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News Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and radio's Lars Larson went national last night with the debate over the congressman's health care proposal that would require Medicare to reimburse physicians for discussing end-of-life choices with patients. The back story for their appearances on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" is that Blumenauer has been angry that some Republicans and their amen chorus ...   More

News For those of us who are so sickened watching the slow death of comprehensive health-care reform that we may have to see a doctor ourselves, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and other progressive House members have provided some welcome relief. Blumenauer and 56 other House lawmakers signed a letter last week saying they won't support any health-care legislation that doesn't include a strong ...   More

News U.S. Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.) took the floor at Good Samaritan Hospital Tuesday afternoon to face critics for a second day in a row. And despite an onslaught of criticism about healthcare reform, he called both meetings "civil discussions." Only about 60 people were allowed into the meeting out of a crowd of hundreds who began lining up along Northwest 22nd Avenue at 8 am. The randomly selected ...   More

News Former President Clinton certainly had a lot to say last night in his appearance at Netroots Nation. First, Clinton got into it with a blogger over his record on gay rights when he was president. And, according to The New York Times, the ex-president stood up for the healthcare provision backed by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) that would require Medicare reimbursement for voluntary end-of-life ...   More

News U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer may not be attending town hall meetings on health care to defend his reasonable proposal on end-of-life discussions between docs and their patients. But the Oregon Democrat is plenty ticked off at former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for calling his proposal "inherently evil" and lying about what it would do as a means of scaring people. Maybe he should challenge her to a ...   More

News U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) wants to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies gays and lesbians federal legal recognition of marriage. Blumenauer's decision to join with 68 other federal lawmakers to sign onto a bill — the Respect For Marriage Act —that would repeal DOMA may not seem surprising since his east Portland district is very liberal. But it's actually a reversal ...   More

News Sometimes it's worth remembering we live in a bit of a bubble here in Bike City, where an estimated 6.4 percent of commuting is done by bike. There's this reminder of Portland's unique status as a bike-centric place in this piece that ran over the weekend in Arizona. The piece in the Arizona Daily Star reports how a new federal bike subsidy sponsored by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) hasn't ...   More

News The New York Times featured a piece over the weekend on progressives forced to re-tool their policy hopes nearly one year into the Obama Administration. And the man chosen by the newspaper to talk through all that angst over Obama's actions on global warming, Afghanistan and health care? U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.). Blumenauer, who endorsed Obama early over Hillary Clinton in 2008, came ...   More

News This Thursday, a pro-peace nonprofit called J Street will kick off its national grassroots campaign by launching local chapters in Portland and dozens of other locations nationwide. J Street differs from longer-established pro-Israel organizations such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee because it supports a two-state, peaceful solution in the Middle East, and because it's willing ...   More