maloney's musings

Georgia's Potatoe's Deluxe

2008-07-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

Whose what?

This sign wouldn't be reminiscent of Dan Quayle if that second apostrophe weren't there.

Robert Novak's Hit & Run

2008-07-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

Jon Stewart wants more "vigilante cyclists!" Yes!

(h/t to nothstine.)

Western Climate Initiative Action

2008-07-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Onward Oregon, in partnership with the Oregon Environmental Council, sent out an action designed to help encourage Governor Kulongoski to toughen up on the standards of the Western Climate Initiative. The standards are currently being drafted and there are local and regional stakeholders meetings coming up in the next couple days.

Below is some of the text we sent out with the alert:

Oregon is part of a groundbreaking regional program: the Western Climate Initiative. The WCI is developing a “cap-and-trade” program to limit greenhouse gas emissions involving seven Western States and three Canadian provinces. We need your help to ensure it’s strong enough to effectively reduce global warming pollution.
To be effective, the WCI’s proposed cap-and-trade system must limit greenhouse gas emissions from all major carbon sources. Because transportation is responsible for nearly half the region’s greenhouse gas emissions, the cap must include this sector to succeed. The WCI partners recently agreed to include transportation fuels within the cap; this was a significant step in the right direction. However, transportation fuels may be phased in at a later time, after other sectors. This approach would undermine the WCI’s potential to quickly reduce regional emissions. We must speak up now to make the program more effective. Send a message to Governor Kulongoski now >>

So... What are you waiting for?

More information is available here.

Who's on First? Typography

2008-07-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a great repackaging of a classic skit using one of my favorite things: Typography. (I especially love good video typeography.)

Here's another good one.

That's How You Get Killed!

2008-07-06T21:10:00.001-07:00

If you're driving, please keep your eyes on the road and resist the urge to talk to me while I'm cycling. Quite frankly, I have a lot to keep my mind on when I'm cycling, and I generally don't see it as an opportunity to get to know you better.

Very recently, I had a very interesting experience with a chatty (and nosy) driver which I found greatly amusing. I was riding down NW Broadway from the bridge and turned right on Couch towards Powell's Books. Maybe two blocks away from Powell's, on Couch, a woman in a gold colored sedan of some sort rolled down her passenger window and proceeded to yell at me! "I saw you run that red light! That's how you get killed!."

Had I actually run "that red light," I'm pretty sure the feeling I would have had at that moment would have been some mixture of defensiveness, annoyance, and guilt for having been caught. However, considering I didn't actually run a red light, I was completely confused and tongue-tied. Glad that Samuel L. Jackson wasn't around, I managed only a very articulate, "What?" in response.

Again, "That's how you get killed! I saw you!"

She drove off and I kept the distance of a block or so behind her as to not make it look like I was following her. Fortunately, after a couple blocks she turned off the street and off my route. What was really funny about that turn is that she turned the wrong way down a one-way street. I felt a little vindicated by this really dangerous mistake in that she probably was paying as much attention to me when I "ran that red light" as she was when she made that left turn. I'm glad that she didn't get hurt and that she made it to Burnside without injury, but my "less evolved" side wanted to shout out, "Why don't you watch where you're driving, that's how you get killed!"

Seriously, I'm not pure. I'm not going to say I've never blown a light, or rolled through a stop sign, or unintentionally cut someone off, but I'm generally very conscientious about traffic laws. My thought is that I'm an ambassador on the road and (fair or not) my actions end up being taken for what "all cyclists do." This is why I'm annoyed by cyclists who run red lights or ride dangerously. They make me look bad and they make the roads less safe. I'm more scared by bad drivers, but I take more offense when cyclists ignore the rules of the road.

So anyway, watch the road and be safe. And if you get the impulse to chat with a cyclist while you're driving, please try and squelch it. We're busy not getting killed.

It's Election Day!!!

