Merkley camp: ‘Smith insists on holding his finger to the wind to see which way the electorate blows’

A spokesman for U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Merkley (D-Portland) said Friday that U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) needs to redirect his frustration at Merkley’s recent ads toward his own policies that allowed for the deregulation of Wall Street.

Merkley spokesman Matt Canter was responding to Smith’s earlier charges that Merkley was being irresponsible by running campaign ads saying Smith supported a $700 billion government bailout package for Wall Street firms. Smith has not come out for or against the proposal.

“Days after the Bush Administration submitted a 3 page proposal, Senator Smith still could not take a position,” Canter said. “Smith has a track record of handing out blank checks to George Bush.  Smith did it on the Iraq war and has shown a willingness to do it again now.”

Canter also said Smith was simply waiting to come out with the position that seemed to be the most politically popular.

“He insists on holding his finger to the wind to see which way the electorate blows,” Canter said.

Earlier in the day, Smith held a press conference with reporters via phone from Washington, D.C. denouncing Merkley for running campaign commercials saying Smith supported the $700 billion bailout plan supported by President Bush.

“Mr. Merkley has decided to prejudge the outcome and say I am for a trillion dollar check to Wall Street,” Smith said. “I am not.”