It's been an interesting 2009 for me already; if you thought I couldn't get any more left wing, you'll be surprised to know I got drastic and broke my right arm, just to burnish my credentials. I'd like to say I broke it while canvassing or phone banking for measures 66/67 (ballots in the mail today, folks!), but truthfully it was stepping on a friend's wet porch to watch football. (no the TV was not on the porch; you know what I mean.)
With one arm, I'm doing a lot of reading-not-replying to e-mail, and since I've largely given up on the Democrats and have unsubscribed from their very insistent pleas for money and attention, Republican e-mail is now a bigger chunk of the pile.
Speaking of piles, I got a new one from Oregon Republican chairman Bob Tiernan, who seems very excited about both the (dwindling) prospects for defeat of 66/67, and the general fortunes of the party in 2009. Take a look:
Republicans, nationally and in Oregon, are in a far stronger position than we began 2009. The latest Gallup poll shows that "Conservatives finish 2009 as No.1 Ideological group"! In the past year the Republican National Committee, the Oregon Republican Party, county central committees and conservative candidates have all worked hard to promote Republican principles and prepare for the opportunities of this mid-term election cycle. I share Speaker Gingrich's assessment of the prospects for our party and the role of our national leadership in making this happen. Take a look at this story in yesterday's Los Angeles Times. Take heart America, the Republicans are coming! [emphs mine]
As we have seen in 2008, being a "Democrat" doesn't necessarily make you a "liberal." and while major retrenchment in the Republican Party before the 2008 elections has caused more of the Republican Party to be "conservative," (the rest becoming disgusted independents or even Democrats for the elections), neither are those two labels equivalent, and Bob Tiernan knows it. If anything, the backlash among conservatives against members of the establishment GOP portends more worry, not less--although it's certainly true that the far right is the most fired up for elections at this time, and Democrats are in a funk.
But put aside his conflation of Republicans and conservatives, and simply evaluate the strength of his assertion that Oregon Republicans are in a far stronger position in 2009. Since we know that nonaffiliated voters, the third largest chunk of the state electorate, are fickle voters and if anything tend to lean Democratic for candidate elections, one can only assume that Tiernan must be presiding over a great surge in Republican identification in the state, portending a huge electoral shift in the governor's race and Legislature this fall.
Of course, that's easy to check: here's what the state elections division has to say about registration in January of last year compared to November, the last month for which data are available. Assuming there has been no mad rush of Republicans to their registrars in the last six weeks, you have to wonder what Tiernan is talking about:
---------
Jan-09
Dem 930,761, 43.22%
GOP 693,346, 32.19%
Nov-09
Dem 892,260, 42.92%
GOP 666,758, 32.08%
---------
Oh my God, look at that! The Democrats have lost almost 40,000 voters from their rolls just since 2009 began! I certainly understand that; I'm one of them, having returned to the Working Families Party after 2008. And their share of the electorate is off a full 3/10 of one percent! How can you ever hope to win anything in this state with just 42.9% of the voters as opposed to 43.2%?
The Republicans have also lost many voters, although as with Democrats this is generally a natural occurrence after a presidential election year. Starting with a smaller base, their losses are also smaller --something less than 30,000. and their share of the electorate has fallen as well, albeit by just 1/10 of 1%.
So relative to Democrats, if you get out the microscope the GOP has indeed made "gains" in Oregon, on the order of about 10,000 voters out of 2.1 million-- leaving the Democrats a mere 225,000 voters ahead in registration.
But the statements we are evaluating, if we recall, are that Republicans are in a "far stronger position" and "are coming," somewhere. If they're coming to Oregon, they haven't bought a ticket yet -- because in the last year their presence in the state has not only not grown, it has shrunk: the bottom line is that a smaller percentage of Oregonians are registered Republicans than started the year. Hemorrhaging more slowly than the other party is not typically something calling for champagne and pate', but it's been a tough great year for them, so I guess we can give them a break. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Oregon Republicans: Excitedly in Reverse for 2010!