2008-05-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

And quite a lovely one at that. I woke up to the sound of the first rain in some time. Some folks will have their parades rained upon today, I'm hoping that not too many of mine will feel the clouds. I've been too busy out stumping for Steve Novick to write anything lately so I'll simply link to my endorsements and to Loaded Orygun's election "pre-game." If you want to find me tonight, I'll be at the Novick party at the Benson Hotel tonight. This night will end in tears for some, I'm (selfishly) hoping that it won't for me.

Duelling polls in Oregon US Senate race

2008-05-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Two polls, one released today and another yesterday, show that the race for the Democratic nomination to take on Gordon Smith is very close. A SurveyUSA shows Jeff Merkley with a lead over Steve Novick within the margin of error (31-27, 4% MOE). A poll conducted by Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall Inc. shows Novick with a slight edge beyond the margin of error (29-23, 4.8% MOE).

What does this say? It says that the race remains competitive and that the next week is going to be very important to the outcome of the race and that many voters remain undecided. I would chalk up Merkley's improvement in the polls to the massive TV buys that have gone on in the last couple weeks.

Novick has just released a new ad himself, one starring John Kitzhaber, and will be taking to the airwaves in these last days of the primary campaign. Let's get to work.

Steve Duin on Obama, Fish, Novick

2008-05-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

In today's Sunday Oregonian, Steve Duin writes about what (he thinks) voters want this year. Unsurprisingly, it's a variation on the common theme talked about recently of "change." Instead of the "laundry list," as Duin puts it, of either accomplishments of things achieved or promises of things to come, they're looking for an emotional connection with their Electeds-to-be.

Somewhat surprisingly, he doesn't lead with Obama, but with Nick Fish, who is running for the Portland City Council. Fish has run, unsuccessfully, for the Council twice before and I'm hoping that, "Third time's the charm" holds true for Fish. He's upfront with his shortcomings during the previous runs, saying that, "I give myself an 'F' in communication skills in that race [in 2002]," Nick Fish said. "I'd say, 'Hi, I'm Nick Fish. I'm a lawyer and this is what I believe,' and I only succeeded in putting up five barriers for a meaningful conversation."

While Fish's campaign has been low key, I feel like he's learned some of those lessons and is better prepared to bring his passion for affordable housing to the Council now. (He's previously served on the Housing authority of Portland as a Commissioner and then as Vice Chair.) With Erik Sten vacating his seat, we need someone with the same commitment to accessible housing.

So, wasn't I thrilled last night to read Nick Fish (and Duin) say some very nice things about my favorite candidate of the cycle, Steve Novick

"If we know nothing about Obama, we understand his values, who he is and what he believes in," Fish said. "People feel a visceral connection to him, a connection that's stronger than the connection to his opponent."
While Merkley, speaker of the Oregon House, has run the most sanitized, tone-deaf campaign in recent memory, Novick not only has a literal hook but a narrative one as well.
"The biggest houses in Irvington, some of the most expensive in the city, have Novick signs," Fish said. "This is a guy who's on the stump saying the rich aren't paying their fair share in taxes. Are these people dying to pay more in taxes? No. They support him because he's willing to talk about subjects that have been taboo.
"With Novick, it's the value of candor and conviction and a reasonable dose of self-deprecating humor. Steve puts front and center who he is and what he believes. He tells stories and answers questions directly. He's made a virtue out of being partisan."
And voters, as weary of plastic politicians as they are of plastic bags, are intrigued.

We've got some great folks to vote for this season and Duin has identified several of them here.

Postage increase won't stop mail-in ballots

2008-05-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

A small snag emerged recently for Oregon's Vote-By-Mail system.

Ballots were recently mailed out and are due in May 20, but there's a postage rate increase that will take effect on May 12. (Rates are going up from 41 cents to 42 cents.)

Fortunately, this has already come to the attention of the Postal Service and the election offices across the state. OPB is reporting that ballots, even those sent with old stamps, WILL be delivered. The county elections offices will pay the extra penny for ballots mailed after the increase. But... This is a(nother) good reason to get your ballot in as early as possible.

Please vote, and please vote soon. (And please be polite to anyone who happens to be calling you about your votes...) If you're looking for tips on who to vote for, you can find my endorsements here.

More newspapers for Novick!

