May 2, 2008 - 12:21pm
Macpherson takes flack for his ad
By Lauren Lafaro
State Rep. Greg MacphersonWhen Rep. Greg Macpherson released his first ad earlier this week, he probably did not expect that negative responses would come not only from his opponent John Kroger’s camp, but also from groups he claimed to have helped.
The basic theme—that attorney general candidate Kroger has done nothing for Oregon—is not a new one in this race. Macpherson, whose family roots in the state’s politics run deep, has hammered on Kroger for not having a history in Oregon.
In the ad, Macpherson says that Kroger’s record in the state is “open space,” which led Kroger to respond that he is proud of his past, of the work he has done as a Marine, as a federal prosecutor, and a public policy advisor.
The ad splices footage from the Portland City Club debate in order to indicate that Kroger had no response when queried about his record on protecting Oregon. In fact, in the debate, the candidate responded with a laundry list of past accomplishments.
But what about Macpherson’s accomplishments? He says in the ad that he protected Oregon’s families from internet sex predators and that he passed Measure 49, two claims which have met with resistance over the past week.
After seeing the ad, Crime Victims United told The Oregonian that Macpherson used “his position as chairman in 2007 to block six anti-predator bills, including one that would have made it illegal for the state to provide Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs to convicted sex predators.”
Macpherson was a co-author of Measure 49, but Kroger’s campaign notes that
“the effort to pass Measure 49 this fall involved over 11,000 volunteers and 4000 donors. Organizations like 1000 Friends of Oregon, Environment Oregon and the Nature Conservancy spent countless hours of staff and member time.”
Kroger is not the only objector to the statement; over at BlueOregon, former Measure 49 volunteers have started a petition asking Macpherson to revise his remarks.
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Macpherson deserves credit
Kroger's campaign is being run by Measure 49's field director Ben Unger, so take any supposed "49 volunteer petition" attacking Macpherson with a giant grain of salt. This is just Unger doing his job trying to drum up opposition to Macpherson.
If Macpherson hadn't taken leadership, Measure 49 would probably not have made it on the ballot, so I'm fine with Macpherson's ad saying he "passed" it.
This may be hard to believe,
This may be hard to believe, but there are alot of people I worked on 49 with who felt atleast alittle snubbed by Macphersons claim of "passing 49" Yes Ben Unger is the Kroger Campaign Manager but that doesnt discount everyone who worked hard to get 49 passed by the VOTERS. Yes Macpherson was key to it passing, but he was no where near alone.
hypocrisy
It just does not seem right that gmac is taking money from timber companies, but then overstating his role in Measure 49. P.S. it turns off some voters when you start with an attack ad, if a lot of people don't know either candidate too well. Lots of people have been asking me about the race and why gmac seems so angry.
Fan of Macpherson
As a volunteer on the Measure 49 campaign, I had the opportunity to hear Macpherson speak several times. He is a very smart individual who did us all a favor. Cut the guy some slack.
He's got my vote.
what petition?!
over at BlueOregon, former Measure 49 volunteers have started a petition asking Macpherson to revise his remarks.
What are you talking about? There's no mention of a petition anywhere on that thread.
[Full disclosure: My firm built Greg Macpherson's website - and the website for Yes on 49 - but I speak only for myself.]
Did this site go through time?
It looks like a petition in the comment thread as of Sunday afternoon. However, that does not explain how Politicker knew about it before it went up - or why they would write about it so early.
Slime
As an elected delegate, I was present for the endorsement caucuses at the OEA-PIE convention in Salem several weeks ago. Macpherson had long enjoyed our endorsement. This year, however, we dropped him like a hot rock and whole-heartedly endorsed John Kroger. Why? First and foremost, there certainly aren't many of us teachers who have forgotten how Mac failed to support us with PERS (and has the audacity to brag about his role in "saving PERS"). Secondly, John Kroger is a much more eloquent speaker. Mac was uninspired-- and uninspiring, and seemed to take our endorsement for granted. His arrogance and aura of entitlement were off-putting.
Next, we are well aware that he talks a great game about the environmental and anti-meth laws he claims to have put into place. What he hasn't done is anything to see that they are enforced. There isn't a shred of evidence to suggest he would do so as Attorney General either. Finally, John Kroger is simply more experience and obviously better educated and more intelligent.
On a personal level, I see MacPherson as a crony-driven, provincial politician who lacks any sort of wider experience. He has no courtroom experience wnd somehow thinks he's qualified to be Attorney General. He claims in his slimy, disgusting ad that Kroger has nothing to offer Oregon. He must have been looking at his own resume when he came up with that idea!
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