Me And My Democrats

Today my State Party called me to update my credit card information since I am a member of the DPO Grassroots Democrat program. I have an amount of money drawn on my card monthly for the DPO and for that I get to have some fairly meaningless bennies. The benefits only have meaning as an expression of gratitude from the Democratic Party of Oregon - which I appreciate.

I do this because the DPO is a pretty good representation of my political views, that stands in contrast to - um - the US Senate Caucus' votes. My OR Senators don't reflect what the Caucus votes for, unfortunately for those votes. In general terms I'm pretty satisfied with the Oregon Democratic Congressional delegation.

Sure, the DPO is left of conventional Democratic politics but they work like hell to elect Democrats and those Democrats suit me a lot better than a pretty much the rest of the nation's quota.

The money isn't a lot, but it beats nothing and helps keep the Party from having to be totally dependent on rich people. Your State Party probably has something similar, you could think about it.

DPO/GOC Shoot Succeeds, Democrats and Guns

The Central Oregon Shooting Sports Association provided the Gun Owners Caucus of the Democratic Party of Oregon range rental Sunday Sept 28 and provided Range Officers for a very reasonable price. Association President Bill Flocker worked with GOC Vice-chair Chuck Butcher (me) to make this work, and it did and the Assn deserves great credit. This is a fine organization with great facilities, and it appears they may have gained a few members. Sandra Lowry of Deschutes Co Democrats provided invaluable help in coordination.

Range photos by TA Barnhart***


Before shooting started I conducted one of those basics of any shooting event that might include anyone unfamiliar with firearms, the safety orientation. It never hurts for those with experience to hear it once again. Firearms are potentially dangerous tools and it is entirely too late to try to correct something afterwards. GOC Chair Zak Johnson is to my right in the photo. The bed of the SSR is filled about half way with firearms and ammunition. The object being to provide opportunities for those who don't own firearms and something different for those who do. Zak also brought along extras.


Around 25 shooters from disparate parts of the state attended, Portland and Multnomah County were well represented as was the Bend area, and Baker City. I do not have at hand the names and homes of all attendees, but this was a gathering of urban and rural Democrats with a common interest. Maren Lundgren, a candidate for the State Senate District 2 7, is pictured learning the function of a .45 Colt SAA which is an uncommon handgun requiring special treatment. Other candidates present were:
Judy Stiegler, HD 54 candidate, Conrad Ruel, House District 53 candidate, Noah Lemas - running for Congress, 2nd CD (apparently he antelope hunts close to COSSA), Al Unger. current Mayor of Redmond, running for Deschutes Co. Commissioner.


Pictured is Bill Flocker, Assn Pres and one of the Range Officers giving a helping hand with accuracy. Range Officers provide an invaluable service on a shooting range, monitoring for safe conduct and opening and closing the firing line for target changes. I would like to make clear to those unfamiliar with shooting clubs that you will seldom find anyone more friendly or more helpful than their members. Politics stop at the gates, we flew our Democratic 'flags' but in no way advocated for candidates or issues. Shooting clubs, for obvious reasons, are predominately Republican and the mere presence of so many Democrats being just like them at the range is political capital that is hard to beat.



Here is Wayne Kinney who wears many hats as a Democrat, he is the DPO's DNC Committeeman and general activist as well as Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR)'s eastern Oregon chief liaison. He is shooting a Ruger Vaquero .45 Colt and grouping his shots nicely but hitting low and left of his aim point. Chuck is making the point that with that consistency the fundamentals of firing are good but the sight picture he is using has a consistent fault. I know this is not about the revolver since I can hit a 10 inch circle of metal at 200 yards with it, although with much heavier loads than used on this 7 yard pistol range or by anyone not familiar with very high power rounds - Hotrod Reloads for Vaquero 45 Colt.

Media has paid some attention to these Democratic Party activities, specifically James Sinks of the Bend Bulletin.

SALEM — On any given Sunday in campaign season, you’d expect to find Democrat Judy Stiegler, a candidate for the Oregon House, knocking on doors in Bend, or maybe in a coffee shop, sipping a latte.

What about shooting pistols?

That’s exactly what Stiegler, a Bend attorney, and several other Democratic candidates from Central Oregon did Sunday near Millican, as part of an event staged by the Democratic Gun Caucus.