I get the feeling he thinks he's capitalizing on a tea party zeitgeist of which he would be a natural leader, and he must seize the moment personal circumstances be damned--but this is really not a good way to announce your candidacy for governor:
Sizemore filed Monday to seek the Republican nomination for governor, to the surprise of GOP political insiders. Sizemore didn't return a call for comment, but he did release a statement to NW Republican saying he was willing to challenge a court order enjoining him from raising or spending money in politics. [emph mine]
"And I promise I will fight this scurrilous double murder charge, AND keep an honest and positive outlook on my race for all Oregonians." You have to go back to Olmert in Israel, with the "If I am indicted, I will resign" line--but hell, Sizemore's gone waaaay beyond simply being indicted. In any case, the line is surely an announcement and epitaph in one, for half the production cost. Carry on.
A small morsel of Friday political amusement, as I continue to recover from an accident involving rain, embedded rail lines on Portland's Central Eastside, and a motor scooter: check out the lead to the latest missive received via email from our friends at the Oregon GOP, as expressed by ORP Chair Bob Tiernan:
“The House vote on Saturday is disappointing for Oregonians as Nancy Pelosi, Kurt Schrader, David Wu, and Peter DeFazio ignored the concerns of voters and rammed a trillion dollar 1,990 page government-run health care bill through Congress, ignoring pledges of transparency and bi-partisanship. Oregonians for generations will be forced to deal with the consequences of this legislation that increases health care costs, increases taxes on small businesses and the middle class, cuts Medicare and puts a Washington bureaucrat between you and your doctor.
“Last Tuesday, the American people made clear at the polls that they oppose bigger government, more spending and higher taxes, but this is exactly what they are getting with this new government-run health care legislation. Kurt Schrader, David Wu, and Peter DeFazio chose to vote with their liberal buddies in Washington rather than in the best interest of their constituents back home, and this vote will not be forgotten by Oregon voters in 2010,” Chairman Tiernan concluded. [emphs mine]
Blah blah, ho hum, totally expected--the ORP is trying to make the case that those liberal overreachers from the Democratic side of Oregon's delegation are running afoul of their constituents, and risk their elephantitis (on several levels) in the next election. As an aside, is it just me, or does the use of the phrase "liberal buddies" conjure an image more reflective of a beginning swim class? "You can't swim in section 2 without a liberal buddy!" OK, maybe it's just me.
But anyhow, what might the discerning reader notice from this screed? Isn't someone missing? Don't we in fact have FOUR Democrats representing us in DC? They've got Schrader on there, natch--he's by far the most vulnerable member of the federal delegation, although that's doesn't necessarily mean he's truly vulnerable (and now would be a good time to offer published thanks to Schrader for getting the daily double "No on Stupak, yes on HCR" vote right). DeFazio's there too, and I'm sure despite the flameout of Sid Leiken they'll come up with someone to challenge him. David Wu isn't necessarily anyone's favorite in OR-1, but his district keeps getting bluer and legitimate challengers from the right fewer (Perhaps you could move one district over and try again, Mike Erickson!)
Of course, the Congressman-Who-Apparently-Shall-Not-Be-Mentioned is Earl Blumenauer, OR-3 and the LEAST vulnerable member of Congress from Oregon, even more so than Greg Walden. Is this by accident? I suppose it's always possible, but that's a harder case to make when he omits Earl twice in two paragraphs.
No, there's likely a more calculated reason he's not there, and I've already mentioned it: there's not a chance in hell Earl is losing his seat next year, not even if Brandon Roy retires and declares as a Republican. (Joel Przybilla, maybe!) The email, while in newsletter format--there are pictures of Walden with the troops, and reprints of the latest Gallup claiming a generic GOP voter advantage nationwide--is at its root a fundraising vehicle, but there's no vehicle the Republicans own that can drive Blumenauer out of office.
And they know it, apparently. Maybe I should applaud their sense of reality, but it's a rather striking thing to not even TRY to fundraise off the votes Blumenauer casts. Obviously they think they can't say about his constituency what they're trying to say about the others--that they'll be upset about the House vote for health care reform. And just as obviously, they're almost assuredly correct.
