Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2019)
10 CapitalPress.com Friday, September 6, 2019 Populist movement setting its sights on Gov. Brown By AUBREY WIEBER and CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Jolly old St. Nicholas doesn’t care much for the governor. Dressed in a stocking cap, black boots, red velvet pants and vest, he signed the peti- tion to recall Gov. Kate Brown in between proffering pho- tos with Santa in the stifling August heat at the Oregon State Fair. His holiday booth was next to one where people could sign petitions to recall the governor, who won re-elec- tion in November. “The main thing is being able to have an opinion when you think something’s not right,” Santa said. He declined to fully identify himself, say- ing he fears being attacked. Santa had a very specific grievance: He said the gover- nor’s office imposed a $400 annual fee on him for having a water well at his property east of Salem. At a time when right-wing populists from Boris John- son and Jair Bolsonaro to Donald Trump have accrued mainstream appeal and have secured real political power, Brown’s opponents are find- ing an outlet for their dissatis- faction by trying to put her on the ballot through a recall peti- tion. Two, to be precise. The Oregon Capital Bureau interviewed about 30 people signing petitions at the fair in Salem over three days. Most were from the Willa- mette Valley, many from more rural areas such as Molalla or Monmouth. Petition signers carried a variety of grievances to the two booths offering recall petitions. They named busi- ness taxes, environmental pol- icies, and legislation allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. The state GOP’s petition outlines its issues on the back, saying Brown overturned the will of the voters by allow- ing undocumented immi- grants to get driver’s licenses and approving new taxes. She attempted to violate peo- ple’s medical freedom and impose environmental regula- tions, it says. She failed to fix an underfunded pension sys- tem or a troubled foster care system, and supported use of the emergency clause on bills to keep policy from being referred to the voters, it says. Brown, they say, is the person responsible for turn- ing Oregon into a tax-happy, gun-hating, business-killing liberal haven. At the state GOP’s booth, the traffic to sign the petitions ebbed and flowed. Salesmen hawking beef jerky and massage chairs com- peted for the attention of fair- goers streaming through the pop-up mall. To the south of the GOP booth, a woman demonstrated dirt-repelling welcome mats. To the north a team of men pitched people on the benefits of Dish satellite TV. The mas- sage chair salesmen aggres- sively defended their territory. But when people saw the large cardboard cutout of Trump or the “recall Kate Brown” banner, many seemed giddy. “They can’t sign it fast enough,” said Sam Sapp, who was working the booth on a recent morning. They rushed over, eagerly asking where they could sign, often following up with “I hate her” or “She’s terrible.” Disliking politicians is an American tradition, but the recall process is generally reserved as a response to cor- ruption or scandal, not a rejec- tion of policy. In fact, no recall Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau Oregon State Fair visitors sign a petition to recall Gov. Kate Brown at the booth organized by Flush Down Kate Brown. of a state official has ever made it to the Oregon ballot. The Oregon Republican party claims it is on pace to get more than 300,000 signa- tures by the Oct. 14 deadline. According to volunteers, the party has reported aver- aging a signature per min- ute, though the party has not released how many signatures it’s actually gotten. To many seasoned politi- cal observers, the prospect of recalling Brown is as likely as Santa Claus and eight tiny reindeer flying around the world every Christmas Eve. Thomas Wheatley, Brown’s campaign adviser, believes Republicans are juic- ing the stats. “I’m extraordinarily dubi- ous about this claim, though they do operate in the world of alternative facts,” he said. The majority of those inter- viewed at the fair about sign- ing the petitions struggled to specify why they wanted to recall Brown, and seemed to be doing so based on a gut feeling. Most commonly, people brought up cap and trade — a failed effort by the Legislature that Brown backed to curb greenhouse gas emissions. “My understanding is that a lot of people just don’t think Salem cares about them right now,” said Linn County GOP Chair Adam Keaton, pointing to that county’s agriculture, timber and trucking industries. There was also a hefty degree of conspiracy mon- gering. Some affiliated with the effort say they fear retali- ation. They shared rumors that people signing the petitions or volunteering with the cam- paigns have been targeted for arson, beat up or had their cars vandalized. Opponents sometimes cite Brown’s unconventional path to the governorship. As sec- retary of state, Brown moved into the job as directed by the state constitution with John Kitzhaber’s resignation in February 2015. The next year, 985,000 people voted for Brown, giv- ing her 139,418 more votes than Bud Pierce, the Republi- can nominee. Last year, about 934,000 people voted for Brown. She beat GOP opponent Knute Buehler by 119,510 votes, according to the state Elec- tions Division. While the petition signers often said Brown isn’t follow- ing the will of the voters, she won re-election campaigning heavily for the policies they oppose, such as greenhouse gas capping and an education funding package. “We are proud of the accomplishments from this year’s legislative session,” Wheatley said. “Historic investments in our schools, stable health care funding, bold steps to make hous- ing more affordable, tackling dirty diesel, campaign finance reform, and much more.” Though some doubted Brown really