Hey Blue Oregon! Remember when Ted Kulongoski was one of only two Democratic Governors to unabashedly support the Iraq Invasion???

Here, check out the Gov's photo-op with Bush and co. on the White House website.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/02/images/20040213-1_governors-515h.html

He's even listed as a Republican, which isn't all that surprising.

I find it interesting that Blue Oregon has yet to run a single story on the fact that the Multnomah County Democrats endorsed Jim Hill and Pete Sorenson for Governor yesterday, leaving Kulo in the dirt.

I also noticed that Ted's website is "powered by mandate media." Hey, Kari, isn't that your company?

It's hypocrisy for Ted to bemoan the fact that more and more Oregonians are dying when he is one of the only Democratic govs to have supported this war. He has indeed become a "war governor" and it's about time people start hearing the truth about him. I'm not suprised that the Multnomah County Democrats--the state's largest group of county Democrats--decided yesterday not to endorse him. Let that serve as a wake-up call.

http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/114032853670400.xml?oregonian?lcg&coll=7

I see the "progressive talk 'round the water cooler" line on the homepage describing the site. I am not sure how the largest democratic county in the state endorsing Pete Sorenson and Jim Hill INSTEAD of Ted Kulo yesterday is not newsworthy for progressive democrats, but a story only raising the question of whether its right for TK to exploit the deaths of Oregon's soldiers for political gain is. Why isnt anyone calling him out for being such an ardent supporter of the war to begin with? The larger question is why the "progressive" oregon media outlets are so dead set on his reelection, while there are two non-DLC candidates in the primary who cant get coverage past the announcement to enter the race.

It certainly seems odd the mydd.com, which along w/ dailyKos is the biggest dem blog in the country, has found yesterdays endorsement front page news, while BlueOregon is.......ya well.

mydd.com

As the LT who posts here often (who has known Ted K. and Jim Hill for roughly a quarter of a century) and who thinks the Sunday Oregonian piece was closer to the Ted K. I have known all these years than anything I have seen in years, I wonder who this other LT is.

And if there is going to be a second LT, whether I should change my screen name.

True Blue, I don't think a Governor attending funerals is exploiting anything. I think he is a Marine who does the funerals because he feels strongly. He has as much right to act based on his life experience as you or I.

I hope we're not getting into a situation like the one starting in the late 1960s, where troops who served oversees are ignored or slighted because after all it is about ending the war and therefore no one should consider the feelings of military personnel or their families. I have been involved for years in getting better treatment for veterans. But then, I think true "support the troops" means it is OK to question the war but NOT OK to insult military personnel and their families in order to make a political point.

But some people would rather attack those they disagree with than work on solutions. (No, I am not a Ted K. supporter--but someone who knows that out in the real world most people don't choose their candidates before the weather gets nice and flowers start to bloom.)

the "real" LT, we all continue to be in utter awe of your quarter of a century relationship with our highly ineffective Governor. Bravo!!

Anyone who looks can find Jim Hill and Ben Westlund and Pete Sorenson on Blue Oregon.

David Reinhard sure thinks it will be Kulongoski v. either Saxton or Mannix. I think most news organizations think prior to Filing Day is a little soon to do indepth coverage of the Gov. campaign.

But there is more to the Gov. race than where someone stood on the Iraq war when. If that is your most important issue, where do the other candidates stand? Have you asked them?

And let's talk about some other realities. Just as Bob Dole, Bob Kerrey, Dan Inouye and former POW McCain have entered politics, Iraq vets who have returned have the right to their own opinions. I would suggest to those who haven't read it WE TALK, THEY FOUGHT from the Sunday Oregonian some weeks ago read it. Or are some people so rabidly anti-war they don't want to even listen to/ talk to vet? If so, then such people don't want my vote.

I am currently uncommitted, having known Hill and Kulongoski a quarter of a century (or so) each, and Ben Westlund from back when he was a state rep.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/18/AR2006021801295.html is an article about Tammy Duckworth the injured Iraq vet running for Congress.

