Appropriately enough for the week of Turkey Day, political activist-cum-racketeer Bill Sizemore has announced he’s going to seek the Republican nomination for governor.
In a statement released to the far-right-wing NW Republican blog, Sizemore said he was running to “break the stranglehold the public employee unions have on the state of Oregon” because “he is the only one willing to challenge that behemoth head on.”
Sizemore, who now lives in Redmond, used to be a leading champion of anti-union and anti-tax ballot measures in Oregon until 2000, when a jury convicted two of his organizations on racketeering charges. In 2008 he ended up spending a day in jail on contempt of court charges stemming from his refusal to sign certain state and federal tax forms.
Sizemore admitted that his history, plus a court order barring him from engaging in any political fundraising, could prove a handicap. Also, on Dec. 21 the two state teachers’ unions are going to court to ask to have Sizemore jailed until he complies with a judge’s order to straighten out his finances.
But Sizemore vowed to push ahead anyway.
“I may have to run my campaign from inside a jail cell,” he said in his news release, “but either we break the stranglehold the public employee unions have on this state or the future of Oregon will be a grim one.”
Sizemore lost in a landslide to Gov. John Kitzhaber in 1998 and is likely to face the ex-governor again if he wins the GOP primary – an event that state GOP Chairman Bob Tiernan thinks is both unlikely and undesirable.
When The Oregonian’s Jeff Mapes called him for comment on Sizemore’s announcement, Tiernan said it surprised him and that he thought Sizemore “went off the deep end eight or nine years ago.”
That prompted Sizemore to fire back that Tiernan ought to resign if he wins the primary. “This is the first time I can remember a party head stating publicly that one of his party’s candidates, a serious, well known candidate at that, went off the deep end years ago,” Sizemore said.
Well, we can buy the “well known” part.
Over on the liberal Blue Oregon blog, Carla Axtman sees Sizemore’s announcement as just another money-raising scam. She speculates that Sizemore is hoping he really will have to campaign from inside a jail cell so he can “lead his ardent supporters into the belief that he’s Oregon’s version of Nelson Mandela. He’ll claim himself a political prisoner, locked away in an effort to keep him from thwarting the evil unions as they lay waste in their socialist takeover of our state.”
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2009.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
Article was incorrectly edited,as follows-
1.Cum-racketeer is in bad taste for a professional
2.If you’re going to call it far right wing then you should also call it far left wing, not liberal, just to be fair.
You might want to consult me first before your next posting, be glad to help.
As a former 10-yr resident of Oregon who fled the state three years ago because I could see the economic avalanche heading Oregon’s way, I have to say I had a hearty chuckle while reading this piece by Bruce Miller.
What struck me most about this story was the tidbit about former Governor John Taxhaber likely running again. “Will these people in Oregon NEVER learn?” was my thought after laughing out loud. I called my wife into my office and said, “you won’t believe it, but it says here Kitzhaber is going to run for Governor again in Oregon.” All she could muster was a roll of her eyes, utter “idiots” and walked out of the room laughing.
Oregon is pretty near bankrupt. Its public lower education system is awful. Unemployment is an epidemic, as well as its Meth problem. What was once a proud and great state is becoming an economic and moral wasteland.
It was the likes Of John Kitzhaber and Ted Kulongowski that got you there.
But keep on voting these idiots in and see where it gets you. I’ll keep on laughing. From Texas.
Texas, by the way, has an outstanding educational system, fantastic roads, low unemployment, better wages than Oregon, lower housing prices,and lower foreclosure rates. Texas manages to do this despite HAVING NO STATE INCOME TAX WHATSOEVER.
Hmmmmmmmm.
Richard–
Exactly what are you objecting to-the use of a preposition or labeling Sizemore a racketeer? He stands convicted. If the shoe fits, wear it.
Blogs put a voice to personal opinion. Opinion is never fair and balanced, in spite of the claims of some. All of us should go right on doing what we’re doing–if that’s all right with you?
Richard,
Very enterprising of you to undertake such a large project as cleaning up the Source.
Point #1: Not only this but the countless times by the paper and its readers refer to the modern tea party movement by a vulgar, disgusting name that I refuse to repeat here.
Point #2: In China, they don’t call it Chinese food, just food.
Thanks for trying, Richard. Now get ready for some bizarre, nonsensical rebuttal from Shortall and his online thesaurus written in all capital letters.
Carl Hames: Interestingly enough, Oregon ranks only two places behind Texas in The Tax Foundation’s latest State Business Climate Tax Index (Texas is #7, Oregon is #9): http://www.ppinys.org/reports/jtf/businesstax.htm
Texas has no income tax but it has a whopping big sales tax, and that isn’t great for business.
But I’m glad you’re happy in Texas. Please stay there.
“Not only this but the countless times by the paper and its readers refer to the modern tea party movement by a vulgar, disgusting name that I refuse to repeat here.”
It’s funny — the Teabaggers started applying that name to THEMSELVES before they found out what it meant, and now they’re insulted when people apply it to them. They should have consulted the Urban Dictionary before using it.
As long as people are running around with teabags attached to their hats, I’ll call ’em teabaggers.
“Exactly what are you objecting to-the use of a preposition or labeling Sizemore a racketeer?”
I think the term “cum” confused him — he doesn’t recognize it as a Latin word.
The irony of your response, Bruce, proves my point. I was just trying to professionalize your journalistic discourse. Intellect has it’s price.
“.If you’re going to call it far right wing then you should also call it far left wing, not liberal, just to be fair.”
I call NW Republican “far right wing” to distinguish it from Oregon Catalyst, which is merely right-wing. NW Republican is where the loony fringe hangs out — teabaggers, birthers, Palinites, Sizemore fans, that crowd.
I have no problem with calling Blue Oregon “left-wing” if that’s what you prefer.
“Intellect has it’s price.”
It certainly doe’s.
“Intellect has it’s price.”
It certainly doe’s.
Bwahahahahah! Nice one HBM!