The "Make Oregon Great Again" Trump event.
Readers asked:
-- Were local Republican candidates and officeholders there?
-- Did anyone local make a fool of themselves?
No. At least I don't think so.
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I attended the Trump event for almost nine hours.
Some of the most important things that happen in politics and in life generally are what does not happen. It is hard to notice what isn't there. Still, if I didn't see it while looking and watching, and if no newspapers or TV news people reported on it, then for political purposes, it did not happen. To rephrase an old question:
"If a politician says something ridiculous and self-destructive while walking in a forest, and the media isn't there to hear and report it, did it really happen?"
The event started a few minutes before I got there. The agenda described the time I missed as time for singing the Star Spangled Banner and then some presentations by organizations. I missed those. I was digging holes and replanting grape vines killed by the hard spring frosts. I was there long before the period scheduled for local and congressional candidates.
I freely give political advice to local Republicans, urging them not to do self-destructive things, but they appear to ignore it. A week ago I shared the thought that local Republicans would do better politically to stay clear of these craziest of MAGA Republicans. Their local GOP already made proclamations saying that the 2020 election was stolen and Biden was an illegitimate president. Attending and speaking at this event would have driven their reputations further into Trump conspiracy-land. That kind of thinking is semi-popular within local GOP circles and among people who decorate their pickup trucks. A Curt Ankerberg-style Republican might start winning primary elections now, but I am pretty sure it would be a way to lose a general election.
It would have been a natural place for GOP candidates to have a campaign table. There was ample opportunity to wander around and greet fellow Republicans. I did not see Jackson County officeholders or candidates doing that.
Dennis Linthicum was an exception. He had joined lawsuits that attempted to void the 2020 election, and he spoke for ten minutes. The speech was the time and audience for some red- meat talk about illegal aliens voting, about Democratic widows voting their husband's ballots, about how election audits failed us, about how Trump really won, the travesty and disgrace of mai-in ballots, the dirty county clerks, the stolen election, and the tragedy of a lost opportunity for Trump to re-make America into a Christian nation. The out-of-town speakers spoke like that and were applauded. But not Linthicum. He spoke in a mellow tone about his life and very generally about election integrity. He said that he and his wife had lived off the grid for 30 years. He sounded like a conservationist hippie, now grown middle age, but still a mellow rebel at heart.
I was ready with three recording devises and back-up battery packs to record local candidates saying those wild red-meat things to feed the Republican carnivores, and they weren't there. The song by the Zombies, written in 1964, that I used to hum to myself in high school, ran though my head.
"Well, let me tell you about the way she lookedThe way she'd act and the color of her hairHer voice was soft and coolHer eyes were clear and brightBut she's not there."
The local candidates weren't there. I think that was smart of them, although no one asked for my opinion. The recording devices stayed in my briefcase.
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10 comments:
MAGA has become the Republican base. Without them, Republicans can’t get elected. The “Stolen Election” lie is the litmus test for being a real Republican, rather than a Whacko In Name Only. The GOP, led by a notorious pathological liar, has become a party predicated on a lie. Whether or not more “normal” Republicans were there, their affiliation is far from normal.
Well said Peter.
Too many use a broad brush when talking about or responding to comments. Anyone can place an R or a D after their name when they register, but their actual actions and voting reveal what their beliefs are.
I'm a long time registered R voter and supporter, but I also have voted for both D and R candidates over the years because they addressed the policies and issues I believed in. No candidate ever delivers 100% on what I would like or wish to have.
If I had been in Jackson County, I doubt that I would have attended this event. Why? Because I had not interest in the featured speaker, and I expected that most current officials would avoid it. As for Dennis Linthicum, I'm glad he took the high road. I receive his regular mailings along with messages from other Oregon (and Florida) leaders.
All in all, Trump's schtick is to stay in the news as much as possible, and the media makes sure we hear or see everything about him, good or bad. Seldom does our media spend much time discussing the issues of the day and the possible solutions advocated or dismissed by candidates.
I've been fortunate to attend many meetings to meet political leaders and supporters both here in Florida, and in my past, in Oregon. It's also a good thing when one can listen to, as well as meet face to face in a civil manner to have a discussion.
There are extremes on both sides, left and right.
They do it for attention, not to solve problems. Just take a look at the performance of AOC and Jamaal Bowman yesterday in NY. Same goes for Trumo in recent days. My Progressive friend made sure I knew all the crazy that was issued by Trump. And then there is the media saying we shouldn't trust our lying eyes watching Biden.
We can only hope that someday the bulk of the media will return to telling us about the issues of the day, explaining the different sides and the pluses and minuses of the proposed policies and solutions.
As for my Oregonian friends, stop worrying about Trump,and look inward to better understand why Oregon is expensive and why there are other issues causing people like me to leave and spend my sunset years elsewhere, despite the heat and humidity.
Here in Florida, I have to wonder why the Progressives have such a small footprint. Almost 1,000 people (net) a day are settling in Florida, while Oregon, and other west coast states are also seeing a decline in population. For me, it's much less expensive to visit Oregon than to live there, and thus far there are no restrictions for me to visit.
I read a lot, from both right and left sources. I guess I am in the middle, mostly. Many of the comments here in responses to my comments assume otherwise. I would suggest that many more of us need to read more and understand the why's.
the other Mike aka M2inFLA and previously M2inOR
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I have zero association with the Jackson County Republicans, and I don't decorate my truck, yet Peter Sage still attempts to smear me by associating my name with the JC Republicans. The JC Republicans are a wacked-out group which I have nothing to do with. They are controlled by the Chamber of Commerce.
"There are extremes on both sides, left and right."
The difference is that the extremists are running the Republican Party, but not the Democrats.
In thinking about the slogan "Make Oregon Great Again" it seems to me that Oregon is genuinely a place where Republicans could tout such a slogan.
The greatness of past Republicans Tom McCall, Mark Hatfield, John Dellenback, Kip Lombard, Vic Atiyeh, and even Bob Packwood, and others, lights up our past and candidates invoking their spirits could point with pride to past times.
Oregon Republicans could have an opportunity to point to the past to demonstrate a future greatness.
I read an article today about how the far left and the far right are driving us towards a civil war. I would prefer to see the center left and the center right unite and marginalize both extremes.
Wouldn’t it be great if the woke (e.g. “the squad”) and the joke (e.g. Monsieur l’Orange) would annihilate each other like matter and anti-matter?
If the polls are to be believed, we are about to see the end of squad member Jamaal Bowman. It’s a start…
No. There are not extremes on both sides.
It's not "the squad" that attacked police officers January 6, 2021.
It's not the squad trying to throw out ballots.
I was surprised not to see the Late, Great Wayne Morse on your list. You could have left Packwood off, the slimy bastard tried to molest my Mother.
Evidently you missed Jamaal Bowman's last minute song before losing yesterday's primary. He's also the guy who pulled the fire alarm in the Capitol to delay a vote.
Recall, I did not say all. I simply stated that there are problems on both sides at the edges.
By no means am I suggesting that the actions on January 6th were OK.
My point is both sides do things they shouldn't be doing. To declare that only one side does it demonstrates to me that you aren't paying attention.
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