Forward Oregon

Since October, I have put in more hours volunteering on Jeff Merkley’s campaign for United States Senate than I can count.  I do it because I believe that not only will Jeff beat the Republican incumbent Gordon Smith, but that he will become one of the best United States Senators in the country.  In D.C., Jeff will be able to fight for the things that he has in Oregon, ensuring LGBT rights, enhancing protections for unions and working people, and protecting the environment.  My job is to make that happen any way I can, so some fellow bloggers and I are doing a one day fundraiser today for Jeff to try to raise an ambitious $5,000 for the campaign.  I don’t know a more deserving candidate, so if you could please help us reach our goal with a donation to Jeff (if you work in Oregon remember that there is a tax credit for your first $50 of political contributions) I would be very grateful.

I support Jeff Merkley because I was there.  I was there when Jeff Merkley led Democrats back to power in the House the right way.  Merkley got the party to embrace the grassroots, partnering with organizations like the Bus Project, SEIU, and the Oregon League of Conservation voters to knock on an obscene number of doors and call even more voters.  Merkley help create an Oregon version of Dean’s 50 State Strategy for House candidates, rebuilding the Democratic brand across the state, by, for the first time ever, explicitly diverting Future PAC (the House Dems election PAC) resources to rural candidates and candidates running in heavily Republican areas.

I was also there in the legislature, interning for one of the freshmen Democrats that Merkley helped get elected, to see the most progressive legislative session in 30 years.  I watched Jeff Merkley lead at time when the path was more than uncertain.  One of my fellow interns once said “I know Jeff Merkley accomplished a lot in the legislature because I had to file every damn one of those accomplishments.”  In their endorsement of Merkley, The Eugene Register Guard pointed out:

It’s telling that of the 31 members of the House Democratic caucus, all are supporting Merkley. They have nothing to fear from him, because he can’t run for re-election to the Legislature while pursuing a U.S. Senate seat. Merkley imposed tight discipline to keep his slender majority united and treated Republicans fairly in such matters as committee representation and did it without making enemies of any of his Democratic colleagues. A more convincing demonstration of leadership would be hard to find, and it’s a type of leadership badly needed in hyper-partisan national politics.

Time and time again Jeff delivered progressive legislation that matches my values.  Merkley stood up for the LGBTQ community, helped workers organize and fight for living wage jobs, and protected our environment.  No other candidate has been fighting for these values affirmatively by passing much needed legislation.

But more than the past Jeff Merkley represents how we can talk about progressive values as mainstream values, breaking out of the rights’ false claim to the center.  Back in December, I said this about Merkley’s environmental platform:

First, look at the language Merkley uses, connecting the environment with jobs, improving the economy, and fiscal savings. For so long Republicans have created a false choice between saving the environment, and saving the economy and peoples jobs. Jeff Merkley destroys that false dichotomy.

We need more Senators like Jeff Merkley who will beat Gordon Smith by running a positive campaign based on his record of progressive change and vision for our country.  You can make that a reality.  Please join me and other bloggers by donating to Jeff’s campaign today, you will make a huge difference in making our country a more progressive place.

I have been doing far more phone banking this cycle than usual being a canvassing lover, so yesterday was a great opportunity to get out with State Representative Brian Clem and the Willamette Students for Jeff Merkley knocking on doors.

With the sun making it warm but comfortable, you couldn’t have asked for a better day from mother nature.  The turf was very hospitable, as we were in a precinct with a high concentration of Democrats.  We were in Rep. Clem’s home base both because I walked past his house several times but also the district overwhelmingly turned out for the now freshman Democrat in 2006 (though to be fair, it’s hard to win by 22 points with out most of the district turning out for you).

Canvassing for a primary is just different than doing so in a general.  People are more open and interested in having an engaged conversation.  I had a great run talking to voters, with only 3 out of 16 voters all day ending up undecided or supporting someone else in the primary.  Through out this primary, I have found that if you just talk to people about who Jeff Merkley is and what he has done for Oregon, they are quite eager to vote for him.