Now wait just a minute, you might be thinking.

Democrats? Guns?

Yes, it’s true.

It’s events like those that Democrats — especially those who are seeking office east of the Cascades, which has been reliably Republican turf for decades — say are helping to illustrate that not every Democrat fits a stereotype that they’re identical to Portland liberals.

James and I disagree about Portland liberals, since Zak Johnson certainly qualifies as a Portland progressive and the largest percentage of GOC membership lives in the Portland urban area. Ah stereotypes.

“That’s the whole idea,” said Conrad Ruel, a La Pine retiree who is seeking an Oregon House seat and who attended the shooting event with his son, who is a member of the National Guard.

“There are a lot of Democrats who have guns and support the Second Amendment,” he said.

State Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, said it’s good political strategy for Democrats to say they’re just like most folks in rural Oregon.

But he doesn’t think it will sway many voters.

“A great deal of the registration in rural Oregon is Democrat, but they are conservative, gun-owning, God-fearing, red-blooded American citizens, and they vote conservative,” he said.

“They are not going to be fooled, no matter how much rhetoric you pile on.”

Um, Ted, that ain't rhetoric - it's gun powder and lead - and it's concrete not the air you're pushing around. In point of actual fact, his Party's stance on the issue of the 2nd Amendment is inferior in every respect to the DPO's Resolution 08-05. Really Ted, considering your public statement that Democratic voting Democrats are somehow less "God-fearing, red-blooded American citizens" than those who vote for your Party sounds a lot like really stupid really ugly partisanship typical of many in your Party. I don't vote for you or your ilk and I'll match my contributions to this society and my values against yours any day. As far as red-blooded, I've run in a real tough Federal campaign while you hang onto your safe State campaign and most of my pastimes and manner of making a living would put your ass in the dirt.

Chuck Butcher, a former Democratic congressional candidate from Baker City, helped to form the Gun Owners Caucus because he was frustrated at the perception that all Democrats were anti-gun, he said.

“Yes, there are Democrats that want to ban all ammunition, but there are Republicans that want to do that, too, such as (former New York Mayor) Rudy Guiliani.”

But at the same time, plenty of Democrats are hunters and gun owners, he said.

James Sinks is a pretty good reporter, so I'm not going to undercut his livelihood by poaching too much of his article. Buy a copy of the Bend Bulletin, 10/3/08 and help support them. Sure, the paper is more conservatively oriented than I am, but they perform an important function and do it well.

If the DPO/GOC strikes your fancy as an organization you could get behind there are a lot of ways to contact us, DPO Contacts is probably the best or see your County Party. The GOC is not just a propaganda arm of the DPO, though it is certainly one of our functions to educate the voting public, it is also an interest group within Party politics. If you're thinking, "oh sure, like you've got leverage," it pays to know that GOC is one of the two largest caucuses in DPO with one of the very largest geographic representations. Are we visible?

That cap worn in a parade reads:
GUN OWNERS CAUCUS
Democratic Party of Oregon
That parade just happen to be in Lane County, not Eastern Oregon, Sen Ted. We aren't
playing at anything and we're not pretending to be something we're not. This is about "why in the hell are the Republicans getting to run the show in the ditch over this issue?" Cutting firearms crimes is not about guns, it is all about people and exactly one Party has the ideas to address the things that drive crime, how people live.

GOC is tired of stupidity, blaming guns for crimes is just like blaming Chevrolet for drunk driving. People are the issue, drug and alcohol treatment, job creation, equal treatment, sufficient income, some sort of civil and economic fairness and that is not the agenda of the Party that gets the "gun vote." While gun ownership spreads across the economic spectrum it is concentrated amongst those who are most ignored and harmed by the Party they vote for, and vote for as an individual right guaranteed by the Constitution and this divide is stupid. This is the Party of the expansion of civil liberties, not the Republicans - let's help that happen.

Grant County Democrats - After All This Time

After many, many years there is a Grant County Democratic Party, DPO. Nancy Nickle is the Chair and the membership is enthusiastic and involved. Friday night's meeting - 3rd Friday of the month - was primarily aimed a planning for the Grant County Fair.

In my person as Vice-chair of Baker Co Democrats I made the trip to John Day to attend and show our solidarity with the new Party. I also brought with me Merkley, Westland, and Avackian campaign goodies. Our County Party has had access to candidates the the newly formed Grant County Party has not had.

