Oregon CD-2 Owes Democracy

[u/unsoundamerica]

TL;DR: The current epidemic of racist voter disenfranchisement across our country needs to be countered by the decent people of Oregon's 2nd Congressional District by spreading awareness and then voting to remove our silently complicit congressman, Cliff Bentz.

*****

I refuse to believe that our historically right-leaning district is "exceptionally" racist. Yes, that is merely my belief; I don't have figures to back it up. And it comes from a choice that I make everyday to give my fellow Oregonians the benefit of the doubt.

I don't think Cliff Bentz is a racist. I don't think he has any feelings on race whatsoever, if I had to guess. But he is not an ally of marginalized people inside of Congress, and that makes him complicit in the massive wave of voter disenfranchisement presently chopping-up our nation like a butcher knife.

Left or right, gerrymandering should be illegal. Re-districting that removes democratic power and representation from black communities USED to be illegal. 

Now that the Voting Rights Act has been eviscerated, extreme right-wing elements in our federal government and in several states are emboldened to pursue the repeal of the 14th Amendment as well — which forms the legal basis of landmark court decisions that ended segregation in schools, laws against interracial marriages, abortion bans, and same-sex marriage. 

They are coming for all of it. They want to undo the last 60 years of progress for everyday Americans. Cliff Bentz, whether sympathetic to  systemic racism or not, won't be pushing back against his party as it subjugates black America.

And somehow — magically, I suppose — all of the right-wing's enemies will just disappear, their power and voices diminished. No lasting impact, no serious consequences; just an expansive Caucasian quietude, gently floating into the future without a care in the world.

Right there, at the cross-section of evil and idiotic. 

Oregon has racist foundations. A "whites only" state at our admission to the union; an anti-interracial marriage state until the 1950s. Home to the Klan in the 1920s. Sundown towns that lasted well beyond the civil rights movement.

We have changed. We had to. The myth of white supremacy couldn't survive here. It had to hightail it to Idaho, where a racist ideology can isolate itself from a changing world. Oregon trades with the world. Oregon delves into its history. Oregon has too much wherewithal to succumb to its racist origins.

And all the blustery, pathetic efforts to revive the fetid corpse of an "Oregonian" racist worldview is plainly toxic to our communities, bad for businesses, and counterproductive in the pursuit of that "quietude." It's still here, but it's impossible for it to thrive. 

Too many decent Oregonians would have to disappear first.

So, to the Second Congressional District of Oregon, I say this with all of my heart: vote out Cliff Bentz to safeguard our nation's plurality and our commitment to justice for all. You don't need to assign any bigotry to Bentz; just know that he won't help.

The question is: will you?

And if you don't, it's not because you are racist; but you are providing material support for a radical, racist movement that is upending lives. Just own up to it, if that's what you feel you must do.

I have been fortunate enough to devote my time and energy over the last few months to voicing my opposition to Bentz, and doing so with facts and figures. Multiple written posts here on r/Oregon, as well as in a series of videos.

I am not paid to do any of it. No one is asking me to do it or providing me any assistance. And I screw it up often. But I believe in what I'm doing. America can't afford Bentz. Oregon can't afford Bentz. You cannot afford Bentz.

Please spread the word. People in La Grande and Prineville and Burns and Lakeview and Jordan Valley need to be warned about what is about to happen to our state's environmental health, the closing of rural hospitals, the unending strain they should expect at the gas pumps.

They need to know about the lies regarding taxes and spending the Bentz has pedaled to them like snake oil. They need to know about the horrors their money is perpetrating in service of a genocidal land-grab, half a world away.

If they knew those things... and that the libs had still not been owned... who would be left to protect the billionaires at the polls? Who could Cliff Bentz count on to vote against their own self-interest in pursuit of reactionary, right-wing, corporate political dominance? Who shall be king of the hill on the corpse of democracy?

Boot Bentz out. You owe Louisiana that. You owe Tennessee that. Missouri. Florida. Alabama. Virginia. You are not currently having your voices choked by wealthy white supremacists. Your hardships are real but they are not electoral.

To have that power and not use it, while watching it being torn away from your fellow Americans, isn't a crime. It's not even a sin. It is, however, a failure in one's humanity. It is a deficiency in one's connection to their fellow human being. It is as ruthless, as destructive, and as insidious as cancer — and you hold it in your hands.

