5 Reasons Why I Will Sign for Ben Westlund...
Ore. candidate's signature drive raises questions
#1) Consider it a protest against the legislation that is attempting to keep him off of the November ballot.
#2) Consider it a protest against a two-party system that doesn't represent me.
#3) Consider it a protest against anything that Bill Bradbury stands for.
#4) Consider it me standing up for an independent.
#5) As an Independent voter, I can't vote (in the primary) for the candidate I'd really like to vote for (JASON ATKINSON).
Will I vote for Westlund in the general election come November? Not a chance. Would I vote for Westlund, should the choice come between he and Kevin Mannix or Ron Saxton? For sure. Westlund should be able to get his name on the ballot, ESPECIALLLY if he can get both Republicans and Democrats to vote for him.
posted by HRV Football Blog @ 8:47 PM
6 People have commented
6 Comments:
Also, I think that if Westlund is on the ballot, it helps Atkinson (assuming he wins the primary) in the general. Westlund will pull more Kulongoski voters than Atkinson voters. Same applies if Mannix wins the primary.
If Saxton wins the primary, Westlund helps Kulongoski. Most of Saxton's appeal is to the moderate/independent crowd that opposes the social conservatives like Atkinson and Mannix. Saxton can't afford to see Westlund on the ballot.
The irony here is that, if Bradbury wants to help Kulongoski, he has to wait to see who wins the GOP Primary--then, whatever he does will be seen as a partisan move.
The irony there is that he won't care.
Excuse me, I have a cough...hack, hack, hack, hack...
Hey now... it's one thing to pick on Bradbury for his partisan pandering. But it is in extremely poor taste to try to make his health into an issue. The man has had MS for over 20 years. And it just so happens that two of the most important people in my life suffer from MS. So I take it personally whenever anyone cracks a joke like that.
Attack Bradbury for his politics, not his health.
Don-
Just to ask; why are you an independent?
Beyond him just being an independent why do you like Westlund?
It would be one thing if Westlund was actually capable of leading or inspiring. But sorry, he's not. Look at his own campaign website with his video. On a home court staged advantage his rhetoric is weak at best. He's shovelling the same old liberal-middle democrap that the Portland crew does every election cycle. He couldn't carry Ross Perot or Jesse Ventura's jock-strap let alone get elected as an underfunded "third way" independent. His attempts to play with Tony Blair and Bill Clinton philosophy is seiously stunted and sophmoric.
Also worth mentioning. Bill Bradbury isn't going to let Westlund compete in the General election unless he helps keep democrats in office. Bradbury has consistently used his office to impede any challenge to his party. From the initiative process, to the Green Party, to redistricting he has consistently erred on the side of destroying any opponent to his corrupted partisan point of veiw.
And by the way, Bradbury's staff can still run his office regardless of whether he's there, at home, or in the hospital.
I think Westlund helps the GOP more than the Dems, because a real conservative will win the GOP nomination, and as such the "moderate" republicans are more likely to support Kulongoski in a two man race (see MAX Redline's recent post that shows Teddy K beating Atkinson in a Zogby poll). Toss in Westlund, and far more of his support will come from Teddy than Jason. Thus, Westlund in the race is a thing I support.
I'd imagine that is part of Don's logic, also.
But more than that, I simply believe (and again I guess Don agrees) that it is simply un-American to set up an election system that keeps people off a ballot, regardless of who they are or what they believe in.
Thanks gang. Been meaning to reply to these, but it's basketball season and we were in the playoffs. Anyway...
Gully is 100% correct. I don't support Ben Westlund for Governor one bit. I've hardly looked into him. What I do is that he is not a social-conservative, which I am becoming more and more everyday. The only real reason I can think of that I might support him is that he is NOT from Portland, and not beholden to Portland. That's a big bonus in my book.
What I do support is Westlund's right to run for position, regardless of party affiliation. I'm an Independent because I detest party politics and representatives that vote solely along party lines. Usually, I vote along the GOP-lines. However, I couldn't bring myself to vote for
Mannix in his last run, and I voted against M-37. Just couldn't do it.
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