Gordon Smith, R-Virginia?
Kari Chisholm
This is rather odd.
Because I'm a nosy kind of fellow, I decided to pop over and see if GordonSmith.com was up and running yet. And it is, but there's not actually any content there.
Instead, there's the world largest donation button, an email signup form, and a Contact Us page. OK, so it's coming soon, whatever.
But here's the really odd thing:
Seriously: Alexandria, Virginia?
According to Google Maps, it's a good 2674 miles away - 1 day 17 hours by car.
Come home, Gordon, come home...
(Oh, and is it just me, or does GordonSmith.com have the same flavor as JohnMcCain.com?)
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11:57 a.m.
Mar 17, '07
Hmm.... to go with the faux-gravitas black and white or highlight the green ubiquitous likeability campaign sweater? Tough one. Glad to see them take a stand on at least something.
Mar 17, '07
Forgive me, why is this odd? I mean Wyden hardly visits here, is married to a NY millionaire and will probably retire in Wadhington or NY (like Packwood) and does most of his fund-raising back in DC just like Smith. THat's just Congress, doesn't mean I like it.
Mar 17, '07
Hmm... Kari, you're right on the similarities between McCain and Gordo's websites: they both have the same DNS information.
But whereas Gordo apparently subcontracted ALL of his web registration and upkeep to Virginians, it looks like McCain was at least kind enough to at least keep his webmaster in Arizona.
Mar 17, '07
whoa! different pictures each time you visit it! I'm a fan of the picture with his hair parted on the right side - it's usually on the left. If he's gonna flip flop, he might was well flip flop his part too.
and - packwood lives in portland. at least part time. pretty funny to call his home number to talk to his wife and hear "this is bob" when he picks up the phone.
2:05 p.m.
Mar 17, '07
Yeah, I ran into Bob & Elaine at the Zupan's on Macadam just a few months ago.
2:07 p.m.
Mar 17, '07
Hey Red -- Good catch. There seem to be two photos that randomly come up; and the part on his hair flip-flops back and forth. The guy can't commit to anything!
(Or more likely, his web designer flopped the photo -- but I'm not really a fan of picking on the web designers... :)
Mar 17, '07
As if McCain doesn't have enough problems with the Christianist Right. According to his website, he has a daughter living in...GASP...Canada who works for a record comapny promoting a band named dope with songs titled "Let's Fuck," "Fuck the World," and Fuck tha Police."
Mar 17, '07
Those from Roseburg, OR are wondering when ex-Governor Kitzhaber will come home and resume his duties as an ER doc at Mercy Medical Center?
Mar 17, '07
What a stupid trivial thing to even be discussing - the fact that Gordon Smith's PAC office is in Virginia!?? It's really of no consequence. It's just another attempt by the self-serving liberal dolts to smear the opponent. Maybe out of fairness you should list the PAC office locations for YOUR people.
Mar 17, '07
Because I'm a nosy kind of fellow, I decided to pop over and see if GordonSmith.com was up and running yet. And it is, but there's not actually any content there.
There isn't much content in his suit, either.
7:00 p.m.
Mar 17, '07
Looks like that's also the address of the right wing group "All Children Matter," primarily concerned with school vouchers.Check it out...
Here's some background on who they are, and also some allegations they've broken the law in the past when it comes to running issue ads; they urged voting against a candidate.
7:04 p.m.
Mar 17, '07
That's D-Va. now.
7:07 p.m.
Mar 17, '07
This would qualify in my book as a pathetic attempt to hype a non-issue but that great Google map totally redeems it. Hilarious, Kari.
Mar 17, '07
Interesting article on Mydd about Wu possibly challenging Smith:
http://mydd.com/story/2007/3/17/16859/9375
12:03 a.m.
Mar 18, '07
Does this have any fundraising implications? Does listing a VA address change any of the reporting requirements?
Mar 18, '07
Judging by his profile shot, is Gordo getting a bit gordo lately?
Mar 18, '07
All I've got to say is that Sen. Smith may be a Republican and may be soliciting funds from a Virginia based address, but his office does one heck of a better job responding to constituent letters and concerns than does the Democratic Party senator from Oregon. I'm a Democratic Party member through and through, but unless Sen. Wyden's office catches up with Sen. Smith's in their ability to respond to constituents, I will consider a vote against him in the next election. We've had a lot of veteran's related issues come up since moving to Portland a year ago, and Sen. Smith's office responds with results within two weeks. Sen. Wyden's office takes 8-10 weeks to reply and never with a solution only a form letter.
Mar 18, '07
We can expect Smith to parachute back into Oregon soon, just in time to get media coverage for 2008. Based on his travel schedule, he seems to prefer spending vacations in the Green Zone rather than meeting voters here. And his Oregon experience of skulking about, showing up secretly only before selected groups, serves him well in Iraq. To him it must seem that meeting ordinary Oregon voters is almost as terrifying as meeting ordinary Iraqis.