But is there any evidence that they're fundamentally closer to being right in the other three districts? All three are Democratic-leaning in their registrations, Schrader at +23,000, DeFazio at +39,000, and Wu now at a whopping + 57,000 according to last month's tallies by the Elections Division. (Of course those are not locked-in votes for the Democrat, but they're even less locked in for a Republican). And if they simply follow the mood and inclinations of the greater national electorate, they're much likelier to be on board with the Dirty Three, than they are upset with them.
I guess admitting 12 months out that you're probably screwed in all four districts was just too much to face for Tiernan and the GOP--but they've already come to terms with the idea that Oregon's largest city and country are not only infertile ground, they're fields not even worth rhetorically tilling. It's a start.
Senator Atkinson will primarily focus on the health and well-being of his family in the coming weeks and will make an announcement when the time is appropriate.
"Stephanie and I have recently been confronted with some serious health concerns that need to be addressed before I undertake such a massive task as running for Governor of our great state. We ask for your thoughts and prayers as well as your patience as we wade through this difficult time. I am not going away, but need time with my family. We greatly appreciate your strong support and kind words."
As Mapes notes, Atkinson and his family have been cursed with health issues of late, from his accidental shooting to his wife's apparently returning cancer. We certainly wish Jason and his wife good health and full recovery, and it's refreshing to see a politician quit something "to spend more time with their family"---and actually have it be true.
Atkinson leaves the door ajar for a return, but we have to consider the timing here. It's late October, and Atkinson cites "coming weeks" as a rough timeline. That takes us into the holiday season, obviously both a bad time for campaigning and to be away from the family you're trying to save.
So the earliest we might expect Atkinson to return to the Republican primary would be early 2010, which in a number of states would still be enough time to get ramped up before the election--but in Oregon we hold them in May, and people can start filling out ballots in late April. Maybe an incumbent with an existing war chest could pull off something like that, but a generally unknown state legislator who has built almost none of the required campaign apparatus?
Put it this way: Steve Novick started out better known and with a more memorable persona than Atkinson could ever manage, started his race for Senate a full year before the primary--and still struggled to gain recognition by a large majority of the state by May 2008. Maybe if he were a howler/crier like Glenn Beck he could earn the requisite attention (bad or good), but he's more like a Republican version of Ron Wyden--personable, smooth, generally low key.
So let's hypothesize that this is it for Jason in 2010. Who's that leave? Right now, Allen Alley and John Lim. As it stands, the Dem primary is looking like Yankees-Angels...with the Pittsburgh Republican Pirates waiting to face the winner in November. (And if you don't know your baseball, the Halos and Yanks are two of the top four teams in the game, while the Pirates have been cellar dwellers since the late 70s). Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but I'd take the Democrats and the points on this one.
Oh, those wacky Republicans! They'll drop a blatant falsehood in your lap, and when you take the time to point out how absurd and facts-bereft it is, they're chastened for about 2 seconds, then just go on repeating it in hopes that someone else who hears about it hasn't been told it's a load of Grade A Crapola. Remember "I killed the bridge to nowhere?" How about "Obamacare has death panels!" I could go on, but neither of us have THAT kind of time, to be exhaustive on all the lying we've seen from the party.
I guess our OR GOP was just itching to get in on the tricks and games the national peeps were playing, so in their latest fundraising email, titled "Help Tell the Democrats We've Had Enough," they brought out a fairly new chestnut, ostensibly about new taxes emanating from the House-passed climate change bill earlier this year. The bromides against a non-stimulating stimulus, the state tax fairness bills ORGOP is leading the charge against, and pending health care legislation are all familiar targets. But here's a newish one, in which they claim that Congress:
• Pass[ed] a huge energy tax that adds an estimated $1,761 to every family’s yearly budget – the equivalent of a 15% tax increase.
