Forward Oregon

Steve Novick’s remarks the last several days struck me last night as I became addicted to refreshing New Hampshire primary results, desperately hoping that Obama would squeak out a victory. In recent days Novick has claimed that the Iowa caucuses represent a metaphor from which analysis of the Oregon Senate race should stem. The AP via the Oregonian:

Steve Novick, the self-described underdog in Oregon’s Democratic U.S. Senate race, says the presidential vote in Iowa showed that voters are ready for a change and aren’t taking their cues from party establishment types.

Novick likened his chief opponent, Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley, to Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose once formidable presidential candidacy was dealt a blow in last week’s Iowa caucuses. Clinton rebounded to win the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night.

Does that mean that now that New Hampshire has been won by Hillary Clinton, Oregon voters care about experience and insider connections? Does this mean that Novick is destined to lose in May? Or could it be that the political climate in a race for a different office, in states across the country, tell one little about an election in Oregon five months from now, especially since the nomination will probably be decided by the time Oregon’s primary rolls around?

Kevin over at Preemptive Karma, reminds us that this is but one of the faulty and presumptuous comparison that Novick has made:

Novick began his campaign last Spring by comparing himself to Jon Tester, the new Democratic Senator from Montana. But that ended up not working out so well for Novick. Tester endorsed Jeff Merkley and has been helping Merkley raise money and organize Farmers for Merkley.

Novick also tried comparing himself to Senator Paul Wellstone, who drove a big, green bus around his home state of Minnesota, talking up his grassroots campaign. As I recall, that sounds a lot more like Jeff Merkley’s kick-off tour than anything Novick has done so far.

And now, Novick is busy comparing Jeff Merkley to Hillary Clinton. Ironically, Jeff Merkley is the head of John Edwards campaign in Oregon. And as Sarah Lane noticed, there’s a huge amount of common ground between Edwards and Merkley. Novick’s weak tea attempts to swipe at Merkley are getting lame.

Three faces thus far, Steve. Which face will be next? Hillary Clinton?

The Novick Campaign seems to be grasping at straws and discarding them almost as quickly. Further, it is disappointing that Novick managed to up his already tired act of attacking Democrats to our presidential candidates in addition to Speaker Merkley, calling Clinton “calculating’ and saying that Edwards was about “anger”. These are the candidates that will head our party and our ticket that Novick is bashing. Its time for Steve Novick to beyond these presumptuous comparisons and offer a positive view on why he is a good senate candidate, without attacking other Democrats.

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Tags: OR-Sen, Steve Novick, Jeff Merkley, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards