I just hope whomever our Democratic candidate is: they raise fees and taxes across the board in Oregon. I want every fee and tax currently on the books to be raised by at least 25%. This money will go to save the children and poor.

Peace.

You mean that silly fucking top hat he was pictured in during the last race?

Walden will eat his lunch in the primary. Alley is a joke with virtually no appeal or natural base in his own party.

"The company hasn't had much in the way of financial success"

Careful, Ted the Genius isn't having a lot of luck with money - Even after he blew thru a $2B surplus two years ago.

At least Alley made a profit and created jobs, something Ted has never done his entire life.

I apologize it was a $1B surplus he and the legislature burned thru:

"At 66, he was just elected to his second term, with a budget surplus surpassing $1 billion and a legislature controlled by his fellow Democrats. So just what was there to gain politically?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/01/us/01stamps.html

If the NY Times sees Ted as incompetent when it comes to managing money, what's next?

Funny, TA.

I'm guessing that any of the "first string" candidates in either party would be able to show pretty quickly that the man who thinks this job fits his background couldn't stand up in front of a group of citizens and answere questions from ordinary folk about basics of state governance.

Doing town halls (of the sort Sen. Wyden does in every county every year) as part of his campaign in 1994, Dr. John Kitzhaber proved how much he knew about state issues and governance. My guess is Alley has a long way to go to be able to do that. Does he think we are stupid?

"Puh-leeze."

In 2007, there was surplus that could've been put into a rainy day fund, instead spending was increased by about 20% with a very small rainy-day fund. Today in 2009 we find ourselves $800M-$1B short.

Sorry, forgot the quote:

"In 2007, Oregon had plenty of tax revenue, allowing lawmakers to increase spending by 20 percent and even create a rainy day fund."

http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8UJS4C81.html

No, this doesn't mean the Rs are any better when it comes to financial planning.

Alley has no chance with the militant fundamentalist base that controls the Republican party. The Repug nominee will be Jason Atkinson, son of Bible thumper Evangelical broadcaster, Perry Atkinson. He will run on the Dominionist anti-science platform and be demolished in the general election.

If the guy can't beat Ben Westlund for State Treasurer (a financial lightweight) how the hell is he going to beat anyone for Governor !! This is great news for anyone running on the other side !!

I'm pretty sure Greg Walden will not run for governor and has no interest in doing so any time soon. I was actually at a Rotary meeting with him yesterday in Grants Pass, and he gave not the slightest indication that he was considering such a run.

For all the success we had in November, I'm afraid you guys are quick to forget that Alley received the endorsement of all but one newspaper in Oregon. He took the Willamette Week for God's sake. He was in a down-ballot race in the year everyone was getting good Obamabrations. Alley is well connected in the business community, and will presumably run as a moderate if he can make it out of the primary alive.

One thing you might not all agree with me on is Oregon's generally unfriendly business climate, but especially the tax structure. However, if the economy is still a major issue when people are arriving at a decision on this race, don't expect Oregon voters to overlook a guy with some business acumen.

Alley blew it with the R's when he became Gov. K's deputy chief of staff.

It is funny, though, to think that Alley went from CEO to the guy who hangs up the Governor's coat. Makes me want to see Trading Places.

I think he'd be a dynamite candidate if he'd just change one letter in his name: make it either "Allen Allen" or "Alley Alley". The latter, in particular, would certainly garner support from the "Keep Portland Weird" crowd. This name change would also attract the low-information voter, who would only have to remember a single name when marking his ballot.

I think he'd be a dynamite candidate if he'd just change one letter in his name: make it either "Allen Allen" or "Alley Alley". The latter, in particular, would certainly garner support from the "Keep Portland Weird" crowd. This name change would also attract the low-information voter, who would only have to remember a single name when marking his ballot.

I forgot to mention that the name change, especially if it's to "Alley Alley", would obviously open up a possibility for a songwriter to come up with a successor hit to "Louie Louie".

Alley is well connected in the business community, and will presumably run as a moderate if he can make it out of the primary alive.

How did that work out for Smith last election? (and he was the incumbent)

How did that work out for Smith last election? (and he was the incumbent)

Unfortunately you just proved my point, Scott. It took a perfect storm to bring down an incumbent like Smith and two years from now, the climate may not be as favorable. As a moderate, I welcome Alley's entrance into the race if for nothing else to contribute to the dialogue about getting our country and more specifically our state back on track.

As a Democrat, I'm a little worried about Alley's decision to join the race. If he manages to take down Atkinson in the primary, he's going to be a lot less offensive to Portlanders. He's smart and likeable, with the ability to draw some R-curious Dem votes (Smith managed too many of those in November). This is annoying. With Obamania cooling off next year, we're going to need more than just claims that he "thinks we're stupid."

I voted for Allen Alley in 2008. He was the only republican after my initial "Smith is a moderate" period wore off before the election.

He was the more qualified candidate, and barring the possibility of another Kitz run, I am fairly confident I'd vote for him again for governor. As Jeff Mapes has pointed oute, he would have to take positions on issues a state treasurer has the luxury of staying away from. So who knows maybe he'll come out with some pretty extreme views and change my mind. But as of now, I believe he is a welcome change from the Republican party that has alienated so many of its own.