Chuck P may have had a good experience communicating with Smith, but I've NEVER had a response from either Wyden or Smith.
Mar 18, '07
I have never received a written response from any Dumbocrat, whether it be at the national, state or local level. Our honorable Smith, on the other hand, even sent me a signed copy of his book! I wish more politicians actually cared about people instead of pushing forward unpopular moronic ideas and flapping their jaw to hear the sound of their own voice.
Mar 18, '07
GT:
Every time you respond with mean-spirited idiocy, I contribute to the Deomcratic Party of Oregon. It will be interesting to see whether you have more idiocy than I have money (you probably do). Either way, the DPO wins.
Chuck P:
I have had the opposite experience. I have found Wyden's office to be much more responsive. I even have it from an adimittedly biased source that Sen. Smith's offices actually turn their phones to do-not-disturb on days they expect a lot of calls about the Iraq War, Supreme Court Justice confirmation, etc.
Mar 18, '07
I'm glad to hear that you're so rich! Maybe they can count on your generosity when they need to build more trams or public art work to replace those that get vandalized!
Mar 18, '07
All I've got to say is that Sen. Smith may be a Republican and may be soliciting funds from a Virginia based address, but his office does one heck of a better job responding to constituent letters and concerns than does the Democratic Party senator from Oregon.
You're luckier than I am in this regard, Chuck P. The letters I receive from Smith are usually mealy-mouthed pablum. A few years ago I asked to meet him or an aide in Washington on behalf of the Campaign to Ban Land Mines and got no response. You would think that if I traveled all the way from Oregon to DC, the least they could have done was give me a five-minute courtesy hearing. The campaign managed to arrange a meeting with an aide who was hostile to this ban. Smith was also opposed as he eventually revealed in another limp letter. His modus operandum appears to be to avoid conflict as much as possible and hope problems will go away. There are times when honorable men and women have to stand up and make a stand, but that is difficult for empty suits. As for Wyden, I have had better luck with him, which obviously is not that hard to achieve.
Mar 18, '07
Alexandria, VA is right next to Washington, DC - it's like the less expensive suburbs of the high-priced DC real estate and a lot of national organizations, lobbyists, etc. locate there. It makes perfect sense.
There are plenty of real reasons to go after Gordon Smith. I'd recommend focusing on them.
11:39 p.m.
Mar 18, '07
Becky -- having a fundraising operation based in DC isn't by itself a reason to chuck a US Senator out of office. But when it's part of a larger pattern of being more interested in power and influence back there than in retaining connections back here, well, it's part of the narrative.
Rick Santorum was also a target-rich environment, but a major reason he lost was because he insisted on forcing local Pennsylvania taxpayers to pay for his kids private school tuition in DC. He claimed to live in Pennsylvania, but neighbors reported that the house had been empty for months.
This isn't quite that sort of a story... but stay tuned.
Mar 19, '07
Alexandria, VA is a subburb of DC. All congressmen have an address/office in the DC area.
12:59 p.m.
Mar 19, '07
I still want to know why a national school voucher organization is running Smith's campaign PAC?
5:58 p.m.
Mar 19, '07
Friends of Gordon Smith 228 S. Washington St., Suite 115 Alexandria, VA 22314
Classic. Apparently most of Gordon Smith's friends live in Alexandria, VA rather than here in Oregon.
5:13 a.m.
Mar 20, '07
All congressmen have an address/office in the DC area.
A congressional office, sure. But not their campaign HQ. Senator Wyden, for example, has his campaign offices in inner NE Portland.
Mar 21, '07
First the Santorum comparison (which is totally unfounded and irresponsible), then the assumption that the HQ is in the VA area....alot of assuming going on here Kari...are you actually doing research and verifying your comments? Or do you just throw stuff out there and hope it sticks? Slow week to find something legit to complain about Smith?
Its a web site, everyone who runs for office has one...you want to critique his voting record or his stance (or changing stance) on Iraq, do so. But if you are a "guest columnist" I would suggest, at the behest of your own credibility as it relates to Blue Oregon, to actually opine about things that will actually impact Oregonians, not whine about a web site and irresponsibly try to connect Santorum's misteps (and flat-our mistakes) to something as inconsequential as a web site.
If you would rather just whine, join us commenters. I for one come to this site in the hopes of finding informative facts from people who are passionate about Oregon politics, not to look at a cute google maps graphic and read about unfounded "conspiracy theories."
The graphic was cute though, maybe you should offer your graphic design skills to Smith, that way the site can be housed in Oregon.
Mar 27, '07
1 day 17 hours by car.
Want to take a drive?