Bad Republicans! Bad, Bad Republicans!
In Dave’s most recent article, he attempts to play conflict mediator between quarrelling Republican candidates for Governor Ron Saxton and Kevin Mannix. It appears that he’s trying to end the smear campaign between the two of them. In doing so, he overlooks one key point: Saxton and Mannix are Republicans. Smearing their opponent is second nature.
Dave has every reason to be concerned about any possible nastiness between the competing Republicans. The primaries for Governor may not be for another half-year but this year’s Republican primary appears that it will be every bit as nasty as 2002’s. The Republican candidates- Saxton, Mannix, and Lane County Commissioner Jack Roberts- did such an effective job decimating each other in that year’s race to see who could come second to Democrat Ted Kulongowski, that Mannix prevailed with an underwhelming 35% of the votes cast in the primary to secure the Republican nomination. With two-thirds of registered Republicans in the state effectively voting against him, and his vanquished opponents offering the most listless of support, Mannix faced an uphill climb to restore Republican rule to Mahonia Hall.
As someone with a vested interest in Republican rule of the state, Dave attempts to put an end to the political infighting before it develops into a re-run of 2002. The issue at hand dividing the Republicans? Former Democrat governor and mayor of Portland, Neil Goldschmidt.
As reported in the Portland Tribune- never thought I’d be citing a story from there, but that’s besides the point- Republican lawyer Mark Foster has formed a PAC called Worried Oregonians to oppose Saxton’s candidacy due to Saxton’s close personal and political ties with the disgraced former Governor. However, as Foster was a lawyer for the Bush-Cheney Recount in Florida in 2000, and for the Oregon Bush-Cheney Voter Integrity Project of 2004- he should know that close ties with unsavory characters doesn’t matter when it comes to a Republican candidates’ integrity. In fact, with Governor Ted’s victory, it proved that both parties can be immune from such associations.
Instead, Dave writes that Saxton’s ties with Goldschmidt- if you’re looking for a Republican victory for Governor- will leave you ‘deep down in the dumps’ which has to be either the worst word choice ever, or just a sad attempt at alliteration. Dave does highlight Saxton’s connections with Goldschmidt (Goldschmidt’s wife, Diana, actually, who Saxton served as a personal lawyer), but also highlights Mannix’s connection with Neil, with a 1999 Mannix quote in the Statesman Journal: “[G]ov. Neil Goldschmidt and Vera Katz convinced me to run for the House . . ."
There has been no politician with such a singular effect on Oregon politics over the past half-century as Messr Goldschmidt. His influence is far-reaching, with everyone from Multnomah County Sherriff Bernie Giusto to former Mayor Vera Katz to former Republican Senator Mark Hatfield benefiting from the Goldschmidt touch. A brilliant and pioneering urban planner who served as Secretary of Transportation in the Carter Administration, Goldschmidt has left an undeniable mark on Oregon’s politics. A legacy that has since been sullied, due to last year’s revelations of improper sexual relations with the daughter of a City Hall employee during his stint as mayor. (These revelations were scooped by the Willamette Week, who broke the ‘worst-kept’ secret in spring of 2004. You would think that if Dave was as connected with the Republican elite ‘loop’ in Oregon as he makes himself out to be, he was more than likely aware of this secret, and conceivably could’ve scooped the Willy and won himself a Pulitzer. Why The Oregonian as a whole dropped the ball on le affair Goldschmidt is both astounding and puzzling.)
Dave accuses Worried Oregonians and their Rove-ian tactics of being ‘cheesy’ and ‘advises them to fold up their tents,’ similar advice he should’ve given to the Swift Boat Liars. But as the Swifties never went away from the Presidential Campaign in 2004, why should Worried Oregonians, despite their negative effect onthe Republicans’ chances, fold up? If they have some concerns, shouldn’t their first-amendment rights be observed?
Dave takes the chance to target Governor Ted, and has his usual list of Republican complaints. I’m going to admit: I am squarely in Governor Ted’s camp. Any Governor- or elected leader- who takes it upon himself to attend every funeral of an Oregon soldier that died in Iraq earns points in my book. Governor Ted has worked resiliently to bring corporations and jobs into economically under-served parts of the state. His insistence on pushing through civil-unions and auto emissions legislation under fire from the other side demonstrates the mark of a strong, decisive leader willing to take the side of what’s morally right rather than the side of what’s currently popular. Though I have concerns about the State’s fiscal situation- and would hope the Governor raises an issue of the corporate “kicker” sending hundreds of millions of Oregon tax-dollars to out-of-state corporations- Oregon’s schools and economy are a marked improvement then they were four years ago. So Dave isn’t going to vote for him. Big surprise.
