Westlund: Putting Oregon Back On Track?
"It is time... to put ideas before ideology, to put people before party, it's time to put Oregon first."
Refreshing ain't it? That quote has become somewhat of a mantra for Senator Ben Westlund who could potentially be Oregon's next governor. As an Oregonian, that one simple statement perks my interest. As a gay Oregonian, I welcome Ben Westlund into the race.
Over the past six months I have had the chance to spend some time with Senator Westlund. Each time I get a glimpse into who this man truly is. It may sound corny, but Ben Westlund is a truly straight shooter. Often times we view politicians as simply that, politicians. This often blinds us from the human side of the person. Ben is candid and doesn't hold back when it comes to how he feels on the issues. I'm always struck by how 'real' he is.
Now don't take this the wrong way, but even though I think our country has gone to hell on account of a terrible administration, when President Bush has a position and he sticks to it more than most. He comes out and stands his ground and makes his feelings known. I certainly do not want to draw any lines between Bush and Westlund, though it is a quality that I sincerely admire in the man. The main thing with this comparison is that Ben is always willing to listen, to hear other people's opinions and can even have a change of heart on issues for the better. Bush on the other hand is not that way.
When I think of the candidates we currently have in Oregon's 2006 gubernatorial race, Ben Westlund is definitely looking like my choice. I feel that Ted has not shown proven leadership. In fact I've been incredibly disappointed. The tipping point for me was Ted's complete lack of leadership during the fight for SB1000 last session. Why was Karen Minnis allowed to rule with an iron fist with no checks or balances? The answer is simple. The problem was that we had a 'queen' ruling the Oregon House - unfortunately there was no "king" [Kulongoski] to respond to her abuse of power.
I invite you to get to know Ben Westlund. Read about him. Learn his position on the issues and how he plans on solving some of Oregon's most pressing dilemmas.
And that my friends... is my two cents.
Post by Bryan Harding
This entry was posted
on Friday, March 03, 2006 at 12:57 AM.
Want to discuss? Leave a comment below.
ByI've met him and I like him. He does believe in gay families having secure jobs and housing. He does believe in civil unions. He wants us to have physical, financial and medical access to our partners and the children that we raise. He believes that this is the right thing to do.
However, he also supported 36. It would have been NICE if he had supported building a legal foundation for our families BEFORE securing the word "marriage" for straight people. As it stands his support for the "no homos please" marriage bogarts has harmed families.
http://baywindows.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=C6893E5F195E4C6781BEE38664E4E8D7
I still like him. I MIGHT even vote for him. I wonder if he would have let Karen get away with that crap last year.
By
actually tanya, Westlund has supported civil unions for a long time...check out his vote-smart page:
http://www.vote-smart.org/npat.php?can_id=BS034677
By
Yes, he supported civil unions for a long time, but he was sure to help tuck away marriage, which denied family rights to so many- and he did this BEFORE making efforts to secure the rights of Civil Unions to families. I respect that he wants CU's and I'm glad that he feels that it is the right thing to do- but the families are here NOW without protections. Supporting marriage discrimination- even under the umbrella of merely securing the terminology- causes suffering- it's not right. I simply would have more respect for him if he had put his efforts toward CU's, DP's or some form of legal recognition PRIOR to beating the 36 drum.
Showing a priority for the health and well-being of a vulnerable community over caring about a word would have just scored more points with me.
It doesn't mean he won't get my vote. He likely will if he demonstrates a commitment to stopping the Minnis/menace/whatever.
By
He's anti-choice. He shouldn't get the vote of any progressive as a result.
By
I agree entirely! No freakin' way would I support a candidate who is anti-choice and was anti-36 no matter how much he supports civil unions. That's insanity.
By
Yeah- between 36, anti choice, and the gun laws he wants to kill, I'm more impressed by his *desire* to do the right thing than by his ability to actually understand what the right thing is and to do it.
Arg- I'm reading his site- he still sounds like a republican in a lot of ways...
By
Anti choice? That's crazy talk.
Westlund is pro-choice and received 100% from NARAL in 2005 and 100% from Planned Parenthood in 2003. He also worked to expand women's health and reduce unintended pregnancy last year by co-sponsoring SB 756 to require insurers to cover birth control and SB 849 to make emergency contrception available from a pharmacists. Plus, Ben is chief petitioner on the HOPE initiative that makes healthcare access a constitutional right in Oregon. You call this anti-choice?
By
BeavertonJHL,
You seem to know your Senate Bills (or just pulled it from his site)... BUT lets get a few things straight. Yes he did receive a 100% from NARAL in 2005. I just want to be open about why that is the case. There were no anti-choice bills that went to the Senate Floor - therefore there were no votes to base that score off of.
Birth control and family planning are the other NARAL criteria and Ben is good on both of those. I just wanted to clarify why he got that 100%. It was not because he voted the right way on a bunch of choice bills - he just did not have to face them on the floor.
And there are many that would say 'Yes, Ben is anti-choice'. I've heard it a lot. Read Ben's site and judge for yourself. He is for parental notification, he also "opposes late-term abortions, unless the life of the woman is at stake".
I am not taking any positions on candidates. I just want to get the information out there in a factual manner so that things are not misrepresented.
As we come to November 2006 there is a good chance that we will see two anti-choice bills. They are fetal homicide and parental notification. How, as Governor, would Ben vote on these?
It would be great if we could get clarification from his campaign on these issues. Ben's Campaign... want to ring in? :)
By
Oregon has some of the most permissive abortion laws in the country, that is to say, we do not have many laws on the books that restrict a woman's right (in my opinion) to terminate a pregnancy. This is not because the Republican Legislature hasn't tried to impose waiting periods, notification requirements, or limits on when an abortion can be had. They have tried, and our Democratic Governors have vetoed their attempts every time they've ever gotten out of the Legislature.
A Governor Westlund would not necessarily do that. That is one of the reason I will not vote for him for Governor. I've written an "" over at my blog which explains it in more detail.
Bryan,
Thanks for being openminded about this process, it's quite refreshing! It's nice to talk to people who haven't quite put their foot down yet on who they're going to vote for.
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