Quick Hits and Deep Thoughts: It's all Molly Bordonaro's fault
Kari Chisholm
- As Americans watch our economy fly off the cliff, it's worth noting who was driving the car. Among the many bad actors are the people who ran Fannie Mae, the mortgage giant that had to be rescued by taxpayers. And would you know it? A well-known Oregon Republican was right there. Molly Bordonaro, the former congressional candidate and current Ambassador to Malta, was on the board of directors of Fannie Mae from 2001 to 2004 -- right about the time that all those stupid decisions were made that created this mess. Hopefully when her term is up in January, she'll stay in Malta.
- Allen Alley is the first statewide candidate to get up on television this fall. Here's his ad -- with some fact-checking commentary from Ben Westlund's campaign:
Personally, I think everyone who drives a car with a sunroof should get a life-size Obama size cardboard cutout to drive around town with. Just $32 at Amazon.
- Oregonians in Action - the people who brought you land-use disaster Measure 37 - is bragging that they managed to scuttle outgoing Rep. Greg Macpherson's appointment to the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission. But as the O's Doug Bates points out, they're just plain flat wrong. His appointment has been delayed on a technicality -- you can't serve in the executive and legislative branches simultaneously. So, Macpherson has to wait until January, when his term expires. No big deal. (Shows you just how deep right-wingers have to dig these days to declare a "victory".)
- Our own Paul Gronke was quoted in the Washington Post this week - noting that some one-third of Americans will vote before Election Day, roughly twice as many as eight years ago.
- Governor Ted Kulongoski has been in public life since the 1970s. And in all that time, he's always been pro-choice. So, why is the Archbishop of Portland slamming the Governor, a Catholic, right now? Because he's hosting the annual NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon dinner on Friday night. From the O:
"This is a source of embarrassment for our church and a scandal for the Catholic community," Vlazny said in a statement. "For a Catholic governor to host an event of this sort seems a deliberate dissent from the teachings of the church."
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9:07 a.m.
Oct 2, '08
Go Paul! Nice placement.
Oct 2, '08
The Archbishop's quote just needs to be re-worded a little:
"This is a source of embarrassment for our church and a scandal for the Catholic community," Vlazny said in a statement. "For a Catholic archbishop to protect pedophile priests seems a deliberate dissent from the teachings of the church."
Oct 2, '08
That logo for Allen Alley makes him look like some sort of Izzy's buffet... All he's missing is a candy dish stocked with Rolaids... How is it possible for any candidate to speak of on the job training at a time like this? The OTJT-ing sound-bite only reaffirms the notion that the inmates are not only running the asylum but infighting for leadership roles!
10:31 a.m.
Oct 2, '08
Paul's note about early voting was also cited in The Economist. All I've done in the Economist is written a letter to the editor that they amusingly edited to start with "Sir-" in the way they all were formatted.
Oct 2, '08
Alley needs to remember that there is a lot of truth to the saying "you never get a second chance to make a first impression". I first encountered him walking across a parking lot with a staffer. I asked "Aren't you Allen Alley?". He gave me a brochure. I mentioned my admiration for Ben Westlund and he made some crack like "He's OK if you want a legislator for the job".
We moved to Oregon in 1968 and to the best of my knowledge, every state treasurer since then has been either a legislator or held some other elective office first. Alley's brochure wasn't that impressive either.
Years ago, there was an ad saying someone got something the old fashioned way---they earned it.
I was not a fan of Westlund when he was first elected to the legislature---why would I be? He defeated a friend of mine.
However, during the 5th special session, I heard an interview with Ben while I was driving home from work. His views on the cause of the budget problem made so much sense I wrote him a thank you note.
Yes, I do believe we need someone who knows the legislative process---Treasurer needs to get things passed by the legislature! Ben has a down to earth quality of talking intelligently with ordinary voters. He respects differing points of view. And as a cancer survivor, he understands sometimes life is tough.
Matched against the smart-aleck Alley, there is no comparison, which is why I support Westlund for Treasurer.
12:45 p.m.
Oct 2, '08
I got flak for the quote, actually. They list me as "researcher, Early Voting Center." No Reed, no current affiliation with a foundation, nuthin.
Ugh. Reporters.
Kari, I would watch out with the Fannie citations, however, since Obama has a high level advisor with Fannie or Freddie (forget which) ties.
Oct 2, '08
Alley used the same quote about making money the old-fashioned way in his City Club Debate. The bizarre thing was that I think he was talking about his work as a venture capitalist. And not to spout communist ideology, but by definition, wouldn't a venture capitalist make money because other people earned it?
Oct 2, '08
I get the same impression from Mr. Alley that I used to get from other rich guys, when I worked as a waiter at a country club. He's positive that he is a really smart and super talented because why else would he have so much money. And we all are ever-so-lucky that he has consented to run for office.
Didn't this brilliant venture capitalist run his company into the ground just a couple of years ago when the market was doing well and floated out on a golden parachute. Why would I want to trust that type of wall street experience in light of this week's financial crises?
We need change and this republican is more of the same. Vote Westlund!
I've also noticed he's running a pretty negative campaign too, typical republican!
Oct 14, '08
Right Molly 's fault. How about Raines and Johnson, who are tied to the Obama campaign and advisors. Both of which held the top position at FMae and FMac. That Obama really helped out suing banks so they would be required to loan to people that couldn't afford to pay the loans back. But hey my family will help pay back those loans Barack thanks for the help.