And as for the notion that there is no coverage on Blue Oregon, check this out:

http://www.blueoregon.com/2006/02/jim_hill_smacks.html#c14124640 Posted by: Jenni Simonis | Feb 19, 2006 1:51:55 PM Actually, from what I have heard of the meeting it was not an "Anybody but Ted" endorsement. I've heard that Ted's representative couldn't even tell the crowd why the governor wasn't able to be there. He's lucky though, because there had been a push to not allow representatives to speak in place of candidates. However, since there were some candidates who were doing fundraisers for other Dem candidates or had important business to attend to that day, the PCPs at the meeting earlier this month allowed for representatives to speak

If someone who was there at the Mult. Co. Democreats meeting wants to post a column on Blue Oregon, there is a link on the home page about posting guest opinions.

True Blue, do you believe sarcasm will get your candidate votes?

Or do you not have a candidate and just like to bash Kulongoski?

Who did you support last time?

I am one of those who helped Jim Hill get elected to the State House way back in the early 1980s. Have you ever helped anyone win an election? Or is that too difficult since it involves being nice to people?

Thank you Paulie.

If someone thinks Kulongoski messed up PERS or that the AuCoin and Bryant nominations were politically tone deaf, or someone loves the "Where's Waldo " jokes about the Governor's lack of a public role during legislative sessions, that's fine. Or as someone suggested here on Blue Oregon that he should have vetoed the bill making it harder for Independents (like Westlund) to get on the ballot, that is perfectly appropriate.

I am glad to know, however that what True Blue and some of the others said here is beyond the pale to someone who writes as well as Paulie.

And my guess is that True Blue has less of a following the general public than the above attitude would suggest, esp. given the folks quoted in the Oregonian story.

One topic - The Endorsement

If 27 of us put out a press release in Prineville, would it get the same coverage in the press?

Another Topic - If my Governor didn't attend the funerals, I would be ashamed to call him Governor. These are our neighbors, and it is right and proper to mourn them no matter what you believe about the wars. These young people gave their lives thinking they were doing something good for all of us. It doesn't matter what the reality is beyond that.

And lastly - LT # 2, please change your screen name. LT # 1 has been here longer, has history with this blog, and has a point of view that is worth listening to whether you agree or not. Perhaps LT # 2 didn't know this.

Thanks, Steve. I agree with you that the Governor should be attending the funerals. And thanks for the LT #1. Was wondering how to identify myself. If the other LT visits again, I will start calling myself LT #1.

The Central Committee of the Multnomah County Democratic Party met in three special meetings this weekend to consider endorsements in the May primary election.

Friday evening, local non-partisan races were considered. Saturday morning was for Legislative races, State Senate and House. Saturday afternoon, candidates were considered for statewide offices. Voting members had the option on each candidate to vote to Support, Remain Neutral or Oppose that candidate. The Central Committee did not vote to oppose any Democrat in this election.

Kari, I'm not sure where you got your information about the number of votes. The threshold required was 18 votes to support. That means there were either 34 or 35 PCPs or officers signed in to the meeting and receiving a ballot. Vote distribution is not published. By the way there were just over twice that many participants in the morning for the Legislative races.

Anyway, Jim Hill and Pete Sorenson each received more than 50% voting to support from the voting members present. Each of them made a strong case that he would be an effective, committed, passionate leader for the platform and values of the Multnomah County Democratic Party.

Those who were there were by and large leaders in the party, active PCPs and District Leaders, those who turn out and organize volunteers once the campaigns get rolling. This endorsement is for the primary election only; the Multnomah County Democrats will support all Democratic nominees in partisan races in the general election.

The complete list of endorsees is available at www.multdems.org.

Kari:

If "blogs are free" how come you're "losing money"...Sounds like a non-sequitur to me.

