Political Desk

By DAVID BATES
Of the News-Register

NEWBERG - Less than 25 percent of Americans approve of the Bush presidency and more than 80 percent think the United States is on the wrong track. But you wouldn’t know it from Tuesday’s Republican Revival bash in Newberg.

Intended to inject some energy into Yamhill County’s Republican Party in preparation for the 2008 election, the evening event at George Fox University seemed to accomplished that goal.

More than 100 turned out, many of them candidates themselves, and the crowd enjoyed pep talks from some prominent Oregon conservatives.

Framed at the podium by life-sized cardboard replicas of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, they pledged that victories will be at hand come November, if candidates do a better job at associating themselves with causes popular with voters.

“Guess what,” said Portland talk radio host Rob Kremer. “People in Oregon agree with our principles. When they actually have to cast a vote on one of our principles, we win.”

He cited a number of conservative ballot measures that have passed muster over the years with Oregonians, notably Measure 37, which voters approved statewide three years ago to ease state land-use restrictions.

“How many people in Oregon connect Measure 37, protecting people’s property rights, which was a 60-percent winner statewide, with Republican principles?” he asked. “I’d guess they really don’t. They look at the issue, and say, ‘Yeah, that makes good, logical common sense to me that we should do this,’ and they vote yes on Measure 37.”

“Time and again, people in Oregon have proven they like Republican principles,” Kremer said. “They like what we stand for.

“They happen to like our candidates a little less. And that is our challenge.”
Matt Wingard, a state legislative candidate in House District 26, echoed that theme - the notion that, given time and broader awareness, voters gravitate to conservative principles.

He pointed to three recently prominent conservatives who recently died - commentator William F. Buckley, economist Milton Friedman and former NRA chief Charlton Heston - as Republicans who are regarded favorably in hindsight, even in some “liberal” publications.

Buckley, the wealthy founder of National Review magazine, was “the Ann Coulter of his time,” Wingard said. In hindsight, he blazed the way for Rush Limbaugh and FOX News, the candidate said.

“Each of these men made their mark and spoke out at a time when they were in the minority,” he said.

Wingard characterized Oregon as home to “enclaves of socialism” where Republicans are likely to face disproportionately liberal newcomers drawn here precisely by the things many conservatives can’t stand - land-use, light rail and “green utopia” sensibilities that are “filtering into state policy.”
Even so, Kremer said he’s optimistic about November.

Although Democrats have adopted “36″ as their battle cry - that’s the number they need in the Oregon House to render Republicans basically irrelevant - Kremer predicted the GOP may pick up a few seats it’s not expected to. He said a 30-30 split is not totally out of reach.

He also predicted Kevin Mannix will triumph in the 5th Congressional District, where Democrat Darlene Hooley is calling it quits.

“I believe we’re going to have one of the few Republican pickups in the nation in the House of Representatives in the U.S. Congress,” he said. “Now that’s a big deal, and those types of things start to build momentum for a party.”

Given that party functions ordinarily might be lucky to draw a dozen or so volunteers, organizers were thrilled with attendance. Dundee’s Neil Cohen, a former county party chairman, suggested that’s a sign of things to come.
“These will continue to get bigger,” he said.