Teamsters and Renewable Power in Lincoln City; Rallying Democrats in Monmouth

Posted by Mike Westling on June 23, 2008
100 Towns Tour for Change

We got up early on Saturday and set course for the Oregon coast and Lincoln City for the next leg of Jeff’s “100 Towns for Change” Tour. The first stop was the Oregon Teamsters convention where Jeff talked about the need for a strong economy that allows working families to thrive. We can achieve this by fighting for quality, affordable health care, ending unfair trade deals that outsource jobs overseas, and rewarding companies that create good jobs here in Oregon.

Jeff drove a few miles down Highway 101 and visited the Little Antique Mall in Lincoln City where he spoke to a small crowd about how we can end our reliance on foreign oil and promote the use of renewable sources of energy.

There’s plenty of talk about working to combat global warming, but I was excited to hear from Mayor Hollingsworth that Lincoln City is coming together to do something about it. Lincoln City is aiming to have one quarter of the community using renewable energy by the end of the year. And last June, the EPA acknowledged Lincoln City as the first “Green Power Community” on the Oregon coast. The forest and coastline around Lincoln City are gorgeous – it’s easy to see why the community there is working so hard to protect it.

The next stop on the tour was Monmouth, where Jeff spoke in front of 300 energized activists at the Democratic Party Delegate Convention. This is where representatives from the Democratic Party of Oregon come together to determine who will travel to Denver for the National Democratic Convention in August. It is at the national convention that Barack Obama will officially receive the Democratic nomination for president.

Everyone at the convention was definitely “fired up and ready to go.” Jeff spoke about how vital it is not only to elect Barack Obama, but to have a 60-member majority in the U.S. Senate to prevent Republicans from blocking important legislation like the Climate Security Act. The crowd gave Jeff a huge round of applause and a standing ovation before they began the business selecting the delegates for Denver.

You could definitely tell that people are ready to work for Democrats like Jeff Merkley to bring change to Washington this November. If you haven’t been involved in the campaign yet, but you’d like to a part of putting our nation back on track, you can sign up here.

Be sure to let us know about your favorite places in your town by posting in the comments below.