Resistance is futile!

Debate

Just a quick post on the gubernatorial debate last night.  First off, I have not seen it yet.  Too busy!  But I'll use the video archive (see link below) to catch up as soon as I can.  In the meantime, please read the other blogs on the Atkinson blogroll to the right.  Several members have written good posts about the debate, and the buzz is that it looked good for Atkinson.  Granted, we are biased.  But I have faith in our ability to be fair and balanced.

Also, here is a quick cut-and-paste of an e-mail I just received:

Dear Friends of Atkinson for Governor:

I hope many of you were able to tune in last night to the LIVE TV debate on KGW Northwest News Channel 8. As usual, Jason did a tremendous job. In fact, we thought we would share some of the comments that came back about your favorite candidate for Oregon Governor. Here is a sampling of the reactions we received from viewers and new Atkinson supporters around the state:

“I have never been as inspired by a debate as I was this evening. It’s about time Oregon heard a fresh voice.” – Victoria, Portland

“I am an independent-voting, semi-retired Vietnam vet. I thought you handily won the debate tonight on KGW.” – Charles, Portland

“I was very proud of the way you handled the questions and you came across confident and forthright.” – Tootie, Molalla

“I want you to know that I like your style, clear, concise, and honest.” – Brian, La Grande

“You appear to have substance, not just another memorized sound bite!!!!” - Gail

“I am a lifetime Democrat who has voted in every election since I was eligible to over forty years ago. I watched you on the Republican party debate tonight, and then visited your website. As a result, tomorrow I am going to the Clackamas County Elections office in Gladstone in order to change party affiliation to Republican in order to vote for you in the May primary.” - Ed, Milwaukie

“Enjoyed TV8 Debate Jason won!” – Dave

“My opinion was that Jason came off VERY well – this was borne out by the [Multnomah County Republican] straw poll results of Saxton 10, Mannix 16 and Jason 20! Yippee!” – Kitty, Portland

“I am a registered Republican and did not know who I would vote for before tonight’s debate. I was very impressed with Jason. I felt he answered the questions honestly without the “fluff” and came across with a very common sense approach for fixing the mess of our State.” – Amanda, West Linn

“You were great in the debate! You are the one to lead Oregon out of this mire we have been in for years.” – Craig & Tamara, Salem

If you missed the live airing of the debate yesterday evening and would like to watch it, go to www.kgw.com, where you can watch it directly or download a zip file to watch later.

And a final note: please remember that tomorrow (Wednesday, April 26) you can meet Senator Jason Atkinson in Eugene!

Dancing with the Devil

My reply to OFIR's endorsement:

I hope $axton paid you well, because you can now kiss my support goodbye.  I want nothing to do with any organization that is so easily taken in by this lying liberal.  All further e-mails from OFIR shall henceforth be deleted without reading.

The silence is deafening

Lars Larson:

Tell employers any wages paid to a worker whose name doesn't match his SSN can't be deducted as business expenses on Oregon taxes.

Ron Saxton:

He told the audience Friday that he did not support tougher penalties against those who employ illegal immigrants.

Jason Atkinson:

Supporting federal and state employer sanctions that create civil and criminal penalties for those who employ illegal aliens and supports giving employers real time verification of eligibility.

Lars, it is time for you to admit that you were wrong about Ron Saxton, and recognize that Jason Atkinson is the BEST CHOICE for a single-issue illegal immigration voter.  Now I'm just waiting to hear you say it...

Kevin Mannix = tax and spend democrat

Today's "let's get to know the candidate" article is up in the fish-wrap.  Today, it's Kevin Mannix.  And boy, does it make some points I have been trying to make for some time now...

When he was in the Legislature, Mannix actually voted against the landmark 1995 bill that limited the time recipients could remain on welfare.

Mannix claims he is tough on things like welfare reform.  But remember, nearly his entire legislative career was spent as a democrat.  His record on welfare is in line with big-government liberals.

...critics acknowledge nobody else has gotten more bills passed.

