Monday, March 13, 2006
Walden, OR 2nd District, Challengers Work Together
Where I live, in central Oregon, the Congressional Representative is Greg Walden, a Republican of the first order. He and semi-disgraced California Rep, Richard Pombo, co-sponsored a bill to “reform” the Endangered Species Act, so that loggers and ranchers and miners, can avoid the current restrictions of the ESA. Walden’s campaign donations from the timber industry are the largest of any member of the two houses; the only Washington D.C. politician who’s got more money from logging is, natch, George Bush.
Walden isn’t a totally evil guy. He knows what our regional issues are, and he works to alleviate many problems. But he sees no problems with clear-cutting forests, and actually believes that “salvage logging” helps the forest. That leads me to wonder how the forests ever survived without white people messing with them.
A few years ago, Walden also teamed up with the neo-militia types to protest the shut-offs of irrigation water in order to save Klamath River salmon.
Democratic Walden challengers to team up, travel together
3/12/2006, 1:31 p.m. PT
The Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — In a tacit acknowledgement of their shared uphill climb, the four Democrats who are vying to unseat U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, will hit the road together for the next seven weekends, until the May 16 primary arrives.
The foursome will visit all of the counties in Oregon's sprawling 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from Grants Pass and Medford to the Idaho border and includes every county on the east side of the Cascades.
"The candidates recognized that one of them will come out on top, and the intent is for all of them to be on the same platform — not bashing each other but taking on Walden," said Pat Ackley, a Sunriver Democratic activist who coordinates the party activities in the district.
The joint appearances will give voters an opportunity to meet all of the candidates and see how they measure up, she said.
In all, five challengers — four Democrats and a Republican — have filed to unseat Walden, who is seeking a fifth term.
The Democrats who hope to earn their party nomination in May are Charles H. Butcher, a Baker City contractor and gun rights activist; Dan Davis, a Jacksonville entrepreneur and military veteran; Carol Voisin, an Ashland college instructor; and Scott Silver, of Bend, an activist for free access to federal forests.
Paul A. Daghlian, a Corvallis Republican, will face Walden in the Republican primary.
Silver said the speaking series simplifies logistics and offers candidates something that might be tough to achieve individually: rooms filled with voters.
"It will allow the candidates to be seen side-by-side in an interactive forum, and there will be opportunities to respond to each other — and those with better ideas to be heard above the others," he said.
The joint forums will be in Jackson and Josephine counties on March 18-19; Hood River, Wasco, Gilliam and Wheeler counties on March 25-26; Wallowa, Union and Umatilla counties on April 1-2; Harney, Lake and Klamath counties on April 22-23; and Baker and Malheur counties on April 29-30.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Walden isn’t a totally evil guy. He knows what our regional issues are, and he works to alleviate many problems. But he sees no problems with clear-cutting forests, and actually believes that “salvage logging” helps the forest. That leads me to wonder how the forests ever survived without white people messing with them.
A few years ago, Walden also teamed up with the neo-militia types to protest the shut-offs of irrigation water in order to save Klamath River salmon.
Democratic Walden challengers to team up, travel together
3/12/2006, 1:31 p.m. PT
The Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — In a tacit acknowledgement of their shared uphill climb, the four Democrats who are vying to unseat U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, will hit the road together for the next seven weekends, until the May 16 primary arrives.
The foursome will visit all of the counties in Oregon's sprawling 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from Grants Pass and Medford to the Idaho border and includes every county on the east side of the Cascades.
"The candidates recognized that one of them will come out on top, and the intent is for all of them to be on the same platform — not bashing each other but taking on Walden," said Pat Ackley, a Sunriver Democratic activist who coordinates the party activities in the district.
The joint appearances will give voters an opportunity to meet all of the candidates and see how they measure up, she said.
In all, five challengers — four Democrats and a Republican — have filed to unseat Walden, who is seeking a fifth term.
The Democrats who hope to earn their party nomination in May are Charles H. Butcher, a Baker City contractor and gun rights activist; Dan Davis, a Jacksonville entrepreneur and military veteran; Carol Voisin, an Ashland college instructor; and Scott Silver, of Bend, an activist for free access to federal forests.
Paul A. Daghlian, a Corvallis Republican, will face Walden in the Republican primary.
Silver said the speaking series simplifies logistics and offers candidates something that might be tough to achieve individually: rooms filled with voters.
"It will allow the candidates to be seen side-by-side in an interactive forum, and there will be opportunities to respond to each other — and those with better ideas to be heard above the others," he said.
The joint forums will be in Jackson and Josephine counties on March 18-19; Hood River, Wasco, Gilliam and Wheeler counties on March 25-26; Wallowa, Union and Umatilla counties on April 1-2; Harney, Lake and Klamath counties on April 22-23; and Baker and Malheur counties on April 29-30.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