Wow, that would be steep indeed! Would, of course, that it were true. Near as I can tell, this particular trope started when the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a right-wing/libertarian economic think tank, claimed to have found "secret Treasury dcouments" that outlined costs showing a burden that equalled $1,761 when spread out among each US household. That document exists, it seems,but the problem is that it's...irrelevant:
The new numbers spring from some Treasury Department documents recently acquired by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, through a Freedom of Information Act request. Some of the documents are from 2008, shortly after the election, according to the group, and others are undated, though they appear to be from early 2009.
Nowhere in the documents does the Treasury Department cite the $1,761 figure. It seems Alexander got that number from a Sept. 15, 2009, story by Declan McCullagh, a blogger who writes the "Taking Liberties" column for CBS News. (Our calls to Alexander's office were not returned.) So it's worth noting that Alexander is relying not on a study by an economist, but on an estimate from a blogger.
But back to Alexander's original claim. His statement that households will pay $1,761 in new taxes every year is based on a blogger's incorrect assumptions and overly simple math. The estimate does not account for revenue that will be returned to consumers in the form of rebates and other efficiency measures. Furthermore, the number is based on old numbers; the Treasury estimate was written on the premise that all permits would be sold, which, ultimately, is not the form that the Waxman-Markey legislation has taken. Finally, both Alexander and McCullagh portray money raised by selling these permits as a tax. We rate Alexander's claim False.
Too bad, so sad. By the way, do you know what the real estimate is for the Waxman bill that passed the House? According to the CBO report on it, something slightly lower than $1,761...how's $160 per year? That seemed like news to our friends at ORGOP; when I asked them where they got their numbers, they had to check--but then called me back and gave me their source: the Republican National Committee. Well, THAT explains a lot, doesn't it? :)
h/t to political consultant Stacey Dycus for catching this on TV during an insomniac episode a couple nights ago--it's a cheerful yet desperate plea for positive attention from the state Republican Party!
What a cute little moppet, who starts off the video thanking the GOP for "public beaches"! The beach bill is certainly one of the most popular enduring legacies of Tom McCall, Republican--although it should be telling that they put a 40 year old accomplishment as their best example in the ad, voiced over by someone whose parents may not have been born at the time, much less her. But that's not the silliest part; the silliest part is that while McCall championed the bill that settled the question once and for all, it was DEMOCRAT Oswald West who first declared Oregon's beaches public--and when the bill to expand public areas was initially proposed, guess who railed against it, called it an attack on private property, and very nearly killed it? Conservative Republicans.
We'll start with the disclaimer: Jeff Merkley has a long way to go with me, albeit due to lack of experience rather than adverse evidence so far, before I can offer a fully positive assessment. But it has to be said that nearly anyone who was a strong Steve Novick supporter in the primary, felt that way at least in part because of Novick's perceived superiority in calling a spade a spade, being unafraid of toe-treading, and cutting sharply through the partisan crap that most Democrats tend to shuck and apologize for when attacked with it. The word "milquetoast" got a lot of use on Merkley, by me as much as anyone, to make the negative comparison with Novick.
So, so wrong. Look, we all know whoever it was, the guy was going to be 95th+ in line among the clubby clubbers of the US Senate, not exactly Ted Kennedy or Chuck Schumer down at the gym (although Jeff's got a nice in with Chuck, obviously). The role, at least for this session and maybe another couple, was to represent populist Oregon in the broadest sense, and to be frankly loud about it.
Watch this video and honestly ask yourself, Novick lovers: could you possibly have asked for more from Steve here than what Merkley gives you for his floor time? Not only is he raising his voice and getting all uppity--we already knew he could get excited at odd times--he's doing it with a devastating critique of both Frank Luntz for offering health reform-killing talking points designed to scare...and the Minority Leader of the Senate Mitch McConnell, for taking the points and running with them:
This is the perfect note to sound, and while HuffPost (h/t) focuses on him calling out Luntz, I think it takes more balls to directly point to McConnell and literally call him "irresponsible"--and imply that McConnell's entire rhetoric on the issue is dictated and dishonest. Which of course it is, but to have that (nearly) said, by a freshman from a small state? You GOTTA love that. And wouldn't it be great to have ALL likeminded Democratic Senators repeating these talking points over the next few weeks?
