Kicking Butt

Hello!

Today the Associated Press reports that my House Republican friends are sticking with me through thick and thin, even in the face of what many "Salem observers" are calling a good trade. The governor has proposed a compromise package that would give raise the tax-exemption level of the estate tax to $2 million, from the current $1 million level. As the AP reports, for years the estate tax has been a priority. The governor also proposed an increase of the corporate minimum but the details on the amount are unclear.

Friends, do you understand what's happened? Do you understand what a victory this is for me? It means that the House Republicans are willing to set aside one of their core principles in order to stand by me and stonewall increasing the cigarette tax.

It's incredible. I'm so moved. To be honest, I thought we were in for a tough time over the cigarette tax alone - as you know, the Healthy Kids Plan funded by a cigarette tax increase is wildly popular with voters and my GOP friends will leave Salem on the defense just for blocking that. I mean, let's be frank: it will be difficult to explain to the people in their districts. For that reason, some Republicans were getting jumpy but we were holding it together.

Yet even I underestimated the depth of their loyalty to me. Not only are they willing to fall on the sword with all voters, they are willing to thumb their noses at their base constituency, which really wants the estate tax exemption increased.

Not only that, they rejected a plan to take off the table the bumper sticker message of "I paid more taxes than PGE," thanks to Oregon's $10 corporate minimum. (An amount which even I admit is absurd.)

It's all so heady. And I'll tell you this:

I refuse to listen to the naysayers who say that the Republicans are planting their flag in quicksand with their extreme "no new taxes," pledge.

I will not entertain any notion that the Republicans are backing themselves into a permanent minority by pandering to the extreme right-wing of their party that is being controlled by D.C.-based FreedomWorks.

And I will stand up to those who say the GOP plan is idiotic because the voters will simply pass the cigarette tax without them after it's referred by the legislature, leaving the Republicans standing alone as heartless shills of the tobacco industry.

Because this is victory, and it smells too sweet to spoil with thoughts of the future. Let's just savor today. Together.

Mr. Butts