2013 Oregon Republican Party Platform

The Oregon Republican Party Platform Convention was held on August 9-10. Read the revised platform HERE Read More......

Oregon GOP picks new leader: Art Robinson

Oregon's Republican Party has a new leader. ✧ The party selected former congressional candidate Art Robinson as chairman Saturday in a 55-52 vote over party Vice Chairman Bill Currier [of Benton County], The Oregonian reported.

Read more at the Corvallis Gazette-Times
See also: GT: Gallagher resigns as Oregon GOP chairwoman Read More......

Ginny Burdick quotes false statistics, opposes GOP's legal firearm fundraiser

By Jeff Reynolds - On Friday, June 14, The Oregonian noticed the fundraiser being conducted by the Multnomah County Republican Party that was initiated earlier in the week - a drawing for a chance to win an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. The article attempted to paint the fundraiser as inappropriate for “liberal Multnomah County”, and quoted State Senator Ginny Burdick (D-Portland) saying that it was “in poor taste”. This despite the fact that the item is a legal product owned by many law abiding citizens around the nation, and is protected by the Constitution. In the article, Sen. Burdick quotes false statistics in attempt to politicize the debate and cast judgment on legal owners of firearms. Read more at Watchdog Wire/Oregon... Read More......

Allen Alley: Rainbows and Moonbeams

"Rainbows and Moonbeams"
By Allen Alley
Was it a “Portlandia” script or an Oregonian front page story? The April 17 article on Governor Kitzhaber and Cylvia Hayes, who spent three hours in a class to learn how to construct a happiness index, could have been either one.  This happiness index, promoted by a Portland State University professor, purports to give a more accurate picture of economic health than the value of all goods and services produced, also known as gross domestic product (GDP).

The happiness index or Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) was promoted at a recent United Nations summit meeting on happiness and originated in that bastion of economic energy, Bhutan.  The Kingdom of Bhutan is a tiny Himalayan country with a GDP per person of $2,600.  Bhutan’s GDP ranks 129th in the world with other economic powerhouses such as Bolivia, Sri Lanka and Mongolia.  In perspective, the U.S. GDP per person is 18 times higher than Bhutan.

Is the Governor really going to model our economy after a third world country?  Are we giving up trying to measure ourselves by the economic measures of successful nations and instead partner with the Bhutanese and the UN to just make up our own happiness index?  Even “Portlandia’s” writers could not have conceived of this plot twist.

A trip to Taiwan in 1982 proved to me that economic prosperity creates happiness and a cleaner environment.  At the time, the streets of Taipei looked like a scene from Blade Runner.  Acid rain literally etched the buildings and stripped the paint off cars and signs.  Swarms of smoke-belching dilapidated scooters were the transportation mode of choice.  It seemed that Taiwan might sink into the ocean under the weight of the detritus of society, and all that would be left would be an oil slick and Styrofoam packing worms.  Then an amazing thing happened.  They became prosperous.  Today the GDP per person of Taipei is second only to Tokyo in Asia and is higher than that of Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul.  Once they became economically prosperous, they did not want to live in squalor.  They had the community wealth to clean up their environment, and they did. 

Oregon’s economic report card is apparently so stubbornly awful that rather than creating an environment where prosperity can flourish, Governor Kitzhaber is going to change the grading system.  Now our economic F will be waved away, because we try really hard and have nice parks.

Global economic competition is brutal.  There are no bonus points for effort or style.  You either succeed or fail, and lately Oregon has been failing.

Since 1995 Oregonians have been getting poorer relative to other Americans.  We have slipped 10 places in state personal income ranking from 22nd to 32nd.  At the same time our neighbor to the north Washington rose from 16th to 13th.  In 1995 an Oregonian earned $750 less than the average American in personal income, today we are $3,700 behind.  That means the average family of 4 in Oregon is $14,800 a year poorer than the average American family.  So either we have to have significantly higher taxes or settle for inferior schools, roads, and public safety.  We cannot fill potholes with happiness.

Governor Kitzhaber, we need to embrace GDP and rededicate ourselves to creating an environment where it actually increases.  We must maximize access to the assets that make Oregon a potentially great place to build prosperity.  Open and expand our ports.  Use our natural resources.  Go out and actively promote Oregon timber as the greenest building product on earth.  Keep power rates low.  Manage the Columbia River to extract more economic value for Oregon.  Embrace hydro power as the renewable, CO2 free, source of clean energy that it is.  Create an environment where we feel our state is a partner in prosperity, not an impediment.

