Portland Political Discussion's Journal
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
10:53AM - my thoughts on the recent elections...
...from an editorial on my website:
Portland City Council Position #2
Erik Sten 50.48% 49,852
Ginny Burdick 27.34% 27,002
Dave Lister 13.41% 13,239
Sten pulled this one out, and surprised a number of folks by avoiding a November runoff. I love Sten, and I think he's a needed presence on the council. Somebody pointed out that in this instance, a vote for the incumbent was not a vote for the status quo--a vote for Burdick was. Burdick's defeat is a setback for the PBA's clout. Lister's strong finishing shows the power of his ideas, and I hope he shows up again in city politics.
Portland City Council Position #3
Dan Saltzman 57.59% 55,111
Amanda Fritz 24.57% 23,509
Saltzman had enraged a number of neighborhood activists, and Fritz seemed to be the perfect VOE candidate. Yet, Fritz got trounced in embarrassing fashion. Neighborhood activists are the losers in this one. I didn't make an endorsement, but I was glad to see Saltzman win. Fritz would have brought a measure of diversity in some ways. In other ways, she would made the council less diverse by replacing its only conservative member with another liberal. I was also worried about how she would balance all of the various neighborhood interests if elected. You can listen to everyone, but you can't do what everyone wants.
Multnomah County Chair
Ted Wheeler 69.64% 81,740
Diane Linn 23.13% 27,145
This one hurt the most. It became evident early on that Wheeler would be the favorite here, and he picked up every major newspaper endorsement in the city. Wheeler had almost four times as much money ($150,000 of which he loaned to himself) and got out there early. I don't think Wheeler is a bad guy. I do think he's a rich boy who has never had to work to make ends meet. He's also never held elected office before. But I've said all of this before...Linn had serious problems. I just wish that somebody had entered this race to challenge her who was actually qualified to hold the office. If you take out Wheeler's family money, he doesn't even factor in this race.
My final parting shots about Wheeler: I think my favorite Wheeler campaign story comes from when he appeared at a candidate forum at PSU. The PSU paper includes this in their coverage:
Wheeler said homeless people and citizens with abuse problems “don’t give a damn” that he owns three cars, an Audi TT and Lexus Station Wagon among them.
I felt uneasy with Wheeler's lack of political experience and with his family's sizeable wealth. What was perhaps more disconcerting was how he seemed arrogant about both, and dismissive of anybody who raised them as concerns. The above quote is a great example of Wheeler's attitude. Honestly, I hope that Wheeler turns out to be an effective leader and great chair. I'd like him to prove me wrong, for the sake of county residents. But I won't be holding my breath on that one.
Multnomah County Commissioner #2
Jeffrey Cogen 34.10% 9,298
Lew Frederick 28.81% 7,854
Gary D. Hansen 22.52% 6,139
Xander Patterson 14.13% 3,852
A couple of familiar names here. We all know crazy Xander Patterson of Pacific Green Party fame, and Lew Frederick from his time as faceman for PPS. I admit I didn't follow this race very closely, largely because I couldn't vote in it. Hopefully we'll now get a chance to see the real differences (if they exist) between Cogen and Frederick before November.
Multnomah County Sheriff
Bernie Giusto 61.43% 64,677
Donald L. DuPay 28.12% 29,601
WRITE-IN 10.45% 11,002
First, I'd like to mention that a lot has been made of pothead Don DuPay getting more votes than Diane Linn. Let's all acknowledge that almost everybody who voted for DuPay did so with the knowledge that he would not win--kind of like voting for Ralph Nader--and so had the luxury of using the vote as a protest without actually wanting DuPay to become Sheriff; further, that everybody who voted for Linn did so because they actually wanted her to win.
With that aside, this is another race where it's a real shame that a qualified challenger didn't emerge (maybe, if Wheeler had kicked DuPay some of that timber money...). I didn't endorse here because nobody was qualified. DuPay and WW write-in candidate Paul Van Orden did not have enough law enforcement experience, and Giusto has proved that he can't handle money to save his political life. It's very telling that Giusto barely got 60% of the vote running against a pothead who wanted to turn Wapato into a homeless shelter and a write-in candidate.
Metro Auditor
Suzanne Flynn 60% 24,943
Alexis Dow 40% 16,502
Blah. Dow got what she deserved.
