The US Senate is often called the world’s most exclusive club. Sen. Gordon Smith belongs to an even more elite club – the Society of Republican Senators from West Coast States. It’s so exclusive that Smith is the only member.
Oregon’s junior senator would like to remain in that club by winning a third term, but the signs are it won’t be easy.
He’s only red on the inside. Republicans are saddled with the most unpopular president in modern American history, a war that two-thirds of Americans oppose, a tanking economy and a lackluster candidate at the top of their ticket. Democrats have an exciting, charismatic presidential nominee-apparent, surging party enrollment and, above all, the distinction of not being the party that put George W. Bush in the White House.
Sensing that all this might make Gordon Smith vulnerable, the Democrats have been throwing the kitchen sink at him (not to mention a set of golf clubs; see this week’s Wandering Eye, Page 11). Smith has countered with a campaign designed to show him as a moderate, non-partisan chap who has no trouble working with both sides of the aisle.
Nothing wrong with that. But last week, Smith carried bipartisanship
to a historic new level: He became the first senator to try to win
re-election by riding the coattails of the presidential candidate of
the other party.
In a video spot, Smith touts the fact that he
worked with Barack Obama in the Senate: “Who says Gordon Smith helped
lead the fight for better gas mileage and a cleaner environment? Barack
Obama! He joined with Gordon … to pass new laws which increase gas
mileage for automobiles.”
Obama’s campaign quickly sent out a
press release making it clear that Obama is, in fact, endorsing Smith’s
opponent, Jeff Merkley. It also became known that, while Smith (and six
other senators) did join with Obama in sponsoring the gas mileage
legislation, Obama never said anything about Smith “leading the fight”
for it.
The ad could simply have said something like, “Gordon
Smith teamed up with Democrats, including Barack Obama, to pass laws to
improve gas mileage.” Instead, Smith chose to go with a message that
makes him look like a liar – and a desperate one. For that, he gets THE
BOOT.
###
While we’ve got our ass-kicking boots on, we
might as well deliver another BOOT to the Cascade Festival of Music –
not for folding, as the venerable event announced it was doing last
week, but for stiffing people who were trusting enough to buy tickets
for this year’s performances.
The festival’s directors announced
last week that the 2008 series, which was to have taken place in
August, won’t take place. Board President Henry Sayre said it wasn’t
clear how much – if any – of the ticket money would be refunded.
It’s
not as if nobody could see this coming: CFM announced last fall that it
was $190,000 in debt. In view of that, the festival could have held off
on ticket sales until the financial picture became clearer.
This article appears in Jul 3-9, 2008.
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The Democrats have been in control of both the House and Senate for the last two years. The economy has dropped, housing is in the tank and fuel prices are through the roof. We really need more Democrats about as much as we need more rats.
Democrats are wimps but they control nothing when constantly vetoed.We need rats for science anyway.
Jed–
Amazing how the Reps were able to reverse the golden economic times of the Clinton years in just seven short months. They still had time to create a situation by which terrorists were able to strike at the core of the modern American city and bring an entire country to a halt. What? What’s that? Just because they controlled the White House, the Senate and the House doesn’t mean they were responsible?
Time to wake up, Jed, and develop a world view that is a little broader than bumper stickers! I don’t think the sun rises out of a Democrat’s golden behind, but let’s be honest–the Republicans have turned into nothing more than big-spending, special interest driven, fear mongering, I’ll say or do anything to get elected, big-government whores on a level that few Democrats would have dared dream of ten years ago.
But some people have trouble seeing–something about a mote in their eye…
I think the last two years has seen a record of vetos. Also I don’t really see how you can really blame Dems who have been trying for two years when the Repubs been losing control for eight… But I guess that’s the mentality that got us here.
Stephen, it is anti-Americans like you who blame the US for 9-11. You need to develop a world view and realize there are scum out there that hate America because of our successes. Uncontrolled spending and pandering to special interests are problem of both the Democrats and Republicans. Unfortunately all of us have our own special desires on how we want the Government to pay for our pet projects with other peoples taxes.
Jed, I really can’t believe you’re trying to peddle the Republican bullspit that our tanking economy is caused by the Democrats, who have been (narrowly) in control of Congress for less than two years, instead of the Republicans, who have held the White House for more than seven years and controlled Congress for 11 years, from 1995 through 2006.
But then, I guess I can believe it. No lie is too brazen for a Republican to spew.
Jed–
Bit of a jump there, don’t you think? Perhaps you need a lesson recognizing sarcasm. You definitely seem to have a grasp for using hyperbole and ad hominum attacks. I neither attacked the US or praised the Dems. Try reading a little closer next time-whole sentences, if you can, and then think before returning to the keyboard, or provide a response that contributes to the dialogue instead of trying to flame the party responding.
And until you know me, Jed, I recommend that you reserve your name-calling for narrow-minded, cliche spouting, predictable people such as yourself.
Stephen, do not be the pot calling the kettle black!!!
HBM, when you rob Peter to pay Paul, you always have Paul’s vote!! We cannot keep robbing the productive people in America. Redistribution of wealth does not work!!!
Jed–
Great response. Do something inappropriate, such as using a non sequiter to ‘close’ an argument, then when called on it, try to turn it around so it appears to be the other person’s fault. Nothing in your response addressed your reasoning behind calling me a self loathing-American claiming that blamed the US for 9/11.
Address the issue at hand and forget the red herrings–
Jed, you’re SUCH a one-trick pony. Truth is that under the Repubs we have been redistributing wealth like crazy — from the working class and middle class to the super-rich.
Gordon Smith is a traitor and should be thrown in prison. While the rest of us suffer in this economic crisis Gordon and his buddies are raking up huge profits taking us all for what we have and want to turn us all into peasants.
GS is BS….or full of it and we should have him tared and feathered and taken out of town on a slippery pole