Powerful Voices In Review
Nick Paro and Rachel Maron sit down with Brittany Jones, the Courage for Democracy candidate challenging Oregon Governor Tina Kotek in the Democratic primary, and Jones spends the hour translating progressive instinct into specific gubernatorial powers. She argues for a temporary state gas-tax suspension paired with a Secretary-of-State audit of ODOT, statewide expansion of CAHOOTS-style mental-health response, a housing-first approach she will fund from her own salary if the legislature refuses, and aggressive use of treaty law with Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes to block data-center expansion and Trump-administration logging approvals. She is explicit about confrontation with the federal government — referring ICE conduct to the Oregon DOJ, activating the state militia and National Guard to protect protesters, and coordinating with Washington and California to “fortify the West Coast” as a sanctuary for transgender, immigrant, and reproductive-care refugees.
What makes this interview worth listeners’ time is not the platform itself but Jones’s willingness to name the threat in plain language — fascism, white supremacy, government capture — and to accept the personal risk of doing so. She has raised under $2,000, lost her DoorDash vehicle, and tells her team to keep campaigning if she is arrested. The hosts press her on durability (income-tax flight, performance management, follow-through on past Oregon decriminalization) and on coalition-building with establishment Democrats; her answer is community-led oversight boards and constituent pressure rather than insider negotiation. The episode is a useful test case for whether a working-class, indigenous, grassroots-funded primary challenge can move the Democratic Party’s spine before the 2026 cycle.
Key Takeaways
Track Oregon’s May ballot gas-tax measure and Jones’s proposed temporary suspension — her offset claim depends on an ODOT audit she has not yet seen the numbers on, so verify the audit’s existence and findings before treating the suspension as fully funded.
Watch Jones’s use of treaty law as a template — if Oregon governors can credibly invoke the nine recognized tribes’ treaty rights to block data centers and federal logging approvals, that’s a tool other states could replicate, and the absence of its use today is itself evidence worth surfacing.
Thank you Ms.Yuse, Karen Brownfield, Sara Klopfer, Elizabeth Van Alstine, Bee's Free Verse/True Verse, and many others for tuning into my live video with Nick Paro, Rachel @ This Woman Votes, and Brittany Jones! Join me for my next live video in the app.
Actions You Can Take
Check out our new shared community calendar:
Sign the Petitions:
Call your public servants on important issues:
Join the efforts to de-flock the States:
Service members can get un-biased information on legal vs illegal orders:
Reach out on Signal: @TheOrdersProject.76
Banner & Backbone Authors’ Notes
Check out the new BroadBanner network and affiliate calendar!
You being here shows that you have already begun the process of unfurling new Banners and forging new Backbones for a more progressive America. Please, take the time to become a paid, or free, subscriber to the Network — supporting us all and ensuring everyone in America can hear these messages.
The America we strive for — it is one where we willingly remember the teachings of our past, humbly learn from our failings, proudly celebrate our successes, and boldly lead the way into a future for all people.
Reach out to the Banner & Backbone Media team if you are interested in volunteering time, supporting, and building these community driven platforms:
Submit feedback directly: Feedback Form
Banner & Backbone Media: info@bannerandbackbone.com
Support and subscribe to Banner & Backbone!
