opinion

Last week, the Oregonian reported that Democratic voter registration has surged in 2008. As of April 25th, there are 826,176 Democratic voters in Oregon -- nearly 70,000 more than at the end of 2007.

One story that has largely been missed, however, is the growth of the Independent Party of Oregon.

Today, the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released the most complete list of Political Action Committees (PACs) started by or for House members available. These are often referred to as “leadership PACs” and are not the same as a candidate's political campaign committee, as they are far more secretive about where the money goes. There are 432 House members, and 232 have PACs, including 3 from Oregon

As the race for Oregon's Democratic nomination for US Senate winds down, several things are becoming clear:

First, the Democratic nominee, whomever he or she is, is likely to be outspent by a wide margin in the General Election.

John McCain just wrapped up his "biography" tour. Now the unofficial biographies are coming out as well. The media reports McCain's schoolboy nicknames were "Punk" and "McNasty."A new book, The Real McCain,

A Pew Research Center poll released last week found only 28% of the American public approves of President George W. Bush–a new low in the polling done by this respected source. In an informal survey of 109 professional historians History News Network reports that 98.2% rated the Bush presidency a “failure” while 1.8% classified it as a “success.”

by Kent Harrop

Recently Sen. Barack Obama gave a speech offering a sweeping assessment of race in America. The catalyst, were sermon excerpts of his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Rev. Wright is a nationally recognized preacher in the United Church of Christ. Rooted in the African American tradition, Rev. Wright leans heavily upon the prophetic tradition of the Hebrew prophets and of Jesus.

by Michael Moore