We did it!

Election day has come and gone - and Oregonians made one thing very clear: They'd rather have Governor Ted Kulongoski back for a second term, rather than our pal Ron Saxton.

It's all over, so we won't pile on anymore. Thanks, Ron, it's been fun!

» November 8, 2006 - Filed in Who Loves Ya, Ron?

Wastin' Away Again in Ronnie Saxtonville...

Over at BlueOregon.com, they've got the news of a new satirical theme song from our friends at the Oregon AFL-CIO - Wastin' Away Again in Ronnie Saxtonville...

Play the tune, via the magic of mp3.

Here's the lyrics:

Nibblin' on spongecake
Watchin' the sun bake
All those illegals covered with soil
All of my hombres
Work for me all day
Hear those liberals, they're beginning to boil

Wastin' away again in Ronnie Saxtonville
Searchin' for my lost credibility
Some people claim that there's a liberal to blame
but I know...it's my own damn fault

My grapes are the reason
They stay here all season
Makin' my favorite chardonnay
I'll say I grew cherrys
Chestnuts and blueberries
I can't have 'em thinking "the grillmaster" is gay

Wastin' away again in Ronnie Saxtonville
Searchin' for my lost credibility
Some people claim that there's a pundit to blame
but I know...it's my own damn fault

Why does this matter? As BlueOregon pointed out:

A real farmer, someone with actual agricultural experience, would never have made illegal immigration the central issue in their campaign. A real farmer, unlike Ron Saxton, would understand the complex economics and politics of the issues.

That's our pal, Ronnie Saxton.

» October 31, 2006 - Filed in Who Loves Ya, Ron?

Check the Tape - Saxton Claims His Global Warming Comments are Out-Of-Context

In the final gubernatorial debate, Saxton was asked about his statement that he is "not running for Governor to deal with global warming."

Saxton said that his comment in the earlier speech had been taken out of context, that the group had been speaking about the duties of the Governor and where the Governor could have the greatest impact.

Well, we were able to track down the tape of that appearance and Saxtonwatch now provides you with his full answer. You decide for yourself:

Here is the transcript of Saxton's assertion that he was being taken out of context:

BOB HUNTER: Governor, in September, Mr. Saxton spoke for a business group. In that talk, he told the crowd – and I’m quoting here – to be really blunt with you, I’m not running for Governor to deal with global warming. But there seems to be a growing consensus, even in the federal government, that global warming is real. Is this something that the Governor should be expected to grapple with or not?

[..]

RON SAXTON: I do. That’s, you know, one of the things that happens when you take a single line out of a longer speech. ...What I was talking about when I made the comment you quoted was, we were speaking about the duties of the Governor and what is it the Governor has to do the most about? Where can the Governor have the greatest impact? And the truth is, while global warming is important and an issue that needs to be addressed, the Governor has a much greater impact when we’re talking about education for our students, what are we going to do to deal with public safety in our state, what are we doing to deal with the business climate here. So in relative terms, my comment was where can a Governor make a real difference? It wasn’t in any way to show a lack of concern for global warming.

» October 30, 2006 - Filed in Ron vs. Reality

Saxton Caught Playing It Fast and Loose With PERS Numbers

The O catches Saxton in another lie today - noting that he has grossly exagerated the cost of the state's PERS program. Saxton has repeatedly claimed it consumes 20 percent of state payroll (like on his website here). Saxton now admits he was lying:

Saxton has repeatedly charged that Oregon governments paid 12 percent of their workers' wages for pension costs when Kulongoski took office and that they now pay more than 20 percent.

In response to questions from The Oregonian last week, Saxton's campaign acknowledged that he had used incorrect numbers. Actually, the employer rate rose from 10.64 percent to 15.1 percent during Kulongoski's tenure.

The article also notes that these higher rates are going to pay down the unfunded liability in the system, something Saxton continues to play dumb about despite his alleged business expertise:

The governor also noted that rates are projected to drop next year and that Oregon's relatively high rates reflect the fact the state is determined to pay off its unfunded liability -- unlike many states unwilling to deal with a looming deficit.

That is why, according to a recent analysis, Oregon's retirement system is nearly fully funded, while our neighbors in Washington, Idaho, Nevada and California all still have huge, overhanging debts in their primary funds.

» October 30, 2006 - Filed in Ron vs. Reality

Saxonwatch Launches "Saxton Acres"

Announcing the world premiere of Saxton Acres, filmed right here in Oregon. Starring the $400-an-hour corporate attorney who "would rather be a farmer than a lawyer," it is a tale of political intrigue, deception and barnyard animals. Check it out!

