Senator Ron Wyden Endorses Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate

WYDEN: Merkley Will Fight for Universal Health Care, Protect Environment, Fight Global Warming

MERKLEY: Smith Offers Zero Leadership on Wyden Health Care Plan, Warner-Lieberman Climate Security Act

PORTLAND - Senator Ron Wyden today endorsed House Speaker Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate, praising Merkley's commitment to universal health care and progressive environmental record. Wyden said that he and Merkley will work together to fight for universal health care, protect Oregon's natural resources, and lead the fight against global warming.

Senator Gordon Smith has refused to support Senator Wyden's bipartisan universal health care plan and has showed no leadership in the fight against global warming, staying silent on the bipartisan Climate Security Act of 2008, co-authored by Senator Warner (R-VA) and Senator Lieberman (I-CT) and scheduled for debate this week.

Listen to the full audio from the event here: /wyden_endorsement_audio.wma

Statement from Senator Ron Wyden:

You've got to have 60 votes to move ahead - to break a filibuster to move on universal health care, on climate change - the issues that we feel so strongly about. And you've got a current 51-49 margin in the Senate and we have seen more successful filibusters from the Republicans in the Senate than we have ever seen in the history of our country.

A vote for Jeff Merkley will be a hugely important vote to help our new Democratic President finally produce the change people are waiting for.

I want to talk about just a few of the things that can happen when we have Jeff Merkley, agent for change.

Jeff has been an effective fighter for health care for all Oregonians. In particular, he's demonstrated fabulous leadership on making prescriptions more affordable for older people.

Jeff has been a visionary on energy policy. He stood up to the major oil companies to produce Oregon's groundbreaking renewable energy portfolio.

He stood up for consumers. And we are sure proud of his effort to crack down on these payday loan rip-offs.

Jeff has been an unwavering champion for the environment, expanding the Oregon bottle bill and promoting land use. We could spend the morning outlining all he's done for the environment.

Oregon needs two senators fighting for universal health care, protecting our natural resources, and fighting global warming. Senator Smith has a miserable health care record and has refused to support Senator Wyden's plan for universal health care. Smith has voted to gut environmental regulations and has ignored the effects of global warming.

Ron Wyden has been a champion for Oregon values and I am honored to have his endorsement. While Wyden has been fighting hard for Oregon, Gordon Smith has fought for the most powerful special interests. When he returns to Oregon, he sends up smoke screens, pretending that he's moderate, independent, and bipartisan. It is the Smith myth and it is time for change.

After Senator Smith fights for the powerful special interests in Washington, he comes back to Oregon and sings a different tune.

The truth is that Gordon Smith has cancelled out Ron Wyden's vote nearly 1,700 times and voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. He says he's a moderate in an election year, but for 12 years Smith has fought for a conservative agenda scripted by powerful special interests.

It is time for Oregon to have two U.S. Senators fighting for change in Washington D.C.

Merkley vs. Smith on Health Care

While Jeff Merkley has taken on the special interests to make prescription drugs more affordable and ensure that every Oregon child has access to quality health care, Gordon Smith has been in the pocket of drug companies and insurance companies and fought against allowing government to negotiate for lower drug prices.

While Merkley has led the effort to try and end the price gouging of the uninsured and make health care a constitutional right in Oregon, Smith has refused to support Senator Wyden's Healthy Americans Act, which would ensure every American has insurance as good as the coverage members of Congress receive today.

Merkley vs. Smith on the Environment

While Jeff Merkley passed a package of bills that constitute the strongest global warming reduction measures in the nation, Smith has ignored the effects of global warming, earning a membership to the "Flat Earth Society," by The Daily Astorian newspaper. [Daily Astorian, 12/8/03]

Gordon Smith has shown zero leadership in the fight against global warming, taking no position on the Warner-Lieberman Climate Security Act of 2008, important legislation that would establish a cap-and-trade system to tackle global warming. Gordon Smith has continued to ignore pleas from independents, Republicans, and everyday Oregonians to stop listening to the special interests and the big oil companies and reduce the pollution that causes global warming.

Merkley championed unprecedented investments in renewable energy, new recycling laws, and efforts to protect Oregon's water supplies from toxic discharges, while Smith was receiving over $275,000 in campaign contributions from the oil industry and delivering $18 billion in taxpayer subsidies to big oil. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 5/30/08; Senate vote #69, 4/2/98; Senate vote #456, 11/21/03; Senate vote #67, 4/7/04; Senate vote #331, 11/17/05]

While running for re-election in 2002, Republican Gordon Smith pledged to the people of Oregon that he would oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Then in 2005 and 2006, Smith voted to allow drilling. [The Oregonian, 8/22/06; Vote 303, 11/3/05; Los Angeles Times, 11/4/05; New York Times, 11/4/05; Vote 74, 3/16/06; Washington Post, 3/18/06; Anchorage Daily News, 3/17/06; Los Angeles Times, 3/17/06].

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Posted May 31, 2008
Endorsements, Press