SIEU, et al., targeting Walden on SCHIP

While I agree that Walden should be hit on this (0.00 / 0)

and numerous other issues, I find it interesting how almost all progressives are going tong and hammer over the SCHIP veto which expands lower income uninsured children programs through increasing tobacco taxes, yet more than a few are also attacking Measure 50 which will cover kids not now covered by taxing tobacco... because to do so is not at all progressive and as such be voted down.

cheers,

Mitch Gore

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by: lestatdelc @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 19:41:53 PM CDT

Why Walden? (0.00 / 0)

Are we putting a strong candidate up against him? Softening up for two to four years from now?

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by: James X. @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 19:59:30 PM CDT

I was hoping that Westlund would have run against him (0.00 / 0)

instead of running for State Treasurer.

cheers,

Mitch Gore

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by: lestatdelc @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 20:11:37 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'm hoping a Sal-Peralta type (0.00 / 0)

candidate will emerge to at least give Walden a run for his dirty money

50. State. Strategy.

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by: Nation of Laws @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 22:59:33 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sorry... (0.00 / 0)

... I only tilt at one or two windmills per election cycle. 

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by: Sal Peralta @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 23:01:31 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I said "type" - unless you live in (0.00 / 0)

Eastern Oregon!

Seriously, there HAS TO BE at least one progressive in Eastern Oregon who wants to go to Congress.

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by: Nation of Laws @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 23:03:57 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Walden put his seat in play with SCHIP (0.00 / 0)

He is handing us a big opportunity.  We need to make the most of it.

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by: Nation of Laws @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 23:05:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

What you need... (0.00 / 0)

... is someone who can self-finance their campaign.  The Dems just won't invest money there.  Someone like Harry Lonsdale, but 20 years younger and a little less left-leaning.

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by: Sal Peralta @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 23:05:54 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Who runs the Deschutes County Dems? (0.00 / 0)

Would that person be a good candidate?

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by: Nation of Laws @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 23:13:51 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

For what it's worth... (0.00 / 0)

... I've heard that you guys in Deschutes County have a great candidate for state rep in the bend area heading into 2008.  You might want to consider getting behind her.

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by: Sal Peralta @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 23:19:53 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

And hey... (0.00 / 0)

... thanks for the compliment!

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by: Sal Peralta @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 23:08:40 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Stop With False Tobacco Industry Frame (0.00 / 0)

What's more important protecting children or protecting the Tobacco industry? Studies have concluded that every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes will reduce youth smoking by seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by three to five percent.
Puleeeze!

We need a billionaire to self fund a campaign against Walden. 2 to 3 million just to rough him up and a candidate might get to 40%. Folks over here think he's just the greatest guy.
I could envision a commercial that has him in a sheep costume that morfs into a wolf while in the background a narrator states his Bush licker voting record.

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by: phastphil @ Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 23:58:41 PM CDT

oh for chrissakes (0.00 / 0)

Doesn't somebody want to take a run at Walden?!  There's got to be someone who's up for it.

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by: Nation of Laws @ Thu Oct 11, 2007 at 00:10:25 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

If you think it's been bad (0.00 / 0)

then run a Peralta and see just how bad it actually can get.  This place is going to probably take 2 cycles and a lot of money AND the right candidate.  Folks like Westlund know that and know what the personal cost would be, not to mention being back out of politics for the rest of a cycle.  Somebody will step up and we'll give it another shot.

Democratic Primaries out here are rough, there's not much money and a huge area to cover and a big chunk of the Dems don't bother, as far as I can tell passing on it as hopeless.  That puts the Primary in the hands of the regular voting activist side of the Party and their candidates have a difficult time resonating with General voters against a well financed say nothing incumbent.  Appealing in the General as a Democrat doesn't mean being republican light, but it does take a different approach and it hasn't been done.  Walden gets the same pass from the R leadership that Smith does on votes that're already locked, so he can pretend to pay some attention to 2CD.  Life's been tougher for him with the R lock gone, but they can't afford to screw up a solid district.

We have enough difficulties out here without Sal Peralta adding to them.  Thanks anyhow Nation.  You must be unacquainted with Sal's politics.  Or unacquainted with 2CD.  A sick Donna Nelson has nothing to do with a Greg Walden and the 2CD isn't someplace else.  If that's your idea of help, please don't.

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by: Chuck Butcher @ Thu Oct 11, 2007 at 03:34:06 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

It's about finding a candidate (0.00 / 0)

with energy and enthusiasm, like Sal.  I would anticipate that any D running in 2 CD would run to truly represent the interests of those that live there, without trying to force some progressive frame where it is not appropriate or does not work.  I want someone who believes that he or she can do a better job for 2 CD, and of course will not play the corrupt under-the-table secretly-destroy-the-ESA, jawbone-Karl-Rove, etc. shell game. 