This is true with even former Novick supporters.  I was talking to this couple that described themself “hard core Novick supporters” when I initially approached them.  I asked them why they were supporting the other guy and they talked about wanting to shake things up.  When I told them about how Merkley shook up the House Democrats after he was elected Democratic leader, returning to the grassroots with organizations like the Bus Project and running strong progressive candidates like Brian Clem, and followed that by leading the most progressive legislative session in decades, they came around fast.  That is the beauty of canvassing, the ability to talk to people on a nice Sunday and engage in democracy at its most basic levell.  It allows people look beyond the pidgeon hole terms that fly about in an election, and when they do they know the candidate that will be the best United States Senator and the candidate that is best equiped to take on Gordon Smith are one in the same, Speaker Jeff Merkley.

What is the number one thing that politicians say about themselves?  Politicians claim they are not like a typical politician.  In that way, Steve Novick and his ads, despite their claims once again represent politics as usual.  Novick’s new ad involves him pulling the plug on a narrator describing him as tough, smart, tireless, and the only hope for real change. According to Novick those statements are too much like other politicians. The problem is those so called “typical” statements are exactly what Novick claims to be.  The outsider meme that Novick tried pushing earlier in the campaign and shows up in his ads has repeatedly been debunked as nothing more than empty rhetoric, how typical.

Furthermore, Steve Novick claims to always tell the truth, is this the truth?:

The problem with Novick saying that his comments were merely “undiplomatic” is that he didn’t say that he was wrong to make them, rather he tried to spin his comments.  Calling an inspirational leader of the party and someone that you agree with 95% of the time, like Barack Obama a fraud because of a tiny policy difference isn’t right; it is caustic and crass.  If Steve Novick’s campaign was always about telling the truth he would have apologized for his outlandish attacks on good Democrats when he was clearly in the wrong, rather than spinning away responsibility like a typical politician.

How much of Steve Novick’s campaign is typical politicial rhetoric and spin?  That’s for you to decide.

The first major paper to endorse a candidate in the Democratic Senate primary joined the likes of the AFL-CIO, SEIU, the Sierra Club, Basic Rights Oregon, and Planned Parenthood in Jeff Merkley’s corner.  The Eugene Register Guard penned a glowing endorsement of Merkley based on his leadership in the legislature and his ability to become an outstanding US Senator:

A more important question is which candidate can best serve Oregon’s and the nation’s interests in Washington, D.C. Jeff Merkley isn’t the jazziest campaigner of the six Democrats on the May 20 ballot, but he is by far the best prepared. Democratic voters should nominate him…

It’s telling that of the 31 members of the House Democratic caucus, all are supporting Merkley. They have nothing to fear from him, because he can’t run for re-election to the Legislature while pursuing a U.S. Senate seat. Merkley imposed tight discipline to keep his slender majority united and treated Republicans fairly in such matters as committee representation — and did it without making enemies of any of his Democratic colleagues. A more convincing demonstration of leadership would be hard to find, and it’s a type of leadership badly needed in hyper-partisan national politics.

In most elections for high profile positions like President or Senate newspaper endorsements, while always welcome, generally are over rated as a means of voter persuasion.  This election is an exception.  Coverage of the Senate race has not been as extensive this year, often being overshadowed by a presidential primary that has lasted longer than any primary in recent memory.  Thus, for everyone except politicos deeply embroiled in the race, this election profiles more like a down ballot race.  In down ballot or races with lower amounts of information available to voters such as the Senate primary, voters look to trusted sources of information such as the voters pamphlets or newspaper endorsements.

The Eugene Register Guard is the state’s second largest newspaper and should have some sway over an area that is generally progressive leaning.  Furthermore, the Register Guard clearly delineates the positioning of the candidates, with Merkley the adept legislator and leader ready to take on the challenge of US Senator, Novick a feisty candidate but lacking the experience and the campaign infrastructure to take on Smith, and Candy Neville the passionate antiwar activist.  By doing so, the Register Guard positions Neville and Novick as inexperienced candidates that will split the protest vote in Neville’s home base of Eugene.