The formation of this Party has pleased DPO, the County Parties, and myself in particular. When I campaigned in the Primary two years ago it was particularly unfortunate to have no direct contact with Grant County Democratic voters. The new party should make reaching the Democratic voters of that county much easier in this important election. We have four state wide races of some import, SoS, Treasurer, Secretary of Labor, and the US Senate seat held by Gordon Smith (R). By far the most hotly contested and contentious race is Jeff Merkley versus Gordon Smith. There are over two thousand registered Democrats in Grant County as well as a nearly equal number of Independents and these numbers may not result in a victory for Jeff Merkley in Eastern Oregon, but decent numbers will help with the State wide total.

It was a real pleasure to meet the smart, enthusiastic, and personable folks from Grant Co Democrats, I hope to have the pleasure again - soon. In our neck of the world the 90 mile drive is nearly next door.

The New Old Time Politics

There is a program out there to make real once again one of the old time political tools that has fallen away. It is the personal touch of politics, it's the piece that used to happen all the time, a long time ago. There was a time when the Precinct captain knew all the folks in his area, he was the upstream contact to politicians. He took their problems seriously and made sure people knew he was doing something. To be sure the influence peddling is pretty much gone from the neighborhood level of politics, but along with it went the personal touch. That piece, the I/we care about you, your vote matters in a personal way went away. And that's a shame because that giving of a personality to politics is more persuasive than just about anything money can buy. Some of you that have followed this little effort since it was a campaign site might remember that I pitched this idea hard, that your word meant more than anything I could buy to your neighbor or your friend.

The DNC began to put together a program last year that is now close to being activated. It was meant to be rolled out months ago but there have been hang ups. It is called Neighborhood Leader or Neighbor to Neighbor and the link is to DPO. They ask for a commitment that might be difficult to manage for some, but it is realistic for many. For those who can't manage it, something is better than nothing and regardless it may work out to be actual fun. The process of putting a human face on politics isn't new and it isn't to be discounted for its long history. If you can articulate reasons for a political position and like people it's a real opportunity to do something much more meaningful than phone banking or contributing money. Money can't buy what you can bring to the plate.

If you want to take information on specific concerns of voters and bring that back to the Party we'll see that in some form it gets back upstream. Give it some consideration, DPO will see to it that you have what you need and people to coordinate with.

Useful Propaganda - Baker Co Democrats, DPO

***click pic for full size***L/R Chuck, Roxanna, Mike ,Randy, Craig, Marilyn, Linda, Marie, Ed

There are a lot of ways to propagandize, George II recently showed one way at the Knesset, the kind of thing that gives the word a bad name. Then there is this way of doing it, the Baker Co Democrats of Democratic Party of Oregon would like our name associated with positive images in the public's mind; so we adopted a section of OR Hwy 86 from I84 to the base of the hill leading to the BLM Oregon Trail Interpretive Center as well as Hell's Canyon. This is a well traveled section of road leading to several of our county's more notable landmarks.

The well travelled part means that it also gets a fair share of trash deposited along side the road, so for the propaganda value of a sign stating that Baker Co Democrats have adopted the road ODOT (Oregon Dept of Transportation) gets to have volunteers clean it up a couple times per year. This is a win for each organization, ODOT doesn't have to spend money and resources cleaning that section of road and it is cleaned and BCD is publicly acknowledged as doing something in the community interest - that doesn't involve a candidate.

For organizations interested in doing this, the procedure is pretty simple, ODOT has a list of road sections, you select the one you'd like to do, and commit to doing it a couple times per year. There will be a mandatory safety orientation meeting and participants need to sign a waiver that they know what they're doing (over 16 years) and ODOT will provide signage, bags, vests, and grapplers (pick up stuff tools) and pick up the filled bags along the road. Nothing really to it other than a few hours a few times a year of picking up trash. Yes, there can be stuff you shouldn't touch, like meth lab debris and other nasties, mostly it is just the kinds of things that either blow off vehicles or are tossed by unthinking individuals. For this, ODOT will place highway signage stating "Adopted by *****."

Travelers, please note that we all live in a beautiful country, you can do your part to keep it that way, where ever you are headed there is a place to put that trash that doesn't involve spoiling the countryside. BCD appreciates the propaganda value of the sign, but we'd more enjoy it being unnecessary. BCD thanks ODOT and everyone else that participates in this worthwhile endeavor.

