Oregonian columnist puts heat on Gov. Kotek, AG Rayfield

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Legacy columnist Steve Duin of The Oregonian, issued a very potent article that set tough questions to Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, Attorney General Dan Rayfield, and the Oregon Democratic Party Leadership.

The article is “Will Oregon Democrats embrace power or run from it?” (Sunday Oregonian 1/25/25) and here is a highlight quote;

“Do Oregon Democrats have the skills or fresh ideas to convince a voting majority in this country that a Democrat-dominated state is preferable to a Trump-controlled nation? At the moment, a collision with the new administration would seem imminent… Kotek and Rayfield must also deal with the painful reality that this country’s immigration and asylum systems are badly in need of repair. Quite a few moderates, Trump’s November victory reminds us, are equally frustrated with the chaos at our borders.I’ve never forgotten a 2017 conversation with Jose Garcia, then the head of the Hispanic Advisory Committee in Hermiston.Garcia, who grew up in Yakima and moved to Hermiston in 1989, was no fan of Trump’s racist rhetoric. He also couldn’t recall much immigration reform during Barack Obama’s eight years in the White House.“When I talk to people who’ve been in the United States illegally for 20 or 30 years,” Garcia told me at the time, “they understand what (Trump) is doing. ‘You know what, Jose? We understand the laws. That’s why we came here.’ Now that they’ve been here for 30 years, they want a chance to stay here. There have to be some exceptions. They worked hard all their life. They have kids who were born here. They served in the military. They are part of the economy.”Maybe that should be the rallying cry of Oregon’s political leadership. Instead of rationalizing the laws that should be ignored, can Democrats inspire a conversation about the laws that must be changed?”

Oregon Catalyst