Measure would limit campaign contributions in Multnomah County candidate races and require that political ads disclose their largest funders

Oregon Progressive Party Still Needs You Back (or will be dissolved in August)

We need another 70 members to return to the warm embrace of the Oregon Progressive Party.

As you know, the Oregon Progressive Party endorsed Bernie in the Oregon Primary. Over 700 members switched from Progressive to Democratic in order to vote for Bernie.

Some members have returned, but we still need 70 more to come home to the party that supports Bernie's policies and principles. Otherwise, the Oregon Progressive Party will be terminated in August under Oregon law.

You can return to the Oregon Progressive Party at Progparty.org/join
or just internet search for "Oregon register vote."

Bernie says that his supporters should get involved in politics at the state and local level. That is what the Oregon Progressive Party does. If terminated, we will no longer be able to:

• offer progressive candidates on Oregon ballots (you should think about running for office and contact us at info@progrparty.org)
   
• advance progressive causes--particularly reforming the corrupt campaign finance system and achieving a single-payer health care system
   
• For example, we are right now getting signatures on our Multnomah County Campaign Finance Reform Ballot Measure (mult.fairelection.org)
   
• testify on dozens of bills at every session of the Oregon Legislature (often alone but sometimes prevailing)
   
• endorse progressive major party candidates like Jeff Merkley

Come Home to the Progressive Party.

Thank you!

David Delk
Chair, Oregon Progressive Party
delk@progparty.org  503-232-5495

Over 450 organizations, mainly enironmental, have written Congress calling for No votes on both the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP - 12 Pacific Rim nations) and the Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP - US-European Union).  From the report:

In the epic battle between Nestlé and people around the world to protect their access to water, little Hood River County in Oregon just achieved a major and unique victory. It's a win for the public water commons and the protection of water for nature. And Oregon Progressive Party was part of this victory having supported the initiative campaign.

In addition to its earlier endorsements of Brad Avakian for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State, Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination for President, and David Schor for Mayor of Portland, the Oregon Progressive Party (OPP) has endorsed these candidates running in the May 17 primary election:

• Julian Bell in the Democratic Party primary for Governor
• Dave McTeague in Democratic Party primary for U.S. Rep District 5
• Tawna Sanchez in the Democratic Party primary for House District 43
• Walt Trandum in the Democratic Party primary for House District 52

"These candidates support policies that are consistent with the platform of the Oregon Progressive Party," said Liz Trojan, a member of the OPP State Council.

I never expected to post an Oregonian article but good news needs to be shared. Transgendered youth in Oregon today received important protections from the Oregon Dept. of Education: Oregon lays out sweeping protections for transgender students

The Oregon Progressive Party (OPP) has endorsed Bernie Sanders for the Oregon Democratic primary election to conclude on May 17.

"Bernie is clearly the most progressive candidate in the Democratic race," said Liz Trojan, a member of the OPP State Council.  "His stances on important issues are quite consistent with our platform."

Here is a summary of the Oregon Progressive Party's Platform

"Bernie is the only candidate in the Democratic Party's primary who is not dependent on big money from Wall Street, fossil fuel companies, drug companies, military contractors, and others who profit from human misery," said OPP Chair David Delk.

"Bernie has been a true progressive for decades and is actually still not a member of the Democratic Party," noted Jason Kafoury, Secretary of OPP.  "He has always been elected as non-affiliated with a political party, and Vermont has no party registration system at all."

Oregon Progressive Party members cannot vote in the Democratic primary, unless they change their registrations to Democratic.  Doing that, however, can jeopardize the continued existence of the Oregon Progressive Party, which needs to maintain a certain level of membership in order to be recognized as a political party under Oregon law.  "If you switch your registration to Democratic in order to vote for Bernie Sanders, please switch it back to "Progressive Party" after the May 17 primary," added Jason Kafoury.

Avakian Endorses IP-77 Statewide Measure for Oregon Campaign Finance Constitutional Amendment

Brad Avakian, a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for Secretary of State of Oregon, has sought and received the endorsement of the Oregon Progressive Party (OPP) in the primary election.