Who Are Super Delegates, Oregon and...

The election of a Democratic nominee is going to fall to the 'super' delegates, actually automatic delegates. These people are the subject of a great deal of speculation and analysis. All of these people are Democrats and all are politically knowledgeable. In your state the super delegates will be your Federal Congresspeople, Senators and Representatives, and your Governor and your DNC State Party officials, the Chair, opposing sex Vice-chair, and the DNC committee people. There can be some additions, but this gives an idea of what their jobs are.

There is a point of view difference in these delegates, House Representatives have won elections within limited areas of a state, Governors and Senators have won state wide, DNC people have won statewide amongst the limited group of those activists willing to spend time and energy on the Party. In the State of Oregon this amounts to 4 Representatives, 1 Senator, 1 Governor, and 5 DNC folks. Secretary Of State Bill Bradbury is one also, by virtue of being Chair of SoS Committee.

What forms the opinions of Rep Wu in his district is different than what forms Rep DeFazio, they are Democrats but the who elected them is different. Governors and Senators operate under a different metric in an election, it is statewide, a different group than the Representatives. The DNC people are a truly different group, they are elected through a series of levels, Precinct Committee People are elected at that level and they elect the State Central Committee delegates, who in turn elect the State Party officials. This is the least understood grouping.

Being a PCP carries little in the way of rewards and great deal in the way of responsibilities, it isn't a sought after position. This elected official is the bottom of the grass roots movement, the care and activation of a precinct is his responsibility with the power to use only his voice and a vote within the Party mechanism. As one moves up the scale from PCP within the Party the responsibilities increase along with the commitments of time, energy, and money with no particular rewards beyond the satisfaction of contribution. The Chair and to an extent Vice-chairs are the public face of the organized Democratic Party but in the terms of public recognition, relative unknowns and under anything near ordinary circumstances the DNC Committee People are known only to those within the Party mechanism. This group is concerned with the grassroots health and well-being of the Democratic Party, they qualify as the ultimate in amateur political junkies.

It is quite possible for any of the five DPO (OR DNC Party) to take a position differing from any of the others, what will inform their decisions is the base they come from. The DPO rules require neutrality in any contested Democratic primary and while I may know some leanings within the DPO group it would be irresponsible on my part to speculate. I can assure you that the motives are first the health of the Party and second winning in November. These goals are not necessarily congruent, DPO looks at the entire state slate as well as the national slate and those considerations can differ.

The point in this exercise is to point out the difficulties in predicting the actions of super delegates in regard to Presidential nominees. There are already differences within the elected officials, the Governor endorsed Hillary early on and some House Reps have endorsed Obama or Clinton. There are reasons specific to each and those differing reasoning will continue to play out. Guess at your own risk...

DPO Platform Convention Platform

The Democratic Party of Oregon met this weekend to put together its 2008 Platform. The document is broken into three parts:

Platform and Planks - general statements of the philosophy of the DPO
Legislative Agenda Items - specific legislative goals attached to planks
Statements of Democratic Principle - the specific principles informing the legislative agenda

The Platform and Planks was approved in record time, this reflects the hard work of the Platform and Resolutions Committee headed by Leo Schulman and their ability to fold interested parties into the process preceding the convention. It also shows the wisdom of breaking the document into separate pieces, keeping specific agendas out of the general philosophy retains that character and allows for the more hot button issues to be addressed separately in more compact forums.

The Legislative and Principles sections were addressed in individual breakout sessions allowing a concentration of interested parties who were required to register for two sessions. Items were amended, edited, or added in those sessions prior to being voted upon by the convention. This in general also moved along smoothly. The results will be available on Democratic Party of Oregon in about 3 weeks.

It may seem odd that I keep stressing the smoothness of the Convention; this is actually quite a big deal. Platforms are considered the guts of the Party and anytime activists are dealing with the basic statement of a party there is a large opportunity for dissension. How this is dealt with says a great deal about the party and has large impact on its ability to function well. It is wise to remember that the primary goal of the DPO is to elect Democratic officials and support Democratic ideals. It is not the purpose of the DPO to write legislation.