2008-05-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

Since Sunday's Oregonian endorsement of Steve Novick over Jeff Merkley for the US Senate Democratic nomination, five more newspapers have joined the chorus of voices calling for change in the US Senate. This series of endorsements will put good ink in front of people's eyes as ballots are arriving in the mail. I couldn't be happier.

Wednesday, the Willamette Week endorsed Steve saying:

We were hotly divided between the fun, speak-his-mind insurgent who calls to mind the late Sen. Paul Wellstone and the impassive Merkley, who calls to mind the widely respected Sen. Al Gore—the wooden version, before he became as steaming as the planet.
In the end, we rallied around Novick because we see a capacity for a refreshing independence and an unwavering willingness to tackle our toughest issues, like providing universal health care and ending the war in Iraq.
...
The toughest and smartest guy in this race is Novick.

The following day, the Portland Mercury endorsed:

We've gone back and forth on this endorsement for weeks. Were we choosing the candidate who would make the best US Senator, or were we picking the one best suited to topple formidable Republican Gordon Smith—someone who'd put up a better fight, even if they weren't ultimately successful?
Finally, we realized that attorney and political activist Steve Novick is the best choice on both counts. Not only will he give Smith the toughest challenge—just look at the momentum he's got against Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley, a solid political leader, and the guy plenty of Democrats assumed would be coronated as the nominee—but assuming he wins in November (and we're starting to believe he can), we're excited to see what he'd do in DC.
...
While Merkley would likely be a solid senator, given his track record leading Democrats in Salem, we're just not that into him. Vote for Novick.

Then, rounding up the Portland area general interest papers, The Portland Tribune gave Steve its endorsement:

...our belief is that voters, if they are inclined to replace Smith in November, will be looking for someone who doesn’t fit the traditional political mold.
And there’s no question that the feisty Novick, who stands 4-feet-9, has a mechanical hook on the end of his left arm and speaks with sharp conviction, would break most anyone’s mold.
...
The Novick-Merkley contest is an extremely close call, but if the goal is to provide voters with a vigorous debate and distinct choice in the fall, then Democrats should send Steve Novick forward as the candidate most capable of challenging Smith.

Lest it be thought that Novick's appeal ends at the Portland city limits, the week also saw two non-Portland papers giving their endorsements to Steve.

The Ashland Daily Tidings had this to say:

We think both Merkley and Novick are qualified candidates and both are capable of unseating the only remaining Republican senator on the West Coast. But Novick brings a spirit and focus to the campaign that is refreshing and we have no doubts that he would carry that same fearless approach to Congress. We endorse Steve Novick for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate.

The East Oregonian also supports Steve:

We believe Novick's unconventional and audacious style presents the best option for Democratic hopes to unseat Smith.
...
Novick vows to be an outspoken advocate for Oregon and the issues that matter to all Americans - the economy, health care and the war. He also has Beltway experience fighting pollution by huge corporations.
...
While the Democrats face a distinctly uphill battle to unseat our Sen. Smith - or maybe precisely because of that - their best choice is Steve Novick.

Not a bad week for the campaign, not a bad week at all.

Nick Fish airs campaign ad

2008-05-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

Nick Fish, my favorite candidate for Portland City Council (Position 2), has just released a TV commercial as ballots are coming into people's hands.

Here it is:

Related: Amanda Fritz goes on the air.

Ballot Day!

2008-05-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

It's May 2nd, and I've got my ballot!

I'm still not sure what I'm doing for the Mayoral or Presidential races, but the rest of them I've got solid. I'm not posting all the races, or the initiatives, just the ones I feel the most strongly about.

US Senate: Steve Novick

Secretary of State: Vicki Walker

Attorney General: John Kroger

Portland City Council (Position 1): Amanda Fritz

Portland City Council (Position 2): Nick Fish

Unfortunately, my Metro Councilor, County Commissioner, and House Rep are either not up for reelection or are facing no opposition. So, I'm continuing my long standing tradition of not voting for anyone running unopposed.

I may or may not post anything in regards to the Mayoral race or the Presidential nomination.

Happy voting, and don't forget your stamp!

