The good, the bad, and the ugly

Well, I have gained more respect for Jason Atkinson, and lost some respect for Lars Larson.  But please note: even though I am disappointed by Lars for his treatment of the immigration question and Jason Atkinson, I still support Lars because, overall, he continues to be a powerful voice for conservatives in Oregon.  Oregon needs Lars.  I just hope that his listeners are big enough to think the same about Jason.

For those of you ready to jump ship over this, I want you to think rationally about it first.  I originally posted the following in an attempt to console another blogger; I think it is something everyone should read:

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I understand your disappointment, but you have to think strategically as well as tactically.

There are 4 people who can be governor. One is already there, and we already know he supports giving taxpayer funded benefits to illegal aliens and refuses to work with the federal government to identify and deport illegal aliens. Do you want to re-elect him?

One of them talks a good talk, but actions speak louder than words. He says he is in favor of the taxpayer, but he consistently supports new and higher taxes. He says is pro-life, but he consistently supports abortion. He says he is a conservative, but he is the darling of the liberals. So when he claims he is going to be tough on illegal immigration, can you trust him?

Another one claims he is tough, but again, can we trust him? He claims he is a loyal Republican, but most of his career came as a democrat. He brags about his long resume, but again, most of those bullet statements had a big D after them. He brags about his 2nd Amendment platform, but he is rated as "public enemy number one" by the OFF. And even if you do trust him on immigration, can he get elected and make good on it after losing 3 statewide elections, including one against the now-incumbent governor?

And then there is Jason. Jason seemed perfect to you at first. Now, you are disillusioned. Here is the one thing to consider: you are angry because you THOUGHT he was perfect and now you see he is not.

Well... only one man has ever been truly perfect, and He got nailed to a cross for it. And even if He ran for Oregon governor, He'd be hard pressed to win, as a good 40% of the voters here are going to vote democRat no matter what. And in fact, in the one poll took during His lifetime, He came in second to Barabbas.  There can be no "perfect" candidate.

So you have to accept that Jason is NOT perfect, as no candidate can be.

So what IS Jason?

He is two things:

1) He is the best chance we have to defeat the incumbent, who we already know is the polar opposite of what we want on immigration policy.

2) He is solid on key issues that we support.

He is opposed to giving ANY benefits to illegal aliens.

He is opposed to giving ANY driver's license to illegal aliens.

So what is Jason NOT:

He is not a candidate for Congress or the President, and ONLY Congress and the President have any influence over the amnesty issue. So if Jason is confused over the meaning of "amnesty" as it relates to the bills in the Senate and the President's plans, that is actually not very significant to his role as a potential governor. Sure, he can use his name as governor to get his word out, but he can't make federal law.

So if you are concerned about Jason and amnesty, focus on showing him what is wrong with the federal plan, rather than abandoning him.

You first chose Jason as your man because he was the only candidate to take a sincere stand on key issues that you supported. That hasn't changed. He is still the best candidate on every issue, including immigration. He may not be perfect on immigration, but he is the best of the people running. And if you support him and work with him, you will have the opportunity to help him evolve and become BETTER on immigration. If you abandon him, you have nothing.

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So if you are an Atkinson Blogger considering jumping ship, think long and hard.  And Lars, if you are reading this today, Oregon needs you to move past this and get back to working with Jason.

Comments

[Bob]

Y'know, -A couple of years of law under your belt, and I see you running for office....

[Gullyborg]

It'll be more than a couple of years... the wages lawmakers get here won't cover student loan payments!

[MAX Redline]

Well, one dismal performance after another isn't going to add up to a landslide victory.

My take's over at Redline.

[gullybabe]

Jumping ship over one iffy interview is like saying you will never watch another movie because you saw House of Wax. Everyone slips, but the message to Atkinson has been very clearly sent – a hard line on the illegal immigration issue is not only needed it is expected. I expect that this extremely intelligent candidate will take note and clear up the perceived concession at the very first oppportunity. Give the man a chance – don’t assume that you know what he said because one radio guy did so. Isn’t independent thought the corner stone not only of democracy but the blog? I changed parties to vote for Jason Atkinson, and he still has my support entirely.

[JustaDog]

I'm not totally out and will have to examine only what JA will be saying and ignoring everyone else.

I do not think Lars was offbase. Anyone wanting to be Gov. must be strong, and JA did do some dance'n. BTW, he never did define who the aliens "in the dark" were that Bush refered to - everyone else seems to know.

Also, Lars offered his station time for JA to take calls from people and JA turned him down. I thought that was sort of weak.

HOWEVER - JA might still be the best bet for Gov. considering any alternatives, so I might be putting his spot back on my blog.

Now everyone chill and enjoy the SeaHawks win!

[DarePDX]

I missed Jason yesterday but caught his short interview with Lars today.

First off - Lars respects you Gully and mention that he wished you'd start phoning in.

Second - Jason lost some cool points in my opinion. He got rattled by Lars and he's a training wheel interviewer for a conservative. He should have respected Lars' opinion and plugged away - instead he made a cardinal sin on Lars' show. Jason asked for more time, deflected Lars' criticism, and dared to demand "let me finish."

I support Jason and I agree with him on this issue (though I believe I can articulate why a guest worker program is the most effective way to address the immigration bomb going off right now). I also would like to say that Jason held this point of view going way back - it wasn't until Saxton started advertising on AM750 that it actually was talked about.

Jason Atkinson is articulate and sells his message. He will come back and he will make this bump in the road prove him as the independent statesman he is.

[Coyote]

JustADog,

Don't do Jason any favors. The last thing I want is for a canidate being held hostage to folks screaming at him.

He has been steady. He is fine. If that aint good enough. Well...