The Dying GOP: Oregon Conservative Magazine Closes

In the latest example of the dying GOP, at least out here in Oregon, Brainstorm NW, the leading magazine of the conservative movement in the state, is closing its doors.  Its February issue will be the last it ever publishes.

Major H/T to Steve Duin of the Oregonian for this story: Brainstorm is Toast

Cross-Posted from Loaded Orygun: http://www.loadedorygun.net/sh…

In its 12-year history, Brainstorm NW was the voice of the fiscally conservative but not socially conservative aspects of the OR GOP (which given that they published Lars Larson tells you how crazy the mainstream GOP is).  Describing themselves as the “magazine for Northwest decision makers”, it proved to be nothing of the sort.  At the present time it had 12,000 subscribers and enjoyed a regular print run of about 25,000.  While it is sad to see well-meaning people fail in such an endeavor and for a, relatively, centrist publication to die, it is a sign of the fact that the OR GOP has moved quite far to the right.

Their final editorial (copied from Steve Duin’s blog, linked above), says in part:

For the past 12 years, BrainstormNW has published in Oregon and been read by thousands of well-educated, active, thoughtful citizens. We, of course, are a niche magazine, not a newspaper. Did we have a message, a slant, like the Aurora of 1798? Yes. For 12 years we have sounded the alarm that Oregon’s business climate was rapidly cooling. We have made the case that our planet was just as likely to be cooling and that the global warming fanatics were just that, con artists seeking power and financial gain. For 12 years we warned that ignoring the rich resources of rural Oregon was foolhardy and would lead to poverty and social decay. For 12 years we have sounded the alert that 22 years of one-party rule by Democrats would eventually corrupt. That the concentrated power, numbers and inflated pensions and benefits of public unions would undermine and finally destroy Oregon’s economy.

And now we will be silent. Like the Aurora and Porcupine’s Gazette, our time has ended. This month’s issue, February 2009, will be our last. We were the voice of many Oregonians, but we have been stilled by the failing economy we predicted for this past decade. Ironic. Sad. In this instance it has been less than gratifying to be right. But given that a pro-business publication in Oregon is a bit more of a rare hothouse orchid than an old growth Doug fir, it is not surprising that we could not weather the economic and political firestorm. Still, for our writers, editors and readers, the loss of this 12-year endeavor is painful

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I should correct one obvious factual error in this editorial.  The Dems did not control the state legislature fully from 1992-2006 and did not control either chamber for a good period of time, it still speaks to a certain brand of conservative myopia.  In further proof of this, one need look no further than their piece on the bailout published in October:

Shoveling a trillion taxpayer dollars into a hole of government spending is not the answer. If infrastructure projects and handouts are the focus of Obama’s stimulus package, the money is as good as gone. Real economic recovery will only come from small business stimulus. And no doubt it’s time for thinking outside the box that goes well beyond standard direct payments or traditional tax cuts – though these too may play a role.

Link: http://www.brainstormnw.com/co…

So goodbye Brainstorm NW, and may such conservative BS ideology go with you.