(5/3/08) Update: Added links (duh!) to the campaign websites.

The Oregonian endorses Steve Novick

2008-04-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

In a fit of good sense, Oregon's largest daily newspaper has decided to endorse Steve Novick over Jeff Merkley in the race for the US Senate Democratic Party nomination.

From the article in today's Sunday Oregonian:

Oregon Democrats have long coveted the seat of Sen. Gordon Smith, the only Republican currently holding statewide office. They consider him vulnerable because of the way he has supported the policies of an unpopular president while managing to rile many in his party. And in a year in which Democrats are expected to gain ground in Congress, they just may be right.
We think the candidate they should send to face Smith is, in some ways, the unlikeliest one of all: Steve Novick, an Ivy League lawyer who stands 4'-9" and has a hook instead of a left hand.
This choice is unorthodox not just because of Novick's remarkable personal characteristics and history, but because the Democratic Party establishment is supporting another solid candidate, Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley.
...
Novick declared his intention to run against Smith early on, but Merkley, thanks to his party organization's support, became the automatic front-runner when he entered the race. Yet Novick has gained national attention as Merkley's campaign has stumbled. Novick clearly is a smart campaigner and has an untypical but convincing record of productive achievement.
...
Novick is an unusual man with an unusual resume -- characteristics that some suggest aren't suited to the U.S. Senate. But we think his passion, his intellect and his personal style give him an intriguing combination of qualities that most senators don't possess.
We think Novick represents a bold choice for Democrats who seek to dislodge a veteran incumbent. He has the potential to press Smith as he has done Merkley. And, should he pull off what would be a major electoral upset and go to Washington as the new junior senator from Oregon, he has the potential to make Oregonians proud.

The Oregonian has hit the nail on the head when they highlight Steve's ability to compete and do very well in a race where he was expected to be the underdog. They failed to mention, however, that Merkley was recruited by DC Democrats, the DSCC, to take on Smith and that they've donated (directly) nearly $100,000 to his campaign, and acted as a conduit for more of his fund raising. We wrote about this here last July, and again in October. Despite this assistance, Merkley has consistently polled behind Novick.

I am not fond of the National Dems, who have capitulated over and over again to the unpopular Bush administrated, meddling in our State elections. Senator Chuck Schumer, head of the DSCC, said in November that he would support the nomination of Michael Mukasey to Attorney General (who eventually did get the post).

Whoever goes up against Gordon Smith in the General election is going to be facing a much more experienced and better funded politician. Smith has done well in posing as a moderate while carrying the water of the Bush/Cheney administration 90% of the time. I've not been impressed by Merkley's inability to compete with an opponent will less money and less establishment support and have grave concerns about how he would do against Smith. Novick, on the other hand, has proven him self a skilled campaigner and worthy of the Democratic Party's nomination. He is well suited to take on the role of David in the fight against Goliath.

I heartily agree with the Oregonian's endorsement and think that Novick is our only chance of beating Smith in the General Election.

(Novick has also been endorsed by the Medford Mail Tribune, while Merkley has the endorsements of the Eugene Register Guard and the Bend Bulletin.)

Less than a week to register

2008-04-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

The deadline to register to vote in order to be eligible to vote in the May 20 Oregon Primary is coming up fast. The deadline is in less than a week, on April 29th.

That means, if you've moved since the last time you've registered, you've never registered, or you want to change your party affiliation, you must register by that date.

The Secretary of State's office has some useful resources for voters, including easy access to the League of Women Voters (Oregon) Voters' Guide (pdf).

With all the races going on this election cycle, including the Presidential Primary, the US Senate Primary, State Legislative races, the City Council races, and County Commission elections, it's important that as many people get registered and informed as possible.

It does matter who gets elected to these various offices.

Amanda on the air

2008-04-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Amanda Fritz, my favorite choice for one of the open Portland City Council seats, has just released a TV ad.

While it's not as jazzy as a Steve Novick ad, it still gets across some of the important reasons I support Amanda. She's thoughtful, honest, and I think she'll bring a degree of transparency and accountability that's much needed on the Council. She's long been an advocate for respecting the process of how local government is supposed to function and as last summer's "Ceasar Chavez Ave" fight demonstrates, the city needs to spend more time on process.

