POLITICS & ELECTIONS

Oregon and national government news, analysis and blogs

For everyone who asks, "Where do I start?" "Who do I call?" or "Where do I go to get help?" -- you now have a one-stop volunteer phone number and Web site. Dial 503-823-4000 or go to portlandisbettertogether.com, if you...

Oregon's newly elected U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley cast one of his first major votes today, helping reject a resolution to keep the rest of those federal bailout funds bottled up. Conversely, his Democratic colleague Sen. Ron Wyden voted for the...

Congressional Democrats are circulating a draft of an $825 billion economic stimulus bill that you can bet is getting keen attention in every state Capitol in the country. This will undoubtedly transform the budget debate in Salem and in every...

Oregon's new attorney general wasted little time jumping into the fray, announcing his role in three major legal actions against the outgoing Bush administration. John Kroger joined Gov. Ted Kulongoski at a news conference this morning to decry last-minute rule...

The great brand marketing of the Barack Obama campaign will - I'm sure - be remembered by students of politics for a long time. One of the most popular items was the iconic red and blue Obama poster by Shepard...

Former Rep. Bob Tiernan pledges to remake the Oregon Republican Party as its new chairman, but he will be keeping Andrew Over as the party's executive director. Over was a Gordon Smith aide dispatched to the state party a year...

It looks like Congress is rolling toward passing a 61-cent-a-pack cigarette tax that will expand health coverage for needy children. That's good news for Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who is seeking his own state tax hikes to provide coverage for all...

A recommendation by the Citizens Campaign Commission to lower the amount of taxpayer money available to candidates in the special election to replace resigning Auditor Gary Blackmer got a skeptical reception Wednesday in the city council. Commissioner Randy Leonard...

I just got word that freshman Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., will be seated on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which is chaired by Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. Kennedy, who is in precarious health himself, wants to...

Actress and lesbian celebrity Heather Matarazzo will make an appearance at the Mayor's Winter Gala on Jan. 31, according to the Q Center. The gala commemorates the swearing in of Mayor Sam Adams. Musical entertainment will be provided by the...

Thomas BoydGov. Ted Kulongoski may soon get use of a new ceremonial office inside the Capitol, after the one used for decades by Oregon governors was ravaged in a September fire. Gov. Ted Kulongoski, forced from his office complex at...

Our new politics "superblog" is still on its shakedown cruise this week, but I'm excited about the potential. The new blog, which appears on the center of the Politics page at Oregonlive.com is a compilation of four political blogs, two...

Auditor candidates in next spring's special election would be eligible for $50,000 in taxpayer money, rather than $150,000, under a recommendation the Citizen's Campaign Commission will make to the city council on Wednesday. The council will also consider a...

Last week, I was talking to a business lobbyist driving to a fundraiser for the new Oregon House speaker, Gladstone Democrat Dave Hunt. The lobbyist wasn't exactly enthusiastic about it but noted, "He IS the speaker." Yes indeed. And with...

Among the rules passed on the Legislature's opening day was language continuing a ban on House members receiving campaign contributions during session. Senate rules allow members to continue accepting contributions even while they're drafting legislation. But state law does require...

Illinois considers suing OppenheimerFunds, which manages plans in both states

Passage of the measure protecting 200,000 acres in Oregon draws a Sen. Wyden fist-pump

SALEM -- Local officials Thursday generally praised the state's response to the winter storms that battered northwest Oregon last month and urged lawmakers to replenish an emer´ gency fund that local govern´ments can use as matching money to obtain...

Rick Bowmer/APUnlike this photo from November, Oregon senators weren't holding hands Thursday when the Senate voted to release $350 billion to help financial institutions. Merkley voted to allow the money to be spent while Wyden voted against it. WASHINGTON --...

A Texas congressman called on House leaders today to examine efforts by Social Security to crack down on people who collect disability checks but are no longer disabled. "We need to do more to make sure those who are able...

WASHINGTON -- More than 2 million people are expected to converge on Washington for the presidential inauguration, and Cultural Tourism DC offers a guide to attractions and cultural events at CulturalTourismDC.org. Click on the link for information related to the...

If you're one of those people who wishes you could attend the inauguration of Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., but couldn't score the time or the tickets, the next best thing could be one of the many Portland-area parties that...

Want a copy of the latest Spider-Man comic? Well, your spidey-sense has let you down.

Michael Bryant/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCTSen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., sought assurances that the EPA would move aggressively to combat global warming. Merkley's question came during the confirmation hearing for Lisa Jackson, who has been nominated to lead EPA. WASHINGTON -- In his first...

Latest bridge design features vertically spinning turbines that would generate an unknown amount of juice.

Multnomah County is facing its dimmest budget year in at least a decade, county officials say, as deep cuts from the state and slumping tax revenue leave a gaping hole in its finances. If Gov. Ted Kulongoski's budget is approved,...

The Oregonian TriMet ridership continued to climb in December, after a year of high mass-transit use and during a month when motorists turned to buses and trains to get around in two weeks of snowstorms. The overall weekly average of...

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Senate Democrats today were unveiling a state economic stimulus package. Leaders say the plan is designed to work in conjunction with a similar federal stimulus package proposed by President-elect Barack Obama, and will focus on creating jobs...

Gov. Ted Kulongoski warns against a "surrender to fear" as state revenue falls

AP Photo/Linda Spillers, The OregonianOregon Rep. Greg Walden has been named the No. 2 official on the Republican committee responsible for electing GOP candidates to the House. WASHINGTON -- The Politico is reporting that Oregon Rep. Greg Walden has been...