Historic Protests
Thanks to all the Oregonians who made this event a success! We delivered our message statewide today because you came out to support our cause.
Below is today's press release on our statewide protests:
Oregonians Throughout The State Protest Smith For Saying Anything To Win Re-election.
One Year After Smith Said He Could No Longer Support The Iraq War And Only Days After We Learned 3,500 More Oregonians Will Head Out To Iraq, Stop Gordon Smith Campaign Holds Smith Accountable For Saying Anything To Win Re-election.
Portland - Gordon Smith will say anything to win re-election.
That was the point Oregonians throughout the state drove home today as they protested outside Smith’s senate offices in Bend, Eugene, Medford, Pendleton and Portland. This is likely the first time an organization has ever protested outside all of an Oregon U.S. Senator’s offices.
“Oregon can’t afford a senator who will say anything to win re-election,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said in Portland. “Smith has proven he cannot be trusted on the Iraq War. He will say anything to win re-election.”
“He was a war proponent until Americans tossed his party out of power. But he was only a war critic until it was time to vote,” said political consultant and former KOPT-AM radio host Brian Shaw in Eugene. "Now it's election season and Oregonians are being told to forget the gap between his public speeches and his voting record."
The protests - along with the video released Monday at StopGordonSmith.com - come one year after Smith’s speech from the floor of the U.S. Senate that he would no longer support the war. Although the Stop Gordon Smith Campaign ended up postponing the Bend protest this morning, a dozen Oregonians still showed up to protest Smith for saying anything to get re-elected.
Only after America kicked Smith’s Republican Party out of office and said no to the Iraq war did Smith say he would oppose it.
And, although Smith claimed to oppose the war, he has been “here, there, everywhere” on the war according to The Oregonian’s February 10, 2007 editorial.
In fact, in 2007, even after he said he would oppose the war, he has actually voted four times to keep troops in Iraq and prolong the conflict. It’s a conflict that will continue to haunt Oregon families. Last week, we learned thousands more Oregonians will be heading out to Iraq over the next few years.
About 40 people attended the protest in Eugene, 45 in Portland, 25 in Medford, 10 in Pendleton and 12 in Bend.
Posted December 5, 2007 Iraq 2 comments
Comments
This morning 12/17 I contacted Senator Smith's office and asked about Smith's position on the filibuster on telecom immunity/domestic spying bill. I was told that though Smith would not participate in the filibuster he was strongly against "blanket immunity" for any business groups so he would vote against cloture. I asked why he wouldn't join the filibuster and the person I spoke to said he might, but he would for sure support the filibuster! I guess when it came down to it, he was willing to support this corrupt president, his rotten to the core party and the telecoms. That was no surprise, but to have a staffer lie to me was bit surprising.
This morning (12/17) I contacted Senator Smith's office and asked about Smith's position on the "filibuster on telecom immunity/domestic spying bill." I was told that though Smith would not participate in the filibuster he was strongly against "blanket immunity" for any business groups so he would vote against cloture. I asked why he wouldn't join the filibuster and the person I spoke to said he might, but he would for sure vote against cloture and any bill supporting immunity! I guess when it came down to it, Smith was willing to support this corrupt president, his rotten to the core party and the telecoms. That was no surprise, but to have a staffer lie to me was a bit surprising.
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