A week ago, I wrote about a 13-page detailed plan, called The Oregon Compact, that Hillary prepared specifically for the state of Oregon. In my original diary, I said:
As the old adage goes, "Fail to plan, plan to fail."I encourage fellow Democrats to start expecting more from our politicians. Don't fall prey to petty bickering and small thinking. Instead, insist that your candidates back their rhetoric with real, substantive plans.
I am proud of Hillary for putting pen to paper and giving people specific, substantive policy points - let's have a debate about real issues and not just petty politics. I was sure the Obama campaign would appreciate this, but here was their initial response:
Sen. Obama looks forward to spreading his message of change to the voters of Oregon. We will review and consider the best ways to do that.
It didn't sound very promising. But a week has passed and, true to their word, the Obama campaign has prepared a document titled "BARACK OBAMA: CHANGE OREGON CAN BELIEVE IN." So how do the plans stack up?
About energy, Barack tells Oregon that he will "Require 25 Percent of Electricity to Come from Renewable Sources by 2025." And that's great. Except that Oregon already passed that standard into law, on their own, back in 2007. I mention this to illustrate the way in which this document is out-of-touch with its audience.
By contrast, Hillary gets it right, pointing out that:
the Bush Administration has tried to stop states like Oregon from taking action to address this pressing problem. Against this headwind, Oregon has made progress, joining with its neighbors to develop a plan to reduce greenhouse gases, and setting a 25% renewable electricity target. Where President Bush has attacked and stymied Oregon's efforts, Senator Clinton will partner with Oregon and protect Oregon's right to lead the way in reducing greenhouse gases. And where President Bush refused to take action at the federal level, Senator Clinton will implement a bold plan to attack the growing climate crisis.
Does that seem like nitpicking? Stick with me.
About siting rights, Barack says that he:
supports the right of states like Oregon to veto the siting and construction of onshore Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities in their states. Obama believes that any LNG terminals must include strong environmental and safety reviews, a process that is critical for the proposed LNG facilities in Oregon. Obama supports legislation championed by Senator Ron Wyden to preserve Oregon's siting authority and will sign it into law as president.
And that's great, too. There's just one thing he forgot to mention. The only reason this is even an issue for Oregon to begin with is because the Bush-Cheney Energy Bill stripped States' of their voice in the siting process. That's the bill that Barack Obama voted for, while Hillary voted against it. What a sham.
About wilderness preservation, Barack says that he will:
work with Oregon's congressional delegation to conserve more forest land as federally protected wilderness and as Wild and Scenic Rivers.
Just to give you an idea of how much more substantive Hillary is:
If Congress has not acted on pending wilderness legislation creating wilderness in Mt. Hood, Copper Salmon, and Soda Mountain, Hillary will insist that they complete that task. Then, she will ask the Oregon delegation and the federal agencies to establish Oregon Wilderness Parity by following Governor Kulongoski's recommendations and considering additional wilderness areas and Wild and Scenic Rivers in the rest of Oregon's Cascade Range, as well as the Blue Mountains of Northeast Oregon, the Oregon Coast Range in northwestern Oregon, the Klamath and Siskiyou Mountains of southwest Oregon, and the Oregon desert of Southeast Oregon where, in particular, the Badlands and Spring Basin in central Oregon appear deserving of wilderness consideration.
Sounds like someone did her homework.
About caring for our Veterans, here's what Obama had to say:
As president, Obama will ensure we honor the sacred trust to care for Pennsylvania's 1.1 million Veterans.
Huh? Folks, it's nothing but a copy-and-paste hack job. We did learn something, though: Barack cannot stop thinking about Pennsylvania.
Here is the competent version, courtesy of Hillary:
Oregon's National Guard has contributed significantly to our nation's actions in Iraq and Afghanistan with 7,000 individual mobilizations. More than 3,500 Oregon Guard members are scheduled to go to Iraq in 2009. In addition, Oregon has 359,000 veterans within its borders, which is higher than the national average. Yet unlike many states with this level of military involvement, Oregon has no active duty bases, which routinely provide health care for military families. This means Oregon's veterans, Guard members, reservists and their families have limited access to the health care they deserve, making reliable health care through TRICARE even more critical in Oregon than in most states.
I think there's a reason Hillary is a bit more handy with details on this one. Did you know that in 2005, she got to work with Sen. Lindsey Graham, and the two of them expanded TRICARE? Through their joint efforts, the program was expanded to include all reservists, even those not currently on active duty. That's real experience with reaching across the aisle to get something good done.
Now, I saved the best for last, and it's a whopper. Speaking about the need to "Clean up our Water", Barack made this solemn pledge to the people of Oregon:
[H]e will continue his leadership in protecting national treasures like the Great Lakes from threats such as industrial pollution, water diversion, and invasive species.
Oregon to Barack: the Great Lakes are not in Oregon!
"When your Oregon plan is an afterthought, it's easy to make 1,700 mile mistakes," said Julie Edwards, Oregon Communications Director. "I hope that if Senator Obama comes to Oregon to debate, he finally learns a little bit about our state."
Ouch.
So there you have it. Sen. Obama is always urging us to have a serious discussion about the issues. And Hillary Clinton put her money where his mouth is. Here was an excellent opportunity for our two candidates to engage in substance. Instead, Barack's campaign presented a hastily constructed copy-and-paste job, with little or no thought given to the specific issues on the minds of Oregon voters. Change they can believe in? Hardly.
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