Oregon's Next Governor
Saxton Wins Endorsements — But Not Mine
With the choice before us, it's time to look seriously at the third party candidates.By Dan Richardson, 10-17-06
As a fellow with a history in newspapers, including a little time writing editorials, I always read a paper’s opinion pages, letters and all. Those pages, especially the letters, are the pulse of a community, so they are always interesting — but rarely surprising.
Enter the Sunday Oregonian, with its endorsement for the Oregon governor’s race. The O picked Republican lawyer Ron Saxton, writing that “Change begins at the top.”
The O’s endorsement was one of three that Saxton has garnered recently from the state’s main newspapers, running just ahead of two for Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
Oregon has all sorts of issues — like, off the top of my head, a growing population with a shrinking state police force, a wobbly tax system, a struggling public education infrastructure and legislators so ethically challenged they make Tony Soprano look like a stand-up guy.
At the head of the state’s executive branch is Kulongoski, who is increasingly the Jimmy Carter of Oregon. Affable and honorable, Teddy K. has no real liabilities; he’s challenged the public unions (a little); and he attends the funerals of Oregon servicemen killed in action. He’s a nice guy.
Oregon needs someone less nice and more ambitious in tackling the systemic problems. I’ve never really seen Saxton as that guy. He strikes me as something of a goober; a high-priced, Portlandcentric spouter of Republican boilerplate rhetoric. And, maybe, a Goldscmidtesque weasel. One example (just one, of many): Saxton won’t come out swinging against Measure 48, the proposed state spending cap. He’s said it’s a bad idea, but quietly, evading efforts to get him to speak against it.
He knows it’s a bad idea, in other words, but lacks the guts to stand up and say so.
Oh, okay, here’s another: Saxton has yet to come up with a blueprint for precisely how and what he’ll cut, out-source or change in Oregon’s government to save the 10 percent he’s pledged to trim. A promise without a plan sounds like hucksterism to me.
Perhaps that makes Saxton the Oregon equivalent of George W. Bush.
The Oregonian is correct in writing that “Oregon cannot go on this way.”
No, it can’t. But does that make Saxton the man to support? Kulongoski is decent and supports some worthwhile points (like stricter auto emissions) but has been unable to bring big, systemic ideas to the fore, and to rally legislators to support them. Maybe, just maybe, Saxton... well, let’s not get our hopes up. You go to government with the candidates you have, not the ones you wished you had. This election, we have our state’s version of Carter versus Bush.
A man who won’t get much done, or a man who promises too much.
Hell of a choice, Oregon. Good luck.
As for me, I can’t stand the idea of voting for either one. It’s time to take a look at the third-party alternatives, people.
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I have to agree with you (and the Dems hate me for it). I proposed a write-in for Tom McCall's statue! I'm not that impressed with the trio of third-party candidates either, unfortunately.
Good summary of both of the "leading men". Unfortunately, it doesn't bode well for Oregon for the next four years, no matter which one of them wins...