David Loera (D) - Mental Health Counselor and Community Activist
Pavel Goberman (D) - Fitness Instructor, Machinist & Frequent Candidate
Roger Obrist (D) - Retired Construction Worker & Frequent Candidate

May 2008 newsletter

May 2008 Newsletter

PCD newsletter banner

What's Here

Report from the Chair

US Congressional Candidates at our May Meeting

Photos from April Meeting & from State Platform Convention

Impressions from Senatorial Debate April 28 at WOU

Delegate Selection Plan/ How To File

Betty the Yeti Coming June 4 - sell tickets now!

News from Rich Riggs Campaign

News from Jason Brown Campaign

What are HD 20 & 23?

The Monmouth Peace Vigil continues

Links to Candidate Websites

Report from the Chair,
Alan Holland
May 5, 2008

After our last meeting, I appointed Ross Swartzendruber as chair of the
Candidate Committee with duties to help local candidates, and also to
work on Voter ID and Get Out the Vote in the fall, working with David
Papen and Jackie Pierce, Volunteer CoChairs. Thanks to Ross for
agreeing to serve.

I traveled to Hood River April 26 to attend the Rural Organizing
Project Caucus, met many peace and immigration acivists and some
Democrats from elsewhere in Oregon.

I attended the OEA Rep Assembly April 18-19 and urged OEA support of Oregon House Candidates Riggs and Brown from Polk County…

The 5th CD Delegate Selection Convention is not far away. So far
Polk County has 4 candidates for Delegate to the National Convention in
Denver, Alan Holland, Linda Williams, Jackie Pierce and Walt Dawson. To
be a candidate or to vote for them, a Democrat must register with the
DPO. Forms available at the CC meeting or, better, register online at
DPO.ORG and click on the convention button to file online. Deadline:
May 22. [More on Convention Delegates Below]

On Apr. 29 I asked Polk Co. Clerk, Val Unger for a Voter Registration report.

Here are the latest statistics:

	Dems	Repubs	Con	LBT	NA	PAC	IND	Others
Dec. 31	12988	16306	78	249	8105	134	204	109
Apr 29	4348	16400	79	243	8038	126	356	101
NET CHANGE:	+1360	+94	+1	-6	-67	-8	+152	-8

Note from Tina Calos May 8: Due to the upswing in registrations, HD
20 just tipped in our favor for the first time, giving Democrats a 2%
lead in registration as compared to the 5-6% deficiency in the last
election.

Regular Monthly Meeting of Polk County Democrats

Thursday, May 8

Christ Church, 412 W. Clay St., Monmouth

6:30pm: Refreshments and conversation

7pm: Meet the Democratic Candidates for U.S. Congress:

Steve Marks and Kurt Schrader will address the group.

Followed at 8pm: Business meeting (for those wishing to stay)

Come to meet our candidates and help us achieve victory in 2008!

From the Monthly Meeting, March 13

Looks like it was cheerful!

Thanks to Jackie Pierce, again, for photos.

And a few from the Democratic Platform Convention April 11-13:

Senate Candidates Debate at WOU April 28 - impressions

Note - we try hard to avoid taking sides here on issues on which
there will be differences among our Democratic community. Everyone
should be represented fairly. The following are impressions entirely
from this editor, but not meant as an editorial. I took notes, lost
them, and wish I'd taken a recorder.

The four strongest candidates to replace Senator Gordon Smith in
the next election met at WOU on April 28. Independent John Frohnmayer
joined Democrats Jeff Merkley, Candy Neville, and Steve Novick.
Sponsors were the WOU College Democrats, Associated Students, and the
WOU Communications and Political Science Departments. The (excellent)
moderator was Dave Sarasohn from the Daily Oregonian.

All the candidates had good points. I would be happy to see any of the five people at the table replace Gordon Smith.

Some had lines that made us chortle with glee. Candy had a good
sequence that I can't remember. Novick had a couple of excellent ones:
not jokes, but impressively solid thinking.

I was somewhat suprised by Frohnmayer, who at times expressed the
clearest no-nonsense left-wing position of anyone. For example, after
we had heard several versions of how to improve health care and F's
turn came around, he expressed a strong position in the fewest words:
We should have single-payer health care. He also called for immediate
withdrawal from Iraq. Why isn't he a Democrat?

Frohnmayer also showed a bit of the political old-boy stuffiness that
some crotchety radicals are wary of, calling up his vast experience
within the hidden mysteries of politics.

Merkley had that background approach too, while ticking off a checklist
of positions that seemed to be deliberately trying to cover all bases.
And at one point, discussing the financial problems of attending
college, he asked for a show of hands: how many people are students who
will leave here owing less than ten thousand dollars? How many will be
owing more than ten thousand dollars? He proceeded, “see, a majority
will be owing over 10...”- except that anyone in a position to count
the show of hands could see that in fact, the majority were the
opposite; but the speech was ready and had its momentum.