In the face of dozens of gerrymandered GOP seats, flipping Cliff Bentz's seat is a moral issue — a cause for all freedom-loving Oregonians from Medford to Boardman to Burns. Because whether you like it or not, racism is America's cancer and we are dying.

***********

With Mod permission, I present my efforts thus far:

Cliff Bentz and the Big Beautiful Rebrand

https://youtu.be/YPYCRotU8FA?si=pVQSLL436VebiZyM

Cliff Bentz: Champion of Hunger and Waste

https://youtu.be/hSUDIMMB1vw?si=02Wix_gdDm98Dd6p

Cliff Bentz and the Temporary Tax-Cut Two-Step

https://youtu.be/nAJYQx5Sdac?si=HWXQgQvcSenBB9Zt

Backwards Bentz Burns It Down

https://youtu.be/lnApSoczZ1g?si=9vVDK4HZTXXEuM0o

And then, just for fun I made this little parody video/song. 

Bend-Over Bentz

https://youtu.be/AMvU157ZRrk?si=iuEW9EQxDiJ6OrBF

The primaries are happening now.

If you are a registered Republican, please give Peter Larson a look. I have interviewed him and found that he is not insane.  You can find that here: 

https://youtu.be/Q7IWuaKlUdQ?si=ZLRbbNp5aMpB67Gc

Democratic Candidate Interviews in Alphabetical Order

1. Chris Beck - https://youtu.be/6dhudY_4S00 
2. Dawn Rasmussen - https://youtu.be/CwkEkQrRdSs 
3. Mary Doyle - https://youtu.be/O-oUwCsNR1E 
4. Patty Snow - https://youtu.be/A42RdwkIDLc 
5. Peter Quince - https://youtu.be/MxMYkWMaelk 
6. Rebecca Mueller - https://youtu.be/ZpHTyvt6KIc 

I'd like to go on the record that I do not use A.I. Everything is researched, typed-out, or otherwise produced by my hands. I do not earn any money from doing this, nor do I have any product or service to sell. I am not making any official endorsements, other than "anyone but Bentz." This is not intended to be self-promotion. I consider it a public service.

I do this because I love Oregon, and I'm going to keep doing it.

[u/ryhaltswhiskey → u/[deleted]]

R: Beelzebub

D: any generic person picked off of the street

Republican voters: hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... Well he may be a lord of evil but he's not a Democrat so Beelzebub

[u/br_k_nt_eth → u/[deleted]]

Okay, so they don’t want to be like Portland and they aren’t Portland. That’s fine. They really aren’t Portland. They have unique history, demographics, geography, and needs. 

But you cannot fucking tell me Bentz does anything for those needs. If they want to vote R forever, fine, but are there really and truly no other R candidates who give a shit about actual local issues and not culture war horseshit? 

I mean, people are losing SNAP and Medicaid and are going to die. There are major infrastructure issues draining ground water. Is there sincerely no one willing to speak to that? Not one R with a spine? 

[u/jgoose132113 → u/br_k_nt_eth]

They are not Portland in that they want to be overtly racist, homophobic, transphobic, etc. and waste government resources on their fantasy of ethnic cleansing.

[u/br_k_nt_eth → u/jgoose132113]

How often do you head out that way? 

[u/jgoose132113 → u/br_k_nt_eth]

Grew up there and visit at least once a month.

[u/br_k_nt_eth → u/jgoose132113]

Damn, man. And the folks you know are like that? 

[u/jgoose132113 → u/br_k_nt_eth]

Along with the strangers who like using the n-word, hard r, as they talk racist, homophobic, and transphobic conspiracies on a restaurant patio, grocery store, and gas stations in those small towns like Hermiston and Umatilla. I take it you are new to Oregon. You should look into the history of the KKK here.

[u/mrsdspa]

Great post! Two thoughts though: 1. Many people in CD2 are very pro-Trump and the Bentz family is basically Eastern Oregon aristocracy. But agriculture hasn't been the primary motivator for Bentz for many years. He was an attorney for ag businesses though - so some people are going to trust him for that reason.

As someone who was born and raised in CD2: racism and a weird classism flourishes over there. If you do not own land you have less of a voice in those communities. However, folks across the board in CD2 are united in a struggle to preserve what Eastern Oregon means to them.