Dave ends his column with a barb of Governor Ted- by appointing an experienced and effective Goldschmidt to the State’s higher-ed post- recycling the ‘same ol’, same ol’ Democrats. Occasionally, Dave can be humorous. But him making this point when the Republican front-runners for Governor are Kevin Mannix and Ron Saxton is just too rich….
true_slicky 12.06.05
Dave has every reason to be concerned about any possible nastiness between the competing Republicans. The primaries for Governor may not be for another half-year but this year’s Republican primary appears that it will be every bit as nasty as 2002’s. The Republican candidates- Saxton, Mannix, and Lane County Commissioner Jack Roberts- did such an effective job decimating each other in that year’s race to see who could come second to Democrat Ted Kulongowski, that Mannix prevailed with an underwhelming 35% of the votes cast in the primary to secure the Republican nomination. With two-thirds of registered Republicans in the state effectively voting against him, and his vanquished opponents offering the most listless of support, Mannix faced an uphill climb to restore Republican rule to Mahonia Hall.
As someone with a vested interest in Republican rule of the state, Dave attempts to put an end to the political infighting before it develops into a re-run of 2002. The issue at hand dividing the Republicans? Former Democrat governor and mayor of Portland, Neil Goldschmidt.
As reported in the Portland Tribune- never thought I’d be citing a story from there, but that’s besides the point- Republican lawyer Mark Foster has formed a PAC called Worried Oregonians to oppose Saxton’s candidacy due to Saxton’s close personal and political ties with the disgraced former Governor. However, as Foster was a lawyer for the Bush-Cheney Recount in Florida in 2000, and for the Oregon Bush-Cheney Voter Integrity Project of 2004- he should know that close ties with unsavory characters doesn’t matter when it comes to a Republican candidates’ integrity. In fact, with Governor Ted’s victory, it proved that both parties can be immune from such associations.
Instead, Dave writes that Saxton’s ties with Goldschmidt- if you’re looking for a Republican victory for Governor- will leave you ‘deep down in the dumps’ which has to be either the worst word choice ever, or just a sad attempt at alliteration. Dave does highlight Saxton’s connections with Goldschmidt (Goldschmidt’s wife, Diana, actually, who Saxton served as a personal lawyer), but also highlights Mannix’s connection with Neil, with a 1999 Mannix quote in the Statesman Journal: “[G]ov. Neil Goldschmidt and Vera Katz convinced me to run for the House . . ."
There has been no politician with such a singular effect on Oregon politics over the past half-century as Messr Goldschmidt. His influence is far-reaching, with everyone from Multnomah County Sherriff Bernie Giusto to former Mayor Vera Katz to former Republican Senator Mark Hatfield benefiting from the Goldschmidt touch. A brilliant and pioneering urban planner who served as Secretary of Transportation in the Carter Administration, Goldschmidt has left an undeniable mark on Oregon’s politics. A legacy that has since been sullied, due to last year’s revelations of improper sexual relations with the daughter of a City Hall employee during his stint as mayor. (These revelations were scooped by the Willamette Week, who broke the ‘worst-kept’ secret in spring of 2004. You would think that if Dave was as connected with the Republican elite ‘loop’ in Oregon as he makes himself out to be, he was more than likely aware of this secret, and conceivably could’ve scooped the Willy and won himself a Pulitzer. Why The Oregonian as a whole dropped the ball on le affair Goldschmidt is both astounding and puzzling.)
Dave accuses Worried Oregonians and their Rove-ian tactics of being ‘cheesy’ and ‘advises them to fold up their tents,’ similar advice he should’ve given to the Swift Boat Liars. But as the Swifties never went away from the Presidential Campaign in 2004, why should Worried Oregonians, despite their negative effect onthe Republicans’ chances, fold up? If they have some concerns, shouldn’t their first-amendment rights be observed?
Dave takes the chance to target Governor Ted, and has his usual list of Republican complaints. I’m going to admit: I am squarely in Governor Ted’s camp. Any Governor- or elected leader- who takes it upon himself to attend every funeral of an Oregon soldier that died in Iraq earns points in my book. Governor Ted has worked resiliently to bring corporations and jobs into economically under-served parts of the state. His insistence on pushing through civil-unions and auto emissions legislation under fire from the other side demonstrates the mark of a strong, decisive leader willing to take the side of what’s morally right rather than the side of what’s currently popular. Though I have concerns about the State’s fiscal situation- and would hope the Governor raises an issue of the corporate “kicker” sending hundreds of millions of Oregon tax-dollars to out-of-state corporations- Oregon’s schools and economy are a marked improvement then they were four years ago. So Dave isn’t going to vote for him. Big surprise.
Dave ends his column with a barb of Governor Ted- by appointing an experienced and effective Goldschmidt to the State’s higher-ed post- recycling the ‘same ol’, same ol’ Democrats. Occasionally, Dave can be humorous. But him making this point when the Republican front-runners for Governor are Kevin Mannix and Ron Saxton is just too rich….
true_slicky 12.06.05
posted by true_slicky at 11:13 AM
2 Comments:
So, "cut-and-paste" Davey is at it again?
I rue the day I taught him Word.
yes, ever since Dave learned keyboard shortcuts, the quality of his columns have even decreased...
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