Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanlife78
Well Richardson isn't going to be any better. If anything he would make things worse. Taking steps backwards doesn't seem like a good idea just to get a bad Republican in office. If the Republicans want to win elections, then they should put up better candidates.
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He's not the backwoods Oregon bumpkin you seem to think he is.
He's been around for a long while and he knows and understands Oregon very well.
The other thing I don't understand about your unwavering adoration of Kitzhaber is this.
Why stay with a proven mediocre disaster of a governor, and not take a chance on someone who may be able to create some positive change here in Oregon?
Do you have some kind of crystal ball that lets you see into the future?
Tell us what you expect he would do to take Oregon backwards?
You keep saying this over and over again, and it's starting to sound like an empty talking point with no substance to it at all.
Just because he has never been governor before is no reason to discount him.
He has been active in Oregon politics for many, many years.
He has constantly stated throughout his career that his personal convictions are his, and that would never let them get in the way of enforcing the laws of Oregon, and doing the will of it's people.
And, by the way, he has kept this promise.
Very unlike Kitzhaber, who seems to think that just because he doesn't personally like a law (or laws) that the citizens of Oregon have passed by ballot, that he doesn't have to enforce them?
Who in the hell gave him that power?
I think that makes him a "bad" democrat.
Just what exactly makes Richardson a "bad" republican?
If he is a failure as a governor, vote him out.
That may happen to Kitzhaber this November.
You make it seem that the republicans picked Dennis Richardson out of a mushroom patch in the woods somewhere, and that he is a naïve, unexperienced candidate with absolutely no hope to get elected.
Here's a brief rundown of his political career in Oregon (from Wiki):
"Richardson was first elected in 2002 after defeating incumbent (and fellow Republican) Cherryl Walker in a contentious Primary Election campaign. After winning the General Election, Richardson was sworn in to serve in the 72nd Legislative Session (2003), which ultimately lasted more than 37 weeks and was the longest legislative session in Oregon history. In that session, Richardson served on the complex and contentious
Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) Reform Committee and as Vice Chair of the Land Use committee.
In his second term, Richardson was elected by unanimous vote of his peers as Speaker Pro Tempore of the Oregon House of Representatives’ 73rd Legislative Session (2005). Although he had no prior service on budgeting committees, Richardson was handed a gavel and asked to assume responsibility for crafting multi-billion dollar health and human service budgets as Chair of the Joint Senate-House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health and Human Services.
During the 2005 session, Richardson was a vocal opponent of Senate Bill 1000, which would have created
civil unions of same-sex couples. He debated this issue with Democratic Connecticut State Senator
Andrew J. McDonald on
MSNBC's political talkshow
Hardball with Chris Matthews on April 26, 2005.
Richardson was reelected and served in the 74th Legislative Assembly (2007), his party in the minority for the first time in a decade. He was selected to serve as the Minority Whip, and as Vice-Chair of the House Health Care Policy Committee. He was originally named to the Consumer Protection Committee, and then reassigned to serve on the Ethics Guidelines Committee, which answers questions about ethics for House members, specifically relating to gifts from lobbyists and other organizations.
Richardson’s legislative service continued as a member of the minority party when the Republicans were elected to only 24 seats (Democrats held 36—a “Super-Majority), in the 75th Legislative Assembly (2009).
After four years (2007-11) of
Democratic control of the Oregon House, Senate and Governor’s office, Richardson’s caucus gained six seats and, for the first time in Oregon history, the House began the 76th Legislative Assembly (2011) equally tied with the Democrats (30/30). Prior to the opening of the 2011 session, Richardson served on the Republican negotiations team and helped craft the “Oregon Co-Governance Model". Later in 2011 Richardson was selected to oversee the crafting of $55 billion in combined State budgets as Co-Chair of the Full Joint Senate-House Ways & Means Committee.
In addition to his legislative career, Richardson led or participated in eleven trade mission to
China. In 2010, Richardson was named "Honorary Citizen of
Fujian Province" in a ceremony conducted by Fujian's Vice Governor Mr.
Hong Jiexu in
Xiamen,
Fujian, P.R.C. Since 1984 the State of Oregon has had an official sister state relationship with Fujian Province."
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