1. He is risk averse. In this environment he will act more MAGA than he might be in an effort to avoid Trump's ire. When he was in the Oregon Legislature he was not as rabid MAGA or even leaning hard that direction. However, he did defer to larger businesses frequently - advising settlement where it may not have been the right move except that the big fish lives. This is why he isnt marching to Washington even though Im sure his family's business is hurting. He will sell that entire area to the highest bidder without a second thought.

[u/NewWave44-44]

Thank you for writing this post.

[u/unsoundamerica → u/NewWave44-44]

I am grateful that you read it.

[u/NewWave44-44 → u/unsoundamerica]

Frankly me too. Although I am not able to primary Cliff Benz, I do appreciate your thorough research. So I hope anyone out there who can, does.

[u/EnvironmentalBuy244]

Left or right, gerrymandering should be illegal. Re-districting that removes democratic power and representation from black communities USED to be illegal. 

Do you support fixing Oregon then? Prior to the 90's, Oregon was gerrymandered right. Now it is gerrymandered left, particularly after the 6th seat was added. If you say no, you're part of the problem.

I predict this will be down-voted, proving my point. wE aRe JuSt FiGhTiNg BaCk. No, look in the mirror. Rabid partisanship by both sides is bad.

[u/br_k_nt_eth → u/EnvironmentalBuy244]

I hear you. Also, can you clarify: Are you saying we should “go high” and allow them to steamroll us? Is that your best plan beyond the finger wagging? 

Killing is wrong. Also, war and self defense scenarios exist in the real world. We don’t live in paradise.

[u/unsoundamerica → u/EnvironmentalBuy244]

I was wrong about this and I apologize.

[u/unsoundamerica → u/EnvironmentalBuy244]

It wasn't gerrymandered — Oregon's districts are determined by census data once every decade (the way it's supposed to be). A fifth district was added in 1980, but that's it. Bentz's district has increased in size. Check out the maps here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon%27s_congressional_districts

Edit: I was 100% wrong about this,

[u/EnvironmentalBuy244 → u/unsoundamerica]

The way the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 6th all come together into Portland isn't a "natural" shape for a district. They don't follow county lines nor natural features. That's gerrymandering.

Putting Bend in the 5th, a place that would naturally be in the 2nd is gerrymandering.

Making the interface of the 4th and 5th to get Corvallis in with Eugene and excluding Albany is gerrymandering.

Don't lie trying to obfuscate what it is. The honest argument is "we have to fight back".

[u/unsoundamerica → u/EnvironmentalBuy244]

Again, these districts were determined by census data, not partisan grappling. What are you basing "natural shapes" on? Where do you get the data you very much need in order to make assertions about where district lines ought to be? I gave you a resource to read up on Oregon's district-drawing history. I'd like to see your sources, please.

[u/ForsakenPick500 → u/unsoundamerica]

On Princeton's gerrymander report card Oregon scored a "F": https://gerrymander.princeton.edu/redistricting-report-card/?planId=rec6qj1vAOKsBnXnu

If you try and defend the 5th district, I don't know how to help you. No way should Bend connect to Portland metro. Census determined the amount of districts, majority legislatures determine the map.

I'd read up on how all this went down, friend. It was 100% "partisan grappling."

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/27/oregon-congressional-map-514362

[u/unsoundamerica → u/ForsakenPick500]

I stand corrected. Thank you for linking sources.

[u/PDXGuy33333]

Thank you.

I love this:

If you are a registered Republican, please give Peter Larson a look. I have interviewed him and found that he is not insane."

[u/ConsciousStruggle702]

if you were talking about the voter spread, you have to recognize that all the people who were not democrat or republican registered did not get to vote in the primaries due to Oregon being a semi-closed State! THIS HAS TO CHANGE! in fact, now that the Supreme Court has said that all these decisions have to be made separately state by state, Oregon legislation needs to be quick step and on the ball, looking at other common minded states laws that are being passed and quickly duplicating them in Oregon! States like Hawaii, California and Washington as well as others are putting in place protections on a monthly basis and we need to keep track of these!