The Democratic Party proposes to be an inclusive Party, that is to represent a broad range of individuals' interests. Anytime such a thing is proposed there will be conflicts of interest which need to be ironed out. Because an organization like DPO is composed of the activist elements of these interests, there will be strong feelings and strong commitments to those interests. It is the goal of a Platform to unite those interests. I am happy to report that this Convention succeeded.

I am known within the organization as a plain speaker and one who sticks to principles while attempting to work with others. I'm also pretty easy to find in a crowd. I am a lightning rod for complaints. I didn't experience anything of note. In a contentious Primary season this is something for the DPO to be proud of and to take home to their County Parties and voters with confidence.

DPO Gun Owner's Caucus, Grants Pass, OR

I am one of the Charter members of the GOC but I hold no office within the Caucus other than member. Zach Johnson is the Chair and he put together the shoot/caucus meeting in Grants Pass as well as the Daily Courier piece. Please keep in mind the generosity of the Daily Courier to allow UTube posting of their property and treat it with due respect.



Zach and I provided most of the artillery ranging from .357 and 9mm up to .45 Colt & for the stout of heart 45-70 Govt. A couple people actually tried out the 5 1/2" Vacquero .45 Colt w/300 Gr at 1250fps CorBon. The majority of participants were first time shooters or those of very limited experience, a large portion of the GOC had other Caucus comitments at the time. It is important to note that the experience was intended as a fun outing rather than a competitive style shoot, managing to hit the target was considered a fine accomplishment. Note to organizers (self, Zach) keep targets closer in next time, it's much more fun to hit it.

The video was published on Blue Steel Democrats and I've held off publishing it so it could have a fair run there.

More Democratic Fun

DPO DNC Committeeman Wayne Kinney and Pat Ackley past 2 CD Caucus Chair
John McColgan past Candidate for 2CD Congress and Howard Owens State House District 3 Candidate
Jeff Goldman possible candidate for Gordon Smith's Senate seat.

If You Were An Oregon Democrat

Senator Vicki Walker after announcing for Secretary of State
DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith entranced by Bing
DPO Secretary Becky Gladstone and Kevin Marr
Hot Dogs and Sausages!!!
DPO Executive Director Trent Luntz

If you were an Oregon Democrat at the Democratic Party of Oregon's State Central Committee meeting today you could have gone shooting at the excellent Josephine Sportsman's Association range with us, then gone to the meeting and had the pleasure of having Rep Peter Buckley, Rep Greg MacPhearson, and Sen Vicki Walker come and brief you on the Salem scene, vote on some important Resolutions, and then...Good fun at Motel del Rogue.

Some of these folks are much more reserved, this laughs on them.

Dangerous Ruling Says WaPo

This stalwart of American civil liberties, the Washington Post maintains a myth that is perpetuated by the Brady Bunch, that the Second Amendment is in place to allow the government to arm itself. No kidding, "the right of the people," actually means the state governments. Dangerous Ruling regarding the US Appeals Court for DC Circuit actually states, " the unconscionable campaign, led by the National Rife Association and abetted by the Bush administration, to broadly reinterpret the Constitution so as to give individuals Second Amendment rights" was the prelude to "this radical ruling will inevitably mean more people killed and wounded as keeping guns out of the city becomes harder. Moreover, if the legal principles used in the decision are applied nationally, every gun control law on the books would be imperiled."

I'm sure that since the WaPo is a large corporate entity they have no fear of liberties like freedom of speech or freedom from unreasonable search and seizure not being applied to them. Surely large elite groups have those rights but not the smelly mob. People is a dangerous concept in liberty, they might get uppity and want the same rights as their betters. Worse yet, if they're armed they might demand them.

The court found that the Second Amendment protections "are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual's enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or continued intermittent enrollment in the militia." Oddly enough the Democratic Party of Oregon also says

NOW, THEREFORE, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF OREGON RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. To recognize and support the right to keep and bear arms in Article 1 Section 27 of the Oregon State Constitution and the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America as an individual right not granted by the government, but rather guaranteed by the government.

Section 2. In recognition of the tremendous personal responsibility engendered by the right to keep and bear arms, the Democratic Party of Oregon further advocates severe penalties and their enforcement for criminal use or misuse of the right.