Novick Pulls the Plug on Politics as Usual

2008-04-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Steve Novick's new ad, "Pull the Plug" (below) was released two days ago and has already been seen on YouTube more than 3,200 times. That's more views than BOTH of Jeff Merkley's ads, "Fighter" and "Know" combined (slightly under 3,000 views). Also, bear in mind that "Fighter" has been out for two weeks and "Know" has been out for one whole week. (Search YouTube if you like, I'm not linking to them.)

I guess you can't really blame people for not seeking out Merkley's ads, they're the kind of typical political ads you're used to seeing around campaign season. The same kind of ad released by the same type of politician.

Novick's ad, on the other hand, is making waves along with his previous ads. The ad is even getting the attention of national blogs talking about the Presidential race's commercials. I love how the ad skewers typical political advertising by pointing out how vacuous and boring political advertisements usually are. I think it's great that he speaks frankly in the ad about tax fairness and the regressive Social Security tax that needs reform. He speaks frankly and does so in a entertaining and humorous way. Style AND substance.

Also, in case you missed it, here's Novick's closing statement from last week's televised debate on KGW:

We need to elect this guy.

Update 4/23: The full debate can be found here at KGW's site.

Beautiful - Novick 1st, Merkley 3rd

2008-04-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

A poll done by SurveyUSA for KATU has placed Steve Novick in the front (with 23% of respondents favoring him) of the Democratic contenders for the US Senate nomination. (Winner will face Republican Gordon Smith.)

Trailing Novick are Candy Neville and Jeff Merkley (with 12% and 11% respectively). This is just the latest of a number of polls that show Novick as the strongest candidate in the Democratic Senate primary.

The big news for me is not that Novick is out in front, but how far ahead he is and how far behind Merkley is. The Novick campaign, which has taken in considerably less money than the Merkley campaign, has been powered largely by the efforts of volunteers excited by his unconventional style and willingness to speak the truth about difficult issues. Some, including yours truly, have been annoyed by the intervention on Merkley's behalf of the DSCC and other Washington Democrats in this contested primary.

KATU has some great video about the poll which is definitely worth watching.

Just today, Novick released a list of questions that he'd like to see General David Petraeus answer about the future of Iraq and the involvement of the US. Novick is a great candidate, and our best bet to beat Gordon Smith.

The "undecided" and the "objective"

2008-04-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to get really annoyed with the format of online political "discussion."

I'm a regular reader of two of Oregon's blogs that regularly cover Democratic Party activities, Loaded Orygun and BlueOregon. I spend more time reading those blogs than I care to admit, and find myself less inclined to comment than I used to. Particularly during campaign season, many of us pick our candidate/issue position early and sink into "partisan" mode. Readers familiar with those sites, or any site where discussion happens, are better equipped to wade through the BS that passes for discourse.

I wish there were some way of "tagging" people as (ardent) supporters of particular candidates/issues. I'd be more than happy to, for example, "tag" myself as a "Steve Novick supporter", if some of the regular Jeff Merkley folks over at BlueO and elsewhere (this means you Kari, Bradley, Ben, and Kevin) would do the same. (I would, of course, hope my fellow declared "Novickians" would do the same.) Double parens: ((People being PAID by campaigns should have their own special tags.))

I try to keep my bias out in the open by referencing myself as a Novick supporter, and even have gone so far as to include it in my DailyKos signature in case I forget. Visitors to this blog can see up top who I support in elections in which I've made up my mind. I feel sorry for the "innocent" webcrawler who goes to political sites looking for actual information and, instead, finds rounds of repetitive navel gazing, spitwad throwing and what might very charitably be called "spin."

I also get annoyed when people pretend to be undecided when it's clear to regular visitors that they're either in deep, deep denial, or being intentionally disingenuous. It seems like people should be able to easily determine where their information is coming from. The nature of these interwebs makes it difficult though, and a right to anonymity is something I generally respect. This would also require a degree of integrity and honesty that seems sorely lacking in our process of online political talk.

