How does Gordon Smith get elected in this state?

[CascadeTide]

I just wrote him a letter about his voting against he Katrina Commision and I don't get how that guy keeps getting elected in a seemingly progressive state. We want accountability, not partisan senators preventing it. I feel the same way about accountability and investigation, regardless of which party is in power.

[acmejack]

1. I have often been puzzled by that!

I admit I have only spent time in Portland, but I got the impression Oregon was pretty liberal.

[swag]

2. This news on Gordon could grow legs:

(p.s., Portland, Eugene, and Corvallis, to a lesser extent, are the liberal outposts. The red/blue maps of Oregon show a profound Urban/Rural split between liberal and conservative. Without Multnomah County, Oregon would have all sorts of right-wing shit enshrined by initiative in its constitution).

http://www.wweek.com/print.php?story=6692

Excerpt from Nick Budnick's Willamette Week story:

Smith and Abramoff aren't strangers. The senator has held fundraisers at a D.C. restaurant that Abramoff owned until recently, and he has taken thousands of dollars in campaign donations from Abramoff and his tribal clients.

For years, Abramoff, at first with Seattle-based law firm Preston Gates and later with a smaller firm, was a top D.C. lobbyist, whose clients included several Indian tribes. Evidence has come out in the past year that Abramoff privately referred to his Indian clients as "monkeys" and may have defrauded them.

The U.S. Department of Justice last month charged Abramoff with fraud in an unrelated Florida real-estate deal. But for political buffs, the more interesting part of the continuing federal probe is revelations that "Team Abramoff" used favors-such as trips funded by nonprofit front groups-to, as one Abramoff email puts it, "reward" congressmen and their staff for special treatment. In addition to sitting on the committee looking at tribal shenanigans, Smith also sits on the Finance Committee, now looking at bogus nonprofits, another piece of the Abramoff scandal.

Asked to point to any public statement by Smith about the Abramoff affair, Smith spokesman Chris Matthews cannot. But Matthews does say his boss voted last year to grant subpoena power to the investigation.

[doubleplusgood]

3. Dem's had bad campaigns

His opponent the first time around was Tom Bruggere (Mentor Graphics ?), a virtual unknown with no political experience, but he did have some bucks. I think he was an heir to the O'Henry candy-bar fortune or such. Last time I checked, he was more recently on the West Linn-Wilsonville school board

Second time around, Gordo's opponent was the Dem Sec'y of State (damn, can't recall his name). Nice enough guy, but Gordo buried him with negative ads.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

4. Bill Bradbury,

ran a crappy campaign. I volunteered for him & it sucked. Bradbury was scrambling to raise money. gordo puke puke out rundraised him 7 to 1. Voters absolutely bought into gordo puke puke's "I'm an independant". Yeah, right. gordo puke puke voted 95% of the time w/the repugs.

[CascadeTide]

5. He can't run from what he's done the last few years

I think the rightwing fervor has dulled down a lot in the outposts like Oregon. If we still have elections in 2008 I don't think he'll be able to slide in so easily.

[doubleplusgood]

6. I would love to see DeFazio run against Gordo

he'd be a strong challenger & odds on favorite IMHO. He didn't run against Gordo before because of the daunting task of raising enough money to counter Smith's millions. But that was before Dean showed what could be done with internet fund-raising.

[0rganism]

7. We'd be giving up a house seat for an even chance at a senate seat

Don't underestimate El Gordo. He's a shrewd, nasty, rich bastard who can call in some serious firepower from the RNCC.

DeFazio has been working miracles in his district, which is by no means a lock for him. He's brilliant, honest, hardworking, and apparently invincible in a district that can best be described as "flexible". I don't give his unnamed Democratic successor anywhere near the same chances of winning, though. DeFazio is an exceptional person, and an exceptional candidate in a district that the GOP has to think is within reach every two years.

Unfortunately, we have no guarantee that DeFazio will play as well on the statewide level. Gordo plays himself as an "independent moderate", and always picks two or three pet liberal positions to support during each term to use as campaign fodder. Conversely, he'll run ads that caste DeFazio as "too liberal for Oregon", "dangerous to agriculture", "unpatriotic", you know the game. And DeFazio's hands-on campaigning will be harder to do on the statewide level.

Of course DeFazio would win in big in Multnomah and the metro area and also run strong in his home district. This would be his only chance to offset Gordo's dominance in central and eastern Oregon.

Whoever challenges Gordon Smith needs to pick apart his "independent moderate" bullshit, demolish his support from the LGBTs, and successfully portray him as a partisan loyalist out of touch with the concerns of a moderate state. I don't know if DeFazio can pull it off.

[Blue Topaz]

8. He gets elected the same way

that piece of shit ballot measures like "One Man One Woman" get passed. :puke: Oregon is actually quite purple, and would be bright red without Portland, Corvallis, and Eugene. The state voted for Kerry by 52% to 48%, not true blue by any means.

What I don't understand is how Gordon gets to call himself a moderate. His lifetime ACU rating is 77, not Hatch and Frist territory, but far outside that 40-60 moderate zone. I guess anyone left of Santorum can call himself a moderate these days.

[OregonBlue]

9. We need to really organize against this guy. He does occasionally

vote for environmental issues but only when he knows they won't pass. I for one will start keeping track of his votes more carefully. Point out his pro-environmental vote only when bill will be defeated overwhelmingly.

Also, start a LTE campaign to Oregonian. I'm already doing this and also have been sending him emails at least weekly. Do you represent Oregon or do you represent Oil, Energy,etc. Every letter they get is equal to 10 votes!!

This guy has got to go. If DeFazio wants to run, he needs to start touring eastern part of state now!!

[Robert Oak]

10. advertise, advertise, advertise

Out on the coast I know people think "he's a nice guy" and are oblivious because they don't pay any attention to the votes.

When I start talking about the latest votes they are in shock.

(Another example on how propaganda is everything these days in the states).

Get his voting record and corporate crony philosophy out there
and he's beatable.

[kostya]

11. Oregon has a similar voting problem that many states have

which is low registration and voting rates among the large Hispanic population. They should be fertile ground for Democratic registrations, but little effort is made to cultivate their votes. - K