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Roseburg Beacon Editorial 11/14/2018

Yes, yesterday I bungled Lars Larson’s question regarding IP 43.

Those of you who know me understand I don’t shy away from admitting mistakes, but my mistake yesterday was one of garbled message, not of belief or commitment.

OF COURSE the Constitution is inviolate and is the ultimate arbiter of our rule of law! If a law is created that does not conform to the Constitution, it’s not a law. Thomas Jefferson said it; I believe that in my guts and will never change my mind about it.

It is the Constitution that matters. In the 40 seconds I was given to answer the question, I chose to jump to a higher level than the actual question re gun laws, and then I got stuck there. The question that was posed could not be answered properly in a few seconds.

And yes, again, I accept responsibility for not handling it well.

My “higher level?” The point I decided was most important in that instant? It’s that this is a country of laws and that a leader cannot just pick and choose what laws to follow. In the few seconds I had to answer, I decided that was the first important point I must make.

Then I ran out of time and couldn’t get to my second point re 43.

Buehler and Wooldridge? Their jovial sound-bite statements were simple, that they would violate a law when it fitted their interests. Not a principled stance. In fact, that positioning is condescending to the rest of us: arrogant and stupid.

Yet again: my answer to Lars’ question yesterday was incomplete, not at all what I believe in my belly. I own that.

IP 43? If it passes by a vote of the people, of course I will aggressively challenge it – but I will challenge in the courts, not by executive proclamation, nor will I just ignore it. Executive dictates – ignoring our laws – is what Obama and Brown and all the rest of the progressive far-left does. We ARE a nation of laws. We don’t have kings in America. I would take the unconstitutional law all the way to the Supreme Court, fighting tooth and nail – and in the meantime, no one would have guns confiscated and no one would go to jail. I am confident we would ultimately win. But if we didn’t win and it became “law,” I would continue to fight it until it was rescinded – by legislative action or by the vote of the people.

That’s how the rule of law in America works.

But there is no reason to have to go down that road if we will, for once and for all, face the real problem: most of us don’t vote. Will even 35% of Republicans vote in this primary election? It is not up to a governor to juggle things, to rule by whim, to choose which laws to enforce. It’s up to the governor to enforce the laws on the books and if voters won’t partake in the process by electing proper representation, where does that leave us? Bad laws propagated by “the other side” and the continued search for a better king.

This lack of voter participation is ultimately the problem! It has been my aim that between now and November, I would “rally the base,” to get our side to vote like never before. To not just kill 43 and 44 but to take back the entire Salem government, The 2018 Oregon Red Trifecta, and get every element of this state fixed quickly and permanently!

We ALL must vote in order to get this government under control and to win back our freedom!

In my 40 seconds yesterday, I flashed back on Obama, Pelosi, Brown, and the rest of the far-left and I said what needed to be said about executive proclamation. Then I ran out of time without addressing Lars’ question. Bad on me. But understand that I am not a politician, and not a “polished” political speaker. I’m a CEO and I first look at life, business and government from a 40,000 foot perspective, and so I see what is happening in America and in Oregon and where the problems lie: we have allowed scoundrels too much power. WE did that! Most of us gave up or were just lazy. We allowed those people to take control.

The dirty business of primary election politics? Per yesterday’s Bend Bulletin, over the last two weeks Knute Buehler has spent $1,000,000 publicly trashing me (see http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/6225269-151/governors-primary-depletes-buehler-funds). To put this in perspective: our entire six-month campaign budget is $300,000.

Buehler has completely forfeited the political persona he’s carefully created over the last nine months, demonstrated who he really is as a man. His former mantra? He has repeatedly described himself as, “courageous, with an open mind, a tolerant heart, and a thoughtful voice.” That flimsy veneer is flat-out gone. Now he’s risked everything to be identified as just another smooth-talking, scorched-earth-if-necessary political hack.

Why did he risk everything here at the end? Because I lead in the polls. His panicked accusations are either outright lies or horrible distortions. Yet Buehler has taken huge donations from far-left leaning industrialists, left and right. He is pro-choice, a gun-grabber who has actually VOTED for gun control, and he detests our President. And there are allegedly some land-sales shenanigans (see http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/05/did-trump-hating-governor-candidate-profit-from-controversial-university-deal/). And as he stated yesterday, he will not commit to supporting any Republican nominee – just as he openly refused to support Trump for President.

In his arrogance, Buehler ignores the facts of his persona and positioning and believes he can energize our Republican base and win the general election. Sad.

Wooldridge? The largest portion of his donations have come from a single progressive far-left donor in California, one who has contributed to numerous far-left candidates (see http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/05/why-is-this-republican-candidate-taking-from-a-democrat-bundler/ and http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/05/blurred_source_of_greg_wooldri.html).

WHY is Wooldridge in the race when he has never polled over 12%? It’s because his purpose is to split our conservative, grass-roots vote and deliver the nomination to Buehler, a “Republican” candidate who, as I said, has no chance in the general election (because our Republican base will be staying home…). That’s not just my opinion, either (see http://www.kxl.com/gop-fireworks-on-kxl/).

Ultimately though, either through scary political back-room hackery, greed, or sheer stupidity, all this is about is keeping Kate Brown in power.

But I’m here and I believe in you and me, We-The-People, and I salivate at the chance to reduce the size and impact of this Oregon government and deliver opportunity and freedom back to YOU.

