Mother Jones Salutes Wyden's Health Care Ad

Mother Jones Washington reporter Jonathan Stein noticed on his blog Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden's attempt to make voters take a closer look at health care.

Sen. Ron Wyden Makes Health Care Reform Funny

The truly funny and risky political ad is a rare beast. This one, from Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, is about as close as they come. Wyden is trying to promote the "portability" of his universal health care plan (they're not just for presidential candidates!), which in human-speak means the ability to keep your health care coverage when you switch jobs, go back to school, or start your own business.

If you haven't seen the ad, why not take a second now?

Today In Oregon

Twisted Totem

Baracky: The Movie

WMD Stockpiles: Blind Leading The Blind

Jan. 14, 2004
After unceremoniously exiting his job during the first term, Bush Administration Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill told Wall Street Journal reporter Ron Suskind that Bush's behavior at cabinet meetings was like "a blind man in a roomful of deaf people; there is no discernable connection."


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Clinton Attacks Obama's "Electability"

While Oregon's wonks and other West Coast watchers wait for a delayed broadcast to see the presidential primary debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the New York Times is reporting that Clinton employed broad attacks on Obama's potential general election weaknesses.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton went on the attack against Senator Barack Obama on a variety of issues during a contentious debate Wednesday, warning that he would be deeply vulnerable in a general-election fight if he won the nomination.

Helped along by the questioning of the moderators, Mrs. Clinton mentioned several areas in which she said Mr. Obama was vulnerable, including the incendiary remarks by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., and his service on a board with William Ayres, a former leader of the radical Weather Underground. She even cited Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader, who has endorsed Mr. Obama.

In their final face-to-face encounter before the Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday, Mr. Obama largely refrained from taking the bait when offered the opportunity to go after Mrs. Clinton, like when the focus turned to her honesty and her claims of facing sniper fire during a trip to Bosnia.

Hillary did finally admit that she believed Obama could beat McCain in November, but she said also believes she can do a better job.

"Obviously. That’s why I’m here," she said.

It may be obvious to her -- not so much to many others.

The Boss Backs Obama

Bruce Springsteen has go got be one of the biggest rock 'n' roll endorsements in politics, and Barack Obama's got him.

Fresh from his recent show at Portland's Rose Garden, Springsteen posted this letter on his website.

Dear Friends and Fans:

Like most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest.

He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where "...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone."

At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships. While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, Dreams of My Father, often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.

After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.

Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President.

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Hat tip to The Daily Dish.

WMD Stockpiles: George's Prescription Conniption

One of George W. Bush's promises during the 2004 election was to deal with the problems caused by illegible prescriptions. He should have started with this one:


5/28/04 ...(click image for larger version)

Tuesday Tune: Mick 'n' Peter

Monday Morning Flak Attack: Oh Crap, We're Losing

Shocking as this may be for some to believe, the forces of Jeff Merkley's U.S. Senate campaign, an effort that has earned the candidate the moniker of second most hypocritical person on the planet (right behind Bono Vox) by at least one local journalist, are this week's winner for Flak Hero of the Week.

And they should be applauded for really stepping up the effort. There was an incredible amount of flak coming from the Merkleybots. I guess that's understandable, considering the former front runner, who despite all the advantages of the establishment political machine, is polling in third behind Steve Novick and uber-underdog Candy Neville.

So when news broke that several major recording artists had stepped forward to endorse Novick, the search-and-destroy software in the Merkleybots flipped into high gear.

From Eugene Register-Guard reporter David Steves' blog:

Former Vietnam War hero and veteran U.S. Senator Max Cleland will be coming to Oregon this month to campaign for Democratic candidate Jeff Merkley.

His campaign sent word out today via email. And Merkley spokesman Matt Canter could not help but contrast this against the announcement earlier today from rival Steve Novick that he was being endorsed by a slew of rock stars.

“War hero in Oregon vs. musicians on the east coast…When a professional political consultant runs for office he can rollout endorsements from his high profile clients.

"When a fighter like Merkley is campaigning to change the direction of our nation, America’s most distinguished war heroes come to help,” Canter wrote.

Just to set the record straight ... the East Coast reference is apparently to the Novick campaign’s offer that campaign contributors can receive a premium ticket to an upcoming East Coast performance by Pearl Jam, whose guitarist is endorsing Novick.