When Merkley Attacks

2008-03-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Loaded Orygun is reporting and commenting on an article showing that Jeff Merkley's campaign is paying for a poll that ends by testing out some possible attacks to use against Senate primary opponent Steve Novick.

Some of the lovely bits from the original article (with emphasis and commentary from yours truly):

Voters are asked whether they are more or less favorably inclined toward Novick, given the following information:
• "Novick is a pro-tax advocate, repeatedly supporting higher taxes for the middle classes, running on a proposal to raise Social Security taxes and falling for false Republican claims that if we don't do this, Social Security will go bankrupt."

Umm... Not false claims... The idea that Social Security will remain solvent until 2041 is contingent upon the Congress paying back money "borrowed" from the Social Security trust fund (with interest). I don't know about you, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

• "Novick is simply not a serious candidate who can win election. He carried joke business cards that have a Communist hammer and sickle symbol on them. He voted for Ralph Nader. His campaign ads feature jokes. That is not the person who can beat Gordon Smith."

Agh! Someone running for elected office with a sense of humor... Run for the hills! Also there's the Red Baiting (Welcome back McCarthyism), and the unqualified statement that the Ralph Nader vote was in 1996 when everyone, except maybe Bob Dole, knew that Bill Clinton was going to be re-elected. In 2000, Steve encouraged Nader supporters for vote for Al Gore. In 2008, Novick has endorsed Barack Obama.

• "Novick is a paid political consultant and lobbyist. He has made a political career out of developing negative attacks, poll-driven campaigns and advising candidates what to say to get elected."

Um, "negative attacks" like these ones? "[P]oll-driven campaigns" like Merkley's? Or are they doing the 30 minute poll just for fun?

Voters were also asked what in Novick's "background" concerned them most: "that he is a pro-tax advocate, political consultant, or that he is a divider."

Sounds kind of like the push polls and whisper campaign in 2000 (falsely) suggesting that John McCain had fathered an "illegitimate black child."

Seriously, we can do better than this. We ARE better than this. Novick has been critical of some of Jeff Merkley's votes and positions, but I've never heard Steve attack Jeff Merkley's character. This poll has taken the 2008 Oregon Democratic Senate primary to new heights (or depths) of nastiness.

Outage Enhancement

2008-03-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

I'm a grammar geek. I receive great amounts of amusement from reading the blogs Apostrophe Abuse, Literally, A Web Log, The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks, RED PEN, INC., and Say What?!.

Consequently, I frequently take note of odd punctuation on signage, strange spelling, and strings of words that border on the bizarre. Today, I was amused by the notice below on Portland Community College's website:

"This outage is one of many enhancements we have been making to ensure better performance during busy periods such as the first week of spring term starting on March 31."

Hmm... I've never thought of an outage as an enhancement. Maybe they're encouraging us to go outside and enjoy the weather? I only hope that the other "enhancements" aren't quite so... questionable.

From the Inbox: McCain's FEC woes

2008-03-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

This came in the mail today:

Dear Friend,
John McCain's campaign spending is breaking the law. He elected for public funding when his campaign was having trouble. But now that he is the presumptive nominee, he is, by his campaign's own admission, around $4 million over his legal spending limit.
I just did my part to stop McCain from breaking the law by signing the official FEC complaint against him.
Please help out by adding your name here.
Thanks!

I signed it, and encourage y'all to do the same. Hopefully we can help direct McCain's "Straight Talk Express" (and Presidential ambitions) into the ravine of history where it belongs. (It's already wobbly, so it shouldn't take much...)

More detail on the issues can be found here.

An excerpt:

McCain's lawyers said that gave him freedom to spend as much as he wanted -- once he announced his intent to withdraw from the system, they say, he was released from the spending caps.
But Federal Election Commission Chairman David Mason wrote McCain's campaign last month to alert him that the commission had not yet granted his Feb. 6 request to withdraw, and that the commission would first need to vote on the matter. A snag: The FEC has four vacancies and therefore lacks a quorum to consider the matter.
There's little agreement on what the FEC would have done, had they been able to meet. In part, that's because McCain borrowed $4 million from a commercial bank, and promised to pay the money back through his fundraising efforts. If the campaign went badly, he told the bank, he would use future matching funds to help repay the loan. The rules say that candidates who use matching funds as collateral have to remain within the confines of the system. The Democratic National Committee filed a complaint to the FEC about McCain's actions, but without that quorum, evaluation of the complaint has been stalled.

