"Young enough to dream, old enough to deliver"

Jason Atkinson, who is seeking the Republican nomination for Oregon governor, got a nice write-up in World Net Daily, the Grants Pass-based web publication that reaches a national audience.

It covered many of the themes that Atkinson has championed -- including what I thought was the best write-up yet on Atkinson's message of returning power to the voters. WND wrote that Atkinson "champions the Progressive Movement of 100 years ago when special interests in the United States were rebuffed and the 'voice of the people' was strengthened." It added that he favors "a conservative approach which is actually a populist approach -- to give the people their government back."

It also included a nice testimonial from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has endorsed Atkinson and "believes he'd be a good governor for the state of Oregon," said a spokesman for Perry. "We will be doing what we can to see that he's elected."

But my favorite portions of this story -- besides the fact that the Atkinson for Governor blogger network was mentioned -- highlighted what I perceive as his strong character traits:

Being Real: WND wrote that when he was considering whether to run for governor, there were several factors he took into consideration, including whether he could maintain his message and identity during both the primary and general elections:

The candidate criticized the method he says Republicans traditionally use to run for governor in Oregon: "They raise a pile of money from the same 10 people and say, 'I'm going to get real conservative in the primary and then real moderate in the general election.' "

Such an approach, he says, obviously has proven unsuccessful, so he's using the lessons of the past to chart a different strategy.

Being Honest. When talking about the power of special interests in Oregon, Atkinson doesn't mince words.

"In Oregon, we've got a system of special interests that command the agenda," he said.

The senator pointed a finger directly at the teachers' unions, saying education lobbyists care only about getting more money from government coffers while disregarding the true needs of rank-and-file union members.

Noting the state's elected officials all say education is a priority, Atkinson emphasized that the K-12 funding bill is routinely the last spending bill to pass -– thanks to the power of special interests that "bottle up the bill and force delay."

He says the education special interests play games with budget numbers to vilify Republicans and paint them as indifferent toward schools.

"Since I've been in office for eight years, education funding has gone up a billion dollars," he said, but lobbyists are able to manipulate the media into reporting that "Republicans cut education."

Added Atkinson: "It's not about children with the special interests; it's about money and power."

Being Faithful. One of Atkinson's favorite sayings thus far is that he is "running to serve as governor, not to be governor." This story reveals that the basis for that phrase isn't political calculation.

While Atkinson is open about his Christian faith, he believes some Christian in politics have "been martyred" by standing for one position so strongly that they become ineffective or are defeated at the polls.

"Some have been so ideologically rigid that they were actually irrelevant in public discourse," he explained.

Referring to his own faith, Atkinson commented, "I can't say that I believe in the model that Christ gave of servant leadership if I didn't try to live it –- and that's who I am."

Is that momentum I hear? Just 112 days and counting until the May primary, when we get the first answer.