The ‘Oregon 11’ as they’re called, left after hours of negotiations failed to roll back any of the Democrats’ global warming energy tax package. The taxes would cost Oregonians hundreds of dollars per year in gas, food, and other energy impacted living expenses (read: everything). It would snuff out logging and trucking jobs. In short, it’s a disaster.
The Democratic supermajority’s message was clear: Take it or leave it.
Republicans left.
Oregon public opinion has followed the senate Republicans.
Oregonians hate the taxes. And they love the Republicans taking a stand. Even in deep blue Eugene:
Former GOP governor’s candidate Allen Alley pointed to this Portland poll showing 79% in support the Republican walk out.
The Democrats, cheered on by their ‘leader’ Governor Kate Brown, refused to budge on the onerous taxes, refused to remove an ’emergency clause’ on the bill to circumvent a voter referral, ignored the hundreds of people who traveled to Salem to plead with them, and blew off convoys of truckers begging Democrats not to put them out of business.
Public opinion is overwhelmingly against the cap and tax bills and solidly with the Republicans.
The Democrats have a bonafide public relations nightmare on their hands.
Now the story has piqued national interest. Scrutiny grows. Governor Kate Brown’s authoritarian tactics have been exposed and Democrats are getting a look at themselves in the mirror.
It ain’t pretty:
- Brown has sicced the Oregon State Police on the senators, ordering them to forcibly bring back the Republicans to provide the Democrats a quorum to pass the hundreds of millions of dollars in new taxes.
- Brown’s allies have threatened to bring back the sweeping anti-gun bills, that were dead for the session and pass them out of spite.
- Democrats refused any meaningful negotiation with the Republicans
- The Democrat issued “Wanted Posters” featuring the photos of Republican Senators for the Oregon Stasi to report.
- Brown reportedly has been phoning mayors throughout the state, whose senators have walked out and threatened to halt state funded projects
Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Wooldridge called out the ‘bullies’ in the supermajority:
With the Democrats losing the public relations battle, what to do … ? What to do…?
“Hello, Central Casting? Yes, we could use someone to conjure up some militia threats. Could you do that? Nothing specific. Don’t want them to find the source. No, I don’t want Antifa, they’re on our side. Wait, could you get the ‘militia’ guys to wear masks? That would look cool. We’ll need rural men. Jeans. Check. Plaid. Check. Big belt buckles. Fishing vests. Do you have anyone with guns? Yes, I know practically everyone in rural Oregon has a gun, but just go with me on this. Could you get ’em to carry AR-15’s? Great. We need them now. We’re losing here. Hurry up.”
In near-record time, the Oregon Democrats had conjured up ‘militia threats.’ First, The Daily Beast ‘quoted’ an ‘unnamed source’ which claimed that they would go to Idaho where the senators are rumored to be hiding to provide security for them:
One source inside the Oregon militia movement told The Daily Beast that their members were “willing to put their own lives in front of these senators’ lives.” The source claimed that dozens of armed militia members have “mobilized” to protect the state senators, and said there was potential for violence if law enforcement officials try to bring the senators back to Oregon. The source added that the militias would defend the Republicans “at any cost.”
“All of these people are armed,” the source said.
Another “militia member” was quoted in MSN:
In a Facebook post, Paul Luhrs, a member of the Oregon III%er militia, said the militia had “vowed to provide security, transportation and refuge for those Senators in need.”
And Republican state Senator Brian Boquist was quoted as saying he’d be damned if he’d let the Oregon State Police take him as a “political prisoner.”
One of the lawmakers on the lam, Republican Brian Boquist (R), warned that he would resort to violence rather than return to the state, implying in a local television interview that he would attack law enforcement officers sent to retrieve him.
“Send bachelors and come heavily armed,” Boquist said. “I’m not going to be a political prisoner in the state of Oregon. It’s just that simple.”
Cue the “hotbed”:
Militia groups in the Pacific Northwest—a hotbed of far-right extremist activist—claim they’ve mobilized to protect those state senators.
Wait, the GOP senators were aligning with militias?! Even the Oregonian was dubious:
Kate Gillem, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Senate Republicans, responded Friday that Oregon lawmakers aren’t interested in the offers for assistance.
“The Senators are not with any militias,” she said, “and are not accepting their help.”
Oh.
Womp, womp.
Say what you want about the militias – and they are – you’ve got to admit, they haven’t shot at anyone, not like the Bernie Sanders supporter who went hunting Republicans and nearly killed Congressman Steve Scalise. Or the Antifa thug who shot a protester in Portland. Or the Antifa guy who threw the IED at the cops. I could go on.
But Democrats weren’t giving up. They saw their buddies at the Beast, MSN and CNN take the bait and so, with a Rachel Maddow slot dancing in their heads, decided to up the ante. Suddenly, the autocrats in the legislature and Mahonia Hall recast themselves as victims.
Soon, rumors were percolating in the political water table by ‘threatening militias,’ who heretofore had failed to materialize anywhere, but who were descending on Salem this weekend to “Occupy the Senate.” The ‘threat’ prompted Democrat Senate President Peter Courtney to cancel the Saturday session.
Even Fox News fell for the ruse:
We at VictoriaTaft.com have located the ‘militia’ behind the Courtney shut down:
Yes, the ‘militia concern’ came from the Marion County Republican party which had begun to organize a peaceful protest at the capitol building. Seeing that it might be a problem, such as inviting more national media scrutiny and making the Democrats look bad, the session on Saturday was called off and the Republicans and any anti-global warming tax opponents were reframed as a ‘militia.’
“Do you like the cap and tax taxes?”
“No.”
“You hate the earth. You’re a Nazi. You’re a fascist. You must be a militia member.”
Democrats might think Oregonians are stupid, but the vast unwashed in the ‘militia’ are only too aware of the all-pain, no-gain nature of global warming taxes. They’re aware of California’s experiment, which includes a slush fund for state Democrats.
Oregonians, ready to burst forth into a full-blown tax revolt, are now being eyed by a clueless national media as a militia. It won’t work.
