Who Controls Politics in Oregon?

The OEA and other public employee unions control Oregon's political process.

That's the conclusion that you may come to if you have been following the news lately.

Democrats, backed by union muscle took control of the executive and legislative branches of Oregon government and pushed an agenda that allows day care providers and school employees to opt-in to state health insurance pools; they referred a tax on cigarettes and a rewrite of Measure 37 to Oregon voters; increased government spending on K-12 and higher education; suspended the corporate kicker to create a rainy day fund without cutting capital gains; passed domestic partnerships legislation; strengthened state ethics laws; increased the number of Oregon police patrols; and increased spending for biofuels and alternative energy.

The Republican caucus ended the 2006 caucus bitter and fractured. They lost important issues on party line votes, and were so obsessed with obstructing anything that could be perceived as a Democratic gain, that they wound up trying to block things that Oregon voters want, and that their caucus should have supported.

In the end, they were irrelevent. Steamrolled.

With such success, there is invariably a backlash, so it should come as little surprise that Republican operatives were circulating attack mailers in targeted districts during the legislative session, the earliest start to a campaign in recent memory.

And part of that campaign is an attack on organized labor, as seen by recent articles in the local press and the partisan blogosphere decrying the extent to which public employee unions such as the OEA control the political process in Oregon.

House Minority Leader, Wayne Scott R-CLACKAMAS, found time during an otherwise disastrous legislative session to circulate a flier titled "The House the OEA Built", which lists $362,000 in contributions to 40 Democrats in legislative races.

"Labor gives big money to Democrats", so the argument goes, "and now that the Democrats are in power, they are returning the favor".

There clearly is some truth to the charge.

Shortly after the 2006 election, Governor Ted Kulongoski appointed Tim Nesbitt and Chip Terheune to key positions in his administration. Nesbitt and Terheune are extremely gifted individuals, and they were very good appointments, but as two of the top leaders of Oregon's labor movement, they were also appointments that sent a message heading into the 2007 legislative session, and the message was that Oregon's 74th legislative session was going to be very good for working families.

But if there is a symbiotic relationship between Democratic politicians and labor, it is equally true that there is also a more expensive, equally effective system of patronage on the Republican side.

Trade associations like the Realtors, home builders, restaurant association, chambers of commerce, timber companies, energy companies, and other corporate lobbies generally outspend democratic funding partners by a significant margin and help Republican candidates raise more money than their Democratic opponents during most election cycles in Oregon.

In 2006, Republican candidates raised more money than their Democratic opponents in every contested legislative race in 2006, but one. Their contributions have not been well-placed during the last two election cycles. Out of 8 contested races in 2006, Republican candidates raised nearly $1 million more than their Democratic opponents, but lost in 7 of the 8 targeted contests.

Once-powerful organizations like the Restaurant Association have lost virtually all of their targeted races over the last two election cycles, despite the fact that they have been part of a coalition that enabled Republican candidates to outspend Democratic opponents by wide margins in 7 out of 8 contested races for the Oregon House and helped Ron Saxton raise nearly double the money raised by Ted Kulongoski.

In addition to massive contributions to groups like Oregonians in Action in support of Measure 37; timber companies spent $500,000 supporting Ron Saxton, second only to the Republican Governor's Association. They spent hundreds of thousands more in support of Republican legislative candidates in 2006.

The lack of success among the powerful interests that fuel Republican candidates and causes is not due to union funding. The Democrats and the interests they represent remain a much weaker party financially in Oregon.

The failure of the GOP is based on the party's abandonment of socially moderate, fiscally conservative, fiercely independent statesmen in favor of vitriolic culture warriors who are badly out of step with Oregon voters on a number of issues.

I spoke with one prominent Republican city counsellor who told me that she had re-registered as an independent because the GOP no longer stood for small businesses, and that the party is not really all that conservative.

I agree.

Written by: Sal Peralta