AP: NW Democrats unimpressed by Bush speech
Posted by Carla Axtman on January 29, 2008
President Bush gave his final State of the Union address last evening. Democrats from around the nation were unimpressed with Bush's speech, including Democratic leaders from around the Northwest. In today's Associated Press write-up of SOTU reacion, Matthew Daly includes a great quote from Jeff Merkley:
Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley, one of two Democrats hoping to oppose Smith this fall, said the wages of the average American family are lower than they were when Bush took office seven years ago, while such an average family's debt is higher and fewer have health insurance."Now they are experiencing the ravages of mass foreclosures - the result of too little scrutiny and too few protections in the mortgage industry," Merkley said.
Other Democratic leaders in Oregon quoted in the piece include Representative Earl Blumenauer and Representative Darlene Hooley.
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Jeff Merkley was born in the small town of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, the son of a sawmill worker. He's fought hard for working families in Oregon and he's ready to help lead America.
As Oregon's Speaker of the House, Jeff Merkley led one of the most effective, efficient and progressive legislative sessions in Oregon's history - with big achievements for schools, ethics, health care, jobs, alternative energy, and protections for working families.
Discover why Jeff Merkley is ready to lead.
From the Oregonian:
Merkley raced [quarter-midget cars] as a child, and once owned -- and crashed -- a Harley. He roomed with an impoverished family in Ghana as a teen, hitchhiked across Israel as a young man and went on, as he puts it, to help shut down one of Portland's worst crack alleys.
"I've lived," he says, "a pretty unconventional life."
Read the Oregonian profile of Jeff Merkley's life before politics.
© 2008. Jeff Merkley for Oregon. P.O. Box 29136, Portland, OR 97296. 503-274-4439
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Not only are the wages of the average American family lower than they were when Bush took office seven years ago, but the purchasing power of a dollar is less. It's a double-whammy without even including higher debt, lack of insurance or the mortgage industry insanity.
Oregonians are tired of Bush Republicans like Gordon Smith piling on average Americans from behind the wealth and comfort of their gated homes.