Monday, September 25, 2006

Voisin "Gets Honest"--Now We're Talking!

I had to assume Carol Voisin had this in her, given that she defeated three other competent campaigners for the OR-2 Democratic primary, but since May it's seemed awfully dormant, like lava under Mount Hood.

Not anymore. Ten days ago we somewhat sarcastically noted that Voisin had finally awoken her somnolent candidacy with some attacks on incumbent Greg Walden's absenteeism. We noted our frustration at the late start, but were hopeful that things had gotten organized at Voisin HQ, and a real run at the seat was in the offing.

Checking her website this morning, it now appears Voisin is awake, showered, fed, clothed and ready to kick some rural ass:
Let's Be Honest. Our nation is no longer heading in the wrong direction; we have arrived. We've arrived at a place where the land of the free now comes with a $9-trillion I.O.U. Where the home of the brave's bravest fight and die in a war waged on lies. Where purple mountain majesties are obscured by a hazy orange smog. And where we the people has become we the corporations.

The issues before us are not simply isolated errors in judgment, to be addressed one at a time by those who've led our country astray. The solution is deeper than that and we know it. New leaders, new thinking and a new direction are needed now - not in 2008.

My opponent, Greg Walden, calls himself a moderate, but he has voted along Republican party lines an astonishing 94% of the time. If that's moderate, what on earth is conservative?

Knowledge is power. I implore you to get to know me, and just as importantly, get to know Greg Walden. Look beyond the rhetoric and see how he's voted. Learn where we stand on the issues, and which of us shares a greater vision for our district and nation.

Of all the freedoms granted us, none is more important than the freedom to choose our country's leaders. Greg Walden, George Bush and company have had their shot. Now it's our turn. Let's get our country out of the pockets of corporations and back into our hands where it belongs.
Note the spot-on understanding of the proper themes in Carol's statement:
  • We're going in the wrong direction...
  • ...so it's time for a change.
  • Our fiscal policy sucks.
  • We were lied to about Iraq.
  • We are blithely destroying our planet.
  • We are being sacrificed as individuals to a corporate God.
  • Greg Walden is no moderate, despite his protestations--which means he is willfully culpable for all of the above.
  • Greg Walden = George Bush.
  • So let's make the change we all want, and get rid of him.

Clearly, understanding the key issues is a prerequisite for winning office. But Voisin shows exceptional written ability to get these points across while being brief, candid and unsparing, without attendant shrillness. We hope her next move is to drill down another level with her constituents, identifying key legislation that has helped cause these problems, which Walden has supported.

We're not going to play Pollyanna and pretend that one very well worded statement of purpose will suddenly catapault Voisin into a competitive race. But we're done calling it a lost cause and a disappointing effort from Oregon Democrats to take back the one House seat they don't currently occupy. Voisin gets it; now she just needs to spread that message like a virus for the next 5 weeks.

And that's where we (and you) come in: visit Loaded O's ActBlue donations page and drop some love on Carol. She's actually pulled in $3900 from ActBlue donors, which is a nice little sum--but she definitely needs more. It's a big district, and gas is expensive. September 30 ends the 3rd fundraising quarter of the year, and a good showing in those reports will encourage others to give even more, so if you think you might give, try to do so before Sunday.