« Two Sides to the Debate on SB 400 | Main | Fur Defender Says Animal Pain Doesn't Matter »

March 23, 2007

Sizemore to Challenge Gordon Smith?

Ted Piccolo is speculating this morning that Bill Sizemore is considering taking on Gordon Smith. Be careful pushing your eyeballs back into your skull; mine got a little scratched up when I did it. Anyway, yes, it seems he's floating the idea out there, and as I think about, it doesn't seem as far-fetched as one might think - and it may even be a good thing.

Smith is vulnerable among the right wing of the party for a number of reasons. He's been wishy-washy in his support for the war and he's been wishy-washy on Social Security "reform." Sizemore supports the war and is all for privatization of Social Security – which also happens to be one of Dick Wendt's pet issues. And as we all know now, Dick Wendt is Sizemore's sugar daddy.

Dick Wendt could also be very helpful with generating the big bucks Sizemore would need to take on Smith. He has a history of giving large amounts of money to Sizemore and, surprisingly, not so much to Smith. In fact, though the Wendt family gave Smith several meager contributions up until 2004, they don't seem to have given him anything since. As I've tried to find information this morning, I've had to conclude that the Wendts have never been particularly enthusiastic about Smith. But they love Sizemore.

Ted points out a couple of other advantages that Sizemore might bring to the table:

However there is a major hurdle to any Republican that might want to challenge Sen. Smith. First and foremost is money. Smith has a couple of million dollars on hand and any challenger would need a couple of million dollars just to gain the requisite name ID. However a challenger with high name ID and conservative street cred may (I say may) be able to jump that hurdle somewhat.

Secondly anyone within the Republican establishment would really be frowned upon for taking on a sitting Republican. Just remember what happened to Larry George when he took on then sitting state Sen. Charles Starr. So any challenger would probably have to come from outside the establishment.

And if I may be so bold as to say it, Sizemore is an evangelical Christian, while Smith is a Mormon. If you think that won't matter, you're head is in the sand.

If the thought of Bill Sizemore representing Oregon in Washington, DC is too much for you to stomach, let me cheer you up a bit. It won't ever happen. Sizemore might very well have a chance to win a Republican primary because the right wing candidates tend to do that. Remember that Sizemore managed to win a gubernatorial primary despite a lot of public misgivings about his character. And he's in the position to overcome character concerns now. His skeletons are already out of the closet and the mush-head right-wingers believe he's been vindicated. That means he will be free to campaign on the issues, and Sizemore knows how to talk on the issues that right wingers care about. But the majority of Oregonians won't buy his crap. Getting rid of Gordon Smith could very well depend a Sizemore candidacy for that very reason. It may be the only way to knock Smith out in the primary so that a Democrat can win his seat in the Fall.

Posted by Becky at March 23, 2007 09:07 AM