Election Results

[sandnsea]

Looks like Kulongoski and Ron Saxton. Roberts and Vogt for justices. Carol Voisin in District 2. Castillo. And we finally got rid of Anna Morrison!!! Bill Fleenor is pretty much a good guy, for those of you who don't know him. I think you Lane County people will be really pleased.

http://www.oregonlive.com/

http://www.oregonlive.com/elections/

[Caoimhe]

1. I'm not sure what to think

I mean between the two.. it's gotta be Mr. K... Not aware of many of those local races. I live in Central Oregon

[unschooler]

2. At least we won't have Kevin Mannix to kick around any more!!!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[MissB]

3. Yeah, losing a statewide office for the fourth time ought to mean

retirement.

[sandnsea]

4. Ron Saxton looks like just as much fun though

I don't know anything about him, but just from his web site it looks like he should be pretty easy to beat up.

[depakid]

5. Actually Saxton's fairly moderate

well spoken and could beat Kulongoski.

That would not surprise me in the least, as Kulongoski's hasn't exactly distinguished himself these past 4 years.

[insanity]

6. I would actually consider Saxton

Because I really dislike Ted.

[Bitter Cup]

7. Don't forget that we're going to have a major INDEPENDENT

albiet a very conservative independent also running for governor. Ben Westlund, at least according to Hartmann and those he's talking to is going to be a big spoiler in this race potentially pulling off a lot of democratic support rom Ted who is imho about as tepid a candidate as we could muster.

The result is that the democrat is going to get hobbled by defections to an independent who is really a republican...allowing the Real Republican to coast to a win.

That's the nightmare scenario...and frankly Kulongoski deserves to be beaten after these last 4 rediculous years. Sadly that beating SHOULD have taken place in the primaries.

Now we better start praying for a big win in the house and senate because if Saxton and Karen Menace share power we are screwed in so many ways I can't begin to list them.

[sandnsea]

8. You've got to be kidding

Privatization?? Capital gains tax cuts? Remove regulations? Measure 11 & 37 supporter? What the hell could you possibly find appealing with Saxton??? He is the exact opposite of the Democratic Party on every single solitary issue.

[depakid]

9. You see though- that's the image he puts across

and he's got the $%#* whoring Oregon media behind him who'll reinforce that image.

People (including me) contrast the guy with Mannix. Now we're looking at a situation where Ted K's has to make the contrast. That's going to be a challenge, since he's played for the soft ephemeral middle and disappointed many groups that should be his most loyal constituencies.

It should also go without saying that he needs to show some more enthusiasm....

[sandnsea]

10. I don't think so

He's worse than Mannix, there isn't anything moderate about him at all. He's got no experience to speak of, and the Portland schools sure isn't much to brag about. Reinhard supports Saxton for chrissake. He'd have literally no chance if not for Pete Sorenson stirring up shit on the Dem side, I find it comical that he did so poorly and would hope that would be a lesson to the red meat Dems, they do NOT represent the Dem Party. In any event, Saxton's vow to sign anti-abortion legislation will be about enough to do him in. I'm not worried about him at all.

[depakid]

12. Reinhard supports Saxton for chrissake

That's because he's a Portland media whore (as Saxton himself has been) and he thinks Saxton can win.

Kulongowski's going to have paint Saxton as a right wing loon and do it soon and hard....

[sandnsea]

14. Because Mannix obviously can't

And he isn't supporting Saxton as a moderate, he's supporting him as a hard core conservative, so I don't know how you figure this moderate angle.

[sandnsea]

17. Kulongoski rips Saxton

I guess he heard you.

http://www.oregonlive.com/elections/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1147922721299210.xml&coll=7&thispage=1

[depakid]

19. Nice. Smart. Keep hammering.

"With the ink barely dry on Tuesday's primary election results, Democratic winner Gov. Ted Kulongoski came out swinging, calling Republican nominee Ron Saxton an "extremist" on immigration issues and questioning his ability to hold a consistent position.

"Ron ran in 2002 and he said things, and he ran in 2006 and he said other things, and I imagine he's going to say things that are different" in the general election, Kulongoski said."

But see

"By now, virtually every sentient Oregonian has seen, read or heard ads paid for by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde bashing Gov. Ted Kulongoski."



"Kulongoski infuriated the Grand Ronde tribes by OK'ing a proposal by the Warm Springs tribe to relocate its casino closer to Portland in Cascade Locks. That, of course, would make it Portlanders' nearest tribal gambling outlet, instead of the Grand Ronde tribes' Spirit Mountain casino west of Salem, which is currently closest.

<snip>

"When he was Oregon's attorney general, Kulongoski penned then-Gov. John Kitzhaber's Indian gaming policy of one casino per tribe, on the rez only. For that reason, in large part, Martin says, the Grand Ronde tribes strongly supported Kulongoski in 2002."

http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3228/7556

This is going to be knock down drag 'em out Oregon politics.