I am a critic, and I certainly acknowledge this fact.  I also point out that nearly every bill he passed was a democrat bill, signed into law by a democrat governor.  Real Republicans, like Senator Jason Atkinson for instance, have had a harder time passing legislation because for the last 20 years, we have been under the rule of liberal democrat governors.  As such, the legislation, even when in the hands of Republicans (as our House now is), has been burdened by the inability to override a liberal democrat governor's veto.  If anything, bragging about passing more bills during this time is evidence that you are a big-government tax-and-spend liberal.

Oh, wait, the fish-wrap makes this clear:

When he entered the Legislature in 1989, he was a reliable Democratic vote on taxes and government spending.

This has never changed.

But the old Democrat didn't disappear completely. Mannix talked tough to the party faithful about fighting taxes and regulation-hungry bureaucrats. But he also continued to have lots of ideas for government programs. Until it caused problems in his 2002 race, he advocated higher alcohol taxes and giving local voters more leeway to raise their own property taxes for schools.

What does former Republican Senate President Gene Derfler think?

"He's really pretty liberal when it comes to spending money," says Derfler.

No kidding.

And yet, Mannix claims he is a fiscal conservative who is tough on taxes and spending.  What happened?

"I sometimes think Kevin was so wrapped up in winning, he became impervious to what he was winning," says former Rep. Bill Witt, another Washington County Republican.

You mean, he will say what he thinks he has to say to win, without caring what he is saying?  You mean he might, oh, take credit for popular things, whether he stood for them or not?

The maneuvering has left people with strong opinions about Mannix. Former Rep. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, sent Mannix a flurry of documents, urging him to quit claiming credit in the 2002 campaign for an amendment on the state's "kicker" tax rebates that Knopp wrote.

You mean, he might make promises to gain power, and then not keep them?

Bob Ekstrom, chairman of the Constitution Party, angrily claims Mannix broke a deal he made with him in 2002. The Constitution Party, which promotes biblical principles, agreed not run a candidate for governor and Mannix promised to campaign on a vow to veto any bill with state funding for abortion, Ekstrom said.

During the fall campaign Mannix downplayed the abortion issue and said he wouldn't veto abortion funding bills.

"You have to say, all these promises and pronouncements on policy (by Mannix), it's all for the voters," Ekstrom says.

Meanwhile, Mannix has courted Oregon Right to Life, still claiming to be the best candidate on abortion issues.  But then, Right to Life is itself pretty suspect.  Their explanation for endorsing Mannix makes it sound like they put political power over principle.  No wonder Mannix and RTL make such sweet bedfellows, despite the fact that Mannix is the furthest thing from a family-values candidate in this race.

Kevin Mannix is a crook, a fraud, and a liar.  He runs on a conservative platform, but his record in the legislature, where he served as a reliable democrat vote, is one of big-government, big-spending, and more taxes.  And on social issues, his alleged strong suit among the GOP base, he is a rank hypocrite.  And if he weasels his way into the nomination, he will lose yet again.

I am a loyal Republican.  I support Republican values.  I do NOT support Kevin Mannix, and if he is the nominee, I will vote for a third-party candidate for Governor of Oregon.  I'll do so without remorse, for I do not believe Mannix can win the election, and even if elected, I do not believe he would be an improvement over Ted Kulongoski.

There is only one real choice for conservatives: Jason Atkinson.

Some election stuff...

First:

It looks like the fishwrap is finally starting to notice that Senator Jason Atkinson is a serious candidate for Governor of Oregon.

'Bout time.

*     *     *

Second:

What are you doing a week from today?  Hopefully, if you live in or near Eugene, the answer is "meeting our future Governor, Jason Atkinson!"

Come meet Jason Atkinson!

When?  Wednesday, April 26, at 6:30 PM

Where?  125 Silver Lane in Eugene (a bookstore next to the Lane GOP office, near River Rd and Beltline)

If you are interested in Oregon politics, this is a MUST ATTEND event.

*     *     *

Third:

It looks like Senator Atkinson (remember, Jason Atkinson is the ONLY Republican candidate who actually holds office) is working hard on passing Jessica's Law during the upcoming special session.

