OPP Nominates Candidates for Governor, Congressional District 4, and Oregon House District 32

Oregon Progressive Party Nominees (so far) for 2022 General Election:

Candidate	Office
Nathalie Paravicini	Governor
Chris Henry	U.S. Senator
David Delk	U.S. House, District 3
Mike Beilstein	U.S. House, District 4
Logan Laity	Oregon House, District 32
Mark Gamba	Oregon House, District 41

War budget moves forward in House and Senate with increases excessing Biden budget requests

House/Senate committees move to increase Biden war budget

The House and Senate Armed Services Committee have each voted to increase the Biden record breaking war budget request for next year.  The House version calls for $37 billion on top of the Biden request of $773 billion for war while the Senate proposal would increase the budget by $45 billion over the Biden request.  In spite of these request increases, Republicans committee members have called for even larger increases. If the full House and the full Senate approve their different version, the two chambers will form a joint committee to come up with a compromise for a final bill vote of both chambers.  Read more here:  US congress Approves Record Military Budget

People Over the Pentagon - cut war budget by $100 billion

Rep. Barbara Lee and Rep. Mark Pocan have introduced legislation to move $100 billion from the Pentagon to various programs which benefit real people.  The People Over the Pentagon Act of 2022 has been introduced (HR8040) with 15 co-sponsors; Rep. Earl Blumenauer is a co-sponsor but no other OR Rep. is listed yet.  The bill has not been introduced into the Senate.  

Pro-Choice Democrats: Welcome to the Club

Democrats in recent years have been quite pleased with the United States Supreme Court, due to its "liberal" decisions on same sex marriage and discrimination against LGBT persons.  As of 2020, persons identifying as Democrats gave the United States Supreme Court essentially the same approval rating as was given by Republicans, as shown in the Gallup Poll below.

Campaign finance reform advocates, conversely, have hated the United States Supreme Court since its 2007 decision in Randall v. Sorrell and certainly since its 2010 decision in Citizens United.

The key reason for this divergence in the Court's decisions (good on some civil rights but bad on campaign reform) was Anthony Kennedy.  Justice Kennedy voted against campaign finance reform but in favor of same sex marriage and LGBT rights.

But then Anthony Kennedy resigned in 2018 and was replaced by  Bret Kavanuagh.  Amy Coney Barrett then replaced of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2020.  This produced a solid majority against civil rights, even when Chief Justice Roberts tries his triangulation.  This is also a clearly 6-3 anti-environment majority, which will be demonstrated next week in  West Virginia v. EPA, which addresses the authority of EPA to regulate climate-changing emissions.

So now pro-choice liberals have to oppose the current United States Supreme Court as much as do campaign finance reform advocates.  Welcome to the club.

Andrew Yang's "Forward Party" Endorses Backward Oregon Candidate

The Forward Party is led by Andrew Yang, after his 2020 run for President as a Democrat.  The party appears to lack progressive intellect.

A central plank of the Forward Party's platform is support for "Open Primaries."  We think that is a very bad idea, for reasons stated at Save Oregon's Democracy.  We have twice led campaigns to defeat "top two open primary" ballot measures in Oregon (2008 and 2014), funded by millions of dollars from a former Enron energy trader and another billionaire.

In June 2022, the Forward Party endorsed Betsy Johnson for Governor of Oregon.  As a state senator, she opposed every significant piece of climate legislation since 2001.  Her campaigns are funded mainly by the timber and fossil fuel corporations, including Koch Industries.  She has a 100% rating from the NRA and has received awards for opposing gun safety legislation.  On gun control she has voted:

• NO to prohibiting weapons on school grounds
• NO to requiring background checks for firearm sales
• NO to allowing courts to prohibit suicidal individuals from owning guns
• NO to prohibiting convicted stalkers from possessing firearms
• NO to authorizing schools to prohibit guns on campuses 

The Forward Party's endorsement of a right-wing anti-environmentalist who opposes gun safety shows its basic lack of knowledge about Oregon or its lack of progressive intellect.

Far Right Extremists Want Betsy Johnson For Governor

OPP supports JoAnn Hardesty for Portland City commissioner

The Oregon Progressive Party has endorsed Jo Ann Hardesty in her race to be reelected to the Portland City Council. Jo Ann has a strong progressive record of substantive, impactful changes, including:

• Portland Street Response
  
  
• new standards of transparency and accountability via police reform measures
  
  
• major policy changes including zoning changes to encourage the building of new affordable housing (duplexes, triplexes and fouplexes) for all.

Jo Ann supports establishing a new public land trust to support affordable housing.

She is running as a clean money candidate by funding her campaign following the rules of the City of Portland Small Donor Elections program. She will take no special interest money. She will be our candidate and our commissioner.

Jo Ann recently sent this message to her supporters and the OR Progressive Party  to ask that you support her campaign:

“Heading into the General Election, we're still facing a tough fight. Our goal this June is to #MaxtheMatch, and I'm hoping you would consider helping out by joining our Small Donor Squad.  Squad members will be supported with materials and graphics to reach out to their friends & family with a target of raising five $20 donations. Portland donors will be matched 9-to-1, meaning $20 generates $200. Five $20 donations generates $1,000!

“Would you have capacity to join our Small Donor Squad? We're going to have a public launch next week. I'll be hosting a Zoom kickoff with the squad on Thursday, June 16th at 6:00 PM. It would be great to have you as part of the team. You can signup for the Squad by clicking here.”