Neville answered a question, of how could someone as inexperienced as
she was be capable of successfully dealing with Washington pros, in an
impressive manner. She developed an example that was also an analogy,
of how as she a housewife had successfully created a subdivision in
Eugene. Her image of successfully handling with a great number of
building contractors as well as the intricacies of Eugene politics
simultaneously was vivid.

At one point Novick spoke to Frohnmayer on the importance of having a
majority of Democrats in Washington, rattling off a string of
accomplishments when Democrats were in control that had me reeling and
wishing for a recorder, so that I could memorize it. Quite a rapid-fire
string of accomplishments.

There was much more, a very good debate all around. Satisfying. I think
there were no positions I would strongly quibble about. I am sure that
more accurate detail can be found on their websites.

Afterward, I asked Sarasohn how we could get him to moderate a
Presidential debate (what an improvement over those we've had!) He
offered his card. I guess the ball is back to us. -tp

Democratic Party Oregon Convention Delegates

Basic information about our delegate selection plan
The national convention will be Aug. 25-28, 2008, in Denver
The primary election will be May 20, 2008
The filing deadline to run for delegate will be May 22, 2008

Oregon Democrats will elect 65 delegates and nine alternates
The number of delegates each presidential
candidate gets will be determined by the results of the presidential
primary in the congressional districts and statewide. 34 delegates and
five alternates will be elected at congressional district conventions
on June 7, 2008
The 1st will elect seven delegates and one alternate
The 2nd will elect five delegates and one alternate
The 3rd will elect nine delegates and one alternate
The 4th will elect seven delegates and one alternate
The 5th will elect six delegates and one alternate
19 delegates and four alternates will be elected at the state convention on June 21, 2008
12 delegates and four alternates will be elected at-large
Six delegates will be elected as Party Leader/Elected Official (PLEO) delegates
One will be elected as an “unpledged add-on” delegate

12 delegates are automatic, unpledged, delegates. They include:
Our Governor, U.S. Senator, and four members of the U.S. House, and our
six elected and appointed members of the Democratic National Committee.

The delegation must be balanced by gender. With
the guidance of the DNC, the DPO has established “representation goals”
designed to make sure the delegation reflects the makeup of Oregon’s
Democratic electorate. Those goals are:
African American, two
Asian/Pacific Islander American, three
Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender, five
Hispanic American/Latino, seven
Native American, one

Delegates to the state convention on June 21, 2008
Each congressional district convention will
elect delegates to the state convention, which will elect the rest of
Oregon’s delegation to the national convention. The delegates will
reflect the results of the presidential primary in their district. The
numbers from each district are:
The 1st will elect 62 state convention delegates
The 2nd will elect 45 state convention delegates
The 3rd will elect 76 state convention delegates
The 4th will elect 61 state convention delegates
The 5th will elect 56 state convention delegates
There are no alternates

For more information, contact Wayne Kinney, DPO Rules Committee chair, at wayne@dpo.org.
You’ll find information on the delegate selection process at:
www.dpo.org (click on the convention button on the left side of the
page)
File online in order to:·
Run for delegate, or· Vote for others
You may also file with a paper form,but we’d rather you filed online
Pick your favorite candidate, and file by May 22

District convention June 7
State convention June 21
National convention Aug. 25-28

This is the last month to sell tickets

for the Betty the Yeti fundraiser!

Pentacle Theater June 4 Benefit for Polk Democrats

Come join us for a night of good theater and good company on June 4,
with ticket sales to benefit our local Democratic primary winners. The
Pentacle Theatre will provide a special performance of "Betty the
Yeti," a satire about the personal and political consequences of a
logger meeting Bigfoot in the woods. Tickets are $20 each, so you can
treat yourself and support your Democratic candidates at the same time!
Tickets are limited, so purchase yours now! (A few seats may be
available the night of the performance, but why risk it?)

It's easy to purchase: simply write your check to “PCDCC” (Polk County
Democratic Central Committee) for $20 x the number of tickets desired
and send it to:

Treasurer, Polk County Democratic Central Committee
P.O. Box 224
Independence, OR 97351

On a separate sheet of paper, please write your occupation, your
employer’s name, and employer city & state (required by law for
state reporting of political contributions). Also include your name,
address and phone if they are not already on your check.
Please note if you want your tickets mailed to you, or if you prefer we
hold them at the box office for pick-up the night of the performance
between 6:30 and 7:20 pm.

Note: Tickets are also available at New York Bagels on Main St. in
Monmouth, or by calling Darci or Paul Kugler in Dallas: 503-623-0360.

The Polk County Democrats are hosting a theatre event June 4, with a performance of

"Betty the Yeti" by Jon Klein.

