Town Halls: DeFazio Grilled, Baird Surfaces
Politics by Evan on August 19th, 2009 with No Comments so far.First, to Oregon, where Rep. DeFazio faced tough but civil questioning from several town hall audiences tonight:
Across the Columbia River to the north, Brian Baird finally surfaced from his secret hiding place to face constituents. Unsurprisingly, they weren’t universally happy with him…
Senator Merkley Getting An Earful On Health Care
Politics by Evan on August 3rd, 2009 with 2 Comments so far.According to an article from the Bend Bulletin, Oregon’s newly minted junior U.S. Senator may be getting more than he bargained at town halls with constituents concerned about President Obama’s health care proposals.
The Bulletin reports:
Attendees pressed Merkley on subjects ranging from illegal immigration to global warming to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but health care and proposed government reforms of the health care system dominated. Most in attendance were unconvinced that proposed reforms would do more good than harm. The senator asked for a show of hands to determine who thought current proposals were “crazy” or “reasonable” — crazy won out by a margin of at least 5 to 1.
When pressed about where he stands on the current reform proposals, Merkley rambled off a laundry list of options he said were on the table, including a single-payer system. That last “option,” however, is one that President Obama has repeatedly argued, (at least, as of late) is just a canard being used by opponents to stop reform from advancing. Continue Reading
Doubts About Effectiveness of NW Stimulus $
Politics by Evan on July 29th, 2009 with No Comments so far.The writing for workers in Oregon is on the wall: jobs are becoming scarcer as pink slips increase. The state is currently experiencing 12.4 percent unemployment. That’s nearly 3 points higher than the national average.
Happy 4th of July! Tea Parties Across the Northwest
Politics by NW Digest Team on July 4th, 2009 with No Comments so far.Among other things happening on Independence Day around the Northwest, the Tea Party movement is again holding events. We have sent out a message on Twitter, asking activists taking part in the events to send us photos. Check back this afternoon and evening for a wrap up!
If you attended a Tea Party today, please feel free to post in the comments an estimate of the number of attendees, and any anecdotes from the event.
Gallery begins below the jump…
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