Opponents of reform are just that--interested in killing it
They will use fear-based language to try and kill it
They will not engage substantively
This is basically the case that should be made for reconciliation, and against the preposterous "70-vote" way espoused by Merkley's senior partner. Here's hoping Merkley and other reform-committed Congresspeople keep making it.
Amongst the good-news back-patting from Congressman Blumenauer in my e-box yesterday morning--well deserved pats on the 1,300 expected jobs to flow from federal funding of the Portland Eastside Streetcar--was a trenchant analysis of where the minority party is today: a rump party with little in the way of traditional credibility, ideas, sense of purpose or bipartisanship:
There is an interesting situation developing for the national Republican Party. There are fewer of them, they are more hard-edged, andit is harder for us to make the bipartisan progress that was such a part of my early political career in a different era of Oregon politics with Tom McCall, Wendell Wyatt and Mark Hatfield. The combination of driving Arlen Specter out of the party and the repudiation of the Republican negativism is an interesting microcosm for the challenging political environment in which I work.
For the Republican Party, there is a complete breakdown in the legislative process as Republicans have basically taken the advice of John Boehner (R-Ohio), the minority leader in the House, who's telling his people to be communicators (talkers) instead of legislators (doers). It's not really funny, although there is a hysterical article in the April 24 issue of Rolling Stone that captures in a wickedly satirical fashion the sad reality of the Republican approach. It means that it's harder to get where we need to go and it provides an unrelenting overlay of not just negative commentary but viciously misleading commentary on the economic realities we face, the opportunities and challenges of climate change, and how we are going to get the economy back on its feet as soon as possible. I find this a very troubling development for the long-term integrity of the political process. [emph orig]
"An unrelenting overlay of not just negative commentary but viciously misleading commentary...," and that, moments after singling out the highest officeholder of the opposition in Blumenauer's club as their director of (non-)communications. One assumes Boner is free to take it personally.
And then he notes something that, in the wake of the Specter shenanigans had left me somewhat bummed but now I see should bring a measure of sanguinity:
Luckily the President is reaching out, and in the House we have such a broad and diverse Democratic caucus that we actually are far more representative of where America is than the Republicans. We have liberals, progressives, conservatives, blue dogs, new dogs, Blacks, Hispanics, and women in key leadership positions. This is the face of America. The House Democratic legislative process is not easy and it's sometimes not pretty. At the end of the day, the budget resolution is very significant because of what it is and how we got it; without a single Republican vote and no constructive Republican input. [again, emph his]
Earl knows exactly which parts of his piece to highlight. In response to a regional rump party that has shed all but its core, sometimes short-of-reality constituency, is there both a political and social obligation to naturally broaden the "other" side to include more perspectives? Even if there isn't, perhaps it happens organically anyway, as the party struggles with a new member to the right of Joe Lieberman, who surely will bond with his equally soul-free accidental Democrat and attempt to form a 2-man majority in the Senate.
But back to Earl's point--he's right: the diversity of mainstream, sensible-if-not-agreeable political opinion in the US is now within the confines of the Democratic Party and its independent allies. Is it time to press forward as they did with the budget, "suffering" through lack of Republican support to pass an honestly terrific plan, with the right priorities FINALLY being addressed albeit not perfectly? Can we dispense with the pretense that the GOP is serious about offering input, and just put the whole calendar under reconciliation? Or can we dig up Tom McCall?
Wanna get a close-up look at a Cowardly Lion? Who better than the titular head of the national Republican Party, Michael Steele, who recently showed off his glass cojones by criticizing--and then almost immediately apologizing to--the de facto head of the party, Pill-Poppinfresh himself, Rush Limbaugh?
That's right--if you're a fan of trainwrecks and have $40 in (very) disposable income, you can shuffle on down to the Portland Hilton and catch wind of Steele's plan to "renew and rebuild" the GOP {pdf}. And what better place to talk about it, than one of the states where the party has very nearly hit rock bottom? There will be a statewide elected Republican official at the event, 2nd CD Congressman Greg Walden. Of course, I didn't need to tell you that, since he's the ONLY statewide elected official the GOP has in Oregon.
