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Latest blog posts from Blue Oregon

Rock the vote (don't rock the vote, baby)
From Jim Ross, Oregon's latest voter registration numbers: The Oregon voter file has just been released. Of the 46,710 new registrants since the election, 17,449 have registered Democrat, 10,647 have registered Republican and the remaining 18,614 have registered non-affiliated. Okay..it's...
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Published 10 hours ago

Cartoon: 4th of July with the Oregon Legislature
By Jesse Springer of Eugene, Oregon. Jesse is a long-time political cartoonist and illustrator. Previously, he contributed "Trick or Treat!". See more at Springer Creative.
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Published 11 hours ago

Once more Dear Friends
There's a story out today by Rajiv Chandrasekaran in the Washington Post about the new push by about 4,000 Marines into the Helmand Valley in Afghanistan. Helmand is the opium capitol of the world and a Taliban stronghold. Like the drug trade everywhere, only a tiny percentage of the...
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Published a day ago

Serious wonkery: Al Franken, Mark Hatfield, and Senate Rules
Now that Al Franken is (finally!) poised to become a U.S. Senator, it's time for him to also take his position on Senate committees and on the U.S. Senate seniority ladder. The first item is easy. Franken will be assigned to the Judiciary Committee, taking a seat that Senator Ron Wyden has been...
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Published a day ago

Ouch: The WW's "The Good, The Bad and The Awful"
I'm not a dedicated Oregon Legislature follower, so reading "The Good, The Bad and The Awful" is like reading US Weekly: Nerd Edition. There are some pretty scathing reviews and I'm not so comfortable with the "brains" rating, but it's worth a read. Cringe-worthy piece about the "bad" Rod...
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Published a day ago

Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill)
As Kari reported yesterday, the Minnesota Supreme Court decided that Al Franken should be certified the winner of the Senate contest in that state. Soon after, Norm Coleman conceded and Governor Tim Pawlenty made it official. Franken is scheduled to be sworn in next week when the Senate returns...
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Published 2 days ago

Framing a Great Idea
Near the end of the legislative session, the legislature put forward the idea that the law regarding referendums should be changed.  That idea was a great one, but it died due in part to poor framing of the issue.  In the future, better framing, coupled with objective reporting, can help the...
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Published 2 days ago

2010: Courtney for Governor? Maybe, maybe not.
There have been lots of rumors that Senate President Peter Courtney has been considering a run for Governor in 2010. He was the #2 Democrat, behind Congressman Peter DeFazio, in my recent roundup of prospective candidates' warchests. But Jeff Mapes reports that the rumors may be just that:...
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Published 2 days ago

Obama: "Whose duck is back there?"
Oh no. Byron Beck is breaking more news on his blog. It seems that yesterday, President Obama was speaking to a group of some 300 gay rights leaders at the White House, when the following transpired: (President Obama speaking)....For we know that progress depends not only on changing laws but...
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Published 2 days ago

Breaking: Minnesota Supreme Court rules for Al Franken.
Just a few minutes ago, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Al Franken should be certified and sworn in as the new junior Senator for Minnesota. From the AP: The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Democrat Al Franken be certified as the winner of the state's...
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Published 2 days ago

Kicker reform and annual sessions
Jeff Mapes reports that House Speaker Dave Hunt and Senate President Peter Courtney are talking about two possible constitutional amendments - to be considered for referral to voters in 2010. [B]oth Hunt and Courtney said they wanted to send two proposed constitutional amendments to voters. One...
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Published 2 days ago

In closing hours, Lege passes minor-party election reform
Minor political parties and nonaffiliated voters won an unexpected victory in the closing hours of the legislative session. SB 326 repeals the rule that forbids voters from voting in a partisan primary and signing a petition to qualify a nonaffiliated candidate for the ballot. It also allows...
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Published 3 days ago