Oops! Whether he's eventually validated or not, this is certainly shady dealings by McCain.

Sally Kern in the hotseat

2008-03-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

Sally Kern, an Oklahoma State Representative, recently got in a bit of hot water after audio of one of her speeches made its way onto the internet. (If you haven't heard it, you can do so here.)

She was recently on a panel show called Flashpoint on an NBC affiliate in Oklahoma. Joining the panel was Scott Jones, a pastor at the Cathedral of Hope in Oklahoma City. The Cathedral of Hope is a UCC church and Jones is openly gay, so you can imagine that the two of them would probably have a bit of a difference of opinion on interpreting Christian Scripture.

Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, you can see the exchange from the comfort of outside Oklahoma. Here it is, in two parts.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Jones is good and he knows his stuff. I just wish the hosts of the show would have let him respond more fully and didn't talk over him so much. Kern gets more time than he does, but she uses is to dig herself an even deeper hole. It's worth watching.

Think Swiss

2008-03-25T00:29:00.001-07:00

This lovely message was given to me by someone last week at Steve Novick's event at the Melody Ballroom. I was expressing an opinion about the upcoming race for a new Mayor of Portland to one of the candidates' campaign manager, and they had the suggestion above for me.

I was, and am not, inclined to vote for this particular candidate and they were hoping that I'd stay neutral in the race.

Chances are that I won't, but I don't (yet) have someone to vote for in the race as of yet. (I dislike voting "against" someone, and prefer to vote "for" someone.) There's one candidate that I won't vote FOR, but I'm not sure that their opposition will provide a preferable enough alternative to convince me to vote for them.

That said, if there's one thing in politics that I do despise, it's a coronation...

A euphemism hereby banned

2008-03-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

I don't share posts from I Blame The Patriarchy nearly enough, but today, Twisty had one that I couldn't resist highlighting. This particular post starts out being about rape myths and how our media perpetuates them but progresses to discuss the issue of sex trafficking. While I'm not in the habit of using the term "child prostitute," I usually say something to the effect of "child forced into sex slavery," this article does an excellent job of demonstrating how badly that term misrepresents the truth.

One of the more rampant phrases not mentioned in the article, but which journalists use to sanitize and normalize rape like no other, is "child prostitute" (in fact, prostitution, which can only be defined as rape, is mysteriously absent from this piece; undoubtedly the author is adhering to the global mainstream media religio which says that prostitutes "choose" their "profession" and therefore cannot be victimized).
As though a 13-year-old female kid has any kind of agency whatsoever. But Jesus tap-dancing Christ, a 'child prostitute' isn’t some guileful sexy nubile, or a piece of trash; she is an abused, exploited, trafficked child. Not that I’m some kind of paragon, but I do try to reduce my misogynist footprint wherever I can, and the fact that I’ve used this term myself reveals how ingrained and accepted it is. Read more about this, one of my newest pet peeves, here.

I recently worked with a young woman from Eastern Europe who had been enslaved in this manner from infancy until shortly before her eighth birthday. I work with young people who have been through some pretty rough stuff, but this one really threw me for a loop. It wasn't the first case of the sexual exploitation of children I've come across in my work, not by a long shot, but it was one of the most gruesome. I usually do a pretty good job of being able to keep work "at work," but there are some cases where it follows you home despite your best efforts and despite years of developing "boundaries."

I hereby ban the term "child prostitute" from this blog and promise to "flip my shit" if anyone, myself included, uses it.