If the acolytes of liberal bias media myth can't figure out that the DPO is a little more left than the WaPo and that we do not stand with the WaPo in this kind of nonsense, but rather stand with the citizens of the United States of America and their liberty then they pay no attention at all. By the way Republicans, why don't you go read your Party's statement? Indies, we're not kidding around, if this has been bothering you, read it again. The Gun Owners Caucus of the DPO has a blog, Blue Steel Democrats as a public forum. I don't think you'll find us exactly supportive of the WaPo's stance.

DPO Slate

Baker County Democrats' delegates Mike Braymen and myself were in Salem for the DPO reorganization meeting. Four good people ran for Chair and three good people ran for Secretary, a second candidate for male Vice-Chair materialized and both candidates were fine people, Jill Thorn, rockstar candidate for female Vice-Chair ran unopposed. Meredith Wood Smith is Chair, Jill Thorn and Jesse Cornett are Vice-Chairs, and Becky Gladstone is Secretary. Baker County is 4/4 in this one. I'd like you to think about that for a moment, it is not a case of us going along with the big boys, we got who we wanted.

The toughest vote was male V-C, Bill Kroger has been a standout DPO and it was darn hard not to reward that dedication, talent, and ability. Jesse promised to use his youth outreach and his own (relative) youthfulness as counter balance to the rest of the officers took our votes. If you read this Jesse, you know why and that we're paying attention.

Out here in the 2nd Congressional District we face tough sledding, the Republicans are Republicans and the Indies are a pretty shade of pink. Democrats face some real obstacles and the DPO is only a piece of that puzzle but a valuable one. Our plot needs some careful tending over a long term if it is ever to bring in some crops and we need that understanding at the top. We have got to do youth recruitment, there's way too much grey hair (or lack of) at our meetings, there will be no Party without the young people.

We have a good slate of officers, people who have shown an understanding, and while things will be a little disjointed for awhile with recent resignations, we will move ahead. Thanks to all the people who put themselves up for positions, we need their dedication.

Hiatus

I have to take some time off from this Blog to go to the DPO Re-organization meeting this weekend. Considering the distance from Baker City to Salem I'm going to leave early and come back later, so, Friday through Sunday afternoon I'll be away from the keyboard. Most likely, unless I get access to a lap top, I'm sure not dragging a desk top with me just for you people...

It'll be a busy day considering I'm a member of several rather important caucuses - all trying to meet at about the same time.

DPO Chair Election

In other places and here I have set out my rationale for support. I'll do so again with a recommendation.

DPO is the activist arm of the Democratic Party, this is not the electorate except in a very narrow range, amounting to less than 1% of the registered Democrats in most places. This percentage is a reflection of who the membership is, these are the people who care deeply, deeply enough to attend monthly County meetings, work on candidates' behalf, donate money, and study issues. This is way outside the norm and places the membership outside the norm. We are a fractious lot, this is the expected outcome of dedicated, involved, and intelligent people. Agreement is achieved through hard work and an understanding of the players. This is in relation to County Parties, once you reach the level of State Central Committee Delegates you've gotten to the hardcore political junkies.

SCC Delegates must understand their Counties' positions, the functions of DPO Central Committee, and then be willing to make the financial commitment to travel and lodging. Along with this goes Committee memberships, Caucus memberships, informal caucuses, and general informal study groups. While the Executive Director takes care of day to day operations, the direction and functions of DPO are in the hands of the SCC headed by the Chair. The Chair's job is not just to set a tone, make public statements, and run a gavel at meetings, the Chair is the most influential voice inside DPO. It should never be assumed that all that goes on at DPO happens in meetings, there is a very great deal of personal interaction going on.

The Chair is responsible for keeping the Party unified and on a successful track, whatever momentary interests or passions come up. Due to the nature of the people who involve themselves in SCC things can get pretty sticky pretty quickly, or get stuck in a rut and get ignored. The Chair is the person who has to reach out to the right people at the right times in the right ways when these conditions occur. It requires some serious personal knowledge and real political skills to be able to do this. This is a real tough job with very real consequences, I may understand it but I sure wouldn't want it.

I believe we have a wonderful group of people interested in being Chair, the vision and personal quality of each is impeccable. There is that one thing that is of such importance that is held by one candidate, that is Meredith Wood-Smith's experience and DPO track record. Meredith knows the people, has worked to know the Counties, and has demonstrated her dedication and abilities within DPO. I have watched and listened closely at DPO and I know that Meredith listens - actually listens - and keeps an open mind, whether she is in agreement or not. Meredith has the capacity to bring together the elements that are in disagreement and achieve a consensus. She has visited the distant counties, talked to them, and listened to them. She has been to Baker County several times, and she is a welcome and popular visitor here.

