The General Election begins next Tuesday night in Oregon.

[FightingIrish]

We live in a state that has few extremes. Our climate is moderate and our politics are generally moderate . We occasionally get recognized for a nut case like Tonya Harding but we are mostly solid citizens wanting to perfect our union. We have been at the leading edge of environmental issues although Hollywood often characterizes us as a bunch of illiterate forest rapers.

We are the state that took the lead against the Vietnam War with statesman like Wayne Morse and Mark Hatfield. We kind of started the recycling movement when we pioneered meaningful soft drink bottle deposits. We are blessed with natural treasures but seldom touched by history, at least since Lewis and Clark. We confidently mail in our ballots after careful deliberation and some discussion around the dinner table.

I doubt that as people we are very different from the people of West Virginia, but somehow we have come to very different conclusion about who should lead our nation.

On Tuesday night we will celebrate the end of a hard fought primary battle and the beginning of a general election for the history books. We hear that Barack Obama may join us in our celebration and that will be the icing on the cake. Perhaps being an American will once again be as gratifying as being an Oregonian.

[MadBadger]

1. GE began once he stepped in Michigan today.

[99th_Monkey]

2. It's ok if you rain on our parade, we're used to rain ;-) GObama!!! ~nt~