I’ll always be transparent and I will not hesitate to admit a mistake.

That’s all I’ve got, three days before the numbers are counted. It’s up to you now.

-sam

Here is the April 25th Triton Poll

Roseburg Beacon Editorial 4/25/2018

Contact: David Gulliver
E-mail: davidg@makeoregongreatagain.com
Telephone: (541) 640-0363

April 3, 2018 – Bend, Oregon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Carpenter Surges to Take lead in Oregon Republican Gubernatorial Contest

Closing a 13-point deficit in four weeks, Sam Carpenter has taken a slim lead in the race for the Republican nomination for Governor of Oregon, according to the results of the latest survey from Triton Polling and Research.

In this March 26^th -released major scientific poll, conducted among more than 2,000 Oregon likely voters, Carpenter edges out establishment-backed Oregon State Representative Knute Buehler by a fraction of a point, 23.1% to 22.9%. Former U.S. Navy officer Greg Wooldridge placed a distant third at 4.2%.

This poll comes a month after a February 26 Triton poll, taken shortly after Wooldridge entered the race, showed Buehler leading Carpenter 31% to 18%, with Wooldridge emerging at 8%.

Carpenter is now trending steadily upwards as his competition falls. “As we had planned from the beginning, we are gaining powerful momentum at this critical point in the race,” said Carpenter, a Bend-area businessman and turn-around specialist running on a Trump/Pence-like platform to Make Oregon Great Again. “Oregon Republican voters share our conservative values,” Carpenter continued. “They want a nominee who is pro-life, pro free-enterprise, tough on immigration, supports the Second Amendment, and who stands with our Republican President, Donald Trump.”

Voters may also be showing displeasure with Buehler, who has recently come under fire for skipping debates and candidate forums with Republican groups.

The poll also showed Carpenter performing best of the three candidates one-on-one against incumbent Governor Kate Brown. In this hypothetical matchup, Carpenter defeats Brown by over 5 points, 45.8% to 40.5%. “These numbers dispel the decades-old myth that it takes a moderate Republican who panders to the Portland elite to win,” said Carpenter. “We are winning this primary race by energizing the conservative Republican base and speaking for all of Oregon.”

The Republican primary is May 15.

November 18, 2017

These poll results (go here to see the actual poll) illustrate an important and significant contrast of voter sentiment between me and my leading opponent, Knute Buehler. Here is a political insider’s overview of the results:

“When presented with both positive and critical information on both candidates, there is a considerable shift from Buehler and undecided voters to Carpenter. The move toward Carpenter is quite impressive. The two negative issues focused on Buehler are very damaging indeed to his candidacy and present a wide opening for Carpenter”

Rating President Trump’s Performance, Question 4:

Poll Data: Strongly approve 67.8%. Somewhat Approve 18.5%. Total approval is 86.3%. (A previous Carpenter sponsored Triton poll taken in early October showed President Trump at 91.1% approval.)

Comment: Nine out of ten Oregon Republican voters support President Trump. This Oregon approval level is consistent with other national polls.

Statewide Name Recognition, Questions 5 and 6:

Poll Data: Carpenter 47%, Knute Buehler 52%

Comment: Just two weeks after announcing his candidacy, Carpenter’s campaign is neck-and-neck in name recognition with Knute Buehler’s. Sam’s candidacy began on October 25^th, and since September 1^st when he formed his exploratory committee, he has spent only 35K. Buehler announced his candidacy on August 3^rd and has expended nearly 300K.

Experience and History: Questions 9 and 10:

Poll Data: More Likely to vote for a candidate based on experience and background. Carpenter, “More Likely” is 68.3%. Buehler, 60.0%.

Comment: When voters are presented with Carpenter’s entrepreneurial/business/non-political background, he scores higher than when voters are presented with Buehler’s medical/political history.

“More Likely” or “Less Likely” to Vote, Questions 11 through 14:

Poll Data: Carpenter’s previous bid in the 2016 U.S. Senate race and his positioning as a political outsider, scored “More Likely” to vote, 37.9% and 57.3% respectively. In contrast, Buehler’s anti-Trump, pro-choice/pro- gay marriage posture, and his anti-parental voting rights voting record scored “more likely” to vote, 15.7% and 14.1%.

Regarding “Less Likely” to vote per the above listed positions: Carpenter scored at 18.2% and 14.0% respectively, while Buehler’ scored 69.9% and 75.0% respectively.

Comment: When voters are presented with perhaps “the” fundamental differences in positioning, Carpenter’s advantage is striking, and is further reflected in the answers to the following question:

Who do you prefer? Question 15:

Poll Data: In this “If the primary election were held today” question, Carpenter scores 44.6%. Buehler scores 11.7%

Comment: In stunning contrast, Carpenter garners nearly four times the votes of his leading opponent.

Additional Information:

Facebook followers: Sam Carpenter: 51K (30K new followers since Sept. 1^st)
Kate Brown: 26K
Knute Buehler: 9K

Go here to see the actual poll.

Here’s a quick ad-hoc interview that I did last Wednesday, at Lar’s request. We discuss the overall problem of electing moderate Republicans to statewide office, the mistakes that won’t be made this time around, and what has to happen if we’re going to turn the tide from blue to red next November.