Gordon Smith: Just the facts
I've been accused of hyperventilating when it comes to Senator Gordon Smith, a leading GOP clotheshorse*.
So, rather than get into all the sundry details, analysis, and hyperbole, I'll just present you with the latest facts.
-- Since 2001, Gordon Smith's campaign has accepted $12,000 from Viacom - the big broadcasting conglomerate.
-- Viacom and its subsidiary, Paramount Pictures, is a leading proponent of the "broadcast flag" - a technology that would limit the ability of citizens to redistribute content, even under fair use parameters.
-- Gordon Smith's staffer on Communications and Technology, Kevin Murphy, has been working on a bill to expand the use of the broadcast flag.
-- Kevin Murphy has already announced that he's leaving Smith's staff at the end of the month.
-- He's leaving to go work for... Viacom.
-- In the interim, Murphy claims to have recused himself from matters related to Viacom, acknowledging the conflict of interest.
-- Despite the recusal, Murphy is continuing to be the point person on Viacom/Paramount's favorite bill.
Hat tip to Srinu Sonti at the Senate Majority Project who did all the hard work on this one. As Srinu concludes:
Good thing Smith voted to kill the proposed Senate Office of Public Integrity. We might have a case.
Read the full story at Senate Majority.
Discuss.
[* I've decided to come up with ways that the press can describe Senator Smith without using the tired and inaccurate "leading GOP moderate" all the time. Gordon Smith has won the "Best Dressed Senator" poll in the Washingtonian magazine numerous times, so at least this description is accurate.]
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April 13, 2006 |
Kari Chisholm | Comments (14 so far)
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Comments
Posted by: Jeff | Apr 13, 2006 3:15:48 PM
I see this as typical of Washington politics in general, especially in this regime. There probably is some conflict of interest (aside from the obvious one of Smith working for a corporation rather than his actual constituients), but I would guess that Viacom found, in Smith, a willing senate shill and rewarded him accordingly. And now they're rewarding his underling, Kevin Murphy, with a high-paying job (probably as a lobbyist) with Viacom.
While I find this objectionable and upsetting, I don't find it at all surprising. That we Oregonians seem to be accepting of Smith as our Senator, on the other hand, is surprising as well as objectionable and upsetting.
Posted by: carla | Apr 13, 2006 3:20:43 PM
While I find this objectionable and upsetting, I don't find it at all surprising. That we Oregonians seem to be accepting of Smith as our Senator, on the other hand, is surprising as well as objectionable and upsetting.
In my view, it has a great deal to do with the fact that most of this dirt on Smith goes unreported in the MSM.
Its shameful.
Posted by: jami | Apr 13, 2006 4:29:05 PM
interesting facts indeed. unfortunately, your average 40-hours-a-week TV viewer is too mind-numb to understand what a broadcast flag is and why it sucks for them, but we do what we can.
Posted by: Sid | Apr 13, 2006 6:07:17 PM
Carla is right. Oregon's MSM is in love with Smith and won't dare write anything negative about him. What I find so bizarro is how the Republicans claim to represent the regular guy, like Nascar dads. And then you've got Smith who wears French taylored suits, goes golfing at elitist clubs and resorts and looks like he's got a plastic hair wig. He doesn't even look like an Oregonian if you ask me.
Peter DeFazio, now he looks like an Oregonian through and through.
Posted by: Amen carla | Apr 13, 2006 6:11:15 PM
It is nothing less than shameful that the Oregonian newsroom continually fails to report on anything critical of Gordon Smith.
Can anyone point to a single unflattering article written by Jim Barnett or Jeff Kosseff in the last 2 years? Ever? Seriously...
Posted by: Pavel Goberman | Apr 13, 2006 11:31:49 PM
Kari, you are right, but you gave a very little information about bribery, corruption and political prostitution of the G. Smith, the cancer of our society. Please visit the Federal Election Commission website: www.fec.gov and you will see from whom and how much money this garbage is receiving, to whom he is selling our country and the PEOPLE's trust.