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by: Mission Accomplished @ Thu Oct 11, 2007 at 10:43:45 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

lol... (0.00 / 0)

... what you know about politics, let alone my politics, would fit in a thimble.

When you start to realize that one of the  biggest problems you have in the 2nd CD is your own attitude, you might begin to open your mind, adjust your thinking, and start helping people win some races.

Here's a big clue:  Your insular and tribal approach of demonizing Republicans, or anyone who disgrees with you, on a few issues, may work if you are part of the majority party.

It's a sure path to repeated electoral defeat if you are not.

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by: Sal Peralta @ Sat Oct 13, 2007 at 20:08:41 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Walden Is Safe (0.00 / 0)

I hate to rain on this parade, but no matter how good a candidate the Democrats put up, Walden will be re-elected simply because he is a Republican. For most folks in the 2nd District, voting Republican is a religion. I believe the last time the district sent a Democrat to Congress was back in the 1930s. Unless (a) another cataclysm like the Great Depression strikes, (b) there's a seismic demographic shift in the district or (c) Walden is caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy, he is safe.

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by: dartagnan @ Fri Oct 12, 2007 at 12:04:26 PM CDT

At this point he is, (0.00 / 0)

What it will take is either a complete mis-step on his part or a Democratic Congress that does things the 2 CD likes along with the right candidate.  Yes, a lot of folks out here have swallowed hook, line, and sinker the R framing of ideologies, but they have had plenty of help from Democrats.  I've tried to help address that part (Sal hasn't liked some of it) and the 2 CD Primary voters have chosen the candidates they have chosen.

No large Dem Party organization is going to look at this District as worth dollars for the off chance of putting a dent in Greg's numbers.  County Parties and interested partisans plug along and it does get a little lonely (whine).  It would help if elected Democrats in the rest of the state made very public efforts to fold the interests of the 2nd into their policies and votes.  I do mean very public.  I include bragging about it after the fact.

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by: Chuck Butcher @ Fri Oct 12, 2007 at 15:50:48 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

A Case for Redistricting? (0.00 / 0)

Aren't Republicans currently packed into a single, uncompetitive district where opposition politicians are deterred from running? Can't the same be said of Democrats in other districts? Wouldn't redistricting, pouring some of the Democrats from other districts into OR-2 and pouring some of OR-2's Republicans into more Democratic districts, help make all the districts a bit more competitive? Wouldn't that be a good thing?

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by: James X. @ Sat Oct 13, 2007 at 17:10:41 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

You're missing the point (0.00 / 0)

The boundaries of these districts were not designed to put them into play.  They were designed to give an electoral advantage for the party creating the districts.

In any given electoral cycle, fewer than 10 percent of districts are competitive at the state and federal level -- gerrymandering is the biggest reason for that, and it's why secretary of state is such an important office in Oregon.

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by: Sal Peralta @ Sat Oct 13, 2007 at 20:15:34 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Then replace one gerrymander with another (0.00 / 0)

If we're acting from a purely partisan perspective, I'm sure Democrats could make OR-2 a lot more competitive for Democrats without jeopardizing Democratic control of neighboring districts much.

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by: James X. @ Sun Oct 14, 2007 at 02:49:45 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Act Blue pressuring GA-8 Bush Dog Democrat with $10K local ad (0.00 / 0)

Ad here.

From the Act Blue website:

We accept a lot of excuses from Democrats, but this is a bright line. Blue America and Blogpac are holding Jim Marshall in Georgia's eighth accountable. We began with calls to his district (and four other districts of Bush Dog Democrats that voted against SCHIP), which has prompted two primary challenges so far against Marshall. And now we're going to place this ad in a local paper, to ensure that his constituents understand just how unprincipled he has been.

From the email sent out by Jane "FireDogLake" Hamsher and Matt "MyDD" Stoller:

We placed similar calls into Bush Dog Democrat Baron Hill's district (IN-9) and were all set to run an ad in his hometown paper when he publicly declared he would change his vote just yesterday.

We can make a similar difference in Marshall's district today.

Agreed, it's going to be tough to find any leverage against Walden on the SCHIP vote in the short run. On the other hand, there's a special circle in hell for the Democrats who back Bush's veto on this one.

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by: nothstine @ Fri Oct 12, 2007 at 14:02:19 PM CDT

Lemmings (0.00 / 0)

By way of Daily Kos, Stu Rothenberg in his Roll Call article "Have the Republicans Picked Another Losing Fight on SCHIP?" writes:

So what advice would this Republican give his party's Members of Congress? "If I were in a swing district, I'd vote to override. There's no way I'd take a bullet on this. But if I were in a good Republican district, I'd vote to sustain the veto."

Pity poor Greg Walden: On one hand he's got brand loyalty and an ideology that's unremittingly hostile to the middle and lower class; on the other he's got a district full of people who actually need the service provided by SCHIP.  What's a Republican to do?

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by: nothstine @ Mon Oct 15, 2007 at 09:19:53 AM CDT