Ron Saxton: Right Wing Shenanigans
An editorial in the Daily Astorian asks, "Who is Ron Saxton?"
Ron Saxton was the bright moderate hope of Oregon in 2002. As a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, Saxton was an alternative to the dependably right-wing Kevin Mannix. ...During the primary campaign, Saxton’s challenge was to woo the religious right wing that holds sway. That crowd is a relatively small portion of the Oregon electorate, but it is enormously pivotal within the GOP.
It may be that Saxton calculates he can win the governor’s office by aligning with the group that wants to penalize the public schools or outlaw abortion. This makes for interesting inside baseball, but it isn’t the leadership that Oregon needs in 2006.
Oregon has fallen behind in two critical areas: infrastructure and education. Unless Saxton is prepared to lead us out of that dark zone, his shenanigans with the right wing would mean only one thing: Four more years of deadlock, inertia and retrogression while the world moves on.
Discuss.
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July 17, 2006
Posted in in the news 2006. |
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Jul 17, '06
How sad Saxton has turned out to be. A moderate republican? No, a political whore, yes. It is obvious that both super K and the Big S are not capable of leadership, but one will win and Oregon will lose. On the governor race I will sit this one out. I cannot abide either one. Where are the moderates on both sides? It seems corporate lap dogs are in the majority. No matter which one wins..citizens lose.
Jul 17, '06
I actually don't think Saxton believes he is going to win. He was here in Crook County Sunday morning for the 4-H pancake breakfast at the end of the Crook Co. Fair. Rep. Walden was here cooking (but oddly not really talking to anyone), Carol Voisin who is Walden's opponent worked the line introducing herself to everyone, and late in the event Ron Saxton showed up.
Saxton was seen talking to two older men (read that good old boys) and then sitting at a table where he talked to three more older men. He did not circulate, he did not introduce himself, and before the event was over he went off to the "rabbit shed" for a photo op.
How can you get elected when you are in a tent with 200 to 300 people and only talk to 5 of them? Most of the people there didn't even know that Saxton was in the house.
I can't believe Saxton is serious about winning this election.
9:35 a.m.
Jul 17, '06
"Oregon has fallen behind in two critical areas: infrastructure and education."
Question to the Daily Astorian: Who has been in charge as Oregon's infrastructre and education has "fallen behind?"
Hmmm?
How does that saying go about trying to solve problems using the same kind of thinking that got you into those problems?
yip yip
Jul 17, '06
Well, the Republicans have been in charge of the Oregon House, and the Oregon Senate until recently, and then anti-government folks refer solutions to the voters, and argue we can have everything without paying for it.
There's plenty of blame to go around.
12:18 p.m.
Jul 17, '06
Jessie, I might agree. However my point to the Daily Astorian is that the seem to completely forget about the fact that a Democrat has been the Chief Executive of Oregon for two decades and been in charge of one or both houses during that same time period as well.
As for the initiatives. Well if it was not for those danged Oregon voters...
12:39 p.m.
Jul 17, '06
"How can you get elected when you are in a tent with 200 to 300 people and only talk to 5 of them? Most of the people there didn't even know that Saxton was in the house."
Wishful thinking, Steve. He talked to the five in that crowd who will be his big donors. He'll reach the other 295 with TV ads paid for by the 5.
Jul 17, '06
I don't recall that Democrats were behind measures 5, 11, 50 and the kicker law. We can all pay lip service to how important education is; however, when your greatest energies are focused on passing tax breaks to our largest multi-millionaire property owners and increasing prison capacity, it makes one wonder. Message to the GOP: put your money where your mouth is or shut up.
Jul 17, '06
Truer words have rarely been written:
“/That crowd [the religious right wing] is a relatively small portion of the Oregon electorate, but it is enormously pivotal within the GOP.”/
And that’s precisely why Republicans have such a difficult time getting elected to any statewide office, with the exception of Mr. Smith, who really isn’t a moderate but plays one (well enough) on TV.
Unless and until mainstream Republicans purge themselves of the far-right nutcases, they’ll never win more than the occasional state office.
<h2>One wonders -- would McCall, Paulus, Hatfield, Packwood, etc. win a Republican primary in Oregon today?</h2>