I was at the Mult. meeting, and I have two things to say. First, it is true that Gov. Kulongoski's rep didn't know where the governor was. I believe that he would have gotten an endorsement had a letter been sent stating where he was, or at least his rep knew where he was. That is my opinion though, and I'm not a PCP.

Also: the rep didn't seem too sure about being able to answer questions to me. He kept saying that he wasn't involved in policy so he couldn't fully answer questions. I didn't understand why the governor couldn't send someone more knowledgable to the meeting to speak. It seemed to me that the governor just wasn't interested in getting the endorsement. I thought that he just kind of brushed the Mult. Dems off. Once again though, that is only my opinion.

Also, the meeting was co-hosted by the College Democrats at Portland State. Just thought I'd plug our group while I'm here. :) My opinions do not reflect those of our group necessarily.

Having been to 2 funerals of soldiers killed by this President, I have nothing but respect for the Governor for doing his duty. Until you sit through one of these services, STFU.

When the governor placed a condolence call to Michelle DeFord, whose son, Oregon National Guard Sgt. David Johnson, was killed near Baghdad in the fall of 2004, he was concerned that her husband hadn't yet heard the news. Steve DeFord was on his regular camping trip in remote southeastern Oregon when the casualty assistance officers showed up at their house. Kulongoski offered to send a helicopter to find him.

"I thought it was amazing," Michelle said.

I know Michelle and Steve DeFord. They are both very active in Military Families Speak Out (MFSO). In fact, they were in Crawford last August with Cindy Sheehan. I have never heard this story. It is amazing.

I had an "In my opinion" published regarding the funerals I attended, the money quote, These funerals drain me. I weep. I find I have to leave to catch my breath when the videotape of the deceased's life is shown - baby pictures of young men cut down in their prime by lies. It takes a couple of days for me to recover. I don't know if the families ever will.

Mutiply that by the funerals Ted has attended. Where he finds the strength to do this is beyond me. I can't go to another one. I now have "skin in the game", with one of my adopted nephews arriving in Afganistan this week. Every day I get up with the thought, "what can I do today to end this war?" And then I do something, if it is just engaging a stranger on the street. What are you doing today to end the war?

Feel free to criticize the Governor all you want for his policies or his initial support of the war, but don't you dare criticize his going to these funerals.

BOHICA Past President of Veterans for Peace chapter 72 (www.vfpchapter72.org). Served in the US Army from 1967-1970. Stationed at Bien Hoa (RVN) airbase 1968-1969 with the 334th Attack Helicopter Company.

Maybe Mr. White or Ms. Hagamier could write an article and explain the process and what happened in a little more detail? Having less than 3 dozen people at a meeting on a Saturday night doesn't seem like the kind of thing that warrants the attention this seems to have gotten from the conflict-happy media.

I think I agree with Mr. Buckman, but perhaps I don't understand why it is such a big deal. The post from the PSU Dem suggests this was more about people feeling like their importance wasn't acknowledged more than the issues or the platform. I don't know how drawing attention to that helps elect Democrats.

Finally, as someone not entirely familiar with the process, what's the deal with the primary endorsement? I saw an article a while back where the party spokeswoman, Ms. Steele, said they didn't endorse in primaries. (Even though she pretty much sounded like they supported Gov K.) I can't find the article, but it was mostly about a poll that was taken. Has the endorsement policy changed and, if so, how come?

Thank you TA as i've said many times, no one else in this state has faced the choices and responsibilities he has. no one knows what it's like to make the decisions he has and then to live with him. for us to judge him on that level lowers us to Rush levels. if were are to be better than that, we have to be careful to avoid those kinds of moral judgments. it's a hard line to draw, but i bet we're smart enough to do it. unlike Rush.

Some of the comments here do sound EXACTLY like Rush and that crowd. Or like the people who couldn't understand how I could correspond with college friends serving in Vietnam if I opposed the war. Or to have opposed that war and then fought for better treatment of veterans.