The Register Guard clearly thought that Speaker Jeff Merkley was far and away the best candidate for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate, and envisions Merkley’s race with Smith one of the best in the country.  In an election with low information, newspapers are a trusted source of advice for voters, and the second largest newspaper got behind Jeff Merkley.

The Oregon Voter’s Pamphlet is a key part of every campaign in Oregon.  Functionally, it is the cheapest mailer for a campaign, costing only a mere thousand dollars to go to every registered Democrat in the state.  Furthermore, unlike the direct mail that campaigns send  to voters that the average viewer only looks at for 7 seconds, the voter’s pamphlet is read by voters, especially in races where they are unfamiliar with the candidates.  The voters pamphlet is comprised of information furnished by the candidates, but because it is published by the state, the pamphlet has an air of legitimacy that other publications from campaigns do not.

So who are the winners and losers?  It is clear that Candy Neville is the biggest loser from not submitting a voters pamphlet statement.  Her poll numbers were a shock to most, out preforming expectations significantly and her performance in the last debate while shaky at times certainly wasn’t embarrassing.  However, a blunder like this clearly shows a candidate with out a solid campaign.  Jeff Merkley, as the only candidate that has been touting his pro choice credentials on the airwaves, will probably benefit as pro choice women who could have been much more tempted to vote for Neville, are less likely too now without a voters statement.  The other issue where this might have an effect is the War. The difference is that Merkley and Novick’s statements almost mirror each other, making it likely that anti war voters with whom Neville could have done well would split to both Merkley and Novick.

Not submitting a voters pamphlet statement as Jeff Merkley, David Loera, Steve Novick, Roger Obrist, and even the perennial out there candidate, fitness guru Pavel Goberman, did is a catastrophic mistake for a campaign.  That mistake is compounded even more by the fact that her name ID is so low.  The affects on other players in the race may be in question but we do know that when Democrats sit down with their voters pamphlet to decide who to vote for in the US Senate primary, we do know that Candy Neville’s name won’t be there.

This ad, titled Know, focuses on how Merkley understands the health care system and how he has personal experience with it because his wife, Mary, is a nurse. It lays out what he will do as a Senator and that his priorities are with patients and health care professionals and not lobbyists.

Anyways, it is an intelligent ad that will get the message across to Oregonians that one of Merkley’s main priorities is quality health care for all Americans.

Earlier this week, a KATU poll showed that Jeff Merkley has some work to do trailing his main primary opponent and lacking name identification.  The KATU poll also showed that 40% of likely primary voters as undecided in the contest.  However, a recently released poll by Riley Research gives the Speaker encouraging news about courting those undecided voters.

The poll shows Democrats having a +17% approval rating of the just finished speciall session. Riley’s poll indicates that the Democrats who are aware of the Legislature’s work approve overwhelmingly, with only 13% of Democrats registering a negative opinion of the session.  The bigger news for Merkley, who has centered his campaign themes around the progressive policies and his leadership in the legislative session, is that when he gets that message out, Democrats approve overwhelmingly.

Merkley seems poised to push that message, hitting the airwaves with a $88,000 ad buy to put this new spot up which highlights Merkley’s legislative message:

Merkley’s effort will also be boosted by a strong voter’s pamphlet statement, which can be seen as the key to last minute swing voters.  These voters will see the long list of Merkley endorsers and the legislative accomplishments that Riely’s poll suggests are viewed very favorably by the Democratic electorate.  If Merkley can up his name identification and push his message in the coming weeks before the primary, he should be in a excellent posistion.

Until now, I have not written on Steve Novick’s attacks against Senator Obama, but that hasn’t stopped everyone else. With Obama’s visit to Oregon and Novick’s less than kind endorsement of Obama, the comments are getting plenty of negative attention from Willamette Week, Jeff Mapes at the Oregonian, Politicker OR, Preemptive Karma, Senate Guru, and two posts on Blue Oregon.

