Hooley, DeFazio, Blumenauer, and Wu respond to Gordon Smith's latest ad
In a rare joint statement, Oregon's Democratic members of Congress issued a blistering response to Gordon Smith - and to Elizabeth Furse, the former Congresswoman who endorsed Smith in his latest ad.
The statement, in full:
After watching Gordon Smith's new television ad featuring Elizabeth Furse and Avel Gordly we feel compelled to respond and to help set the record straight: Gordon Smith was not one of the first to speak out against the war. It was only after the resounding rejection of the failed Bush agenda at the ballot box in 2006 that Gordon Smith revealed that he harbored second thoughts about the war. Any previous consternation, on his part, was concealed from his constituents and those of us that were fighting to change this disastrous policy.To this day, he has turned a blind eye to the other abuses: Halliburton; independent contractors; torture. The list on the war alone is as extensive as it is troubling.
We welcome Senator Smith's change of heart. We hope that it extends past just the war, to deal with all the assorted disasters and outrages associated with it.
We know that our friend and former colleague Elizabeth Furse has been gone from Congress for a long time. Had she still been in office, she would have opposed the war with us from the beginning rather than wait years for Senator Smith to speak out.
Discuss.
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June 19, 2008
Posted in in the news. |
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Jun 19, '08
They forgot to add that Furse is a traitor and should be treated as such.
Jun 19, '08
I'm so glad to see this, that ad makes my skin crawl every time I see it.
10:21 a.m.
Jun 19, '08
They need to make this into an ad so that more Oregonians understand that Democrats do not support Smith and he has been complicit in supporting Bush's war in spite of recent statements.
Jun 19, '08
Yes, it is annoying to hear Elizabeth Furse sell out like this, but I'd caution the Democratic Party against playing the Betrayal Card. Frankly, I felt betrayed by Congress the last two years, when the Dems had the power to make a huge difference in Washington. I'm surprised they have the gall to mention the "resounding rejection of the failed Bush agenda at the ballot box in 2006." That means they clearly got the message - but did the Democrats act? They could have cut off funding to Iraq, and prosecuted Bush and Cheney for the stunning, sickening abuses of power. They didn't. They rolled over for Bush and Cheney time and time again. So I wouldn't get too carried away with how noble they are if I were them. Clearly they decided to run out the clock on the Bush administration, rather than do the right thing, in the hopes the President would lead his entire party over the cliff in November. It may work. But I hate to think of the young people who died during these last two years because the Democrats in Congress didn't act. And think about all the people in American History who died to give us these rights that President Bush so callously took away. We gave the Democrats Congress back to address these grievances and they did not deliver. That makes them accomplices in the biggest disgrace in American History. So get all huffy about Elizabeth Furse if you want. But don't act like she betrayed you, when you just got done betraying America.
11:14 a.m.
Jun 19, '08
So get all huffy about Elizabeth Furse if you want. But don't act like she betrayed you, when you just got done betraying America.
Well put!!
Jun 19, '08
Where was Senator Ron Wyden?
Oh, that's right, he's neutral on the topic of Senator Gordon Smith. I forgot.
Jun 19, '08
But yay for everyone else!
(Note to self: learn to be more positive.)
12:20 p.m.
Jun 19, '08
Wyden is not at all neutral on this election and already has endorsed Jeff Merkley in just about the strongest terms possible. Plus, this is a letter from current members of the House to a former colleague. Wyden serves in the Senate.
12:30 p.m.
Jun 19, '08
It's telling that Smith is running for cover under the Democratic "brand," since the Republican brand is increasingly seen as a bad one.
But he votes with Bush and cancels out Wyden 90% of the time. The public should focus on that--Gordon Smith is a conservative Republican who is hiding his core principles and agenda in order to get re-elected. Period.
I don't have a clue what Furse's and Gordly's principles or agendas might be, but they aren't Democratic ones.
Jun 19, '08
Good to see a little solidarity!
Jun 19, '08
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I could swear that Senator Gordly openly admitted to registering democrat in order to vote for Obama in the state's primary. For her to say "I'm a democrat" in that ad, seems misleading to me.
10:39 p.m.
Jun 19, '08
David, you are correct. Here's the blog post from her chief of staff, Sean Cruz.
Jun 20, '08
Too bad all four of these people are hypocrites where it counts --- they have refused to co-sponsor, or even support, Kucinich's impeachment resolution against the Shrub. (DeFazio, wimping his way out of controversy did sign Wexler's bill calling for hearings on articles of impeachment of Cheney.) Big talk, no action. Typical BO-style losers.
2:20 p.m.
Jun 20, '08
Yeah, we're put to shame by name-calling anonymous winners like yourself, R.E. I don't know if I can stand it.
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