» October 26, 2006 - Filed in Who Loves Ya, Ron?

Saxton Astroturf - Medford Edition

Wednesday's Medford Mail Tribune offers an public reaction piece on the final debate that took place Tuesday evening in Medford.

The reporter visted watch parties for both candidates and includes this quote from one Steven Woods, who is only identified as an independent voter and Ashland resident:

Governor Kulongoski seems frustrated," Steven Wood said. "He's raising his voice and seems worried. Saxton seems more together. It suggests to me that Kulongoski knows he's on the ropes."

So who exactly is Mr. Wood? Well, the GOP event where he was interviewed was hosted by the local PR firm, The Maentz Agency. And Mr. Wood is - wait for it - public relations director at the firm.

Just another example of the burgeoning grassroots support for Mr. Saxton across the state.

» October 25, 2006 - Filed in Who Loves Ya, Ron?

Saxton’s Ethics Proposal - Less than Meets the Eye

In last week’s debate on KGW, Saxton refused to pledge that he would not take, and would not let his staff take, any gifts from lobbyists, including travel, lodging, and meals. Saxton claimed that he had put out a "similar" proposal, albeit with a loophole to allow gifts up to a certain dollar amount. According to Saxton, his proposal had "some common sense limits – I think we said $40 or something like that."

Based on a review of the plan, it’s not clear where Saxton thinks he proposed that gift limit. The press release announcing the plan and Saxton's white paper on ethics mention nothing about such a gift ban. The only ban he proposes is on out-of-state trips funded by most third-party organizations. And that’s it.

Saxton said, "people do not have confidence in their elective leaders," and that’s why he put forward his "tough proposal." Yet how does he expect Oregonians to have confidence in him when he claims to have proposed a ban on gifts that appears nowhere in his proposals?

It certainly provides an interesting contrast to Governor Kulongoski, who did not hesitate to raise his hand and take the pledge.

From the October 17 debate:

Vince Patton: I have a question about influence peddling. Thanks to the work of the Oregonian, voters now know that a number of lawmakers were treated to all-expense-paid luxury trips to Hawaii courtesy of lobbyists with the beer and wine industry. Well, Ron Tammen, the respected head of the Hatfield School of Government at PSU, has a proposal. And I wondered if you might be willing to take his pledge tonight and say that: I will not take any gifts from lobbyists, including travel, lodging, and meals, nor will my staff.

Ron Saxton: Well, I've put a proposal out this week that's very similar to that. I think there are some commonsense limits – I think we said $40 or something like that. But within that limit, I absolutely don't intend to take travel and so forth and, you know, I don't intend to take gifts whether there's some modest, you know, 10, 20, 30, 40 dollar limit, I don't know the answer to that. But what happened in the legislature is shameful, it's wrong, people shouldn't be taking those gifts. They shouldn't be, you know, taking the more expensive meals and so forth. And what we absolutely have to have is very strict enforcement of the penalties. And I'll tell you, beyond what the professor has suggested, what I called for in my proposal was that when there is a wrongdoing, when somebody violates those rules, they need to pay the penalty out of their own money. Today the law allows them to pay for those penalties out of their campaign funds. That's wrong. So, I've got my own proposal, we put it out this week. It's on the website. I think it's tougher than the one you're proposing and I absolutely support it.

Governor Kulongoski: First of all, I didn't wait for this crisis because when I became the Governor, I actually went to the legislature and got the Oregon Law Commission to actually undertake a review of the ethics laws and they're gonna report back on December 1 with proposals of what they think the state should do to actually provide a more fair ethics system. The other thing is that I actually got $224,000 from the legislature to actually have them do that. So, I've been on the forefront of this issue. What I will tell you is: I will raise my hand and I will take your pledge because I believe it is the right thing to do.

Ron Saxton: Let's be clear, we've got a crisis in this state of confidence. People do not have confidence in their elective leaders. The legislature's approval rating is unbelievably low; the Governor has one of the lowest approval ratings in the country. People don't have confidence. And so we have to have complete, total disclosure. We have to limit anything in terms of significant gifts. I'm there. We're gonna have tough proposals. We've put out a tough proposal. And we have to do it if we're gonna restore confidence because the confidence is not there today.

» October 25, 2006 - Filed in Ron vs. Reality