In this comic Call of the Wild, a disgruntled logger, Russ Sawyer,
heads for the woods after losing his job and his wife. It takes a
lonely bigfoot to finally touch the logger's heart.

It is more than a silly comedy about a man and his odd beast. All
the characters (Sawyer, his estranged wife Terra Sawyer, her mother
Clare Kutz, fiancee Trey Hugger, Iko from the Forest Service, even
Betty the Yeti) represent points of view. They tangle, and what do you
know?: passion for a cause is entangled by special interest groups.

Lots to think about, and laugh about at the same time.

Tickets are $20, and you should purchase them early.
Thanks to everyone who is selling the tickets! To join them, and for
full information, see Upcoming Events

News from local State House Campaigns

Richard Riggs - HD 20

My
website, RichardRiggs.com, has been activated and I have been busy
fundraising, seeking endorsements, attending houseparties and
canvassing. I have received several key endorsements which include the
Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Service Employees International
Union Local 503, and others. I am also engaged in the endorsement
process with AFSCME, OSEA, OEA, AFL-CIO and many other groups.

During my first week of canvassing I was
accompanied one morning by Representative Betty Komp and over the
course of the week I knocked on three hundred doors. Lastly, the
campaign is looking for volunteers, people willing to canvass, host
houseparties, or assist with phone calls or writing letters to the
editor. [update May 10- over 1400 doors reached now, and others by volunteers]

Jason Brown - HD 23

I am continuing to work outside the campaign on establishing a job
training partnership. The group I have been working with is now in the
process of drafting bylaws for a non-profit so the project in Willamina
can move forward. I find it gratifying to be a part of this community
partnership gradually coming together. In some ways it is a distraction
from the campaign, but ultimately it's all about investing in people.
-----
AFSCME, the public employees union, officially endorsed Jason Brown for House District 23 in March. AFSCME endorsed Brian Boquist in 2006.
-------

[Update May 6]: The Statesman-Journal endorsed Jason today: "Running for the second time, he has a good sense of district issues."

- - - - - - - - - - -

What are HD 20 and HD 23?

Here are maps to both. Take a look!: HD 20 HD 23

HD 20 while somewhat scattered is relatively focussed, including
Monmouth, Independence, West Salem and a section of the Liberty Heights
area in SW Salem, and areas geographically between those points.

HD 23 is an extremely awkward district including rural parts of five
counties: the downtowns of Willamina and Sheridan and south from
there;northeast to the edge of West Salem; Falls City and Dallas, then
across SE Polk, avoiding towns, through a rural strip of south Marion
County to Jefferson and the western city limit of Stayton; back to
Dallas and down Kings Valley road avoiding Philomath, around to Monroe,
then east to Halsey and Harrisburg in southern Lane County. It is
virtually impossible to drive to all of HD 23 without driving through
5, count 'em, five, other House Districts.

Jason managed to cover the district thoroughly in 2006. Anyone care to contribute to his gasoline fund?

Monmouth Peace Vigils - every Wednesday

The drive-by protest, at Main Street Park in Monmouth continues. May 9
will mark one full year of the weekly Peace Vigil 5-6 pm Wednesdays.
Usually some 200 people take part: three or four people on the curb
with signs, and 120-150 carloads of people driving by who express their
opinion of the Occupation by honking, waving, cheering for the
opposition.

About
3% of the passing cars express negative sentiments, with frown,
headshake, fist or finger; but the overwhelmingly positive
participation leaves everyone feeling great.

Links to Candidate Web Sites /for Democratic Primaries

A wealth of information lurks below. Poke any photo or highlighted name.

House District Candidates

House District 20	House District 23

Richard Riggs	Jason Brown

Also
running in HD 23: Wesley "Buddy" West of Sheridan, Grand Ronde tribal
elder and former tribal council member. Photo not available.

Senate District 12

Kevin Nortness
nortnessforsenate@gmail.com
(503)857-6231
Kevin Nortness is a City Councilor and former Planning Commissioner and Budget Committee Chair from Willamina
He lists a website address, but it does not appear to be up and running yet:
http://www.nortnessforsenate.com

Note: SD 12 is basically HD 23 plus Yamhill County. Map here.

U. S. 5th Congressional District. (former Rep. Darlene Hooley's seat).


Kurt Schrader	Steve Marks

Also running in HD5:

Andrew Foster (D) - Businessman & Graduate Student
Nancy Moran (D) - Retired Social Worker
Richard Nathe (D) - Retired State Employee

Note: The likely Republican candidate, Mike Erickson, has already loaned his own campaign $340,000. Kevin Mannix is also running.

U. S. Senate

Jeff Merkley

Candy Neville

Steve Novick

Brad Avakian has been appointed Oregon Labor Commissioner and has withdrawn from the Secretary of State race