I think as time wore on, more who opposed the Vietnam war fought for decent treatment of vets than did the Gingrich / Cheney types who got deferments.

And the people posting things like "Hey Blue Oregon! Remember when Ted Kulongoski was one of only two Democratic Governors to unabashedly support the Iraq Invasion???" need to realize I am less likely to support their candidate (whoever that might be).

Military funerals deserve respect, not that kind of sarcasm. PERIOD. Anyone who says otherwise should either tell us the name of their unit and when/where they served in combat (in which case they'd have the right to say whatever they wanted on the subject), or shut up lest they make themselves and their cause look like they are politicizing the grief of families.

Yes, I believe Ted is sincere and feels the grief, but I tend to look at his serviceman funeral attendance in realpolitik terms as well.

Many of these servicemen come from small towns that tend to vote heavily Republican. And given that military families tend to vote Republican even more than their neighbors do, Ted could be showing that Democrats do care about military families, as well as the issues important to them.

Every time I see Ted speak at a small town church where a memorial service is being held for another one of our Oregonian own slain in battle, I think demographically. There are maybe 300 people in that church, and probably 200 or 250 voted for Mannix (and Bush, for that matter). If Ted can help change the equation there, that's a good thing.

. Opposing the war was (then) and is (now) the best way to honor the sacrifices of those troops.

If Ted can help change the equation there, that's a good thing.

The families and friends of fallen soldiers are not supposed to decide individually the best way to honor the sacrifices of the troops--someone else will decide that for them?

Voters are not people but just part of an equation?

Many years ago, a friend of mine who had been political volunteer, staffer, campaign manager quit politics cold turkey. She was just fed up. "5% of the population is actively invovled in politics, and often so cocky they think they decide elections. But 95% of the public has other things on their minds most of the time until just before elections. And THEY are the people who actually decide elections." That was what she said when she quit politics.

Folks, if you are looking for a reason why so many ordinary people ignore/disdain politics, I submit to you the 2 italicized quotes above.

People with family or friends who are veterans or in the military have the right to make up their own minds on all sorts of things. And if they think it is admirable that a former Marine attends all military funerals, that statement alone does not tell you their party registration or whether they voted for Bush.

I thought the Iraq War was wrong and noticed by listening to the speeches on the Iraq resolution that there was a lot more nuance in those speeches than Bush/Rove / Cheney wanted to admit.

And quotes like this miss the point: " if George Bush was equally sincere --and attended every funeral of every returning soldier-- that wouldn't make him more or less honorable. Or would we give Bush a pass?".

I don't believe Bush would attend any funerals because doing so is a difficult thing to do and Bush doesn't do difficult things. And even if NO Governor had given Bush the time of day on the war, the mistakes / mismanagement/ corruption of the invasion and Civilian Provisional Authority would still have happened. But this is not about Bush--use that anger elsewhere.

And if you don't like Kulongoski's attitude, by all means vote for someone else. But is there a "the war was wrong and should never have been fought" candidate for Governor?

As a supporter of VVAW, but also a friend of individuals who are combat vets, I don't see how criticizing a Marine for going to military funerals ends the war.

Years ago I got into a debate with someone about the Vietnam war. This person was upset because a particular individual had not attended an anti-war rally. Given how young this person was, I have no clue how the came to this conclusion--had the person he was complaining about said they'd never been to an anti-war march?

The person he was complaining about had been working for Wayne Morse at the time.

Personally, I think Wayne Morse did more to turn the tide of opinion against the Vietnam War than all the peace marches (know people whose view on the war was influenced by speaking with Morse).

I also recall being annoyed 35-40 years ago by the people whose attitude was "either you support this one proposal to end the war, or else you support the war" as if there was something "pro-war" about debating various proposals to end the war.

If someone thinks Kulongoski should have said from day one that the war was wrong and he wanted no part of it (pretty hard for a Marine not to want to visit the troops) then by all means vote for someone else. But don't think you solve anything by saying there is only one acceptable attitude towards attending military funerals, and no one has a right to an opposing position.

