Ouch. The only thing that was missing was the "Mission Accomplished" banner.

No, with an opponent of Huffman's quality, it looks as if Wyden won't really need to show up.

One only needs to look at Oregon (especially Portland) to confirm that Ronnie has completed his assigned tasks and has earned his place in the homeland.

Oh, come now, surely you know that his FIRM created _______'s website, but he speaks only for himself. (I wonder how many people besides himself make up his firm.)

You know how it goes, if you can't say anything good about someone, then throw dirt on his competitor.

For an office like a Senator, this is the best we can do - these two?

I don't know what ya'll find so wrong with Huffman other than he is a Republican.

Your anti Republican shtick is getting really stale.
Isn't it enough that's he's a R without trying to mischaracterize him as some low brow candidate? He's a very smart and informed candidate.

Wyden is like a Dan Saltzman or Rex Burkholder as a US senator.

Democrat, but very low brow.

this is the best we can do - these two?

Pretty much the sad story of politics in this country any more. Level of government, or the office doesnt matter.

It may be wishful thinking or blinding bias but you people are mistaken if you think Huffman is no better than Wyden.

IMO that's just the usual excuse to avoid the reality that the Republican Candidate is far more knowledgeable and better for Oregon than your Democrat fixture politician.

But then you've been re-electing the Katz, Adams, Leonard and other fixtures for the same shallow and biased reasons.

I could throw a dart at the phone book and find better electeds for this region and Oregon than the sleazebags and dopes you repeatedly support.

What are you been doing? Keeping it weird?

Ben, the problem is that nearly all Republicans these days are actively hostile to serious governance and problem-solving, no matter what they say to get elected. Voting for them is just not a realistic option. Witness the irrationnal and unanimous GOP opposition to both health care reform and last year's inadequate but desperately needed stimulus bill. Bad Democrats like Wyden are merely some combination of indifferent, lazy, cowardly and stupid -- in other words, the classic lesser evil. It's tragic this country doesn't have more of a parliamentary system that would give us more choices than D's and R's, but under our current political structure the only realistic way to remove someone like Senator Gatsby is through a primary. Once that opportunity passes, there's really no choice but to hold your nose and vote for the D. I don't like Wyden any more than Jack does, but I absolutely will support his re-election to keep the Senate from tilting any further to the right than it already does. I suspect most of Wyden's intelligent critics are politically mature enough to do likewise.

Wyden is like a Dan Saltzman or Rex Burkholder as a US senator.

GONNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!

Oh get real semi cynic.
That take you have
"nearly all Republicans these days are actively hostile to serious governance and problem-solving"
is the routine fabrication by BlueOregon types.
Nearly every single problem/issue critiqued here would be handled better by some of our Republican friends.
I know many of them and if they sitting in ciy hall seats there would not be the PDC running wild or any other of the Creepy shenanigans.
Regionally, Metro and County Commission seats are filled with liberal buffoons who haven't a clue on how to address anything in any other way than the loony conceptual world they imagine.
The Republic opposition to health care is far from irrational. Quite the contrary the blind and reckless proposals from Democrats are irrational.
I mean give me a break. What is more irrational then relying upon savings from Medicare to fund half of the new HC program when Medicare is already over committed and severely under funded?
Is it rational to ignore this and pretend like Medicare savings will actually be available?
Rs would prefer to first validate those savings along with Medicare stability, allow the interstate purchase of insurance, pass some law suit abuse reform (like Texas) and other responsible steps which should, could and would be bipartisan and supported by the public.
The stimulus bill did not have adequate constraints or guidelines.
But all of this will not permeate you and those who repeatedly re-elect D Creeps for fear of a Republican boogeyman.
Huffman is no boogeyman and would be a big improvement.
But you're only interested in congressional vote tallies.
Witness David Wu.

But Ben, Republicans HATE Medicare! All they really want to do is abolish it or otherwise bring about its collapse, along with other modestly redistributive programs like Medicaid and Social Security. Everything they say to the contrary is just a smokescreen to try to appear reasonable to low-information (so-called "swing") voters. When they talk to their base, the favored refrain is "government has no business in health care." How does an intelligent person reconcile such a blatant contradiction without their head exploding?

The bills that Congress has passed have many, many faults. I wish the Democratic leadership would just get behind letting anyone who wants to buy into Medicare at rates tied to income. But despite everything, they have come up with a plan that will eventually cover MOST people who don't currently have insurance, and curb the very worst of the insurance industry abuses. I totally grant that it likely will not work as well as intended, it may not yield the expected cost savings, and at best it will require a lot of tweaking. Ron Wyden is largely to blame for this sorry state of affairs. Oregon can and must do better than this jerk. But the Republicans want to simply blow up the legislation and (they say) "start over," meaning they want to waste another year rehashing the same tired rhetoric in hopes of completely blocking any meaningful reform at all this time. No thanks.

semi,

The first thing you should do is find reality.
Maybe take a break from Thom Hartman and the rest of progressive radio. Your take is the caricature they peddle.

That's what they do on every issue.

Locally and nationally.

Any effort by Republicans to improve education is cast as wanting to destroy it. ETC ETC

No Republicans want to abolish Medicare or SS. You know it.

Reform them or replace them with more efficient and sustainable versions, yes.

Everything you say to the contrary is just left wing political BS.

Medicare, Medicaid, SS and our Veteran's administration are essentially safety nets for the needy and deserving.

Government cannot be the safety net for all.

Waste, fraud, abuse and lack of adequate means testing already cripples these existing programs and our ability to pay for them.

There is no "blatant contradiction" as you've suggested.

Try and apply your thinking to the real debate instead of the one progressive fabricate.

The current legislation is a ridiculous mess and should be blown up. Democrats don't care. They just want something passed.

We need not waste a year before progress is made.

Those simple steps I posted above would be progress. Democrats block them all in an effort to push through their reckless mess.

What is the term for an easterner who moves west for political gain?

Carpetbagger: A Northerner that came to the South during the Reconstruction (rebuilding after the Civil War) to take advantage of the situation after the war, usually for political or financial gain.

"What is the term for an easterner who moves west for political gain?"

Vera?

Ben says,

"...No Republicans want to abolish Medicare or SS. You know it.

Reform them or replace them with more efficient and sustainable versions, yes.

Everything you say to the contrary is just left wing political BS..."

Really Ben? and reforming social security and medicare would be what, investing in the stock market? Are you serious? So these BMOC's that work on Wall Street can take down and bankrupt those programs too, like they did with the AAA rated (that had no business being rated AAA) loans and derivative products that were securitized and then sold to pension funds around the world when they knew were time bombs waiting to defaulted on? How short are those pension funds going to be when they need that money to pay out to their retiree's...

And then Wall St had the god damn gall to buy CDO's through AIG on those pension fund products because they knew they were worthless (and still no one has gone to prison for that scam)...Are you f*ing serious?

When have republicans done anything for the common man except take advantage of us and don't tell me how happy Im supposed to be with some puny tax cut that I barely notice.. the republicans in todays world exists for one thing and that is to make money for their wealthy buds and hand the bills to us working stiffs..and whats even more egrigious is most of the democratic party members have become like their counterparts in the republican party.... whatever happened to government of, for and by the people..

Thom Hartmann is right..and how many times do I have to hear Rush Limbaugh tell us that FDR is dead, his programs may live on, but were going to take care of them too... next thing I bet you'll tell us is how christian you are...

Just once, I'd like to see an election for national office that isn't a choice between the lesser of who cares.

Gone are the days of Mark O. Hatfield, I'm afraid.

Hey pdxmick, how about "charretter".