The approaches Meredith has outlined on Blue Oregon are the things she's shown she cares about through the years. These are not new to this election, this is an ongoing commitment. There are people in this election who are my friends and I respect all of them so it is with more a little reticence that I endorse one over the others. I only make this endorsement because I believe that Meredith is clearly the best choice for Chair and that it matters that I do endorse. There is no wrong candidate for Chair, these are all able, intelligent, dedicated people; I just believe that Meredith Wood-Smith is an outstanding candidate and our best choice.

DPO Elections

Jim Edmunson has decided it's time for someone else to be Chair of DPO, he's had a long run, and can point to great achievements. This Party was in drastic shape when he started out, today Democrats hold control of both Houses, the Governorship, and most other high offices. The DPO is financially secure, urban and rural interests are considered, and infighting is minimal. I have no idea how the man managed to tolerate herding cats for as long as he did, but he's done the job admirably and deserves thanks.

I have no public stand on the race for Chair, the candidates are declaring and I've had no chance to consult with my County on the issue of Chair or male Vice-Chair. I have consulted with the County on Female Vice-Chair, Jill Thorn has my unqualified support. I've worked with Jill on Platform and Resolutions Committee, possibly one of the most controversy engendering Committees, and her management and concensus building skills made it a pleasure and success. She will be an invaluable asset in that position.

We are fortunate in the quality of the candidates, it is hard to see how we can less than well served, whomever wins. It is important to remember what a challenge it is to be the public face of the Party and still manage this bunch without losing your sense of humor, much less your mind.

Tired Of A Name ?

I've made it pretty clear the I'd have preferred Hillary Clinton to have remained a NY Senator, period. They have their ideas and they seem to like her, since they elected her, but that's it, they like her. Well, NY and the Corporate Media minus Faux like her and even Faux has been going on forever about how she's a lock. She sure does have two things, money and name recognition. How about a voting record Democrats would like? I don't even mean the "looney left" like me, I mean Democrats.

I'll start off with the derailed locomotive of politics, Iraq, some folks have admitted to making a mistake there, some folks never made a mistake there, and Hillary? Try tracking the national polls on the subject and setting those beside her stands right afterward. I can barely get along with the idea that intelligent well-informed people went for the lies, shortly thereafter the lies became transparent, not Hillary.

Civil liberties rank a touch higher in my considerations, not because I minimize death and destruction, but because you'll play holy hell getting them back once the government has gotten hold of them, but I'm playing this card second. Check Mrs Clinton's votes in this regard. Not so hot. Then toss in her public statements regarding gun control, she'd like very much to stomp a mud hole in that particular civil liberty. For those of you enamoured of that stance, I'll just point out to you, once again, that BushCo's arguments and yours are identical and that should inform your philosophy. (if you feel insulted, ask yourself why)

Regarding guns and elections, Kerry would have won with a decent chunk of the middle politics gun owners. He didn't get it, Hillary won't either.

This is the lady who took such a beating over health care, but take a look at her stances regarding corporate advantages. Let's just take a look at her stance on illegal immigration amnesty and just how interested she is in holding employers to the law regarding hiring, can you get any deeper in the corporate pocket? Fine, lose the rest of the picture, but who do you think has been making money hand over fist off the backs of the serfs? She and her allies aren't trying to be nice to the poor oppressed brown people, they're playing to their corporate sponsors, if you get sucked along for the ride, that's wonderful for them.

On the topic of the health care debacle, she didn't get her head handed to her for working on health care so much as she got whacked for doing it in secret. There's a road I want to go down again. The loon right has its opinions on the matter, but the wide spread push back was over the secrecy. You are conveniently supposed to forget this stuff.

If you're on this page the chances that you're a fan of the DLC are pretty small. She's their darling. If you're wondering a little about that comment, consider where the dust up with DNC and DLC started and think a little about why it started. Hmmm, who is the corporate wing of Democratic politics? Just to pile on DLC a little harder, they try to take credit for the '06 election results, but a close check of election results makes that claim entirely specious.

