Oregon GOP: Moderates unwelcome

If the Oregon Republicans want to become more of a minority than they already are, they're sure doing a good job of it, which is just fine by me.  Although I prefer vigorous, rational debates amongst groups of people with differing views, these nut-jobs need not apply.  This past weekend the Oregon Republicans held their annual Dorchester Conference where delegates pushed their listing ship further to the right:

• They voted 188-89 against state sanctioned civil unions for gays and lesbians.  So even in a non-religious context they don't believe that gays and lesbians should be granted the same legal benefits as opposite sex couples.
• Ron Saxton who narrowly lost to Kevin Mannix in the 2000 gube primaries, didn't even come close to Mannix in a straw poll vote (maybe the moderates have just given up.)
• They voted 180-74 in favor of the US invading Iran to prevent them from developing nuclear weapons.
• They voted 203-16 in favor of phasing out Social Security (for those who haven't figured it out yet, privatization is another word for "phase out.")
• They voted 167-2 against Governor Kulongoski's nomination of former Congressman Les AuCoin to the State Board of Forestry.

According to The O, former Sen. Bob Packwood, who founded the conference back in 1964 as a state representative, was not pleased with the civil unions vote:  "If you let everybody in, look what happens."
Yeah, it turns into a nut house full of wingnuts!

Comments

[Carla]

awww...you don't have trackbacks enabled.

I blogged on your post and added a few comments of my own here:

http://www.preemptivekarma.com/archives/2005/03/oregon_gop_goos.html

[Sid]

Thanks Carla! I don't know why I didn't have the track back pings enables. I'm a spacer sometimes.

But, geeeez, when I read those two articles I was thinking that the looney bin is now officially being run by the loonies.