Ridenbaugh Press

Ridenbaugh Press: "Oregon switch


Among the prominent folks switching sides in the presidential campaign this year is an Oregonian who may make some national difference.
He is - the Salem Statesman-Journal reports - Merrill �Tony� McPeak of Lake Oswego, a retired Air Force general. He was state chair in 1996 for Republican Robert Dole's campaign, and was a visible backer in 2000 of Republican George W. Bush. But this year, he's taken a national role with the campaign of Democrat John Kerry - joining his 20-member 'truth squad', calling the Bush campaign out on its allegations, and defending Kerry.
In the article, he says simply that Bush didn't live up to his aspirations, and �I�m equally distressed at his attempts to mislead the American people about John Kerry�s record.�
McPeak has been a Republican but changed his affiliation to independent. His alliance with Kerry was visible a week again, though, when he joined several other top retired military commanders on stage at the National Democratic Convention.
Northwest significance? Maybe some in closely-watched Oregon, where he could become a compelling local speaker for Kerry's side. 08/05/04 11:21 "

Ridenbaugh Press

Ridenbaugh Press: "With just a couple of months yet to go until election day 2004, there's a lot of interest in central Idaho political circles in election day ... 2006.
2004 being, of course, of scant interest, a handful of state legislative and county races aside. Everything of large scale on the ballot in Idaho this year - governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House - is a foregone conclusion in the Gem State.
Even the candidates seem to understand that. With that in mind, note a fascinating invitation to a reception-type event to be conducted in a couple of weeks on behalf of Republican Representative C.L. 'Butch' Otter.
Otter's campaign this year has been low key, but that's no criticism: Wastage of money or effort is never a virtue. Not that Otter or his political people have been inactive. This campaign event upcoming, to be held in Boise, is a good case in point. It was carefully and thoughtfully put together, and it may yield measurable dividends, the more so in that it is just one of a series.
Key people expected to be present include the House Republican leadership, half of which comes from outside the 1st Congressional District Otter represents. There is also an intriguing additional list of invitees - non-incumbent Republican legislative candidates running in relatively challenging districts (such as Bannock County and parts of Boise and the Moscow area). Some of them are in the 1st CD; some are not.
But don't imagine this has anything, realistically, to do with Otter's campaign for re-election to Congress. What everyone political in Idaho knows is that Otter is positioning himself for a run for governor in 2006, and this series of events looks like a very smart organzing tool for that run. After these campaign events Otter could wind up with an additional network of support around the state.
As all this indicates, Topic A in Idaho politics these"