Voters around the nation are frustrated - even angry. They are desperate for strong leaders and bold initiatives that fulfill their hopes and make good on the promise of change and the pledge to put Main Street first. Yesterday, Oregon legislators showed how to do it.
Oregon Democrats, not content to balance the budget on the backs of middle class and working families, passed a fair and responsible plan to move Oregon forward. We asked big corporations and those making over $250,000 a year to pay their fair share to protect education, health care and public safety.
And the voters agreed, resoundingly. The echo of this victory should reverberate across the nation.
Winning was not easy. Fighting successfully for progressive values never is. GOP legislators and their corporate lobby backers made the cynical calculation that our loss would be their gain, and they were willing to put Oregon families in jeopardy so they could score a political victory.
Powerful business interests and corporate lobbyists put their full weight behind a ballot referendum on the measures, leaving the good people of Oregon to decide the future of our state.
The pundits claimed it would be difficult, if not impossible, to win at the ballot box. It had been nearly 80 years since voters in Oregon had approved a statewide tax measure, and that span had seen the defeat of countless such initiatives.
We fought hard and made the case for protecting schools, ensuring seniors get the care they need in their own homes, and keeping our communities safe. We respected the electorate by providing them with straight facts about our plan. In this effort we were backed by a broad coalition of over 200 groups anchored by organized labor, school advocates, environmental organizations, advocates for seniors, and small and mid-sized businesses.
Corporate lobbyists, for their part, viewed the election as a challenge to their power and influence in the State Capitol, and deployed a series of dirty tricks in an attempt to scapegoat teachers and homecare workers. The voters, however, spoke loud and clear, declaring that basic fairness is more important than the agenda of special interests.
Oregon now has a chance to be a leader to the rest of the nation. Those in Massachusetts and Washington DC can and should learn this lesson: Progressive solutions to great challenges - backed by courage, conviction and hard work - will win support. We invite elected leaders and determined citizens everywhere to follow our lead.