In 2008 I'm going to run against him, and not run only, but get him out from our office.
Pavel Goberman - Candidate for US Repres. 1st Congr. Distr
www.getenergized.com/vote.html
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Apr 13, 2006 11:34:14 PM
I've heard a number of folks actively wondering if Gordon Smith (or maybe his pal Dan Lavey) has incriminating photos on the relevant Oregonian reporters and/or editors.
Nothing else seems to explain their willingness to ignore incident after incident after incident of Gordo saying one thing and voting another.
The AP guys seem to be a bit more clued in and willing to expose him, but they're stretched a bit more thinly.
Posted by: DAN GRADY | Apr 15, 2006 10:29:45 AM
SAVE DEMOCRACY, VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT!!
I’m not shy about criticizing a Republican Senator; I would just like to know where the Republican Senator is?? I grew up with Republicans whom disparaged “Big Government.”
I grew up in the shadow of Barry Goldwater, and if I’m not mistaken the “Tax & Spend Democrats” with a government answer for everything was the rational for why we needed Republican Leadership.
Government that pays for itself without deficits to pass on to our grandchildren.
Small, effective government that makes good use of tax dollars.
A strong national defense to preserve the democracy.
No intrusive government in the free market, free enterprise economy. Less government regulation.
No government intrusion on our civil liberties, and solemn promise to protect our Bill of Rights.
No foreign military adventures without a strategy for victory, and only when it’s a matter of national security.
So, where is the Republican?? Certainly not Gordon Smith?? How would anyone whom has endured the decades of simple minded, self centered, greedy, impish policy explanations for what is so obviously their incompetent governance, now say this government is even an American Democracy.
I would say that our pathetic need as Democrats to race to the center of every policy issue has us blinded to the obvious.
SAVE DEMOCRACY, VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT!!
Posted by: Pavel Goberman | Apr 16, 2006 10:27:17 PM
Dear Dan, I respect you, you created and defended this nation.
But: you said to vote for Democrats. What is defferent between Republicans and Democrats? NOTHING! Many of them are corrupted, selling our country.
G. Smith (R), R. Wyden (D): both of them are Political Prostitutes, the garbage of our society.
I do NOT care about party (I obey the Code of Ethics), but about the PERSON, what he or she is doing for benefits of the PEOPLE.
Pavel Goberman (D) - Candidate for US Repr. (against D. Wu)
Posted by: Paul Block | Jan 14, 2007 10:53:12 PM
Bear in mind that Smith is a major proponent of ending internet neutrality. That alone should be reasonable cause for dumping him.
I wonder if his Viacom contributors have any influence over that. I also wonder how many phone companies have given him money to carry their water...privatizing the internet and giving them control of who gets to use it.
Posted by: Paul Block | Jan 14, 2007 11:04:11 PM
So, after my last comment, I did a little research and, according to the best of my limited abilities in doing this research, our own Senator Smith has accepted over $43,000 from the telecom industry...excluding the hardware makers...more than 20K from Qwest alone! Here's a surprise: Senator Smith supports an end to internet neutrality. If his position is successful, his telecom contributors stand to make many millions of dollars and ultimately have the power to control who gets to sell on the web.
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Posted by: paulie | Apr 13, 2006 9:18:56 AM
Kari, Arianna Huffington gave Smith an award and it wasn't for best dressed senator. Although David Whelan did write for Equal Justice that, "Smith wears a gorgeous wedding band with huge diamond studs, keeps his thick hair perfectly landscaped and dons exquisitly tailored suits." Arianna gave Smith "The award for "The Stupidist Idea since the Food Dehydrator" because Gordo proposed that a censure (Clinton) resolution include something like a requirement that President Clinton write that 100 word essay and Smith also stipulated that the president ought to continue to reach out to young children to say what he did was wrong."
I don't know about you Kari, perhaps our conservative Mormon Republican Senator deserves an entire column on more of his awards, ya' think?