Gordon Smith's Partisan Nature: MEMO

August 5, 2008

Memorandum

To: Interested Parties
From: Jeff Merkley for Oregon

Re: Gordon Smith’s Partisan Nature

Gordon Smith claims to be bipartisan in his job as U.S. Senator.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Gordon Smith voted with George Bush nearly 90% of the time--supporting Bush on the war in Iraq, opposing a woman’s right to choose, privatizing social security, and drilling in ANWR. [CQ Member Profiles; Senate vote #237, 10/11/02; Senate vote #336, 10/21/99; Senate vote #48, 3/12/03; Senate vote #262, 10/20/05]

Gordon Smith has praised George Bush saying he “represents economic recovery and American leadership” while calling John Kerry the “chief of chumps,” saying he “represents socialism at home and appeasement abroad.” [University Wire, 5/19/04]

Gordon Smith even opposed Barack Obama’s efforts to clean up Washington, voting against a non-partisan ethics office, voting against a halt to secretive earmarks, and refusing to close lobbyist loopholes that would ban gifts and privately funded travel. [Senate vote #77, 3/28/06; Senate vote #18, 1/18/07; Senate vote #75, 3/13/08; Senate vote #80, 3/29/06; Senate vote #14, 1/7/07; CQ Weekly, 2/26/08]

As state chairman of John McCain’s campaign committee, Gordon Smith is promoting 4 more years of the Bush agenda. Gordon Smith has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Senators promoting the agenda of the right-wing, including scandal-tainted David Vitter, anti-abortion rights leader Rick Santorum, James Inhofe, a denier of global warming, and recently indicted Alaska Senator, Ted Stevens. [FEC Reports; The Oregonian, 7/1/08]

Gordon Smith: Not exactly what Oregonians would call bipartisan…not even close to the change Oregon voters need in Washington.

Posted August 5, 2008
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