Will Gordon Smith's Next Stunt Be To Just Leave The Republican Party?

Gordon Smith (R-OR), on the right... as usual

We've been talking about how almost all of the Senate Republicans running for re-election this year are avoiding the St. Paul HateFest. From Susan Collins (R-ME) to Pat Roberts (R-KS) to Ted Stevens (R-AK), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and John Sununu (R-NH), they all want to play down their identity as Republicans and as incumbents. And no one has been more diligent at this than Oregon rubber stamp supremo Gordon Smith. Smith has now run two TV ads touting Barack Obama. Just look at this one; it almost makes you feel sorry for McCain. What are Oregon Republicans thinking when they see that? Well, I think Oregon Republicans aren't surprised. Smith was the first Republican Senator to bail from McCain's doomed campaign, demanding they remove his name from their website that claimed he was the chairman of their re-election committee. He also announced he had no intention of helping right-wing Republican congressional candidate Mike Erickson in his campaign for the vacant northern district centered on Salem. Oh-- and Smith was the first sitting Senator to tell the RNC that he wasn't coming to their convention.

Today Jeff Merkley's campaign, wrote a short speech for Smith, just in case he changes his mind and decides to show up after all or, if like George Bush, he wants to send them a video-message. Every single word in this speech comes from remarks Smith has made previously during his time in the Senate.

Thank you all so very much.[1] I'm very proud of you for being here. And I'm very grateful that you're here, because this event gives us a chance to come together.[2]

It's very meaningful to have African-Americans support me because I view them as God's children, too.[3]

The Democratic Party is not my constituency. These are people that believe in socialism. I don't.[4]

My campaign people will kill me for saying this but[5], President Bush has set our country on the course of recovery at home and strength abroad. We are safer today because this president has had the backbone to follow terrorism where terrorists are and go after them, and they have failed to strike us again on our own shores since 9-11.[6]

I believe when President Bush stood in front of "mission accomplished'' on an aircraft carrier that, in purely military terms, the mission was accomplished.[7]

And I for one am thankful that we have a military as capable as this, and a commander in chief that had the courage not to listen to Hollywood, or the New York Times, or the French.[8]

It's not John Kerry's fault that he looks French.[9]

George Bush understands what creates opportunity in America.[10]

President Bush represents economic recovery and American leadership.[11]

And[12] I'm for John McCain. I'm in his kitchen cabinet. I'm one of six senators on his advisory committee.[13]

Thank you.[14]

[1] Oregon Leadership Summit, 12/3/07
[2] Oregon Leadership Summit, 12/3/07
[3] Fox News Network, 4/1/02
[4] The Oregonian, 8/22/06
[5] Center for American Progress remarks, 6/11/08
[6] Oregon Daily Emerald via U-Wire, 5/19/04
[7] Senate Floor Speech, 12/08/06
[8] Senate Republican Conference, "Great American Moment", 4/9/03
[9] Los Angeles Times, 8/13/04
[10] Oregon Daily Emerald via U-Wire, 5/19/04
[11] Oregon Daily Emerald via U-Wire, 5/19/04
[12] Oregon Convention Center Press Conference, 10/26/07
[13] PolitickerOR, 8/20/08
[14] Oregon Leadership Summit: Dec. 3, 2007

Jeff is one of the most promising Senate candidates on the Blue America recommended list. We think he'll be one of the finest senators in America and the idea of him replacing a hack rubber stamp like Gordon Smith is incredible. Please consider giving him some help against the massive corporate donations Smith is sucking up from the Big Business interests he's been representing in the Senate since 1996. If you want to be persuaded, watch this 30 second spot about the dangers of "free" trade that Jeff's campaign just started running in Oregon today:



UPDATE

It looks like all of Smith's $5,331,860 in expenditures so far have backfired-- badly. His approval rating is so low (38%) that it is virtually impossible for him to win re-election. Since he started spending money on TV ads undermining Oregon Republicans, by trying to cling on to Obama, he picked up no Democrats and he picked up no independents; instead, he lost support among Republicans. This guy is toast.