Avakian has endorsed IP-77, a proposed statewide ballot measure that would amend the Oregon Constitution to allow limits on campaign contributions and expenditures and mandatory “taglines” on political advertisements, identifying their major funders.

While Oregon has the same "free speech" clause as 36 other states, the Oregon Supreme Court is the only state court anywhere in America that has concluded that it somehow prevents governments from adopting limits on political contributions. Further, the Oregon Legislature's attorney ("Legislative Counsel) last year called into question whether requiring political ads to identify their funders is somehow also negated by the same "free speech" clause -- again a unique interpretation. Eight states already require political ads to list their major funders, including California and Washington.

"Among the Democratic candidates, Brad Avakian is most attuned to the value of minor parties and the competition they provide for the Democrats and Republicans," said Jason Kafoury, Secretary of the Oregon Progressive Party. "He is also the only one who has endorsed IP-77, and that is very important to us."

Oregon Progressive Party members cannot vote in the Democratic primary, unless they change their registrations to Democratic by April 26. Doing that, however, can jeopardize the continued existence of the Oregon Progressive Party, which needs to maintain a certain level of membership in order to be recognized as a political party under Oregon law. "If you switch your registration to Democratic in order to vote for Bernie Sanders, please switch it back to Progressive Party after the May 17 primary," added David Delk, Chair of OPP.

#DemocracySpring marchers protested voter suppression and big money in politics. ???? https://t.co/1y1B5aHJdo

— AJ+ (@ajplus) April 13, 2016

Counterpunch on March 1 published an article by Dan Meek on why Donald Trump will not be President. The Republican Convention can deny him the nomination, even if he enters the convention with what he thinks is a majority of the delegates. Recall that the 1968 Democratic Convention nominated a candidate who had received exactly zero votes in the primaries (Hubert Humphrey), as the police rioted outside the convention hall in Chicago.  And by the time of the convention, it will be too late for Trump to get on state ballots as a non-affiliated candidate.  If he were smart, he would start gathering the necessary signatures now.

In the debate yesterday, Marco Rubio noted the 3 lawsuits for fraud against Trump University. "TU" was a "private college" that existed for 5 years (2005-10) and enrolled about 10,000 students over that period.

What Trump did not know, however, is that Rubio has been the spokesmodel for the phony private college industry, receiving large campaign contributions (over $27,000) from executives of Corinthian College and others, and intervening with the U.S. Department of Education to stop the Department from sanctioning those private colleges. As Bloomberg News reported (April 29, 2015):

Last summer, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida asked the U.S. Department of Education to "demonstrate leniency" toward Corinthian Colleges by permitting the wealthy for-profit company to continue accessing millions of dollars in federal financial aid while it was cooperating with a federal investigation.

Ten months later, the company shuttered its remaining 28 campuses, instantly displacing some 16,000 students just days after it was fined $30 million by the Department of Education for a scheme involving "confirmed cases of misrepresentation of job placement rates" for as many as 947 students. The decision to close shop came after years of federal and state investigations into the company.

So, while Trump no doubt obtained money by selling his name to "Trump University," Rubio has been the henchman for phony private colleges.  The pot and the kettle come to mind here.

Dear Bernie,

You chose to run in the the Democratic Party primaries. You are an independent progressive and have been fighting the big money interests for decades. Because of that, get ready to be screwed.

At the highest level, the Democratic Party is run by its big contributors. It has devised a primary system designed to nominate one of its own, Hillary. Really, you have virtually no chance of getting that nomination.

Here is one reason: 30% of all delegates to the convention are "Superdelegates" not chosen by the voters. They are politicians who have succeeded in the big money, Citizens United/McCutcheon system of campaign finance. So far, 451 of the 712 Superdelegates have announced their support of Hillary. Only 19 support you. So she is getting 96% of the Superdelegates. If that continues, she will amass a total of 683 Superdelegates; you will have 29.

Hillary will then will need only 509 of the 1670 delegates chosen by voters. You will need to win 1163 of those delegates.

Hillary can secure the nomination by winning only 30% of the voter-chosen delegates. But you have to earn 70% of those delegates. In other words, you can beat Hillary in the primaries and caucuses by better than 2-1 and still lose the nomination.

"Democratic" Party, indeed.

- Ralphie Buffalo