Editorial - Down a Dark Alley with Allen

Less than sixty days following the contentious Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, Oregon Republican Party Chairman Allen Alley finds himself, once again, embroiled in a controversy with the GOP faithful of his state.

After being caught red handed running over the top of the duly elected delegates and alternates back in June at the state’s multilateral conventions, Alley’s under fire again for his direct connection to a Women’s Voters guide in which 30 democrats were endorsed, including Peter DeFazio the thirteen term incumbent, progressive, democrat from Oregon’s fourth district. Art Robinson, who fell just four percentage points short of besting DeFazio in the 2010 election, did not respond to our attempt to get a comment on Alley’s involvement.

Alley said his group, the Oregon Transformation Project (OTP), which is responsible for the mailer, started out as a think tank, policy research organization that were focused primarily on tax issues. He was apparently surprised to learn of their more aggressive political involvement, especially when it came to endorsing the opponents of his own GOP candidates utilizing their OTP PAC.

Many, including your editors, are questioning how the Co-Chair of OTP could possibly claim to be “unaware” of the recent mailing which has caused many in the party to call for his resignation of his post as GOP Chair. Alley hastily resigned as Co-chair of OTP following the firestorm created by the ill-conceived mailer.

This is shaping up to be the classic “who knew what when” debacle so common in today’s political realm. It will come down to whom do you believe? Who can you believe?

Thinking of Alley’s group, Oregon Transformation Project, we’re reminded of when Obama himself said he wanted to fundamentally Transform America? Well, apparently Allen Alley, the former democrat Chief of Staff to Governor Ted Kulongoski, turned Republican State Party Chair, had his own vision of transforming Oregon, tossing his party’s nominees under the bus in the process.

The editors of The Beacon may be one of the first, but would bet we won’t be the last, newspaper to call for Allen Alley to save the Republicans from any further damage or confusion and resign immediately as Chairman of the Oregon Republican Party. To do anything less will create lingering doubts as the efficacy and sincerity of the party’s leadership.

The Editors