Willamette Week broke the original story:

Steve Novick, running in Oregon’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, recently endorsed Barack Obama for president. Forget for a moment how inconsequential such an endorsement is from somebody who isn’t a super-delegate: Let’s instead review this Novick post from the political blog BlueOregon back on Dec. 6, 2006:

According to a recent New Yorker article, Barack Obama of Illinois has stood with other Midwesterners in supporting the sugar industry. Doesn’t this prove that Obama is just another captive-of-special-interests fraud who doesn’t really care about global warming and doesn’t deserve to be hailed as some great Kenya-Kansas hope?

So, Novick was against Obama before he was for him? Fair enough. [emphasis mine]

Blue Oregon also noted this Novick comment about Obama made a few weeks later:

“That is the mark of a complete sellout to the military-industrial complex. And of a politician sorely lacking in fiscal responsibility. … [Obama] shows a stunning degree of fealty to the military-industrial complex, and/or unjustifiable political timidity. [emphasis mine]

Considering that Obama has led a campaign with more than a million contributers, not taken any PAC money, and most of his money comes from small online donations, these comments came under considerable heat. Politicker OR interviewed former a former Novick ally, Oregon AFSCME (which backs Obama) political coordinator Joe Bassler who said:

Tags: OR-Sen, Seve Novick, Barack Obama, Blue Oregon, Blogging

When I return to San Francisco for school breaks and holidays my family know one thing: I am going to be at Popscene between the hours of 10 PM and 2 AM Thursday night, schedual Thursday events at your own peril.

For those of you who don’t have your thumb on San Francisco night life, Popsence is an 18+ indie pop dance club that caters to young, in the know, music lovers.  It brings the creme de la creme of indie acts to play, such as stalwarts like Spoon, the Killers, and Interpol that have become mainstream since.  Patrons come from all around the city and its suburbs to form a community of young lovers of music and dance.  It is here that I have met many of my remaining friends in the city by the bay after the post high school diaspora took its toll.

When I moved to Oregon, my passion for seeing live music was crushed by oppressive liquor laws and the OLCC.  In Oregon, venues must physically underage patrons from their drinking counterparts, often an impossible task considering the venues construction.  As venues generally make their profit on their alcohol sales and the cover recoups their costs of puting on a show, when given a choice between serving alcohol and not, venues will choose to exclude minors.  With that decision the vast majority of college students (until they turn 21) are excluded from seeing live music in many venues. Further, this has also been a problem with the Bus Project’s Debate Clubs which have had to turn away civic minded young people from participating due to the age requirements of the hosting venue.

Instead of creating and embracing a community that could benefit everyone involved.  As PDX POP board member Cary Clarke says:

By greatly increasing local teenagers’ and college students’ access to live music, this small regulatory change would have an enormously positive impact on everyone involved in Portland music, from fans to bands to venue owners.

Further, the need for a young in the know audience for bands will help expand the excellent reputation (despite the OLCC rules) Portland has earned as a good place to be a musician.

Finally, PDX pop has excellent logic behind what really happens if the only good thing to do at night is going to someone’s house party.

- Providing young people with more safe, regulated, engaging recreational opportunities like concerts channels their energy and enthusiasm in a positive direction.

- Teen drinking is often the result of boredom and isolation, and granting young people access to more arts and culture will significantly reduce both of those risk factors.

- Teenagers are far more likely to drink and be exposed to a drinking environment by raiding their parents’ liquor cabinet, or going to an unsupervised party, than by attending a concert at a legitimate music venue.

- Many states, such as New York, California, Texas and Colorado, have similar, and in many cases more progressive, policies regarding minors at music venues, and national data does not show an increased incidence of teen drinking in these states.

It is a lot easier to get alcohol poisoning from a handle of Jack Daniels in someones house then if you are at a bar where you might have someone sneak you some booze from a bar that will lose its liquor liscene if it gets caught serving you.

The OLCC is currently considering changing this rule and to them I say:

Let Them Dance!

Tags: Oregon, OLCC, PDX Pop, Popscene

Endorsements are generally not a particularly exciting thing, unless you build a community of supporters like Jeff Merkley has. Whether its the 220,000 union households, the environmental stewards of the Sierra Club, the mayors of cities far and wide, or me, Jeff Merkley has shown a remarkable ability to unite progressives across the state.

I really love this video