My Southern husband's impressions of a critical election in my home state (where we've now lived for five years). - Robert (RBHSOregon)
"I spent most of my life in the south and watched the political landscape go from annoying to just all out crazy. After having lived in Georgia, I have had to endure, justifiably so, the caustic comments because of the "Crazy" that the state produced. Newt Gingrich: enormous hypocrite who preached family values while leaving his cancer ridden wife for a younger woman; Zell Miller: who appeared at the Republican National Convention and prepared himself for a duel — yikes; and Saxby Chambliss whose office sent out the email, "All Faggots Must Die," for which it took him over a week to offer a milquetoast apology. Yes, these are just a few of the good ol' boys governing the state of Georgia.
"Finally, in 2005, my husband, a native Oregonian, and I decided to leave the south for Oregon. Honestly, I did not want to leave Georgia and had no idea what Oregon would be like. Robert assured me that Oregon was a beautiful place where politics still made sense and that a sense of fair play still pervaded. He assured me that regardless of being Republican or Democrat, people in Oregon voted for the best candidate. I desperately wanted to believe him.
"For the first four months, we lived with my in-laws in Albany, Oregon. While Albany is exponentially smaller than Atlanta, I have to say I found it charming and hospitable. Most remarkably, I learned that our Republican state senator, Frank Morse, was pro-gay and pro-choice (Well, I’m not in Kansas anymore). Could this be true? This was definitely not the south! We actually met Senator Morse and his wife at our favorite restaurant in Corvallis. They were both so gracious and kind; I thought to myself, well I could vote Republican.
"Living in the state of Oregon has made me completely rethink what politics should look like and how it should be. I have often used Oregon as the model for intelligent politics, with great relief to be away from the now fascist south.
"That is why I am so sad that Chris Dudley would even have a chance at being the next governor. What happened? We moved away from the south to escape the craziness of people like Dudley. He is anti-choice, he is against equal rights for the LGBTQ community. Like his comrade in arms, Sarah Palin, he is unable to articulate a plan for the state and refused to engage Gov. Kitzhaber in meaningful debates. He did not pay taxes to the state of Oregon and it is obvious he is in the pocket of corporate America. This is not the Oregon I thought I moved to and honestly expected better."
--Michael Hulshof-Schmidt, The Solipsistic Me