Politics In Small Bites.
Election Coverage So Complete It Makes Larry Craig Tap His Feet.
May 7th, 2008
Cover Story • Best New Band 2008 | Portland music insiders take our local scene to the chopping block—and come out with 10 new faves. 0 comments
May 7th, 2008
Holy Smoke | High times for marijuana marchers.7 comments
May 7th, 2008
Trib Translation | An annotation of last week’s news about the news.6 comments
May 7th, 2008
Murmurs • Where We Gather Each Week To See How We Live.4 comments
May 7th, 2008
Rogue of the Week • Elaine Franklin | Thy name is mud-slinging.1 comment
May 7th, 2008
Honor Thy Neighbor | But covet your own U.S. Senate candidate.0 comments
May 7th, 2008
Quick Picks for the Primary | A WW endorsements cheat sheet for your vote-by-mail ballot.2 comments
May 7th, 2008
Pop Quiz • What do you see in the picture? | WW’s weekly election feature—designed to scare the hell out of City Hall candidates.0 comments
May 7th, 2008
Getting In Gear | Can 5,000 cyclists swing a City Hall election?0 comments
May 7th, 2008
The Big Dump | A Sauvie Island resident’s fight to prevent an isle of blight.2 comments
[March 26th, 2008]
Trail Mix
There are no do-overs in politics, as Democrats in Florida and Michigan at one point may have hoped. Makeovers, however, are another matter. Exhibit A: The position of U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) on the Iraq war. Exhibit B: A proposal by Smith’s wannabe Democratic opponent Steve Novick to overhaul the $20 bill. Huh?! Yes, it’s true. Novick, a candidate in the Democratic primary, says Andrew Jackson, the seventh U.S. president, should be removed from the $20 bill. The reason? Jackson was responsible for the “Trail of Tears” that killed thousands of Native Americans in the early 1800s. And who should replace Jackson, according to Novick? Sitting Bull.
DEMOCRACY LIVES : Vote now at candidatesgonewild.com for the City Hall contenders you want onstage at America’s most kickass political event April 28 at the Roseland Theater. Meanwhile, tickets are available for $4 at WW, 2220 NW Quimby St., or at the Bus Project, 333 SE 2nd Ave.
When Candidates Blog
Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley logged on to the Daily Kos last month to explain why he’s running for Gordon Smith’s U.S. Senate seat. A reader, “SensibleDemocrat,” then wrote that the two had met in Salem and went on to tell Merkley, “if I was an Oregon resident you would have my vote. (I’m from WA).”
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Merkley responded: “Move now! (Just kidding, it’s too late to register). But it’s not too late to come to Oregon and volunteer for the summer. We’d LOVE to have your help.”
Then “Oregon Bear” chimed in: “Speaker Merkley, you should know that the voter registration deadline for the primary is April 29.”
Finally Carla Axtman, Merkley’s netroots coordinator, responded: “It’s 21 days before the election. I’ll make sure to mention that to Jeff. He probably already knows but was working on these comments so fast in order to get to as many as possible.”
Calendar
Wednesday March 26
Organizers are calling it “The Big One,” and this candidates’ forum fits the bill, sprawling across races for Portland mayor and city council, the Multnomah County commission and the Metro commission. There were 28 candidates confirmed to participate and possibly more on the way. Seating is first come, first served. Ambridge Conference Center, 300 NE Multnomah St. 6:30-10 pm. Free.
When Speaker Merkley first tried his hand at live-blogging I posed this question:
Dear Representative Merkley, you and some associated with your campaign have described your 2003 HRes 2 floor speech as an "anti war speech" which "attacked President Bush." What specifically supports these characterizations, and did you really stand up and say in your floor speech that you "disagree completely with the decision to go to this war"?
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His response alluded to an anti-war column he wrote. A campaign spokesperson was not able to confirm for the record if the column Speaker Merkley was referring to (see below) was actually published publicly and in print or if it was simply some sort of internal newsletter.
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I am so glad you asked this question, Thom. I am the only candidate in this race who published a column against using force in Iraq before Bush launched the invasion. I am the only candidate in this race who rose to speak against the use of force two days into the invasion stating: "I have not been and am not today persuaded that Iraq was a significant threat to the United States or that the war we fight today is the best strategy to fight terrorism or the wisest application of superpower resources." I am the only candidate in this race who, to my knowledge, has called for the Reid-Feingold amendment requiring a strict timeline for bringing out troops home. - Jeff Merkley
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The content of this column remains a mystery. We can only assume that it contained more forthright opposition to Bush's pre-emptive war than Merkley's HRes 2 floor speech.
In it's entirety...
Colleagues, I have not been and am not today persuaded that Iraq was a significant threat to the United States or that the war we fight today is the best strategy to fight terrorism or the wisest application of our superpower resources. But that is a conversation or a debate for another day.
Today I rise to praise our young men and women serving our nation at great personal risk. Today we are not Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal; we are Americans concerned about the safety and support of our troops.
I praise our sons and daughters – their courage, their professionalism. I pray now that the fighting will be brief; that the casualties on both sides will be sparse; that international aid to rebuild Iraq will be swift and abundant; that the terrorist repercussions will be few or none; and that there will be a new Iraqi government soon that will rule with wisdom and will provide the opportunity and freedoms for every Iraqi citizen to survive.
May that be the outcome.
- Jeff Merkley - floor speech on HRes 2
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Where is Merkley's mystery column attacking Bush and the war?
It looks like Prince Adams is already looking for court jesters to help him try and run his Kingdom. If he's looking for any better lackey than John Branam, I doubt he will find one. Branam has already made a mockery of the VOE system with his lack of judgment for paying his campaign manager $25,000.
www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Co...
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Honest people of Portland, be on the lookout for the Adams/Branam cabal. These two are regularly seen together. Any one outraged by the behavior of the Branam campaign should consider a vote for Branam the same as a vote for Adams. Branam will be a rubber stamp for King Adams and all his shenanigans.
BRANAM IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF GUY YOU�D EXPECT ADAMS TO SURROUND HIMSELF WITH!
Sho Dozono and the residents of Portland, you've been warned��...
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FROM THE WW:
�Without making any endorsements or calling, Adams hinted he might put Council candidate John Branam �"who strikes me as somebody very capable"�or Amanda Fritz in charge of the cops. (Branam and Fritz are running for Adams' seat.)�
wweek.com/wwire/?p=11099
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ALSO FROM THE WW:
Beth Slovic writes on Mar 21st, 2008 12:05pm
�Sam Adams, John Branam and Tina Kotek were sitting together in the nose-bleed section during the speech. When Obama hit his stride talking about education -- saying kids need art, music and P.E. -- Adams gave Branam a big thumbs up. It was super cheesy.�
wweek.com/wwire/?p=11295