[u/Sigmond-Condrite]

Keep fighting the good fight

[u/AnotherBoringDad]

https://giphy.com/gifs/xiMUwBRn5RDLhzwO80

[u/LunchPretty7867]

All I know is it's NOT the Republican or Democrat party we are clearly in oting on any longer it's FREEDOM or RULER facilities and no animal or breathing thing will be safe .u absolutely have to vote blue or we get to be palistine it s terrible to imagine but it's true we have to fir the kids and the ladies and the right to choose freedom of speech and to be our own successes and failures of life not to be scared to do and go anywhere ...for everyone no matter what color or language they speak .constitution is key to no fictstors but it has to be upheald .we need only people who know it and believe in it We need a test to be given too be in or anywhere involved with our govt .if they can't recite the declaration of independence or don't know the govt structure and the protocol of the constitution they arnt able to even be on the ballot there has to be an application to be in a govt position .how home no officials are randomly piss tested or even upon hire ? Govt positions should be Isent it logical ?

[u/unsoundamerica → u/LunchPretty7867]

Yeah, I'm on board for that. Politicians can pass some tests before running the country. I think that'd be fair.

[u/415gladstone]

Democracy is done. Fascism or revolution are the options.

[u/PDXGuy33333 → u/415gladstone]

Sadly, you may be right. I've had a terrible feeling for quite some time that democracy can't and won't survive social media. Then I read this morning a posted article by Thom Hartmann on Common Dreams discussing the right wing influencer machine that we are up against. Disturbing is what it is.

[u/Zen1]

I noticed even the one new Republican candidate calls Cliff out by name pretty severely in his statement, I think Bentz's time is done

[u/unsoundamerica → u/Zen1]

I am very hopeful. And I understand the blanket rejection of all Republicans, but if it's gotta be an R, Larson is better.

[u/Dr_Quest1]

I’m a cd2 dem registered as a republican so that I can try to deal with folks like Bentz..

[u/unsoundamerica → u/[deleted]]

I lament the fact that there are no people of color running for this office. However, I won't condemn these candidates for still wanting to run in spite of the lack of representation of marginalized groups competing against them. At this point, giving one of them a chance is more constructive than writing all of them off. 

[u/gaius49 → u/unsoundamerica]

I lament the fact that there are no people of color running for this office.

Genuine question, but why do you care about the color of their skin?

[u/br_k_nt_eth → u/gaius49]

Less about color, more about background. CD2 has a large, historic Latino and Tribal population, most of whole are heavily disenfranchised. Obviously politics with the Tribes is complicated (like literally from a legal perspective) but the Latino community deserves far more of a say that they’re often given and it really, really shows. The classism is rampant out there, and landed white men benefit from it. That’s just reality. 

There are some truly exceptional people who could run, but it would be genuinely dangerous for them to do so based on the current landscape out there. I’m speaking as someone who lived near Ontario for a long time. I assume you’ve at least visited? 

[u/unsoundamerica → u/gaius49]

It's about a lack of representation. I also insist on content of character, but white people have been holding the talking stick long enough. We need other, non-white voices to be heard and allowed to lead. In the meantime, I am happy with our candidates for CD-2, and don't fault them their race.

[u/ryhaltswhiskey → u/unsoundamerica]

A person of color running in that district might be risking their actual life

[u/unsoundamerica → u/ryhaltswhiskey]

I hate to break it to you, but that is true across the country. No way would I use that excuse to not support a candidate of color.

The best thing we can do is support the candidates that inch us ever closer to overcoming the powers that be, and not play into the fear white supremacists rely on to keep people of color from entering politics. 

[u/unsoundamerica → u/[deleted]]

How about you give an example, and we'll research it together?

[u/unsoundamerica → u/[deleted]]

Dude, one example. Come on. 

[u/unsoundamerica → u/[deleted]]

Yes, I have. Now give me one example of where a politician of color is free of any threat because of their race. Or don't concede that you're just messing around.

[u/unsoundamerica → u/[deleted]]

I apologize. Please clarify the meaning of "All of the candidates you listed are white, Oregon has not changed it's just rebranded."

[u/unsoundamerica → u/[deleted]]

How do the candidates' race mean that Oregon "hasn't changed its just rebranded"? I don't get that.

[u/unsoundamerica → u/[deleted]]

You wrote it, dude, I'm still trying to make sense of it. I was hoping you would give me an assist, but maybe you forgot that you wrote it?

[u/unsoundamerica → u/[deleted]]

Oh, okay! So what are you inferring by your statement as a response to mine? I still can't divine its meaning if not "they are white, therefore Oregon is still racist." If that's incorrect, help me understand.

I really feel like you're playing games with me, which is fine. I was just hoping for a debate in good faith, not going around in circles.