Hammer hard. Hammer early. Fight dirty. Last one standing wins.

[sandnsea]

11. That's a Mannix campaign strategy

No, he's not moderate at all. Unless the definition of an Oregon moderate Republican is Bill Frist.

[depakid]

13. Then I guess it was successful

because if I get that impression- then there's hell of a lot of work out there to do.

[sandnsea]

15. Not necessarily

You wouldn't be the first person to be duped by right wing spin.

[MissB]

20. Saxton *looked* a lot more moderate in 2002.

He even appeared to be pro-choice back then.

It really isn't terribly amazing that some people consider him "moderate". He put that image out there in 2002 and was pounded in the primary. He took a more conservative stance this time around and it seems to have worked in the primary.

I can see him taking a helluva beating in the media if the Kulongoski campaign is willing to do that.

[0rganism]

16. I wonder how much money the RNC is going to pour into Saxton's campaign

Kulongoski has to be looking vulnerable to them.

And I'm not so sure the Guvnor's first broadsides against Saxton as extreme anti-migrant are going to be effective -- a lot of Oregon voters, including the conservative Dems and independents, are going to be in favor of deporting illegal immigrants and restricting their access to public services, especially if it means reduced expenses and potential for additional tax cuts. He could actually be enhancing Saxton's position!

Guvnor Ted is going to have to do find something that cuts pretty deep to overcome Saxton. I think he'd be better off making sure everyone knows Westlund is a Republican in indy clothing, to ensure a vote-syphoning advantage. Early direct attacks on Saxton make him seem like a petty partisan and allow Saxton to take the aloof "high road" by not responding in kind.

[sandnsea]

18. This is hysterical

Helping the right wing again. I'm not going to participate in this election on DU. I am sick of supposed Democrats doing more to hurt the Democratic candidate than the Republicans do. And then blame the candidate for what you yourselves cause. This is the same kind of shitty-assed post I saw all through 2004, the kind every DUer denies ever posting.

Kulongoski has been a good governor, our economy is better, health coverage is available to more low income people, he stepped up when prescription drugs were cut, stood up for gay rights, is fighting Bush's environmental assault, is investing in alternative energies. Some people either love to bitch or just don't know how good they've got it.

[0rganism]

21. Excuse me? I don't see it

How is my post "blaming the candidate" for something I caused? My comments were that Kulongoski looks vulnerable (last I saw, he did have one of the lowest Democratic governor approval ratings), and the strategic note that attacking Saxton early wasn't going to be effective so he should go for pumping Westlund's conservative credentials instead.

Was this a reply directed to someone else's post?

FWIW, I think Kulongoski does have an okay record to run on; his main problems have been Rep. Minnis' intransigent house politics and a general reluctance on the part of Oregonians to do what it takes to have a stable revenue stream.

[sandnsea]

22. Kulongoski is not vulnerable

But keep saying he is, that's exactly what Republicans want. Saxton needs the uninformed to think Democrats don't even like their own candidate, to start second guessing, and give him a chance. So knock yourself out, spread it all over, Kulongoski is vulnerable...

Just don't come back here in November blaming Kulongoski for not fighting the "vulnerable" attack.

[0rganism]

23. If an incumbent can be unseated by the mere *idea* of vulnerability...

...then s/he's vulnerable. It's pretty damn close to a tautology, by definition of the word "vulnerable". Them's the breaks, no matter how much you whine about it and blame me for playing into Republican hands by pointing this out.

And damn, it's not like I'm saying Saxton's a sure thing, either -- he's got a hard fight ahead of him. Kulongoski has every opportunity to use Westlund against Saxton to split the R vote. At the same time, all Kulongoski has to do to effectively consolidate the 46% of Dems who voted for someone else into his camp is pump the conservative creds of Westlund. Then, it'll be up to the "moderate independents" to realize that Kulongoski is actually doing good things for the state, and give him the win.

And then you can come here and tell me all about how invulnerable Kulongoski was all along, okay?

[sandnsea]

24. I heard that in 2004 too

No harm in everybody blathering on about whatever "mistake" of the day Republicans trumped up. Just constructive criticism, that's all. And what difference does it make whether it's blather on a message board. Right. And those same people who helped spread that shit are the first to give their "constructive criticism" about the horrible campaign.

Kulongoski is not vulnerable. 306,000 Dems voted. 280,000 Republicans. Kulongoski has already said he's running against two Republicans so he obviously plans to split that vote. The only problem we can possibly run into is our Green "friends" spreading shit against Kulongoski, which is why I take exception to the "vulnerable" crap. Much better to run this race from a mindset of invincibility and that the Democratic vote is united. That's what really convinces those "moderate independents" anyway, they're nothing but bandwagon voters who go with the herd.