The Dems have a 229,000 voter registration advantage over the Republicans. The three candidates in the Republican side will have to throw the equivelent of a sucker punch to gain statewide attention.

I don't think any one of them stands a chance against Kitzhaber, Bradbury or DeFazio, if he's in.

I do have my own perspective on each one from trying to convince them to expand Mandarin programs in Oregon (less than 1% of Oregon’s public K-12 students study any Mandarin yet China’s economy is forecast to be twice the size of the US economy in 2050).

Although Jason Atkinson touts his international business and diplomatic credentials and his trade missions to both Chinas, the People’s Republic and Taiwan, he has done nothing, to my knowledge, to support expanding Mandarin programs or creating a Go Global High School Study Abroad Program in Oregon. I’ve emailed him regularly on these issues with no responses.

Allen Alley likewise. He has actual business experience in China, yet has done nothing. Alley chaired an Oregon Business Council committee in 2006 that considered new proposals for the OBC to support. Rep. Richardson and I submitted a proposal to expand Mandarin programs to the committee. Our proposal was not selected. Then, as an assistant to Governor Kulongoski, and with his China business background, he could have played a role in convincing the Governor to support more Mandarin programs. To my knowledge, he did nothing. I think he knows the importance of the China market to Oregon’s economic future, but has not had the political will or the connect-the-dots insight to support more Mandarin in Oregon’s public schools.

Former Representative John Lim served on the House Education Committee during the 2007 session. He then supported and voted for legislation in committee to expand Mandarin programs in Oregon. He seemed to understand and support this issue from the get-go. I will watch his campaign with interest to see if he incorporates any of my concerns into his platform.

I guess conservatives are going to be looking at who the Constitution Party nominates this year. If these are the three Republicans.

Dave Porter:

Great work on focusing on expanding Mandarin programs. It's smart and it is the right thing to do. The more Americans who can communicate with a Chinese person, and get to know them, the less likely I think they would be in supporting shooting them like lets say in a war with China, God forbid. So, it’s not just because of the economic benefits of this that I support you. Plus, maybe we can convince them that a constitutional republic isn't such a bad a idea.

@ Tim Young,

I agree. It’s what motivates me to pursue the issue.

In February, 2007, I wrote the Democrats in the Oregon Senate pleading for a hearing on “What a Rising China Means for Oregon's Future” (here). I wrote:

“….The most important public decision our children will make is whether or not to go to war with China. We must prepare them for that decision. We need to develop a generation that is so knowledgeable about China (from many of them knowing the language and having been there) that they cannot be easily led to war with China. Expanding Mandarin programs is the most significant action for peace this legislature could take. And if we do not invest in the skills need for maintaining peace with China, (skills that will boost our trade economy) all other advances (health care, education, economy) become moot. Beyond just what could be lost in an unnecessary war, progress on energy and the global environment depends upon a cooperative relationship with China. Much is at stake!”

That statement remains accurate today. The 2007 Senate Democrats did nothing. The 2007 House Democrats passed a bill out of the House Education Committee (thank you Rep. Buckley and all) but it died on the desk of the Ways and Means Co-Chairs (Rep. Nolan & Sen. Schrader). Democrats in the 2009 session did less. Bills died in the House Education Committee (chaired by Rep. Gelser) after a hearing. The 2009 Senate did nothing. Governor Kulongoski and his staff have done nothing over two legislative session on this issue. Superintendent Castillo sent staff to testify in favor in the 2007 session, but they were silent during the 2009 session.

I do not see Kitzhaber, Bradbury or DeFazio supporting this issue, even after winning, which is why I’ve argued for some fresh faces to run and will take some interest in what Lim does.

I’m a Democrat, we control state government. But we are going to take a beating from future historians for our failure on this issue.

@ Dave Porter

If you tried the OUB board, you must have tried the Joint Board of Education Working Group if that is what they still call it. I served on that body and it was made up of OUS board members and members of the State Board of Education. If anyone is putting together a wish list, because the budget realties are grim at the moment, this should be considered as a priority. I agree with you 100%.

I am unaware of how this would work with local school districts. Is it up to them ultimately? I am unsure but I hope they would consider it too.

Alley: smooth and rich; will win the primary and lose again. Atkinson: prisoner of the theocratic nuts and the right wingers who bed down with them; loser. Lim: Oh please!