Campaign Consultant (mis)Corrects Client's Position

2008-03-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

I want to start this off by saying that I don't like attacking people on this blog, or anywhere, so this is uncomfortable for me to write. However, it's come to my attention that there continues to be misinformation spread about the Senate Campaign that I have taken a deep interest in. I'm not going to make comments about this person's character, just highlight what appears to be a false and/or misleading statement about Jeff Merkley made by his "campaign consultant" (NOT staffer), and BlueOregon founder, Kari Chisholm.

There's been an ongoing war of words regarding the role BlueOregon is playing in the Senate primary. It's pretty much been going on since last August when Jeff Merkley announced his entry into the primary and has, to put it lightly, ruffled more than a few feathers on both sides of the Steve Novick/Merkley contest.

I'm going to keep my own comments brief and let this person's words and the Merkley campaign's own words largely speak for themselves (and I'll provide sources so readers will know that I'm not making this up).

The issue at hand? Whether capital gains should be taxed at the same rate as wage/salary earned income. My personal position is that they should be, and it's one reason I'm supporting Steve Novick for the Democratic nomination.

In January, Jeff Mapes of the Oregonian ran an article with the following text (emphasis mine):

Novick, who appears to face the toughest path to the nomination, was more willing to toss out ideas that could be a more difficult sell in a general election, such as getting rid of the lower tax rate for capital gains and raising the cap on wages subject to Social Security. Merkley said after their appearance before the Willamette Women Democrats that he thinks there should be a "modest" differential for capital gains rate and that he sees raising the Social Security cap as one option that he isn't ready to endorse.

On March 10th, a commenter on BlueOregon posted what looks to be a legitimate response from the Merkley campaign in regards to a question on the same issue. (I'm only including the part of the comment that pertains to the capital gains issue, but a link is there to the full comment.)

Posted by: Kris Alman | Mar 10, 2008 9:51:50 AM

...
I challenged the [Merkley] campaign as I heard that Merkley was soft on capital gains. So I emailed their campaign office and got the response below.
...
Hi Kris, Sorry for the delayed response. Jeff is willing to accept a marginal difference between the capital gains rate and the income tax rate. He wants to make sure that people who own capital have an incentive to buy and sell it because that's what keeps the economy strong. He believes that working families should not have to pay twice the rate that those who make their living on a spreadsheet do.
I hope this is helpful.
Thanks, Courtney
Courtney Thompson Deputy Campaign Manager Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate Office: 503-274-4439 Cell: 503-569-9483 www.jeffmerkley.com

The statement corresponds identically to the January article.

These statements, from the Merkley campaign, are consistent and although I disagree with them, that's not the main issue.

The issue I have a bigger problem with arose yesterday on the KPOJ morning show where Kari Chisholm is a regular guest. He said on the show (again, my emphasis):

Carl Wolfson: Well, your response?
Kari Chisholm: Well, I know want to correct one little record here. I don't want to get in the weeds on tax policy with your listeners, who are also trying to wake up and take their showers and get to work. But Jeff Merkley, and I don't usually talk about my clients – Jeff Merkley is a client of mine – but, Jeff Merkley's position on this capital gains business is that people who buy and sell stocks for a living absolutely should pay the same rate as working folks. People who are, big time Wall Street traders, or the Paris Hilton's of the world, big inheritances who make their earnings off a spreadsheet, absolutely should pay the same taxes as working folks do.
The difference is, that what he's said is that middle class folks, who scrape and save a little bit of money to try to invest on the side, who have a day job, but try to invest on the side to get ahead – chase the American dream a little bit – once they've already paid taxes at, you know, the regular working people rate, those investments ought to come in at a slightly lower rate on the capital gains side of things. And that's the difference. The idea would be to make the capital gains system more progressive by giving a break to working people, to middle class folks, while raising the rate on higher income folks. And it is unfortunate that TJ [local blogger] is parroting the Steve Novick campaign's talking points because they've been misrepresenting what Jeff Merkley has been saying. And we're trying to correct the record out here.

It seems to me that Chisholm is actually the one misrepresenting his client's position on this matter, not the Novick campaign. I have a hard time believing that Chisholm is not aware of his client's position, so that would make this statement an untrue one. You can listen to the segment here.

Responses, if I missed anything, or misrepresented anything, are welcome.