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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

When I went on the board the school district had its own police force, I didn’t think that made sense, we’ve got police all around us, and so we worked out with the city for the city to take over the policing duties for the school district. That saved money for everybody, as well as some greater efficiencies and coordination.

Ron has an interesting interpretation of "working it out" with the city. Press accounts from the time report that Saxton-hired Ben Canada gave the the City a one-day ultimatum: either pick up the tab or I'm shutting the school police down.

As the Portland Skanner reported on May 16, 2001:

Mayor Katz, in a May 8 memo to the school board and district Superintendent Ben Canada, criticized school officials for their sudden decision to "unilaterally discontinue" paying for its school police force.

City officials said the move took them by surprise when Canada called to notify city hall of the decision the day the school district budget was scheduled for a vote. Portland Public Schools had faced a 20 million budget deficit, which officials said triggered the decision.

Katz agreed not to simply fund the school police for the school
district, but rather to absorb the school police into the city's police bureau. "The mayor really was left with no other choice," [Mayor's Katz police liaison Elise] Marshall said.

Portland's city government also faced a significant shortfall this year. "We are having to basically ask the Portland Police Bureau to absorb a 2 million cut," Marshall said.

And these cuts actually hurt neighborhood services and response time, as the Oregonian reported on May 9, 2001:

Katz said the district had given the city little choice but to take over school police when the district said last month it planned to drop the 19-officer force to balance its budget.

Katz warned that absorbing the school officers into the Portland Police Bureau could come at a cost to neighborhood policing efforts and "further exacerbate fatigue of officers."

"Last year we eliminated nine officer positions," she said in memo faxed to the school board and Superintendent Ben Canada. "Taken together, these impacts could increase the time it takes to respond to calls for service."

Another example of how Saxton's promised efficiencies are little more than cuts to important public services.

The "report" cited by Saxton is produced by Stephen Slivinski, who interestingly is a zealous advocate of TABOR limits like the one on the November ballot.

Last fall, while Colorado's political, business and civic leaders (including conservative GOP governor Bill Owens) were convincing voters to suspend the measure that was choking needed state services, Slivinski wrote that it must be kept in place to start a new national taxpayer revolt. He wrote in National Review:

During the past 13 years, TABOR has rightly been viewed as America's best and most effective revenue limit. It has restricted the growth of government, provided tax relief, and is viewed as a model by fiscal conservatives across the country.

[..]

If fiscal conservatives are to be successful in promoting budget limits in other states, TABOR's reputation needs to be rehabilitated. A vote of confidence by the people of Colorado on Nov. 1 could provide a vital kick-start to what could become the next nationwide tax revolt.

Saxton himself, of course, has been all over the map on TABOR.

But Friday's release just goes to show that this campaign is really about rolling out the welcome mat to the corporate-financed national Republican agenda.

To date, Saxton has offered few specifics on where he would cut. In broad terms, he says he would have efficiency experts comb through state agencies to look for cost savings, and he mentions printing, data processing and vehicle maintenance.

He also would use the "Yellow Pages test" to see how many state services could be shunted off to the private sector, thereby saving the state the cost of salaries and benefits for the employees who perform the service. Privatization plans tend to grab attention during campaigns, but they're difficult to carry out because of union agreements and other contractual obstacles when large numbers of jobs are at stake.

Critics have seized on Saxton's hesitancy, saying he has failed to give a clear picture of one of the cornerstones of his campaign.

"Being efficient is a good thing," says Steve Novick, a consultant with Pyramid Communications in Portland and an activist who has worked against a number of anti-tax measures. "But this man has yet to identify any efficiencies."

For a response, we got to the Ronster himself.

The Saxton Ad Campaign, Brought to You by Creators of Willie Horton and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

(Eugene, OR) – Today Jim Edmunson, the Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon, called on voters to look behind the text on their television screens and in their mailboxes and pay attention to who's really behind the Saxton ads.

"Saxton is running the most negative and dishonest campaign in Oregon's history," Edmunson said. "He’s taken the Bush model of innuendo and distortion and imported it to Oregon. How can he continue to tout that his campaign is about making Oregon great when he’s importing the worst examples of GOP attack politics this country has seen in the past two decades?"

On Sunday, the Salem Statesman-Journal candidate questionnaire revealed that the mastermind behind Saxton's discredited immigration and education ads is Larry McCarthy, the infamous consultant responsible for the Willie Horton ad from the 1988 Bush presidential campaign. McCarthy works for Mentzer Media Services, the same advertising firm that also produced the television ads for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. McCarthy bragged of the photo he used in the Horton ad, saying it was “every suburban mother's greatest fear.”

In 1994, McCarthy told ABC News the reason negative ads work is "people know less, and they learn more and more of their information from commercials," adding "they’re much more inclined to believe the worst" about candidates. [ABC News, 10/23/94]

Mentzer Media also coordinated the advertising for The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that smeared decorated Vietnam veteran, Sen. John Kerry, as a traitor and a liar.

It is no surprise that the Medford Mail Tribune wrote, "Watch and listen to more than a dozen advertisements on Saxton's website and it won't be long before you'll want to go somewhere to wash off." [Medford Mail Tribune, 10/6/06]

Saxton's direct mail comes from the national GOP powerhouse FLS Connect/DCI Group – a firm co-founded by the architect of the Bush smear campaign against John McCain in the 2000 South Carolina primary.

The Saxton campaign's consistent use of Karl Rovian tactics is getting more and more attention. The Oregonian's columnist, David Sarasohn, said Saxton is running, "…what may be the most dishonest media campaign in Oregon memory…from the spring primary race through his current media buy, Ron Saxton has spent huge amounts on TV spots that turn out not to be exactly true, hoping nobody will look at the white line." [The Oregonian, 10/13/06]

A recent article in the Oregonian notes that Saxton ran an ad blaming Governor Kulongoski for the illegal immigration problem in the state, despite knowing at the time that a farm he owned may have hired and housed illegal immigrant migrant workers. And another Oregonian ad watch headline on Saxton's education attack ad reads, "Saxton ad toys with facts, uses out-of-context quote" [The Oregonian, 10/11/06]

"Ron Saxton needs to send the Bush Hate Ad machine back east," added Edmunson. "This sort of slime has no place in Oregon politics."

###

It's great to see The Oregonian waking up to Saxton's traveling menagerie of misinformation.