Oregon Governor (Democrat)
Kulo 55% 159,311
Jim Hill 29% 86,242
Pete Sorenson 16% 47,949
No endorsement here, but I was pulling for Kulo. Basically, he is the only one of the three who could win a statewide election against Mannix or Saxton. Hill was able to put a bit of a scare into the Kulo camp from ads paid for by SEIU and the owners of Spirit Mountain Casino. Otherwise, Kulo would have probably topped 60%.
Oregon Governor (Republican)
Ron Saxton 41% 115,119
Kevin Mannix 30% 81,909
Jason Atkinson 23% 61,531
So, Kevin Mannix might finally be finished in Oregon politics. Anybody who thought Atkinson had a chance was smoking rocks, and we finally get to see what Ron Saxton will morph into for a general election. Saxton has pulled far to the right of his previous positions in order to win the primary. Now, will he continue that line or attempt to soften himself and move back to the middle to appeal to Democrats? Either way, Ted is in trouble when you consider that Ben Westlund is lurking out there, somewhere in Eastern Oregon.
WINNERS
Tribes of the Grand Ronde
Incumbents
City Hall
Dave Lister & Small Business Interests
LOSERS
Willamette Week
NIMBYs & "Neighborhood Activists"
Residents of Multnomah County (esp. HD 46)
PBA & Big Business Interests
Thursday, April 6, 2006
10:02PM - All right now seriously
Is this thing on?
Was anyone at the gubernatorial forum tonight? What were your impressions of the candidates?
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
2:26AM - please go vote for OREGON!
Concerts For Change
An independent national organization "Concerts for Change" has raised $10,000 and wants our help deciding where to spend it.
This money was raised through their concerts and on-line program. It was not raised by Carry Oregon or the Kerry Edwards Campaign. This PAC would like our help in deciding where to spend the money. As Good Democrats they are voting on the issue.
So go vote at http://www.orvpa.org/ and help keep Oregon Blue by getting the Democratic Party of Oregon's Coordinated Campaign a little extra boost.
Between now and Thursday, September 16 you can vote to decide whether Concerts for Change should give $10,000 to help Kerry win Oregon or give $10,000 to help Kerry win Pennsylvania.
Tell your friends. Anyone can vote. One vote per person. The state with the most votes by 11:59pm EST on Thursday, September 16, wins. The Running for Change PAC will write a $10,000 check to the Democratic coordinated campaignin the winning state and a $1,000 check to the Democratic coordinated campaign in the second-place state on Friday, September 17.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
12:52PM - Now is a good time to donate to campaigns
The next fiscal quarter ends tomorrow, June 30. Thus, campaigns will be reporting how much money they have been raising as of June 30, and will be using this to try to get more money in the future.
From what I understand, making a strong showing as of June 30 means a whole lot toward getting more money in the future and separates the campaigns that will be treated seriously from those that don't. Some people say that $1 raised now will be the equivalent of $2 or $3 raised in July and August.
Thus, if there is a candidate out there you have been thinking of donating to, and you've got the cash, now is the time to do it. Even if it's a little bit, like $5, it might help give your gal or guy the legitimacy she or he needs to keep pushing forward, or to keep the challengers at bay. You've got until tomorrow night.
Friday, June 25, 2004
11:15AM - Oregon Conservatives for Nader
For him running, and throwing the election away from Kerry, that is. No way in hell they'd actually vote for him.
Conservatives Try to Get Nader on Ballot
SALEM, Ore. - Two conservative groups have been phoning people around Oregon this week, urging them to attend Ralph Nader's convention Saturday in hopes of putting Nader's name on Oregon's presidential ballot.
The groups make no bones about their goal — to draw votes away from Democrat John Kerry and help President Bush win this battleground state in November.
The rest of the story is here.
Cross-posted to 
damnportlanders
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
7:58PM - Discuss!
Katie Couric and Matt Lauer get tough with Michael Moore on the 'Today' show.
Hmm. There are certain things from both interviews that have made me twitch a bit. I think I'll just have to see F9/11 and judge for myself, though I can already say that I don't agree with Moore having kept that footage of a soldier sexually harassing a detainee to himself. He had that footage months BEFORE the Abu Ghraib images, and I personally think he should have reported it, as it might have brought attention to the situation overseas a lot sooner. I've just lost a lot of respect for the man, myself. Opinions?
WARNING: To view the interviews themselves, you will require a fast connection. It'll eat up a 56k connection.
contemplative