FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Andrew Gorry / press [at] dpo [dot] org / (503) 239-8634
Meredith Wood Smith, Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon, released this statement in response to President Obama's State of the Union Address:
"In November, Oregon voted for President Obama by a 54-42 margin, and now we stand behind our President after his State of the Union address.
"We're proud that he chose to invite Governor John Kitzhaber and promote the Governor's model for a smarter healthcare system to the nation, saying: 'We’ll bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills shouldn’t be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital – they should be based on the quality of care that our seniors receive.'
"We thank the President for his leadership in rebuilding an economy that works for the middle class, and applaud his proposal to raise the nation's minimum wage in order to ensure that no one who works full-time should be in poverty.
"We thank him for his call to get weapons of war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets, and his commitment to bring all our troops home from Afghanistan by the end of next year.
"And we thank him for fighting for full equality for the LGBT community, including equal benefits for same-sex military families. In Oregon, we'll do our part in 2014 when we repeal Measure 36 and end the ban on marriage for same-sex couples."
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