A peek into the mind of Jason Atkinson

Jason Atkinson, state senator from southern Oregon, wants to be our state's next governor. He's garnered the support of several conservative bloggers in the state, but I've delayed taking a stand because I don't know the guy and want to learn more about him.

In my quest to better understand who Jason Atkinson is, I stumbled upon an interesting collection of information at Project Vote Smart — the National Political Awareness Test. Take this for what it's worth, and remember that this was filled out five years ago, but I think it sheds some interesting light into the mind of Atkinson.

First, the disclaimer from PVS:

The National Political Awareness Test (NPAT) asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.

Keep that last sentence in mind as you read this.

First topic: ABORTION
Jason supported the following statements:

• Abortions should be legal when pregnancy results from incest, rape or the life of the woman is endangered.
• Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and notification requirements as decided by each state government.
• Support prohibition of the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial-birth" abortion (PBA).
• Support "buffer zones" at abortion clinics by requiring demonstrators to remain a certain distance from doorways and driveways.

He chose not to express support for these statements:

• Abortions should always be illegal.
• Abortions should always be legally available.
• Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
• Prohibit Oregon Health Plan from funding abortions and organizations that advocate or perform abortions.

He takes a conservative, but realistic, perspective: Rape, incest and the mother's life (not health). Waiting Periods. Opposition to PBA. He doesn't call for an outright ban, which will never happen in Oregon. He understands that protesters can express their views without getting in the face of women.

Some of my pro-life friends may not agree with positions like rape/incest/mother's life, or the lack of an outright ban, but my pro-life beliefs are somewhat tempered by the reality of Oregon politics. I like Jason's perspective (though I'm not wild about the Oregon Health Plan answer); I think he knows that issues like waiting periods and PBA are ones that cross over from conservative circles, appealing to the independents and pro-life Democrats whose votes he will need.

Next post: Budget & Taxes