I'm not a big fan of every blueoregon post or point of view, but I'm also a regular reader with a left to moderate point of view. This puts me in the majority of Oregonians and I think Alley has what it takes to win people like me over.

Also, sorry for the horrible spelling mistake above.

I think the outcome of the 2010 races will hinge on whether the economy recovers before then. The party in power always gets blamed for a bad economy, even if they inherited it.

Steve (Maurer) says: Our President remains overwhelmingly popular nationally, with a 68% favorable rating vs a 25% unfavorable. This means he's got all but the most nutcase insane GOP voters behind him.

Geez Steve - Obama hasn't even officially been in office a month yet. Let's see where his poll ratings are in 9 to 12 months. His ratings may hold, they may not. But 3 weeks is a bit premature to declare omnipotentence. Some White House staffers are still finding the bathrooms.

'Nutcase'... 'GOP trolls'... 'obvious stupidity'... 'GOP kindergarten nononoholdourbreathuntilweturnblue tantrum shtick'... 'lunatic right'...

You know, being on the opposite side of some issues here, I always try to be respectful in my posts. Rational people with legitimately different views might be more disposed to listen and consider alternative opinions if we didn't have to wade through the gratuitous derogatory name-calling in every other sentence going on in so many posts here. Really, we're not all 'mind-numbed robot' dittoheads.

I always wonder about the people I hear railing against Rush Limbaugh, 'conservative/Republican hate speech', etc when I read the language in posts here (and elsewhere) by 'progressives' and listen to Thom Hartmann, Randy Rhodes, Mike Mulloy, Ron Reagan Jr, etc. who are no better and often worse (Mulloy is particularly foul) It's all like the proverbial pot calling the kettle black.

I've never met a hardware or software corp. CEO that I would want making social policy.

Allen Alley would be a much smarter pick for our elephant friends than Atkinson. While he doesn't have the personality to overcome his lack of political chops, he isn't perceived as a right wing troglodyte like Atkinson is.

Alley will be able to restart his organization from 2008 which was hard working though inexperienced. I fear Alley more than Atkinson in 2010.

So who among us blue Oregonians is testing the water?

"I've never met a hardware or software corp. CEO that I would want making social policy. "

Just curious, how do you feel about George Soros being one the biggest contributors to the Democratic party (I'll overlook the fact that he takes every opportunity to avoid paying income tax in the US for now)? I would think for all those dollars he'd expect somesay in policy.

OK, let's test the knowledge base of Soros and Alley. Given that I recall seeing an opponent of his correct him on an item of fact in a campaign debate, I'm guessing Soros would win.

But seriously folks, we need someone who understands Oregon and Oregon government. If Kitzhaber were to run for Gov., would Alley say as he said last year, "Well, if you want a LEGISLATOR in that job, he's your guy" ignoring how many state treasurers were legislators?

I'm afraid you guys are quick to forget that Alley received the endorsement of all but one newspaper in Oregon. He took the Willamette Week for God's sake. He was in a down-ballot race in the year everyone was getting good Obamabrations. Alley is well connected in the business community, and will presumably run as a moderate if he can make it out of the primary alive.

One thing you might not all agree with me on is Oregon's generally unfriendly business climate, but especially the tax structure. However, if the economy is still a major issue when people are arriving at a decision on this race, don't expect Oregon voters to overlook a guy with some business acumen.

Yes, he got those endorsements, and look what good it did him.

Sure, he's connected with the rich corporate types. Most Republicans are. Usually, their sole qualification for the office is having enough money donors to run lots of ads. Again, that's not enough to win.

And sure, he'll run as a moderate in the general if he makes it out of the primary. Most Republicans do. Too bad that in order TO make it out of the primary, he'll have to run as a fringe right winger, complete with panders to the Newtist, Palinist, Mannixist, Sizemoreist, War on Obama, War on Pot, War on Abortion, War on Science, War on Secular Learning, War on Non-Christians, War on People Who Look Mexican, War on Common Sense Worst of the Worst wing of the Republican Party before switching to the aw-shucks we just want lower taxes attempt in the Fall. And we have longer memories than that. Gordon Smith, as an incumbent with no primary, had the luxury of donning his pre-election "moderate" mask almost two full years before November 2008, and we still remembered.

One thing you're right on, though...a lot of us don't agree with your strange "Oregon is unfriendly to business" chant. Businesses pay lower taxes here than in any state outside of Dixie and Alaska, with the result that individual taxpayers have higher income taxes than they otherwise would, to make up the slack. Seems to me more harm is done to the business climate by the bad PR from Conservative Republicans who falsely claim that Oregon hates business than by anything actually done by the state government.

I forgot to mention that the name change, especially if it's to "Alley Alley", would obviously open up a possibility for a songwriter to come up with a successor hit to "Louie Louie".

<h2>Ha-Ha! You mean as in, "Allen Alley...Whoah, no...He's gotta go, now...Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya..." Man, that took less time to write than it would to sing...</h2>