Forward Oregon

Since October, I have put in more hours volunteering on Jeff Merkley’s campaign for United States Senate than I can count.  I do it because I believe that not only will Jeff beat the Republican incumbent Gordon Smith, but that he will become one of the best United States Senators in the country.  In D.C., Jeff will be able to fight for the things that he has in Oregon, ensuring LGBT rights, enhancing protections for unions and working people, and protecting the environment.  My job is to make that happen any way I can, so some fellow bloggers and I are doing a one day fundraiser today for Jeff to try to raise an ambitious $5,000 for the campaign.  I don’t know a more deserving candidate, so if you could please help us reach our goal with a donation to Jeff (if you work in Oregon remember that there is a tax credit for your first $50 of political contributions) I would be very grateful.

I support Jeff Merkley because I was there.  I was there when Jeff Merkley led Democrats back to power in the House the right way.  Merkley got the party to embrace the grassroots, partnering with organizations like the Bus Project, SEIU, and the Oregon League of Conservation voters to knock on an obscene number of doors and call even more voters.  Merkley help create an Oregon version of Dean’s 50 State Strategy for House candidates, rebuilding the Democratic brand across the state, by, for the first time ever, explicitly diverting Future PAC (the House Dems election PAC) resources to rural candidates and candidates running in heavily Republican areas.

I was also there in the legislature, interning for one of the freshmen Democrats that Merkley helped get elected, to see the most progressive legislative session in 30 years.  I watched Jeff Merkley lead at time when the path was more than uncertain.  One of my fellow interns once said “I know Jeff Merkley accomplished a lot in the legislature because I had to file every damn one of those accomplishments.”  In their endorsement of Merkley, The Eugene Register Guard pointed out:

It’s telling that of the 31 members of the House Democratic caucus, all are supporting Merkley. They have nothing to fear from him, because he can’t run for re-election to the Legislature while pursuing a U.S. Senate seat. Merkley imposed tight discipline to keep his slender majority united and treated Republicans fairly in such matters as committee representation and did it without making enemies of any of his Democratic colleagues. A more convincing demonstration of leadership would be hard to find, and it’s a type of leadership badly needed in hyper-partisan national politics.

Time and time again Jeff delivered progressive legislation that matches my values.  Merkley stood up for the LGBTQ community, helped workers organize and fight for living wage jobs, and protected our environment.  No other candidate has been fighting for these values affirmatively by passing much needed legislation.

But more than the past Jeff Merkley represents how we can talk about progressive values as mainstream values, breaking out of the rights’ false claim to the center.  Back in December, I said this about Merkley’s environmental platform:

First, look at the language Merkley uses, connecting the environment with jobs, improving the economy, and fiscal savings. For so long Republicans have created a false choice between saving the environment, and saving the economy and peoples jobs. Jeff Merkley destroys that false dichotomy.

We need more Senators like Jeff Merkley who will beat Gordon Smith by running a positive campaign based on his record of progressive change and vision for our country.  You can make that a reality.  Please join me and other bloggers by donating to Jeff’s campaign today, you will make a huge difference in making our country a more progressive place.

On why he’s different than Gordan Smith and his positions on issues that matter to Oregonians in the current economic slump.

Impressed? Help us raise $5K today:
http://www.actblue.com/page/mayday4merkley