While I am NOT a Kulongoski supporter - never have been, never will be - I DO give the Governor credit for his honest committment to making certain to honor all servicemen by attending funerals and in welcoming home those returning from combat.

I have a nephew who spent 18 months in regular army duty in Baghdad and am very grateful he came home in one piece physically and he appears to be in one piece mentally (he's been back 8 months with no reports of problems). He got no big welcome back from any politician (California). He just quietly slipped back without any recognition.

At the same time, my future son-in-law just deployed as a Captain of a 180 troop National Guard unit from Minnesota. They are in Kuwait now and will be deploying to Iraq in the new two weeks. We pray for his safe return every day.

I have openly criticized Kulongoski for being one of the few governors to support the war, and I have openly commended him for coming to realize his error later. There are plenty of things to critize the Governor for and even more reasons NOT to vote for him, but attending funerals of Oregon soldiers who died in Iraq doesn't fall into either category - call it realPolitik, call it catholic guilt, but do not ever call into question Kulongoski's patriotism .

BTW, NO one in this family supports the decision to go to war in Iraq, but everyone in this family supports the troops who've had no choices in the matter.

Jenni:

Thanks for helping out. One more thing, those advertising thingies in the left hand margin..do those help Kari lose less money?

Hey Kari: what does "loss leader" mean? How does the daily unique eyeball count of this site compare to Erik Sten's website for example?

I don't know if I could stand to attend all those funerals, looking at families with their hearts ripped out, over and over. Whatever else there is about this Governor, he does this, and yes, I do believe he sees it as a duty. If the accusations of political machinations were accurate, they would be describing a sociopathic monster.

For pete's sake. I don't like Greg Walden as 2CD Rep enough to make my life crazy and run against him, but it would never occur to me to describe him in terms like that. Yes, I'll call him waldenbush for his votes, but some things are beyond the pale. I give a rat's patoot for being nice about a vote or support for a policy, but...

For sure, let's kick Kari around. On the Blog he puts up for our use and that I've seen quite a bit of Gov space devoted to. Maybe I'm prejudiced, since I've gotten space, then again, maybe I like Blue Oregon because it's good. I'd guess that's why most of us are here.

Kari, I too really enjoy the conversation around here except when there are those who make untoward / unproven remarks.

"Unabashedly support the Iraq invasion"?? I don't recall anyone ever asking Ted "If you were in Congress, would you have given one of those gung-ho pro war speeches, or would you have given a nuanced speech like the ones given by veterans Kerry and Hagel?".

And I sure don't recall Ted ever saying anything sounding like Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz or the rest of that neo-con crowd. The first comment sounds like partisan sneering to me.

Loved what Chuck said: For pete's sake. I don't like Greg Walden as 2CD Rep enough to make my life crazy and run against him, but it would never occur to me to describe him in terms like that. Yes, I'll call him waldenbush for his votes, but some things are beyond the pale. I give a rat's patoot for being nice about a vote or support for a policy, but...

Yes, indeed, some things are beyond the pale.

In that regard, some advice for those in contested primaries. Make a decision among yourselves now what is or is not acceptable. Realize how often attacks look to the outside world like someone thinks they are losing and that is why they had to resort to attack.

If someone asks for an "elevator speech", don't mention your opponent more than once, if that. "I am running for this office because..." makes a bigger impression among many people than "I'm running against ---because...".

Even in cases like Chuck's primary in the 2nd District between him, Voisin, and Silver, don't go beyond "It is time to send Greg Walden home to Hood River because...".

Carville and Begala, in their book subtitled 12 rules from the War Room (very long title beginning Buck Up...), tell a story about trying to get Bill Clinton to use shorter answers. One held a stopwatch. The other read, slowly, the Bible passage beginning "For God so loved the world...".