As far as the geography of today’s endorsers goes, it’s true that R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe is from the southeastern state of Georgia, as is Cleland. And Rufus Wainwright is a New Yorker. And perhaps some Oregonians consider Austin Texas, home of Britt Daniel’s band, Spoon, to be back east. But the rest of Novick’s celebrity endorsers are from right here in the Pacific Northwest — Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney - Olympia), Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam - Seattle), Thomas Lauderdale (Pink Martini - Portland), Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie - Seattle) Krist Novoselic (Nirvana - Seattle/Aberdeen), Dave Dederer (Presidents of the United States - Seattle).

So Canter, an import from Minnesota, is wrong again. And, given Canter's history of duplicity, I'll bet he knew that before he ever said it.

And of course, BlueOregon head cook and bottle washer Kari Chisholm, who counts Merkley as a paying client, couldn't help but jump on the bandwagon trying to tear down or taint Novick's success.

Huh.

Now, I'm a huge fan of almost all these bands (and have seen nearly all of them live), but this isn't exactly surprising. After all, Krist Novoselic and Stone Gossard are both clients of Steve's consulting firm.

It'd be surprising if they didn't endorse him.

Yeah, I won't argue that these endorsements are cool. Other than Garrett, I'm not sure many voters will pay attention - but yes, it's cool.

Meanwhile, Willamette Week adds more detail to the "Novick clients endorsing Novick" list.

Chisholm, who rightfully gets a lot of grief when he uses Oregon's largest liberal blog to openly shill for his paying clients, tries to taint Novick's endorsements by conflating his own obvious conflicts of interest with Novick being endorsed by people he's worked with at his communications firm.

In Chisholm's case, he endorses people who pay him. You'd expect someone to endorse his boss. It's commonly called sucking up, and he's got an economic incentive.

But when a former client of Novick's endorses his campaign, it's the equivalent of getting a letter of reference from a former boss. It's legitimate. They endorsed him once by paying for his services. Now they're saying they've worked with him in the past, and that experience leads them to believe he can get the job done. It happens everyday in the real business world.

Now let's look at Merkley's endorsement from the likes of Jon tester and Max Cleland. Do you think either of these guys knew who Jeff Merkley was before they got the phone call from the Democratic establishment machine asking for help? Doubtful.

So for those keeping score at home:

Endorsements stemming from a network of people who have worked with you in the past and know your work are somehow tainted and should be dismissed.

Endorsements from people in the party machine who don't know you from Adam are legitimate and carry a great deal of weight.

And that, folks, is an example of what common sense looks like to people with their heads shoved as far up the party establishment's butt as they can fit it.

Remember, flak doesn't have to make sense or be accurate, it just needs to fill the air.

Today In Oregon

Puzzling

WMD Stockpiles: Gordon Smith Poles His Constituents

What was Sen. Snowflake up to in early 2006?


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From the Chicago Sun Times, June 2006:

Washington lobbyists getting ready for a long, hot summer filled with 2006 campaign fund-raising were jolted last week with a request to fund an election 2-1/2 years away by coming to a snowy venue.

The mailed solicitation was for the "6th Annual First Tracks Ski Trip" at Deer Valley, Utah, on Dec. 2 this year on behalf of Republican Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon.

The high ticket cost is $2,500 for political action committees and $1,000 for individuals, with accommodations at the Stein Erickson Lodge costing extra.

Truly a man of the people.

New Video: Wayne Morse v. Mike Wallace, 1957

A newly released video collection of Mike Wallace's earliest interviews provides a remarkable glimpse into yesteryear, including a real gem for fans of Oregon political history.

More than 60 editions of "The Mike Wallace Interview," many of them unseen since their original ABC broadcast, have been posted online by the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Sponsored by prominently featured tobacco pusher Phillip Morris (including a classic turn-to-the-camera pitch by a product-puffing Wallace), the show's guests include 35-year-old Harvard prof. Henry Kissinger, Salvador Dali, Aldous Huxley, Pearl Buck, Oscar Hammerstein II, Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger, Frank Lloyd Wright, Bob Feller and World War II hero Charles "Commando" Kelly, among many others.

But the 1957 episode of "The Mike Wallace Interview" that pitted cantankerous Oregon Sen. Wayne Morse against cantankerous Mike Wallace is by far the finest treasure for Oregon politicos.

Even before Morse became one of only two U.S. Senators to vote against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorizing the use of force in Vietnam, the guy that Wallace refers to as "the most controversial man in the U.S. Senate" was accustomed to blazing his own path and speaking truth to power.

