GORDON SMITH TAKES A DIVE IN OREGON POLLING-- AND FROHNMAYER EXITS RACE

Bad day for Gordon Smith

What a great day for Jeff Merkley today! Just as he announced his plans to barnstorm across Oregon and meet people in 100 cities and towns this summer, SUSA released it's latest polling data, which shows Oregon's fake moderate, Gordon Smith, with dismal numbers. No Republican Senator was re-elected in 2006 with approval numbers below 55%. Smith's approval has followed Bush's-- now at 32%-- into the toilet. His overall approval is 45% (with a 47% disapproval-- considered a kiss of death). In way of comparison Ron Wyden, Oregon's forthright Democratic senator has an approval of 61%. It is appropriate that Smith follow Bush into political oblivion. He makes noises as elections approach to make voters think he is moderate and independent. His voting record doesn't show that at all. It shows another craven Bush rubber stamp.

Today we covered how Smith attempted to switch his positions on gasoline and oil companies' windfall profits taxes-- which he has opposed in the past-- to suddenly vote against the GOP filibuster. As Jeff pointed out, "For nearly eight years Smith has voted with Bush 90% of the time and has been in the pocket of big oil campaign contributors, supporting billion dollar bailouts and opposing a windfall profits tax. While Smith has fostered our dependence on foreign oil and delivered billion dollar giveaways to big oil, I championed the most aggressive climate change legislation in the nation. Now Smith is running scared, flip flopping on important issues to pretend he's a moderate."

And at the same time, that Smith was flip-flopping around the Senate floor like a fish out of water, and staring his political death sentence from SUSA in the face, his one shot to win re-election collapsed. Independent John Frohnmayer, who was widely expected to take votes from Jeff, dropped out of the race. Frohnmayer has been advocating the impeachment of Bush and it was estimated that he would draw between 10-15% of the vote, mostly away from Jeff-- enough to give Smith a shot at re-election. That's over.