Then they said, "If all of Christianity can be explained in that number of seconds, shouldn't you be trying to give shorter answers?".

A wise friend said any successful candidate can answer 3 questions: Who are you? Why are you running? Why should I vote for you?

and do it in a way that is clear, brief, and sells them as a candidate.

Sounds like good advice to me.

I hope I've made one thing clear, I believe I can beat Greg Walden on his record. How other Democrats run their campaigns in this Primary is entirely their affair, my focus is solely on waldenbush. Obviously, if I spend time, energy, and money on a Primary election I would like to succeed in that endeavor, some Democrat will, and it would be better if waldnbush were the only one bloodied in the campaign.

I managed to mention time, energy, and money, visit the campaign site and see about investing some.

Hello all Ted Kulongoski is not a friends of the vet's my hairdresser where i get my hair cut in mcminnville oregon said TED showed up at a close family friends funeral actually hurt them by even attending their it was like a slap in the face to the veterans who had served because of TED K Ties with mayor portland Tom potter See below in this Article about Tom potter threatening to take Homeland security away County takes Portland's spot on terrorism task force

12:42 PM PDT on Friday, July 1, 2005

By kgw.com and AP Staff

The two Portland police officers recently removed from the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force were replaced Friday by a deputy from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Bernie Giusto and the FBI announced.

KGW

A sergeant from Giusto's office is being pulled from traffic duty and will work with the anti-terror team, reporting directly to task force offices each day. The sergeant, after a federal background check, will get a top-secret security clearance.

"I decided this was the right thing for the safety of this county, this state and this nation," Giusto said, "and we'll give up something else to provide this service and I think it serves the interest of this country."

The sheriff met with Robert Jordan, the FBI's special agent in charge for Oregon, after the Portland City Council voted two months ago to become the first community in the nation to end its involvement in the JTTF.

Mayor Tom Potter pushed for the withdrawl after the FBI refused to give him the top-secret security clearance he said he needed for full oversight of the officers assigned to the task force. Critics said the task forces have been used to spy on people, as in a Fresno, Calif. case in which a local deputy went undercover to infiltrate an anti-war group.

The local call for oversight grew stronger after the FBI wrongfully arrested Portland attorney Brandon Mayfield as a suspect in the Madrid, Spain train bombings last year -- a mistake that prompted an FBI apology.

The Portland officers removed from the task force kept their top-secret security clearances in case they're needed to respond to a terrorist attack, but city investigators will no longer do broader anti-terrorism work.

The FBI operates Joint Terrorism Task Forces in about 100 cities. The cooperative efforts between local, state and federal authorities investigate and guard against attacks.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed Freedom of Information Act requests in 10 states, including Oregon, to discover whether the task forces are obeying laws. Also measure 37 should have been given back to the people it is the peoples vote that matter it is for the will of the people not supreme court peter Defazio to decide to give it back to us or any other liberal Just because it is election time year.Also people should care about vets and military because they fight for our freedoms. PGE will always remain a crisis with liberals in office because they will take your rights away on that as well if u like high pge bills. I am voting for a real true conservative for Governor of oregon and That is Senator Jasson Atkinson for Governor as I find more Articles I will be posting them on our blog and posting about measure 37 measure 36 and PGE crisis in oregon.we already vote by Mail in oregon and it is not right to take away peoples votes to only uphold them during an election year.IT is the will of the peooples votes that matter and for the people to decide.

Hello all and why would Tom potter need this information first before he gives us homeland security.I do not want tom potter to be Governor of oregon someday in the future he has ties with TED Kulongski Mayor Tom Potter pushed for the withdrawl after the FBI refused to give him the top-secret security clearance he said he needed for full oversight of the officers assigned to the task force. Critics said the task forces have been used to spy on people, as in a Fresno, Calif. case in which a local deputy went undercover to infiltrate an anti-war group. we will volunteer hard to see that senator Jason Atkinson is elected Governor of oregon 06