The Bridge by OR360

Rep. Andrea Salinas is a Democratic candidate for Oregon's new 6th Congressional District. She has served in the state legislature since being appointed to serve House District 38 in 2017. Previously, she worked as a legislative advocate for progressive causes. Earlier in her career, she worked as a congressional staffer for Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Pete Stark, and Congresswoman Darlene Hooley.   Salinas is a top-tier candidate in one of the most competitive congressional primaries in the country. Of all the candidates, she has by far the most support among progressive groups and elected officials. In a normal election, she would be considered the frontrunner -- but, because of unprecedented SuperPAC spending, this is anything but a normal election. In this episode we talk about abortion access, health care policy, climate change, and foreign policy (including China and Ukraine/Russia). We also talk about the politics of the race: what it's like to be running against huge SuperPAC spending (including a PAC aligned with Speaker Nancy Pelosi) and how she believes she can win the race.    You can connect with Rep. Salinas on Twitter, Facebook, or her website.

Metro President Lynn Peterson has worked at just about every level of government, both as an elected and appointed leader. She's served as a Lake Oswego City Councilor, Clackamas County Commission chair, senior transportation policy advisor to Governor John Kitzhaber, and head of the Washington State Transportation Department (we ask her about the wild end of her tenure in WA, forced by the state senate). Now she serves as Council President of Metro, the one-of-a-kind regional government for the Portland area (which she explains in the episode).   In this episode, Peterson takes complicated policy issues (like housing, the urban growth boundary, homelessness, and transportation) and explains them in simple terms. She also underscores the scope of the challenges we face (spoiler: we are *way* short of the number of housing units we need in the region, and it might be worse than you think). We also talk about "People for Portland" and its impact on the political landscape in Portland, plus her advice for Mayor Ted Wheeler on how to immediately solve for Portland's dysfunctional form of government.    Peterson is running for reelection. You can learn more about her on her website, Twitter, or Facebook.

No congressional candidate in Oregon is getting more attention this cycle than Carrick Flynn, a Democratic candidate in Oregon's new 6th Congressional District. At least three SuperPACs are supporting him with millions of dollars in independent expenditures--more than any other candidate in America. Most recently, the SuperPAC aligned to House Democratic leadership (e.g. Speaker Nancy Pelosi) has signaled its support, to the frustration of Flynn's primary opponents, who called the move "unprecedented".    So--who, exactly, is Carrick Flynn?   Flynn grew up in Vernonia, Oregon in a working class family. His family was displaced by a major flood, making him homeless for a period of time. On a Ford Family Foundation scholarship, he attended the University of Oregon and then Yale Law School. Since then, he has worked in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and pandemic prevention across the world. Now he's running for Congress. In this episode, we cover his ties to the 6th CD, China, drug policy, SuperPACs (and why he thinks they're supporting him), whether he's an outsider, and what kind of congressman he hopes to be. You can learn more about Flynn on his website, Twitter, or Facebook.    Thank you for listening and supporting the podcast! If you haven't yet, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and our newsletter.

Matt West is a Democratic candidate for Oregon's new 6th Congressional District -- and he has an unconventional background for a candidate. He is a scientist who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas specializing in fuel cell technology. He now he works for Intel as an engineer. His bio says he is "the first congressional candidate with cryptocurrency development experience in decentralized finance." In this episode, Matt explains why he believes crypto can be a tool for progressive values, his ideas for addressing climate change and improving America's healthcare system, and how he would determine whether to vote for congressional approval for U.S. intervention in Ukraine. Matt's website is www.MattWestForCongress.com and his Twitter handle is @MattDWest.

Nick Kristof is a world-renowned journalist, author, and humanitarian. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he is also a cider orchardist living in Yamhill, Oregon. He briefly ran for governor of Oregon until being ruled ineligible in February 2022. We start the episode with a campaign debrief: Was the experience positive or negative? Will he consider running for office again? Who will he vote for in the Democratic primary? Then, we focus on the war in Ukraine. This episode is designed to explain the conflict (and why it matters) for lay people without a deep background in foreign policy (like us). In addition to decades of experience in reporting on war, humanitarian crises, and other international conflicts, Nick has family ties to the region (which we discuss). We cover no-fly zones, chemical weapon "red lines", the function of journalism in conflict, the opportunities and dangers of social media during wartime, cyber attacks, and the role of the United States in the emerging geopolitical re-ordering. For more on Nick, you can follow him on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.   Here are Nick's recommendations for staying in the loop on the war in Ukraine: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Kyiv Independent, and photojournalist Lynsey Addario on Instagram and Twitter.   Thank you for listening, and please subscribe to The Oregon Bridge on YouTube and on our Substack channel!

Jeff Gudman is a former Lake Oswego City Councilor who was twice the GOP nominee for State Treasurer. He learned his MBA in Finance and Management from the Wharton School of Business and has worked as a financial analyst, treasurer, and investor for several decades. He is also a former All-American swimmer! In this episode we cover PERS (an issue Gudman has studied deeply) and why he believes it matters, what it's like for a moderate Republican to be on the ballot with Donald Trump, whether or not the state should divest from certain investments (Russia, fossil fuel companies, China, etc.), and how Oregon should prevent future state government breakdowns like the ones seen recently with unemployment checks, distributing renter and landlord assistance, and the delay in the new family leave program.

Marshall Kosloff (@makosloff on Twitter) is host of The Realignment podcast (almost 1.5 million channel views on YouTube alone) which focuses on shifting thinking in American politics, technology, economics, and national security. He is also an Executive Producer at the tech company On Deck. Marshall, Ben, and Alex all attended the University of Oregon together and have been friends since college.    While Marshall and Ben are not foreign policy experts, they are both deeply interested in international affairs. In this crossover episode (also posted on The Realignment), they discuss why Russia's invasion of Ukraine matters and its implications for the future of U.S. foreign policy. Marshall offers his view of what it means for America to be an "arsenal for democracy" in the 21st century and Ben talks about the Democratic Party's evolution on foreign policy since the George W. Bush era in the 2000s. They discuss the emerging broad international consensus acting against Russia and whether that coalition could remain intact in an analogous China/Taiwan situation. They close with a conversation about cynicism, whether American politics is broken, and what young people interested in public service should do in an age of political dysfunction.

Lacey Beaty is the mayor of Beaverton, one of the largest cities in Oregon. In this episode, we talk about her experience as a combat medic in the U.S. Army during the Iraq War and the challenges that veterans face when they return home. We also touch on U.S. foreign policy, the value of compulsory national service, and the sustainability challenges of an all-volunteer military. We also talk about what can be done about affordable housing--including an idea she has modeled after an existing home ownership program for veterans. Finally, we touch on the convening power of mayors and the role of cities in solving complex project. We end with an explanation of what happened in the Twitter controversy that ended with the Executive Director of the League of Oregon Cities losing his job.