did campaign on such policies. “You know, I don’t believe that,” said Lincoln City res- ident Dee Right. “I don’t believe it was in full detail. I think she lied.” Right stopped by the fair booth, but had already signed the petition. “She’s only benefiting the metropolitan areas and not the rural cities that make up Ore- gon,” Right said. Right was especially both- ered by the cap and trade pro- posal, which she said would kill the logging and trucking industries. Right said she’s been a reg- istered Democrat her whole life, yet when she saw a recall booth in Lincoln City, she pulled an illegal U-turn to sign it. She’s never been political, she said, but spoke with pas- sion when disparaging Brown. “She’s making a mess, and she doesn’t listen to the peo- ple,” Right said. Two months ago, Right switched her affiliation. “Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do,” she said, adding she took several sheets to get friends and family to sign as well. At the state fair, it took three Marion County GOP volunteers at a time to work the booth. They each had sets of two recall petitions and one to refer a highway toll- ing proposal for the Portland area to voters. They’re work- ing the booths from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day of the fair. It’s a total of 132 four-hour shifts. FLAT CARS- THE BETTER BRIDGE • Lower Cost • Custom Lengths up to 90’ • Certified Engineering Services Available • Steel Construction Contractor License # 71943 36-4/100 P.O Box 365 • 101 Industrial Way, Lebanon, OR 97355 36-4-1/103 36-4/104 WE SPECIALIZE IN BULK BAGS! HAY PRESS SUPPORT: • Hay Sleeves • Strap • Totes • Printed or Plain • Stretch Film (ALL GAUGES) WAREHOUSE PACKAGING: • Stretch Film • Pallet Sheets • Pallet Covers LOCATIONS: Albany, Oregon (MAIN OFFICE) Ellensburg, Washington CONTACT INFORMATION: Phone: 855-928-3856 Fax: 541-497-6262 info@westernpackaging.com ....................................................... CUSTOMER SERVICE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY! w w w. w e s t e r n p a c k a g i n g. c o m 36-1/100 36-4/101 BAGS: • Seed Bags • Fertilizer Bags • Feed Bags • Potato Bags • Printed Bags • Plain Bags • Bulk Bags • Totes • Woven Polypropylene • Bopp • Polyethylene • Pocket Bags • Roll Stock & More! One woman, who declined to be named, asked for a voter registration card so she could change from a Democrat to a Republican. She happily obliged when asked to sign the toll petition in addition to the recall ones. “What is wrong with her?” she said of Brown. “’Cause Kate Brown’s crazy,” said Jill, a Salem woman, when asked why she signed. “She’s destroying the state.” Jill was one of many who declined to give their full names, citing fear of retribu- tion from liberals. Some also talked about Brown as a boogeyman. One woman organizing volun- teers at the “Flush Down Kate Brown” fair booth declined to give her name because she was scared, though she couldn’t say what of. Brown might take her business away or jail her for her activism, she said. “People say Kate Brown has her party — they will retaliate against you,” the Stayton woman said. “It’s just what people are saying.” The woman said she’s get- ting her information from Brown’s critics, and hasn’t talked much to the other side. She said it’s possible some might be using rhetoric to stoke the sort of fear she feels. She was one of the few who said they believe there will be a recall vote. “The passion of the people — I think this will be success- ful,” she said. Michael Anna, visiting the state fair from Beaverton, said he didn’t like Brown’s politics and didn’t think she was good for the state. He particularly dislikes cap and trade. “It’s a big scam, and it’s not necessary,” said Anna. “And I read somewhere the only rea- son they want to do it is to say, ‘We’re the first state to do this.’ There is no man-made global warming.” In fact, Oregon’s cap and trade proposal was modeled after one that passed in Cali- fornia years ago. Sometimes, critics focused on what Brown hadn’t done. “She hasn’t done any- thing that she promised,” said Kaleb Jones, of Monmouth, who at 19 was one of the younger signers of the peti- tion that the Oregon Capital Bureau spoke to. “When she got elected the first time, she got elected because she prom- ised to help the homelessness problem, and then obviously that didn’t change at all. She didn’t do anything, and she got reelected — I don’t know how — so I guarantee you that she’s just going to do nothing again.” Keaton, the Linn County GOP chair, said Brown has a cavalier attitude, but admit- ted she as governor is only so responsible for policies the state’s 90 legislators pass. But, he said, “Brown does get the final say on a lot of this stuff.” “On the whole, I think it’s a lot easier to focus on Kate Brown ... making a single focus point of the recall effort is a lot easier than focusing out into different 15 different representative, Senate races,” Keaton said. “So I think that helps simplify the effort while at the same time focusing on someone who has been rather egregious in the operation.” Asked to elaborate, he said he couldn’t list anything spe- cific. He suggested she could be more like Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem. “He’s at least a little bit more relatable,” Keaton said. “He’s had a little more empa- thy, I guess you could say. He’s had a little better discus- sion, I would say, on the Sen- ate side of things, whereas the only stuff you ever hear from Kate Brown is, ‘We’re push- ing this agenda, we’re gonna stand up to Trump, we’re going to make everything about this Trump’s fault.’” Keaton, as a party represen- tative, is more acutely attuned to Oregon politics than many of the people signing the peti- tion, who embraced a general reputation the political right has given Brown. They’d heard she was wildly wielding her execu- tive power, but couldn’t say on what.
