive in a generation."
Among Merkely’s accomplishments are:
• Creating a ‘Rainy Day’ fund to shield schools and other state services from getting hit in the next recession.
• Increasing educational funding
• Increasing funding for Oregon Universities, Colleges & Community Colleges
• Standing up for consumers by taking on payday and car title lenders who have since dramatically reduced their presence in Oregon.
• Implementing a ban on junk food in Oregon schools (takes affect in ’09)
• Led historic bipartisan ethics reform to ban gifts from lobbyists, close the revolving door for legislators, and restore the independent Ethics Commission.
• Led the charge on passing Oregon’s domestic partnership law & championed a non-discrimination lawensuring that no one in Oregon can lose their home or be fired from their job just because of their sexual orientation.
In summary, he kicked ass as Speaker of the Oregon State House. Imagine how much Oregonians & Americans could accomplish with an actual legislator in the Senate instead of an animated cardboard cutout like Gordon Smith who just wastes oxygen and plays dress-up maverick!
Merkley plans to be a co-sponsor of Senator Ron Wyden’s (D-OR) Healthy Americans Act. As an enthusiastic user of Universal Health Care in Japan, I'm not completely sure of this particular plan, but I can say with absolute certainty that Gordon Smith will do NOTHING about fixing health care in the US.
Jeff Merkley is one of only 3 Senate candidates to endorse the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq
Jeff Merkey is also a strong advocate for the environment and energy independence. Watch him discuss the issue & describe his 'green' accomplishments in the Oregon House when he spoke on the Netroots Nation ‘Energize America’ panel.
It’s time that we replace Gordon Smith with a true progressive. If replacing Bush 'yes-men' is going to happen in any state, I’d say Oregon is a very likely candidate this year.
And that is why I’d like to close this by asking my fellow Oregonians & my fellow Kossaks for contributions. I am planning to contribute up to $1,000 in matching funds for people who will drop by my Actblue page and contribute to the next Senator from Oregon, Jeff Merkley.
Any assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated! This seat is within our reach. If you want another Feingold-like Senator, please open up your wallet and let's roll to Victory!