It’s difficult to attain long-term happiness without some measure of security and prosperity.  Gone are the days when a barter economy could provide all of the goods and services we need.  Besides, much of the capital created in Oregon comes from trade with other states and nations.  Happiness is a result, not a thing that can be traded.  Oregonians cannot pay their mortgage with moonbeams, and even the governor is unlikely to convince the public employee unions to accept rainbows rather than raises.

Here is the link to the op-ed on the Oregonian website. This op-ed was received via email, which also included a link to the ORP donation page. Read More......

Oregon Republican Party opens three statewide primaries to non-affiliated voters

At the State Central Committee Meeting in Albany on February 5, Oregon Republicans passed the 2012 ‘Freedom Primary’...

The Oregon Republican Party, seeking to become more competitive in a state where most major offices are held by Democrats, announced Monday that it will open its May primary for three statewide offices to non-affiliated voters. Oregon Republican Chairman Allen Alley said the party will allow these voters to cast ballots in the primary races for attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer. However, non-affiliated voters won't be allowed to vote in the presidential primary, in legislative primaries or in any partisan races for local office. Read more at OregonLive.com...

Read the Oregon Republican Party News Release HERE. Read More......

Chairman Allen Alley on Sen. Mark O. Hatfield's passing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, August 7, 2011 – 8:30 PM PST
Oregon Republican Party
Greg Leo, Chief of Staff

ALLEN ALLEY STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF OREGON SENATOR MARK O. HATFIELD:

“A STATESMAN AND MAN OF CONSCIENCE.”

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. 8:30 pm Sunday August 7, 2011– Allen Alley Chairman of the Oregon Republican Party issued the following statement this evening:

The entire state is saddened to hear of the passing of Mark O. Hatfield, a quintessential Oregonian and a true national statesman. In his exemplary career as Republican U.S. Senator, Governor, Secretary of State and State Representative, he will be remembered for his courage and conscience in a life of public service for the people of Oregon and the country. ∴ In five decades of service, Mark Hatfield rose to be the ‘greatest generation’s’ greatest Oregon leader. He set a high standard for personal conduct, leadership and ability to work across party lines to solve problems and find balanced solutions. The Oregon Republican Party and all Oregonians mourn the loss of this Oregon statesman. We offer our condolences to Antoinette and members of the Hatfield family.”

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The Oregonian published a nice photo gallery "Remembering Mark Hatfield" at OregonLive.com. Read More......

Bob Tiernan: It's time for me to "Pass the Torch"

Sorry! This is old news that I didn't get posted in a timely fashion. --bc
TO: Oregon Republican Party Central Committee
FROM: Bob Tiernan
SUBJECT: It’s time for me to “Pass the Torch”
DATE: January 2, 2011

It has been a tremendous honor to serve as your Chairman these past two years! We have accomplished so much and I am proud of all of our joint efforts. However, I have decided it’s time for me to “move on”.

It has been a very tough decision to decide not to run again. I have invested a lot of my time, energy and have put together a great team---- and we now have a very strong party organization. But….Simply put, I told myself many months ago, that if I could find another Republican leader to run for Chairman who could carry on with all the accomplishments, and build on those accomplishments, it was time for me to “move on” and get back to my Consulting business, and a new assignment in the Navy Reserve.

I have personally notified each member of the Executive Committee of my decision and I will be sending out a press release tomorrow morning announcing that I will not be running (see attached).

We have accomplished much these past two years…..but it could not be done without your help. Just to name a few of our accomplishments:

• Opened a new “state of the art Republican headquarters” in the heart of Portland Metro area
  
  
• Extinguished over $200,000 in past vendor debt (Party is now debt free)
  
  
• Hired an extremely talented and experienced staff (Brandon Danz – Executive Director, Julia Miller – Chief administrative officer, Greg Leo – Communications director, Kevin Hoar – Field Director, Mark Krsak – Office manager)
  
  
• Implemented a complete State Party re-organization plan
  
  
• Paid off loans previously incurred by the Party (remaining loans are in a structured pay-off plan)
  
  
• Launched an aggressive communications program, featuring improved Press Relations and an aggressive outreach
  
  
• Acquired state of the art technology, including a New Web-site (with twitter, face book,) VOIP phone systems, and a new and improved “voter vault”.
  
  
• Convinced the RNC to invest over $500,000 dollars to help Republicans get elected in last election cycle.
  
