Saxton flip-flops; now opposes TABOR Spending Trap

Ron Saxton's back to his flip-flopping ways again, but for now, he's landed on the correct side of an issue. He's announced that he's against the TABOR Spending Trap, Measure 48. According to the Register-Guard:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Saxton reversed his campaign's earlier support for a tough new spending limit initiative, announcing Friday he would not support Ballot Measure 48. ...

Last month Saxton told a debate audience he supported the measure "in concept" while his campaign staff said Saxton still supported the measure itself. Since then, Saxton has said he wanted to look at the particulars before taking a position on the proposal to tie the rate of nearly all state government expenditures to the percentage growth of population plus inflation.

Saxton chose his words carefully in a prepared statement Friday, saying the best spending limit "is a governor who demonstrates that he is himself willing to responsibly manage voters' tax dollars..."

Of course, he's still not exactly clear on it:

Asked if his position equated to opposition to Measure 48, Saxton chose his words carefully.

"It's a correct interpretation that I will not be voting for it," said Saxton, who made clear he did not intend to use his bully pulpit as a major-party nominee to influence the upcoming debate over state fiscal policy.

"I don't intend to engage in telling the voters one way or the other. I'm not going to be campaigning for or against this thing," he said. "I'm going to tell people where I stand and move on."

Of course, Saxton Watch has a full rundown of his "Extremely Challenging Political Quadruple Lutz".

Discuss.

  • myranda (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Dear Ron Saxton--If you want to be Governor, you should take the lead on opposing or endorsing the TABOR ballot measure because it has such a huge effect (negative, in my opinion) on Oregon's future. But leadership seems to elude you, and instead you do the "awful waffle." That's why Kulongoski will beat you.

  • JHL (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Dear Ted Kulongoski -- If you want to remain governor, you should take the lead on opposing or endorsing a consumption tax, because it has such a hige effect on Oregon's future. But leadership seems to elude you, and instead, you do the "awful waffle." That's why Ben Westlund will beat you.

  • Chuck Paugh (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Kulongoski is not a leader rather a follower from what I have seen of him. I don't expect him to take a strong stand on any issues this campaign just crossing his fingers that since Oregon is a BLUE state that he has a shoe-in for re-election.

  • (Show?)

    A couple of suggestions for KG Azegami: 1. Read a newspaper once in a while. 2. Watch or listen to the news. 3. Take a peek at the rest of the website that was linked in KG's message.

  • Richard (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Last campaign Ted said he would support the State living within it's means and he would not call for tax increases. He Flip Flopped and called for M30 to pass.

    Last Campaign Ted said he knew where $80 million in school administration could be saved. He flip flopped and found none.

    Wait, those were lies, not a flip flops.

  • (Show?)

    Richard,

    This is about Saxton, not Kulongoski. If Saxton can't pull his head out of his butt and make a decision to support or oppose something that will affect his tenure if elected, then why should people vote for him.

    The reason he's playing this game is because if he supports it, he'll lose the moderate voters. If he opposes it, he'll loss the more conservative base.

    Message to Saxton: You can't have your cake and eat it too!

  • Chuck Paugh (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Actually, David, the real quote is, "He cannot both have his cake and eat it." It is one of the most misquoted English quotes of all time.

  • (Show?)

    Thanks Chuck..I stand corrected on that one.

  • John Capardoe (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Chuck and David,

    The other interesting "cake" quote misquoted is the one attributed to Marie Antoinette in her "heady" days. "Let them eat cake"

    One of the more interesting interpretations of the circumstances of her declaration was much kinder to the now headless Marie, that the bakers of Paris had to bake affordable bread for the masses from the rationed flour of the land, and if they sold out of low priced bread for the common man, the bakery had to sell common folks the fancy pasteries they had higher margins on and made all thier money selling to the weathly Parisians at the price of regular bread. The though was it would compel the Bakers to make adequate supplies to feed the masses, and not horde the resouce to make the maximum profit. The word cake had been mistranslated and was indeed these high-end bread produces.

    How does this cake relate to your uneaten cake.

    State and local goverment is operating much like the bakers or that era of Paris.

    We have money for TRAMS for the Elite on the hill, but not for Portland Schools for the common folk. We provide millions in infrastructure for greenways and parks in an areas being developed for multi-million dollar condos, but as the TRIBUNE pointed out, land has lay fallow in the blue collar Cully neighorhood since the 1980's.

    What we need is equitable funding formulas, and good government accounting of the money, not organizations like PDC, PATI, or ChIF, that operate one step removed from the published public budgets and rules so it is hard to look at the big picture of where our tax dollars are going, and are they funding the things we want them to fund, or are they being redirected through these comissions and non-profits so the "cake" is hidden from the masses.

  • Uh, Ted Won (unverified)
    (Show?)

    So does Saxton now lose votes to Starrett? Ted showed leadership on the PERS debacle he inherited. That alone should earn your votes (unless you had one of the artificially inflated pensions padded by the corrupt PERS board). He cleaned house at the lottery. He did the same at SAIF. He's stepped up on the environment. And all you fringe Ted haters - This blog was overwhelmingly populated by pro-Sorenson, pro-Hill, rabid Ted Haters during the primary (most of whom are now delusional Westlund kool-aid guzzlers). Last time I did the math, Ted won the primary by a large margin. You're out of touch. Getover yourselves.

  • Susan Abe (unverified)
    (Show?)
    <h2>Fascinating. In my French history class, "cake" was explained as a mistranslation of spoiled bread that would otherwise have been thrown away after being, for instance, dropped in the ashes or burnt.</h2>
in the news 2006

connect with blueoregon