“The trouble with being poor is that it takes up all your time” — Willem de Kooning
Whatever else was wrapped up in Salem last night, the filing deadline for the May 15 primary also passed.
Oregon doesn't have a gubernatorial or U.S. Senate race to absorb all the ambient money sloshing around; the state's political community is free to devote attention to The Issues.
Republicans appear to be ceding most of the statewide and congressional races on the ballot with just one strong candidate for the three statewide partisan seats. The contest will be for control of the state Legislature. Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio, was the only one of the state's five congressional incumbents who drew an opponent. The challenger, Republican Art Robinson, is all set to pull a ‘Romney’ and pour money into the race like it was on fire….
The current 30-30 split of the House is what GOPers are gearing up to hang on to because it gives them a say in what happens in the state Capitol. They've struggled to win major political offices in Oregon for several years and now face a major Democratic registration edge.
Meanwhile, back in the Middle of the Road (Waiting to get hit by the bandwagon), Democrats say that if they could just manage to control the House Oh, the Things They Could Do; Oh, the Places They’d Go; Oh, the People They’d Meet… To be fair to the Dems, their opponents, be they milque-toast millionaires like Romney or Tea Party Populist Patriots, the only tactic they seem to know the words to is Obstruction. Plenty of strategy though
Amazing to watch it unfold: Legislators are forced into last minute tight corners - and it shows - in order to bring the session in on schedule. But the campaign trail never ends.
- KBOO