The Oregon media loves Republocrats

The Hue and Cry blog points to a post on The Enigmatic Paradox which takes on the press over it's feckless fawning over elite politicians, in this case of President Bush and his cowboy diplomacy. That made me think of the recent Gubernatorial "debate" hosted by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association.

The "debate" was an invitation only affair. Invited were Democrat Ted Kulongoski and Republican Ron Saxton. When third party candidates complained about being excluded, the response was,

"This is a private organization holding a meeting and inviting two people to come and talk to them," said Leroy Yorgason, from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association.

...

"We'd rather ask more probing questions of two candidates who represent the major parties and find out what they think," he said.

There you have it. This media association is more interested in giving the Republocrats a platform then they are in providing objective information on the choices facing Oregonians, not unlike how the national media steadfastly refuses to investigate and inform us about the consequences of cowboy diplomacy rather than fawn over the president for seemingly haven forsaken that tact.

Predictably, those who want the Oregon Governor's race to be a two-party affair seem pleased with the outcome.

Meanwhile the one third-party candidate who poses the greatest threat to the Republocrats, Independent Ben Westlund, has surpassed the new, higher signiture requirements (imposed by last year's Republocrat legislature) for getting his name on the ballot. His hometown newspaper The Bend Bulletin has all the juicy details. Which reminds me... I heard on the radio Friday that Bend Oregon is the sixth fastest growing metropolitan area in the nation. It is currently the fourth largest metro area in Oregon and projected to be the second largest in just a few years.