To fill out the schedule I guess, they're also recycling former Senator Gordon Smith, who also keynoted the annual Dorchester Conference on the coast last week. Formers Bob Smith and Vic Atiyeh will also attend, as will the Minority Leaders of the Legislature and state chair Bob Tiernan. Think of it as a Who's Who of Hacks and Has-Beens.
But Michael Steele--he's a star! The invite itself calls his ascension to the GOP throne "historic," as opposed to say, a craven gesture of tokenism designed to bleed off a little of the good vibe from the Obama election. You have to wonder how many of the attendeees will be hoping for a little revisionist history on that front, given the outcry from bedrock conservatives about the Chair's terrible (momentary) dissing of a convicted drug addict and entertainer who merely said that he hopes the US economy fails under the new administration. Like everywhere, the reduction of Republican registrations has left Oregon with a GOP shed of moderates and full of those bedrockers. Will Steele be booed? Will some sit on their hands? Oh, the palpable tension!
Statehouse Rep Dennis Richardson, from down in Central Point, is a reliable right-wing legislator for the Republicans in Oregon. His constituency appears satisfied with him, and he's a good communicator. Case in point are his periodic updates to voters, and since I like to know what "the other side" is thinking, I signed on to receive a copy.
This week's issue is all about extolling the virtues of House Republicans' new alternative bill to the state stimulus that's working its way through the halls as SB338, which passed a few days ago on a 20-10 vote. (Which means that two Republican Senators--apparently David Nelson and Jackie Winters--voted for it.)
Now, if you thought that Richardson's letter was going to be all about how elections have consequences, and how clearly the mantra of all-healing tax cuts and slashed spending have been rejected by both the national body politic and Oregon's, so Republicans will be working hard with the Governor and Democratic caucus to craft bills that move the cratering state economy forward again...allow me to help you:
I promise, you'll be OH so surprised at what Richardson and his fellow GOPers have come up with to save us! It's totally out of the box, really innovative, and NEVER been tried before!
"'The right has radio; the left has the internet' ... is becoming a truism because it's ...true ... the GOP is doing its darndest to try to replicate even the Howard Dean beta version of the magic ..." according to a post from LoadedOrygun's own torridjoe.
Torridjoe noted how Blogpublisher Darrelplant had an interesting tech/politics piece on Daily Kos. One of the many ways in which the Obama campaign innovated not only beyond John McCain's capacity to match him, but beyond what any other major presidential campaign had even tried, much less succeeded with, was the IPhone applet that provided a virtual Obama desktop literally at your fingertip.
"Obama's advantage is much more about creative spirit and understanding of the medium's limitless capacity, than it is about money or products that will allow the Republicans to 'catch up' to the left when it comes to online politics ..." torridjoe wrote.
"In yesterday's midday open thread, Kos linked to a Washington Post story about how conservatives are going to try to move more forcefully onto the internet in the future (despite the current countervailing meme that the netroots has been repudiated by post election events like the Senate letting Joe Lieberman hold onto his chairmanship)," darrelplant said on Wednesday. "Earlier this week, as a part of my own studies into iPhone programming, I ran into a similar story on Politico, about a discussion group about the use of technology in the 2008 presidential campaign that included staff from both the Obama and McCain camps."
An argument has been floated that conservatives simply did not have the resources. But this line of thought was debunked:
Some other western bloggers hammered this hit home:
"So here's to you Mountain Goat. Semper fi marine cause without your dogged research and crisp analysis on (Idaho Congressman Bill) Sali, his folksy facade may yet again have duped a complacent electorate," ... are words fit to reiterate ... from Sisyphus's blog. "And to you Chris. So happy the Unequivocal Notion was able to convince some of the sheeple with whom you coexist that their congressional leadership was dumber than a box of rocks."
