Today, Ned Lamont came out swinging for Oregon Senate candidate Jeff Merkley. If anybody understands how important it is to have a progressive working majority in the Senate, it's Ned Lamont. More below the fold.....

Full disclosure, I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley

Today is Labor Day, a day dedicated to hardworking Americans deserving of a day off. Oregon Senate candidate Jeff Merkley is spending the holiday celebrating with his labor brothers and sisters at picnics in Portland and Eugene. Before I give you an update on the day's festivities, I want to take a minute to mention a few things....

Full disclosure, I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley

Oregon Senate candidate Jeff Merkley was one of four Senate challengers who spoke at the convention today in Denver. Jeff Merkley took to the stage and laid out his vision for 2009 and beyond. Jeff is very thankful to have been given the opportunity to speak at the convention. We just put the video of Jeff's speech up on our You Tube page, Check it out

Oregon Senate candidate Jeff Merkley has been given a speaking slot" at the Democratic Convention! On Wednesday night, Jeff will be one of four Senate candidates in the middle of highly contested races addressing the crowd. The other Senate candidates who will be speaking at the convention are Jeanne Shaheen, Tom Allen and Tom Udall. More below the fold....

Full disclosure, I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Since Republican Gordon Smith doesn't want to address the real concerns of Oregonians, he's serving them another plate full of mud. In Smith's latest attack ad he calls House Speaker Jeff Merkley a hypocrite. More below the fold....

Full disclosure, I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley

Yipee! The Independent Party of Oregon has just nominated Oregon Senate candidate Jeff Merkley! This is great news for the Merkley Campaign considering the Independent Party boasts over 22,000 members and is growing rapidly. The Independent Party is now the third largest party in the state which is pretty impressive considering they just formed back in 2007. John Frohnmayer had been running for the Independent Party's nomination but he bowed out of the race back in June. More below the fold....

Full disclosure, I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley

Right now, millions of Americans are uninsured and millions more are under-insured. Seniors are having a difficult time being able to afford their prescription drugs. American families can't keep up with the high cost of hospice care and child care. Thousands of Americans die every year because they can't afford to get treatment. Bush and Republicans like Gordon Smith have done nothing but line the pockets of big pharma and the insurance industry at the expense of the health of American families.

Full disclosure, I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley

Republican Gordon Smith is running the most negative campaign in the entire country. Smith has spent over one million dollars attacking OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley. You'd think I wouldn't be surprised anymore with the Smith's campaign constant negative attacks and misleading ads, but today the Smith campaign reached a new low. Jeff Merkley released his rural economic development plan and this is how the Smith Campaign responded:

Jeff Merkley has a 10-year record of trying to beat rural Oregon into submission," Gilbride said. "His lackluster and disingenuous proposal is merely fruit from a poisoned tree. It is not credible for Merkley to propose things he spent a career opposing."

Wow.