As you'd expect, that independence earned Morse no small amount of criticism from his targets and their establishment backers, and Wallace spends quite a bit of the interview asking him if it's "responsible politicking."

Against a stubborn mule like Wallace, who made his name busting balls a decade later on 60 Minutes, Morse -- in the same Oregon independent vein as Kesey's Henry Stamper -- "Never Give(s) A Inch." Wallace starts by asking Morse to defend his criticisms of the Eisenhower Administration.

And I repeat that statement tonight, but you see, when I characterize the Eisenhower administration as an administration of great political immorality, I document it, and I’m perfectly willing to document it on this program. But let me make perfectly clear here, you see, that I think there’s going on in this country, among too many people, the idea that a President can be put upon a pedestal and you must not criticize him. As I said on the floor of the Senate, have we gone so far down the road of a police state in America, that a President shall not be subject to criticism if an elected official of a free people believes his record deserves criticism, and you need to describe it for what it is.

Then Morse tells Wallace "big business" supports Eisenhower because "his acts as far as his Administration are concerned of political immorality have accrued to the benefit of American big business." The exchange that follows is classic Morse.

WALLACE: Well, my question, the question I’d like to put to you is the one that Republican Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona asked on the floor of the Senate. He asked you, he said, “what does it take to please the senior Senator from Oregon?”

MORSE: Just clean government.

WALLACE: Wait just a second, please sir. “He has gone through two Presidents and he’s unhappy; he’s run through two parties and he’s unhappy. What does it take to please the senior Senator?”

MORSE: Just clean government and I’m going to continue to raise this voice for clean government whether there’s a Democrat or a Republican in power, if I think under that Administration there are evidences of injustices and unclean government...

The interview even ventures into an area that followers of this year's U.S. Senate Democratic primary might find especially interesting.

WALLACE: Then I’d like your answer to this criticism of Wayne Morse by political analyst Raymond Moley in Newsweek magazine back in October of last year. Mr. Moley wrote of what he called “the utter sterility of Senator Morse” and his “ineffectiveness as a representative and a statesman.” And Moley added, “the net for Oregon after 12 years has been words, more words, and scores of driveling resolutions and bills which have come to nothing, with the possible exception of a 1945 World Court Resolution, Morse has earned credit for no important legislation. What about that, sir?

MORSE: Well, Mike, let me say good naturedly, first, I can’t imagine anything that would concern me less than Raymond Moley’s views on anything, particularly his views on me; and I know him pretty well, because he is a very able spokesman for the reactionary big business forces of this country. But in my campaign last fall, the people of Oregon answered Raymond Moley ... and they answered (him) by giving me a resounding majority vote on November 6, and I just dismissed the Raymond Moleys because I know what I can expect if you seek to stand out and exercise an honest independence of judgment, you can expect the predatory forces of this country to try to get you, and they have been trying ever since I have been in the Senate; but I will leave my case rest with the people of my state.

And that, folks, is what an authentic maverick looks and sounds like -- just in case Gordon Smith or the sometimes-overly fawning media that cover him are wondering.

Wallace and Morse also touch on Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, Arthur Miller, and Joseph McCarthy.

Watch this video and check out the collection.

Mapes: Neville Invited To Televised Senate Debate

Oregonian political reporter Jeff Mapes says that Senate candidate Candy Neville of Eugene will get to stand to-to-toe with primary opponents Steve Novick and Jeff Merkley during the KGW/Oregonian debate April 15.

From Mapes' blog:

On Monday, Candy Neville turned 58 and got the good news that she's polling as strongly in the race for the Democratic nomination as the man who has been seen as the Democratic establishment's favorite: House Speaker Jeff Merkley.

Her celebration continued on Tuesday when she found out that The Oregonian and KGW TV have decided to include her in a televised debate - probably the most important of the campaign - to be held on April 15. Merkley and Portland lawyer Steve Novick, who led in a poll conducted by Survey USA, will also participate in the debate.

"It brings me clearly out of the term 'other' and makes me Candy Neville," said Neville from her Eugene home. "I'm really not a fringe candidate. I'm a factor."

To prepare herself for Merkley's, uh, devastating attacks, Neville may want to familiarize herself with this fellow:

WMD Stockpiles: The Weekly Speeches That Weren't

Remember when George W. Bush gave a speech before the 2004 election in which he promised to deliver four more weekly speeches on how he would achieve victory in Iraq, but then he didn't? The things he used to get away with ... ...


8-30-2004 ...(click image for larger version)