  
• Increased the State Party’s role in aiding targeted state legislative, Congressional and statewide campaigns.
  
  
• Streamlined the Oregon Republican Party Platform

Again, all of this was done with a great staff, especially Brandon, Andrew, Julia (and NO she is not my daughter!), Greg, Polly, Kevin, and Mark. I would also like to thank a GREAT Executive Committee, especially, Tim Smith, Denny Morgan, Darlien France and our 5 Congressional Chairs and Vice Chairs.

My hope for the party is that we continue with the tremendous momentum we have built and clobber the Democrats in 2012!! To do that, we all need to get behind the next Chairman, put whatever differences we may have aside, and unify ourselves into one tremendous fighting force. I will be offering to help the next Chairman to assure a smooth transition.

I will be announcing publically my decision tomorrow morning with a press release stating my intention not to run for reelection. I will also be sending you a copy.

I look forward to seeing each of you at our meeting on January 22nd. Again, it has been an honor to be your leader and I look forward to seeing the Oregon Republican Party continue on with the successes that you and I and our great staff have accomplished.

Sincerely

Bob
Bob Tiernan, Chairman
Oregon Republican Party
PO Box 25406
Portland, OR 97298
(503) 595-8881
Become a part of the Oregon Republican Party by donating at:
http://secure.ssgenius.com/orgop_org/index.asp Read More......

Oregon GOP files ethics complaint against Kitzhaber, Courtney

OREGONLIVE.COM, 6/21/2010 by Michelle Cole, The Oregonian - The Oregon Republican Party filed an ethics complaint Monday [last week] against Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Kitzhaber and Oregon Senate Democratic leaders over a $1,500-a-ticket campaign fundraiser. ∴ The June 29 event at Portland's Arlington Club is billed as a "private luncheon to discuss potential (legislative) session issues." The names on the invitation include Kitzhaber, Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem; Senate Majority Leader Richard Devlin, D-Tualatin; Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland and budget committee co-chair, and Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose. ∴ No more than 15 guests will be allowed to attend the two-hour power lunch. In their complaint filed with the Oregon Ethics Commission Monday, Republicans claim Democrats are offering lobbyists a "quid pro quo." ∴ "This goes well beyond normal political campaign requests in that this makes a link between the contribution and consideration of legislation and the "session issues" and is therefore illegal...," the complaint says. ∴ Molly Woon, spokeswoman for the Senate Democratic Leadership Fund, declined to comment Monday. ∴ The Kitzhaber campaign did not return calls made late in the day. But last week Kitzhaber's campaign manager, Derek Humphrey, said his boss had nothing to do with putting the invitation together. Read More......

ORP Chairman's message about Andrew Over

FROM BOB TIERNAN
Chairman, Oregon Republican Party
2/22/2010

Dear ORP Executive and Central Committee Members,
I hope you all had a great weekend and were able to watch some of the exceptional action from the CPAC convention in Washington, D.C. I am writing today to share some news that is both sad and exciting. Andrew Over, who has served as Executive Director of the Oregon Republican Party for the past 2 years, recently informed me of his decision to step down as Executive Director in order to pursue a career outside of politics. I respect the decision that Andrew has made for himself and his family, however, his professionalism and leadership will be greatly missed at the Oregon Republican Party. During his time as Executive Director, Andrew brought the ORP out of a period of financial instability and raised the Party’s profile across the state. Andrew’s leadership and campaign background helped to refocus the Party’s efforts on electing Republicans and has put in place a strong political organization that is poised to take advantage of Republican opportunities in 2010.

Most recently, under Andrew’s leadership, the ORP led the robust statewide grassroots and Get-Out -the-Vote efforts for the tax referendum campaign. We have had so many accomplishments during this past year – none of which could have been accomplished without his help and leadership. The ORP is now considered one of the TOP 10 party organizations in this country – Andrew had everything to do with putting us there.The Party’s work over the past year and especially the work on the recent tax referendum have put us in a great position to capitalize on the political climate for the 2010 elections. To do this, we must work together and I look forward to working with you over the next year to promote Republican principles and elect Republican candidates.Andrew has agreed to stay on through Dorchester and I will keep you updated over the next couple weeks on what is happening at the ORP. In the meantime, I would like to thank Andrew for his service to the Oregon Republican Party and wish he and his family the best in their future endeavors. Sincerely,

Bob Tiernan
Chairman, Oregon Republican Party Read More......