What has a certain other candidate, one now claiming to be tough on crime and in favor of Jessica's Law, actually done to protect Oregon's children from violent sex offenders?

*cricket* *cricket* *cricket* *cricket* *cricket* *cricket*

But then, what do you expect from a guy who is so inconsistent on illegal immigration?

He told the audience Friday that he did not support tougher penalties against those who employ illegal immigrants.

Umm... Lars?  This is your single biggest issue... any comments there, buddy?

*cricket* *cricket* *cricket* *cricket* *cricket* *cricket*

*     *     *

Finally:

What about that other prominent candidate, the one with the dubious ties to Loren Parks?

Well...

I told you last week that Willamette Week was going to run a story today.  Here it is.  In the words of Blue Oregon...

Discuss...

The truth about the fines

Some folks may have noticed that the Secretary of State's office fined a few campaigns last week for being late with their C&E reports.  One of the campaigns hit with a two grand fine was the Atkinson campaign.

Some folks are spinning this as some sort of negative against Atkinson.  Well, time for truth!

The Atkinson campaign filed its C&E report at 4:23 P.M., before the deadline, and has a time stamp to prove it.  Yet, Bill Bradbury's office issued a press release about a fine, knowing that the fine will be voided upon review - but not until long after the primary, of course.  This was nothing more than a partisan attack against a candidate.  Remember, this is the same Secretary of State who claimed there was no political reason for redistricting this same candidate out of his house...

Interesting...

I see that liberal Republican-turned-independent candidate Ben Westlund is buying ad space on blogs.  See his ad on liberal blogs like this and this.

It appears that Jason Atkinson is not the only candidate who recognizes the power of blogs...

Enough negativity for today

Instead of ripping on other candidates, instead of trying to find the "lesser evil," how about some reasons to vote FOR someone for a change?

Watch the new Jason Atkinson for Governor video:

Support Jason Atkinson for Governor!

Kevin Mannix supports "hands on sexual hypnotherapy" as long as there is no abortion involved...

NW Republican brings to our attention the latest expose on Kevin Mannix, courtesy of the Oregonian.

Today is a bad day for the world to know that your entire political career has been based on funding from sexual hypnotherapist Loren Parks... especially when your platform relies on "family values" more than any other political issue.

Loren Parks: to paraphrase Tobias Funke, he's "an analyst and a therapist... I guess you could say... an analrapist..."

Or, I guess you could say... MOONBAT!

As for the expected Willamette Week hit, my sources from the rag's inner circle tell me it will come one week from today.  This will have two effects: it will bring the impact of the story out closer to the primary, and it will prolong the overall impact of the Willamette Week and Oregonian stories together.  Considering how much Willamette Week and the Oregonian hate each other (as NW Republican reminds us), this says a lot.

Here is a little bit of additional insider information, on hatred of a different sort, to put it into perspective while we wait:

Willamette Week has two owners, Richard Meeker and Mark Sussman, both nonpracticing lawyers.  Meeker's wife is Ellen Rosenblum, the most recently appointed member of the Oregon Court of Appeals.  Before that, she was a Multnomah County circuit court judge, appointed by Neil "I love Ron Saxton almost as much as underage girls" Goldschmidt.  Meanwhile, Willamette Week, and therefore Meeker, has been extremely critical of Kulongoski for not living up to the "progressive" ideal.  Apparently, Kulongoski's biggest hurdle in promoting Ellen was overcoming his hatred of Meeker... not to mention the fact that her appointment came after the Goldschmidt child rape scandal broke...

What a mess!

In other words, it is unclear whether or not the Meeker-Rosenblum family has a pro- or anti-Kulongoski bias: on the one hand, they owe Kulongoski a debt of gratitude for what amounts to essentially lifetime employment in a cushy and prestigious job; on the other hand, there has apparently been bad blood between these big members of the local legal community for some time.

And with Ron Saxton so chummy with Neil Goldschmidt, who knows what's really going on?

I guess we'll have to see whether or not the upcoming hit on Mannix is pointed more towards bringing down Mannix in the primary - to help Saxton, or in the general - to help Kulongoski, or both...

Only one thing is certain: this will be a very interesting article...

