Oregon's copy-and-paste Republicans
Kari Chisholm
This time, it's the Oregon Senate Republicans. Sometimes, you wonder if they even know that the internet exists. Or maybe they don't care that overdoing it with the copy-and-paste makes 'em look so damn stupid.
Over on the legislature's press releases site, you'll find these sitting there:
Kruse Delivers Enhanced Teacher Mentoring
George Delivers Enhanced Teacher Mentoring
Winters Delivers Enhanced Teacher Mentoring
Ferrioli Delivers Enhanced Teacher Mentoring
Beyer Delivers Enhanced Teacher Mentoring
And, if you bother to read each one, you'll find this:
“Oregon children deserve the highest quality teachers and administrators,” said Senator Jeff Kruse (R-Roseburg), who voted for the bill. “Oregon teachers face a challenging and crucial task. It is our responsibility to make sure they have what they need to be successful.”“Oregon children deserve the highest quality teachers and administrators,” said Senator Larry George (R-Sherwood), who voted for the bill. “Oregon teachers face a challenging and crucial task. It is our responsibility to make sure they have what they need to be successful.”
“Oregon children deserve the highest quality teachers and administrators,” said Senator Jackie Winters (R-Salem), who voted for the bill. “Oregon teachers face a challenging and crucial task. It is our responsibility to make sure they have what they need to be successful.”
“Oregon children deserve the highest quality teachers and administrators,” said Senator Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day), who voted for the bill. “Oregon teachers face a challenging and crucial task. It is our responsibility to make sure they have what they need to be successful.”
And funniest of all? They didn't even bother updating the one for Beyer. It just says "Ferrioli" all over it.
Nevermind, of course, that the bill passed 27-0 -- so they hardly "delivered" anything. In fact, here's the sponsorship line for HB 2574-A:
By Representatives ROBLAN, FLORES, Senators DEVLIN, STARR, JOHNSON, WALKER; Representatives BUCKLEY, CAMERON, C EDWARDS, GELSER, KOMP, MINNIS, WHISNANT, Senators AVAKIAN, G GEORGE (at the request of The Chalkboard Project and Stand for Children)
Nope, no sign of Jeff Kruse, Larry George, Jackie Winters, Ted Ferrioli, or Roger Beyer. It was Senator Richard Devlin, the Democrat from Tualatin, who actually carried the bill.
Richard Devlin delivers. The rest of these copy-and-paste clowns? Not exactly.
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Jun 21, '07
Wow! So, when they said "“Oregon children deserve the highest quality teachers and administrators,” were they all speaking in unison? Because that really would have been something to watch.
10:38 a.m.
Jun 21, '07
Interesting -- sort of reverse astroturfing, from legislators to constituents?
Jun 21, '07
That is hilarious!
Jun 21, '07
This is how the Republican propaganda fountain starts. This is what gets spewed later on down the road because they have no sense to look beyond the rhetoric. Senseless and ubiquitous drivel.
11:18 a.m.
Jun 21, '07
Brian: Please, please, please listen! I've got one or two things to say. The Crowd: Tell us! Tell us both of them! Brian: Look, you've got it all wrong! You don't NEED to follow ME, You don't NEED to follow ANYBODY! You've got to think for your selves! You're ALL individuals! The Crowd: Yes! We're all individuals! Brian: You're all different! The Crowd: Yes, we ARE all different! Man in crowd: I'm not... The Crowd: Ssssssh!
11:50 a.m.
Jun 21, '07
"Sometimes, you wonder if they even know that the internet exists."
Maybe not the Senators, but it's clear they know what it is in the House. Rep. Thatcher began her speech opposing the indoor smoking ban by saying, "I did some looking on the internet this morning..." Apparently she thought that statements from OMA, CDC and the Surgeon General on secondhand smoke weren't conclusive enough, so she did a little Googling and came up with a medical diagnosis evidentially reminiscient of Dr. Frist's magic video Schiavo diagnosis.
So they don't know what the fuck to do with it, but I'll stand here and defend the GOP to my dying breath that they know what it is. :)
I was watching the latest Chris Guest ensemble movie last night, and one character said he'd look something up on the internet for a friend. "One question: the internet--that's the one with email, right?"
Jun 21, '07
ROTFL!!! The Repubs should fire the lazy-ass flack who wrote that tripe.
12:54 p.m.
Jun 21, '07
In the GOPs defense, it is good that they use just one regurgitated statement. After all, we wouldn't want the intertubes being filled with dump trucks full of enormous amounts of material, like original thoughts and statements and such. Senator Ted Stevens-R Alaska warned us about how dangerious that might be.
Jun 21, '07
Don't the Democrats do the same thing? I'm a Democrat and I get basically every e-news update from our side and they do the cut & paste too. Just sayin...
Jun 21, '07
Don't the Democrats do the same thing? I'm a Democrat and I get basically every e-news update from our side and they do the cut & paste too. Just sayin...
WeDoItToo - do you have an example on that comment? I'm a dem, and I've never seen this before.
Jun 21, '07
Actually spicey - you are right and I am wrong. I was thinking this was more of just the same PR stuff that comes outta the Majority office for us not the same quotes.
Jun 21, '07
Sometimes, you wonder if they even know that the internet exists. Or maybe they don't care that overdoing it with the copy-and-paste makes 'em look so damn stupid.
6:01 p.m.
Jun 21, '07
Hold the phone here, I just got email press releases from several Dems in which almost all of them copied part of the same press release about K-12 funding.
Rep Rosenbaum: House Approves Record Reinvestment in Oregon's K-12 Public Schools Budgets totaling $6.245 billion for 2007-09 sail through on bipartisan vote
Dear Neighbors, House Democrats delivered on a promised significant reinvestment in K-12 education with the approval today of a combined $6.245 billion budget for 2007- 09. Three budgets-the State School Fund, the School Improvement Fund and the Department of Education budget were approved today with broad, bipartisan support.