I've run for office, it's a really trying exercise. There are a lot of aspects to it that aren't much of any fun at all, you have to do them, but nobody in their right mind would like it. Getting out and meeting people and having your say are actually the fun though defending yourself from preconceived notions and false claims are aggravating. The point is that this is a lot of hard difficult work and requires a real drive to win at it, so what's at the bottom of that drive? Is it to take a real good shot at improving your fellow citizens' lives or is just the ego thing about power? If playing in that league involves a policy agenda then you're going to have to push hard for it, no matter what you try, it is going to get watered down and compromised in some form before it gets through. If you start out the process most of the way over to the "other guy's side" that diluting process is still going to happen, triangulation is nonsense, that's what happens by the time it's done, not where you start. Hillary is proud of her triangulation, she should be ashamed of it.

If you're wondering who is a good model for triangulation, look no farther than GWB circa 2000. He worked that really hard, remember "compassionate conservative" and "uniter" as mantras? What we've found is that the citizenry can go screw itself, power and plutocracy are the name of his game. People noted that GeorgeII had good Conservative credentials and a good record of working with TX Dems, and Hillary seems to be getting the play of good liberal credentials and working with R's. BushCo wasn't Conservative, he was a small "c" theocrat and big "C" corporatist and in the end, a power junkie. What exactly are Hillary's liberal credentials? They don't exist as a record, they exist as an image.

As a hard working DPO I'll make myself clear, if she wins this Primary I might vote for her, depending on what kind of idiot the RNC runs, but I won't knock on a single door, pick up the telephone, or cough up $0.02 for her. I'll work my butt off for OR candidates, but that piece of political work can go hang. If you're wondering, I'm DPO and I wouldn't work against her in a General Election. Oh; about the name, that's a stupid reason to vote for or not, almost as meaningful as her gender.

Racist or Something 24

I've never watched this show. I've never watched it because I don't care to have Fox trying to scare me with fiction when I've got all this reality going on. Reality that's almost completely divorced from this show's premise.

CNN has an article up from AP about a Muslim organization, Council on American-Islamic Relations, that is quite upset with Fox and 24 for their depiction of terrorists who, this time, happen to be Muslims. I won't bother you with the show's disclaimers about using other groups, this is a thriller show with various villainous groups trying to do, I gather, very bad things to Americans. Oddly enough, the complaint isn't that the show is sensationalist crap built on tragedy and horror for the benefit of profiteering war mongers, no, the problem is that the villains are identifiable. Keeeerrriiiiipes....

No, I'm real far from being a PC sort of guy in this kind of thing, I value people by their behavior - first their actions and then their speech - so trying to get my knickers in a wad because the villains in a piece of fiction happen to belong to a group pretty similar to ones actually dedicated to harming the US is plain stupid. Fiction about gangs tends to have Hispanics followed by Blacks as the gang members, prison fiction tends to have large minority representation, oddly enough reflective of demographics. It is pointless to turn around and tell me how peaceful a religion Islam is, there are Hispanic and Black surgeons also, so what?

If these CAIR folks are serious about this, rather than fund raising, they should be actively kicking BushCo's butt. This fear and paranoia is a direct outcome of those people. OK, Fox is a piece of work for trying to capitalize on it, but what exactly were Hill Street Blues, Homicide, et al all about? I didn't notice that the influential movie Mississippi Burning had Black KKK'ers, seemed to be a bunch of white guys. Hey, anybody notice that the Democratic Party of Oregon has a Gun Owners Caucus despite the knuckle dragging GOP'ers image of firearm owners by some "liberals." You know what, there are knuckle dragging GOP gunowners and they're fair game.

Here's the point, if you belong to a group that has some bad actors it's pretty disingenuous to act as though having them portrayed as bad actors is bigoted. If you're afraid to go to the store, it's about something a heck of a lot more insidious than a TV show, like a government based on hate and fear.

A DPO Gun Owner's Caucus

Zach Johnson is working on establishing a DPO Gun Owner's Caucus and I'm proud to be a supporter. Go take a look at Multnomah County Democrats to get some details if it's the sort of thing that interests you. Sure, this is an internal action but support is a good thing and important to demonstrate a need. I really don't mind that the public gets the idea that Democrats own guns. This is a good thing for DPO, let Zach know.