"Congratulations Colonel on your promotion which was richly deserved and for providing Idablue leadership for many of us in the blogosphere. And lastly to Joel Kennedy and his nom de plume, Bubblehead, originating from his time in the the other tube, a submarine. Your criticism isn't fettered by ideology and serves us well by keeping us on our toes. If your political tenacity is any indicator I almost pity the cancer."
Sisyphus added: "It was not my intent to be partisan in my accolades but I'm unaware of any Idaho Republican bloggers who have served their country."
Securing the votes in Congress to pass real immigration solutions into law isn’t going to be easy. The next President – no matter who wins – will need to lead his own party first to get it done.
Did you hear the one about the federal government that believed spying on Americans was so critical to national security that they forgot to pay their wiretap bills? That would have been bloody frightening, were this actually about keeping anyone truly safe.
But it's time to bring our friend Nelson back from the image gallery and enjoy his hearty laugh as we enjoy a moment of schadenfreude not for the feds but for the Oregon GOP, also down on their luck with no intervention in sight:
The Oregon Republican Party has debts of $264,000, a federal disclosure report shows - the latest blow to a party still licking its wounds from losses in the 2006 election and which has yet to field candidates for three statewide offices this year.
The party's debts include $35,000 it owes the Internal Revenue Service for about two years' worth of payroll taxes it failed to pay for its employees.
Things are so tight the state GOP is preparing to move its headquarters from a 3,000-square-foot rental office in a south Salem strip mall to smaller quarters somewhere else in the city.
"It's been a tough season for Republicans to raise money," GOP spokeswoman Brianne Hyder said Tuesday.
Here, read this while I wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes:
William Kristol, a nationally prominent editor and political commentator, is scheduled to be a keynote speaker at the Dorchester Conference, the annual Republican gathering at the Oregon Coast. Kristol edits the Washington, D.C.-based Weekly Standard, a conservative opinion magazine, and regularly appears on Fox News Sunday and the Fox News Channel as a political analyst. He recently began writing columns for the New York Times. He will speak Feb. 29 at the Seaside Convention to help kick off the three days of political chatter, straw polls and networking. "In the fast moving political environment of this presidential election year, William Kristol has exactly the right experience, insight and analytical skills to deliver an excellent and informative speech to Dorchester attendees.," said state Rep. Linda Flores, R-Boring, who is president of this year's conference.
Struggling for relevance in an environment where not a SINGLE Republican candidate feels like rolling the dice on a state office, the ORGOP turns to a guy who could not have been more spectacularly wrong about EVERY detail of the war on Iraq, and yet continues to garner interest and respect from people who either don't know that he's like the anti-Nostradamus, or simply don't care. I'm gonna bet on the latter, myself. Was Charles Krauthammer not available? How about Brit Hume or maybe Alan Keyes? If things break just right for them, perhaps Mike Huckabee will be available for the benediction.
Norma Paulus, the longtime Oregon Republican, said it all last weeked at the Rebooting Democracy conference--she was a proud Republican until the "crazy Christians" took it over. That's really just the chickens coming to roost, however--the real truth behind the crumbling facade is a bond of theocons, corporate cons and neocons coalesced primarily around winning and not much else. When winning doesn't appear to be afoot, there's no real coalition to hold them together and they start savaging each other, like they are now in the Presidential primary far worse than any Democrat is doing to his rivals. Of course it's worse; it's Republicans using the same nasty tactics and smearing on each other that they reserve for Democrats in better times.
So welcome to Oregon, Bill! Give a good talk, and don't stop believin'!
On Tuesday I got to reminiscing with some cronies about the worst two Election Nights I could remember. It occurs to me that everyone has a story about Election Night, and if you're a Democrat and old enough to use BlueO, you are guaranteed to have memory of at least one bad one.
Does it seem like there's a new Republican scandal in the news every single week? Well, that may be because there is.
That seems like an awful lot of corruption, scandal, hypocrisy, impropriety, and jail-worthy crime, huh? A lot of corruption. One might say an entire Culture of Corruption.
RSS Feed: http://www.loadedorygun.net/rss/rss2.xml