A special session NOW?

Well, the sleeper has awakened just long enough to call for a special session of the Legislature to address some difficult budget issues.  But why now?  What needs to be done?  The answer, of course, is that Ted Kulongoski needs to spark up his re-election campaign.  After all, his support is lagging.

What does the special session accomplish?  It allows the Governor to govern.  Even though he really won't do anything, he gets to hold press conferences, and issue press releases, and put forth the perception of leadership.  It also allows him to "pass the buck" of state budget problems over to the Legislature, sheltering him from any criticism at a time when his leadership has failed.

This is called "using your incumbency to your advantage" and it is one of the biggest tools an incumbent has at his disposal.  But there is more to it than that:

In his own primary, Kulongoski faces two main challengers in Jim Hill and Peter Sorenson.  Neither one is in the Legislature, so neither one can take advantage of all the free press.  It may not matter so much with Sorenson, because his candidacy is a complete joke.  But Kulongoski is probably at least somewhat concerned about Hill, as Hill has won the endorsement of the powerful SEIU and several other liberal interest groups.  So anything Ted can do to get publicity, while leaving Hill out of it, is critical heading in to the primary.

Not that Ted needs to worry about Hill beating him for the nomination.  He won't.  It's not about that.  It's about the race being close.  Or more to the point, it's about the results being anything other than a landslide.  If Kulongoski doesn't win the nomination by a huge margin, it shows weakness within his own party.  That weakness can be exploited in the general election.  With Kulongoski recognized as the most vulnerable incumbent democRat Governor in the nation, there is no room for error.  So Kulongoski wants not only to win this primary, but to utterly bury his opponents.

But this also reaches across the aisle.  Look at the GOP: two of the three legitimate candidates are not in the Legislature.  One is.  But unlike on the democRat side, this works in favor of those out of office.

Ron Saxton, Kevin Mannix, and Jason Atkinson need to go around campaigning in order to make the most of the last few days before ballots are cast.  In this primary, with no incumbent on the GOP side, shaking hands and asking for votes (and money) is the key to victory.  Saxton and Mannix, being essentially unemployed, are free to drive from campaign stop to campaign stop.  Senator Atkinson, on the other hand, will be tied down in Salem during the special session.  And since Kulongoski isn't directly competing with Senator Atkinson at this stage, it is no skin off Teddy's nose if Atkinson is able to garner some good press by doing his job.

It almost seems like the whole thing was calculated to help Kulongoski both fend off his own party challengers, while burdening the strongest GOP challenger at the most important part of the primary season.  Well, this just might backfire...

As several other bloggers have pointed out, Senator Atkinson is going to use the special session to push anew for the passage of Jessica's Law.

Here's some background for you...

Back during the last regular session, Senator Atkinson was one of the Senate co-sponsors of a Jessica's Law bill in Oregon, a bill that passed the House.  Kulongoski claimed he would sign the bill if it came to him, but it never did.  You see, a few democRat Senators in safe seats used their leadership positions to kill the bill.  This did two things:

(1) It allowed the Governor to talk tough without having to actually sign the bill, and,

(2) It stopped Senator Atkinson, who at the time was already known to be a potential serious gubernatorial candidate, from being able to build on the success of the bill in his campaign.

Well, Oregon has been the victim of this political stunt ever since.  Bill O'Reilly keeps reminding us that "Oregon is headed in the wrong direction" when it comes to protecting our children against violent sex offenders.  And as it turns out, some of the democRat Senators who blocked Jessica's Law suddenly find themselves in not-so-safe seats after all.

And so now we have a special session coming.  I'm confident that Senator Atkinson will be able to use this forum to forge ahead with Jessica's Law.  But we need to make sure we remind the voters why Jessica's Law still needs to be passed.  We can't let Kate Brown and Pete Courtney off the hook for using the safety of our children as a political hammer.

And make sure Saxton and Mannix don't get an unfair campaign advantage while Senator Atkinson, the only real GOP candidate with a job, is busy in Salem actually representing his constituents.  Go to the Atkinson for Governor website and make a donation, then share this page with your friends.