Quick Hits and Deep Thoughts: Atkinson for Governor?
Kari Chisholm
The news keeps on percolating. Most of these items are certainly worthy of their very own post - but since I'm busy, busy I'll just let you all bat them around in the comments...
- Bloggers around the country are taking note of a letter to Speaker Pelosi that urges her to include transportation changes in an upcoming climate change bill. One asked, "Does your representative get the link between transportation and global warming?" Wondering if Blumenauer had signed on, I discovered... he wrote it.
- Is Senator Jason Atkinson (R-Jacksonville) planning another run for Governor? Sure looks like it.
- Smart guy Republican Dan Lavey calls congressional candidate Mike Erickson a "lost cause" - but the guy keeps pouring money in, nearly a million bucks last quarter. Lavey may call it a "cakewalk" for Kurt Schrader, but I think he's just trying to sandbag us. Anybody willing to pour $2-3 million into an open seat has a decent shot, don't you think?
- So far, the OLCC's new blog is really, really boring. But I can't help notice that one of their first two posts is a response to a recent BlueOregon item by Jeff Alworth.
- Senator Ron Wyden wants the Veterans Administration to explain their decision to bar nonpartisan nonprofit groups from registering voters at VA hospitals. (Keep in mind that some veterans are living in those hospitals for months at a time.) That's right, folks. The Bushies think it's OK to ask people to fight, die, and get injured for democracy - but not vote for democracy.
- So, last week, Gordon Smith called Jeff Merkley a "lawbreaker" - claiming that the DPO's issue ads featuring Merkley break the law. Let's just be crystal clear here. Gordon Smith is the only candidate in the Senate race to have been fined by the FEC for violating campaign finance law. Smith paid $11,000 in fines.
- Yesterday, Jeff Merkley blogged at DailyKos about his experience at Netroots Nation - and included a video:
Also, the national enviro blog, Grist, has a fantastic interview with Merkley from Netroots Nation. Check out their video interview.
- Over at StopGordonSmith.com, they've noted that "Voter registration numbers for June show that the margin of registered Democrats in Oregon has grown from roughly 70,000 a year ago to more than 200,000." Combined, Clackamas and Washington counties used to be Republican by 4000 voters, now they're Democratic by 30,000 voters. Wow.
Full disclosure: My firm built the campaign websites for Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader, and StopGordonSmith.com - but I speak only for myself.
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Jul 24, '08
Re: Merkley @ NN and his Grist interview. Both were good, but, unfortunately, Jeff ends up preaching to the choir. I doubt the key voters he needs to defeat Smith read DKos or Grist online.
Jul 24, '08
Thanks for the link!
I appreciate Blumenauer's leadership on transportation policy. The highway bill is going to be one of the most important battles in Congress in 2009. A lot of entrenched interests and senior Democrats are going to stand in the way of changing our funding priorities on transportation.
Jul 24, '08
Hey Edison, turn on your light bulb. Merkley was at Netroots to get them to believe in him so they will help him improve his online fundraising. Because he ran against Netroots darling, Steve Novick, and because Novick painted Merkley as far more conservative than he really is, Merkley has been a non-entity in online fundraising. That will need to change if you want to defeat Smith.
Go to Merkley's site and contribute $20 right now for your stupid comment.
(I don't really think you're stupid. This is insider stuff, and not really readily apparent unless you've done campaigns. I'm also going to contribute $20 right after I post to atone for my snarkiness.)
Jul 24, '08
Re: Merkley @ NN and his Grist interview. Both were good, but, unfortunately, Jeff ends up preaching to the choir. I doubt the key voters he needs to defeat Smith read DKos or Grist online.
Probably not, but I reckon they'll give him some funding so that he can reach those key voters. I'm amazed at the ability of the netroots to get many, many people across the nation to each donate small sums that add up big.
8:53 a.m.
Jul 24, '08
Jeff ends up preaching to the choir.
Naismith and Wattage get it right. As I often say in my presentations, the choir needs preaching to. That's how you get them to sing.
And it's not just about national netroots. It's about Oregon netroots, too. There are a lot of DKos and Grist readers in Oregon that have never heard of BlueOregon. You'd be amazed, actually.
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