Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: Grant High School, Lazy Candidates, Chuck Riley

Friday, May 01, 2015

Douglas Fasching, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Every Friday, GoLocalPDX breaks down who's rising and who's falling in the world of Oregon politics. Check out who made the lists this week.

HOT:

The Oregon Governor's Office of Film and Television

Led by Tim Williams, OFT is spearheading HB 2072 that would increase the tax credits available to production companies from $10 million to $20 million. There are currently 350 motion picture and video companies in the state and there has been a 69% increase in the number of jobs available in film and television productions in the last five years. Also, the 10 million in tax credits last year led to $135 million spent in the state. This seems like a no-brainer. This bill has bipartisan support as well as the full backing from the Wesen community.

David McDonald

With her resignation effective May 15th, the race to replace Amanda "Fatal Attraction" Marshall as U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon has begun. The names that have been thrown around include Josh Marquis and Ellen Rosenblum, but rumor has it that Portland attorney David McDonald might want to throw his hat in the ring as well. This Philadelphia Lawyer is an intriguing pick. He's a dark horse, but he's got the political connections to make this happen.

Grant High School

The Grant High School Constitution Team went to Washington DC this week to kick ass and chew bubble gum and they were all out of bubble gum. Beating teams from across the country, the Generals once again earned 1st place in the national "We The People" competition that tests the students' constitutional knowledge and their ability to apply the law. This is their second title in three years and the fourth year in a row that a team from Oregon has won this competition. Way to represent, yo.

NOT:

Lazy Candidates

For most of the races in the upcoming election, reading the voters' pamphlet is the only way voters learn about who is running for a particular seat. Do you realize that, Lazy Candidate? That means your entire campaign may rest on how you present yourself in these pages. Campaigns can't be won, but they can certainly be lost if the number of shits you give to this equals zero. If you are willing to shell out the $300, then you should at least have someone proofread your statement and get a picture of yourself that does not look like it was captured on a surveillance camera. Please note: This does not apply to Wes Soderback as nobody is voting for him anyway.

State Senator Chuck Riley

You know you are in for a long week when you are caught on camera saying that slavery was 'right for the time'. He is currently facing a recall due to his support of a bill requiring background checks on all handgun purchases. Now he has to deal with that and be in full damage control mode attempting to clarify what he meant. It must be exhausting having to explain to people that you are not pro-slavery. This will all blow over eventually, but for now, I can see him starring in one of those Southwest Airlines 'Want To Get Away' commercials.

Jeremy Brown

Currently the President of PCC, it was revealed last week in Willamette Week that ol' Doc Brown has applied for a gig at Mid-South Community College. He doesn't make this list because he is leaving two years into his tenure with PCC and taking a fat severance package with him. That should be expected as he did the same thing at his last job. No, this poor man's Rudy Crew makes the 'Not' section because he is willing to give up the glorious city of Portland for West Memphis, AR. WTF? Who does that? He must really want to get out of Dodge. Maybe the rumors of him being lousy with budgets and worse with people have some merit and that doesn't leave him many options.

Related Slideshow: The Eight Political Types

What political type are you? The Pew Research Center says most Americans fall into eight groups. Can you find your match?

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Steadfast Conservatives

Republicans who regularly attend religious services (55 percent attend at least weekly) and are very politically engaged. Steadfast Conservatives are mostly male (59 percent), non-Hispanic white (87 percent), and hold very negative thoughts towards immigrants/immigration.

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Photo Credit: Denise Cross Photography,Day 36/366.....I Voted, Feb 5 036/366, Live look

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Business Conservatives

If you are an individualist who invests in the stock market and believes the government is doing a bad job, then you might be a Business Conservative. Unlike Steadfast Conservatives, Business Conservatives believe that immigrants strengthen the country. Most Business Conservatives live in suburbs with 45 percent earning $75,000 a year or more.

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Photo Credit: "Photos NewYork1 032". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - Live look (image cropped)

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Solid Liberals

Educated liberals who are optimistic about the nation’s future and who continually support President Obama (with 84 percent approving his job performance) and, you guessed it, faithfully vote Democrat. Unlike Business Conservatives who prefer the suburbs, 45 percent of Solid Liberals prefer to live in a city.

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Photo Credit: "President Barack Obama, 2012 portrait crop" by Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

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Young Outsiders

Are you a person that dislikes both Republicans and Democrats? Young Outsiders may lean towards the Republican Party, but heavily support the environment and liberal social policies, unlike their conservative counterparts. Also they are one of the youngest typology groups, with 30 percent under the age of 30. Young Outsiders are 73 percent non-Hispanic whites who think "poor people today have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything in return."

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Photo Credit: Tucker Carlson, Tucker Carlson's Twitter Profile

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Hard-Pressed Skeptics

Like Young Outsiders, Hard-Pressed Skeptics doubt Democrats and Republicans, but lean towards the Democratic Party view, although fewer than half approve of Obama’s job performance. Difficult financial circumstances have left Hard-Pressed Skeptics to believe that “the poor have hard lives because government benefits don’t go far enough to help them live decently.”

Learn More

Photo Credit: By Dorothea Lange, Farm Security Administration / Office of War Information / Office of Emergency Management / Resettlement Administration [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (image cropped)

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Next Generation Left

You might just be a Next Generation Left if you're liberal on social issues: abortion, same-sex marriage and affirmative action. However, Next Generation Leftists deny the belief that racial discrimination is a barrier to success for racial minorities.

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Photo Credit: Jfruh at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 Live look (image cropped)

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Faith and Family Left

This group is highly diverse with 30 percent African-American and 18 percent foreign born. Faith and Family Left want a greater government role in programs such as aid for the poor. However, they are conservative when it comes to social issues, like opposing same sex marriage and legalizing marijuana, probably because the majority put religion and family first.

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Photo Credit: Vinoth Chandar "play of light in santhome church" Live look (image cropped)

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Bystanders

If you keep saying “I don’t get it, I don’t see myself as any of the types,” you might just be a Bystander, which means you're the person on the sidelines. You're more interested in celebrities like Jay-Z and Beyonce (are they really getting a divorce?) than government and politics. Noteworthy that Bystanders don't registered to vote, but do love the outdoors. Some 66 percent of bystanders consider themselves an “outdoor person.”

Learn more