I look forward to meeting with Progressives regarding my request to be nominated by the Party to run for the US Senate.

I find it abusrd that the Federal government can increase military spend from $300 billion under Clinton to $1 trillion in "Total Police State".

I share your views on "Single payer health care through insurance exchanges, coops and across statelines.

I dont believe in limiting off shore drilling.

I look forward to meeting you tonight. If you get the chance, please check out my campaign website.

Here are a couple of items that have not been posted to it as of yet:

http://theuptake.org/2010/07/23/us-senate-candidate-rick-staggenborg-at-...

http://peterbcollins.com/2010/08/17/oregon-progressive-senate-candidate-...

I'm disappointed that the Peace aka Progressive Party and the Greens cannot unify into one effort. It's hard to tell any difference between your two parties and neither seems especially energized. The split reminds me of the competing revolutionary groups in Monty Python's The Life of Brian. From an outside perspective it looks like ego, not strategy.

I don't regret my votes for Nader, nor my vote in 2008 for Cynthia McKinney (who was the most courageous member of Congress -- the D's and R's worked together to throw her out). But it's hard to see a rational reason not to support Jerry Wilson for Governor over the corporatist Kitzhaber and Dudley. Kitzhaber got rid of the stumpage taxes on big timber's clearcuts in 1999. I guess I'll have to write in "none of the above" and hope that the Third Parties decide to focus outward for the next election.

I'm not disappointed in Obama - I expected more wars, more highways, more "clean coal" and "safe nukes," more greenwashing, more corporate welfare. I am disappointed in the "progressives" aka "liberals."

A suggestion: I wouldn't put "Environment Oregon," "Sierra Club" or "OSPIRG" on your list of recommended groups in your links. None dare take stronger positions than the Democrats in Salem, since they'd lose foundation funding if they advocated for ecology instead of light green idea.s None of them have said "stop clearcutting and herbiciding" the corporate timberlands (where most of the logging in Oregon is happening). Logging levels have dropped because the real estate bubble burst, not because of "progressive" environmentalists, just like oil consumption dropped in the US in the past two years because people who are unemployed or worried about becoming unemployed use less energy. The Democrats are also pushing almost $20 billion in expansion to the State Highway network and there do not seem to be any "progressive environmental" groups that mention this -- Environment Oregon even took part in Kulongowski's "Transportation Vision Committee" in 2008 that recommended these roads. Meanwhile, we are passing global Peak Oil and the "alternatives" are only going to provide a fraction of the energy we currently consume. I've used solar electricity for twenty years, it's great, but it will not be replacing all of the coal, oil, natural gas and minerals we are using up. The laws of physics are not subject to politics, even "progressive politics."

I hope some in the "Progressive Party" will put at least some energy into community efforts to figure out how we are going to provide basic needs as the cheap energy evaporates. If people don't have food, shelter and medical care, interest in politics is going to seem like a distraction. Most of the "environmental" groups spend more energy on lobbying politicians than teaching neighborhoods how to tear up lawns to grow food.

Mark Robinowitz
speaking solely for myself

about the Oregon Progressive Party not uniting with the Pacific Greens. Your platforms are nearly identical yet the PGP is part of a national and international (Global Greens) party. I think the Oregon Progressive Party should disband and have its members join the Greens.

The Progressive Party and the Pacific Green Party do join forces on various matters, including cross-nominating the same candidates for U.S. Representative in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Districts of Oregon. We also assist each other on administrative tasks, such as dealing with the Secretary of State and voter files.

But we disagree on some matters. For example, we wanted to (and did) nominate Ralph Nader for President in 2008, but the Pacific Green Party did not. We nominated Rick Staggenborg for U.S. Senate this year, while the PGP chose not to.

As you note, the PGP is part of the national and international Greens. The Progressive Party of Oregon is not connected to or governed by any persons or group outside of Oregon. We see no benefit to such an association and choose to avoid the time required to manage it.

So, while the Greens are highly admirable, we are not the Greens.