Rep. Riley Representative Riley Helps Pass Record Reinvestment in Oregon’s K-12 Schools
Budgets totaling $6.245 billion for 2007-09 sail through on bipartisan vote
The Oregon House of Representatives delivered a significant reinvestment in K-12 education with the approval today of a combined $6.245 billion budget for 2007-09. Three budgets—the State School Fund, the School Improvement Fund and the Department of Education budget were approved today with broad, bipartisan support.
Now, I'm not knocking cut and paste, and this is just a sample of a few others I got last week. Call it "cut and paste" e-journalism.. Many on both sides of the aisle do it. I don't think it's all that big a deal anyway....
8:23 p.m.
Jun 21, '07
I think that often times the caucus will come up with some sample/suggested text and quotes and then leave it up to the members to write their own items.
The Democrats will incorporate some quotes inside their own text. The Republicans have been shown numerous times this year to just release the exact same thing - as guest columns to the paper, as releases, etc.
The e-updates I get from the legislators are typically pretty unique, even if they do have a few quotes or sentences that are the same.
And of course, they don't take the glory for a bill they didn't even have their name on - while the Republicans are notorious for this.
Jun 22, '07
Most of the time Republicans don't put their name on bills they like because if they do, the bill is destined to die in this environment. Ask them before you flap your big gums. A good idea from a Republican is never a good idea.
12:20 p.m.
Jun 22, '07
The difference between the sited examples is, the Dems were not using quote marks to suggest these words were originating from their actual mouth areas, as the Republicans implied. The Dems were just relaying some info from the press office or similar source, sometimes referred to as "facts", depending on the source. But when you put a string of words in quotes, attach your name to it, and several others all do the same, it's either an amzing chorus, or anonther example of laziness and contempt for the public's intelligence.
Jun 22, '07
Mark Schwebke:
There is on big difference between your examples and what the Rs did. The Demoratic emails are repeating a piece of information; the Republican press releases are quoting different legislators saying identical words.
Did Jeff Kruse and Larry George actually speak the exact same words? Did they say it unison? Did they take turns?
I think it's more likely that the press releases were lies. Those people did not speak the words the press release claims they did.
Jun 22, '07
It just shows how very lazy and bored the R's are
11:18 p.m.
Jun 22, '07
Most of the time Republicans don't put their name on bills they like because if they do, the bill is destined to die in this environment. Ask them before you flap your big gums.
Try again, LOL. The list of sponsors included nine Democrats and six Republicans.
By Representatives ROBLAN, FLORES, Senators DEVLIN, STARR, JOHNSON, WALKER; Representatives BUCKLEY, CAMERON, C EDWARDS, GELSER, KOMP, MINNIS, WHISNANT, Senators AVAKIAN, G GEORGE (at the request of The Chalkboard Project and Stand for Children)
The people taking credit on these press releases for "delivering", well, they didn't.
Jun 23, '07
Kari,
This bill passed because of one name on the bill: "Chalkboard Project." There are probably few organizations in the state right now with such positive name ID right now. The other names on the bill are the the Republican and Democrat caucus representative to the Chalkboard Project. Even the union bosses in charge of the state legislature don't have the brass ones to challenge Chalkboard Project, at least the ones that don't affect their coffers.
However, if a bill has just Republican names on it, no matter how good an idea it is, it typically faces a much shorter life expectancy. Pick up a phone and call a Republican member or a caucus office. It is a reality, and you can either accept it or continue to bury your head in the sand.
Jun 23, '07
Kari,
This bill passed because of one name on the bill: "Chalkboard Project." There are probably few organizations in the state right now with such positive name ID right now. The other names on the bill are the the Republican and Democrat caucus representative to the Chalkboard Project. Even the union bosses in charge of the state legislature don't have the brass ones to challenge Chalkboard Project, at least the ones that don't affect their coffers.
However, if a bill has just Republican names on it, no matter how good an idea it is, it typically faces a much shorter life expectancy. Pick up a phone and call a Republican member or a caucus office. It is a reality, and you can either accept it or continue to bury your head in the sand.
Jun 23, '07
" Even the union bosses in charge of the state legislature don't have the brass ones to challenge Chalkboard Project".
Did Chalkboard say district management is infallible and unions should be dissolved? I must have missed that press release.
One of the big issues currently being debated (along with funding for mentoring) is audits of district administrators and business practices.
Note recent audit of Union-Baker ESD misuse of money, or the debate in large districts on supervision of central office administrators: their job description, pay, evaluation.
No one said that unions are perfect, but there are union haters who think if unions went away then everything would be peachy.
Except these people forget that by definition management is not part of unions. If administrators do something wrong, there are those who try to blame it on unions. But unions have no say in such things as administrator salaries.
If Republicans want to run as the party of management, go right ahead. But even those of us who work in non-union environments know there is more accountability expected of "frontline" workers than of management, and bashing unions won't cause such people to vote Republican.
12:13 p.m.
Jun 23, '07
LOL, I don't disagree with your most recent comment.
That doesn't change two basic facts:
<h1>1. Senators Jeff Kruse, Larry George, Jackie Winters, Ted Ferrioli, or Roger Beyer didn't "deliver" on a damn thing. They cast a vote on a unanimous bill - whoopdedoo.</h1> <h1>2. Their idiotic copy-and-paste statements betray a stunning lack of thoughtfulness about the process. Seriously - they all the had the same exact thought, and expressed in the same exact way?</h1>I had no idea that the Senate Republicans were such a single-minded Borg.
<h2>Whatever, "LOL". Go back to copying and pasting press releases, OK?</h2>