Oregon lets you vote by mail for 20 days?

[usregimechange]

If that is so the get out the vote effort for national Kerry/Dem efforts should start early. I am from Missouri. What is in the works up there?

[Robert Oak]

1. dunno but here's a group to target

There are a lot of fundamentalist Christians in OR who voted
for Bush and normally would...but they are really rumbling
on the outsourcing and immigration issues.

I think they can be won over

[0rganism]

2. Not a snowball's chance in hell

> There are a lot of fundamentalist Christians in OR who voted for Bush

What's going to bring those guys to the polls in droves this November is a ballot measure to ammend the state constitution to ban gay marriages. The right wingers flipped some serious shit over Multnomah county issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Between that and the perrenial abortion issue, they won't be voting D anytime soon. Write them off, and focus on what works.

The votes Kerry CAN win are the Greens, Libertarians, and "moderate" swing voters. He's got to come on strong against bush's disastrous foreign, civil liberties, and ecological policies, without seeming like he'll gut what's left of the timber industry or raise federal income taxes on average workers. It will be extremely important to clearly present a tax plan like Clark's, which relieves the burden on below-median earners while compensating by adjusting the high brackets. The bushistas are going to make a big deal out of how Kerry "wants the IRS to suck your bank account dry", or some such bullshit, so getting out a concise message outlining a truly progressive policy that reduces lower- and middle-earner burdens is absolutely essential.

The Kerry campaign will have to plan ahead to counter position distortions early and often using telivised ads. If bush can be exposed as dangerous, dishonest, and unscrupulous using the bush campaign's own words, the indy vote will lean heavy D.

That's how John Kerry will win Oregon.

[sandnsea]

4. logging is the key

Somehow, we've got to strike a balance that will allow for some sort of environmentally friendly, sustainable logging. Save the Old Growth and move forward on the rest of it. And I think we need to connect logging and salmon ALOT. Forget the spotted owl and the vole. Loggers are the ones who want to hunt and fish, so they have an interest in keeping rivers and forests healthy too. If the campaign comes up with a balanced plan, I think we can swing alot of votes.

[Robert Oak]

5. not so sure

I'm on the coast and my landlord is one and there are "tons" of these
cats out here and they are talking about getting sold down the river
via Christian values while Bush sends their jobs overseas...
they believe the country is going down the tubes and I think
playing the trade, tax, jobs card is going to have many thinking twice
on the "jesus factor".

[0rganism]

3. We *only* vote by absentee ballot in Oregon

On the plus side, it's done wonders for our turnout rates. We get up to 75% turnout statewide.

On the minus side, it disproves the notion that Democrats do better in high-turnout elections. Oregon is a bitterly and evenly divided state, with a very slight urban liberal lean.