Smith '08: Eileen Brady considering a run
Eileen Brady is considering a run for the U.S. Senate.
Who is Eileen Brady? She's the co-founder of New Seasons Markets (with her husband, Brian Rohter) and was once a vice president at Ecotrust. Last year, she hosted a low-dollar fundraiser for legislative candidates under age 36.
Brady, 45, told WW today that she has been seriously considering a challenge to Smith for about six months and has been talking with local, state and national officials about a run."It seems obvious we need a strong candidate," says Brady, who lives with her husband, New Seasons co-founder Brian Rohter, in Mount Tabor. "I've always wanted to run for office as soon as our children were grown and out of college."
Brady says she has gotten a lot of encouragement to run but is undergoing "one more gut check" before deciding whether to enter the race.
That final gut check may take the form of a chat with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is recruiting candidates - according to the O:
Brady, who told an Oregonian reporter she's considering a Senate run, is flying out to Washington, D.C., to meet with New York Sen. Charles Schumer on Monday. Schumer heads up the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
This story seems to solve the mystery posed by the Oregonian's Steve Duin last month:
On Saturday, the domain "BradyForOregon.com" was purchased, using a service that shields the owner's identity, and suggesting that one "Brady" or another is about to make a run at statewide office in Oregon.Could it be Republican Brady Adams, former president of the Oregon Senate and now president and CEO of Evergreen Federal Bank in Grants Pass? Is Brady seeking secretary of state's office or state treasurer?
Discuss.
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June 9, 2007 |
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Posted by: nutmeg | Jun 9, 2007 11:46:15 AM
Novick is percieved as a bomb thrower. While I welcome Eileen Brady to politics, what experieince and resume does she bring to what will be a formidible challenge?
Posted by: frank carper | Jun 9, 2007 12:50:53 PM
can someone tell me why the DSCC isn't pushing for Novick?
probably not pushing for brady either.
elected official, former candidate for statewide office, or multimillionaire. that's what it takes to defeat an incumbent senator.
anybody come up with a counter-example yet? (besides wayne morse in 1942?)
Posted by: paulie | Jun 9, 2007 12:57:30 PM
torridjoe
You are in for a wake up call on Eileen. She has depth, and a team of strong experienced campaign stategists who've worked nationally and statewide on really tough campaigns poised to step in should she decide to run.
There's been some sophisticated DSCC polling going on statewide that will aid Eileen in making her decision. Lots of folks have been quietly consulted. If she does run, Smith will have one heck of a time painting a target on her back.
Stay tuned and try not to draw any conclusions about Eileen Brady yet.
Posted by: Don | Jun 9, 2007 1:01:02 PM
Jim Webb (VA) last year, had never been an elected official before. Granted he'd been secretary of the Navy but the US Senate was his first elective office. Frankly, when people feel like they do right now, that DC is not working well, they tend to elect outsiders. Still, I do hope Bates runs
Posted by: frank carper | Jun 9, 2007 1:22:57 PM
oh right. left out the last piece of my earlier challenge -- senate-confirmed presidential appointees don't count either.
in short, has a "nobody" without money ever defeated an incumbent senator?
(no offense to steve novick but from the public's standpoint, he's a "nobody".)
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Jun 9, 2007 1:24:59 PM
Paulie: That's an interesting comment. I hadn't heard that Brady had started pulling together a team. Tell us more.
Posted by: D-tourist | Jun 9, 2007 1:25:40 PM
First, my guess is that Brady's family net worth does qualify her as a multi-millonaire given the explosive growth of New Seasons (now aided by the fact that their main competition in the market is mired in FTC hell, see: http://www.reuters.com/article/mergersNews/idUSWNAS321920070605?rpc=77). I am sure that is not lost on the DSCC.
Anyhoo, back on point does anyone remember 2000 when another Gordon--(Slade Gordon, R-WA) got bumped by a wealthy, liberal female newcomer to statewide office--Sen. Maria Cantwell. She eked it out by 2,229 votes, but Brady could set up similarly vs. G-Smitty. Don't know Brady at all, never heard of her before reading this post. But I am intrigued.
Novick is a great Demo., but in the end, a vanity candidate. Never been on a ballot. Never run a business (or supported a family memebr who did). Never worked outside of government or the public policy arena, for that matter. Never raised a family. IMHO, these are all important relational items to the average voter, particular on top -of-ticket, statewide seats. Maybe less so for Senate than say, Gov. or President, but still, the higher the office, the more people need to see something of themselves in the candidate. That's why the "junkies" tend to cream for Novick--he's one of them.
No doubt Novick offers an inspiring story. Triumph over adversity is compelling. He has galvanized support among the nattering classes, but that don't win you statewide office, baby. Eileen Brady, on the other hand, sounds like there's potential for a U.S. Senate candidate in her profile---just grab the Cantwell playbook.
Posted by: nutmeg | Jun 9, 2007 1:42:31 PM
Sorry, Maria Cant(vote)well Is far from a political neophyte. She was a legislator and representative that got voted out during the 94 elections.
Posted by: Bert Lowry | Jun 9, 2007 2:17:44 PM
Frank, you disqualified my counter-example. Is that because it was too long ago?
Conrad Burns was more or less a political nobody -- I don't think he'd even served in the MT legislature -- and he beat an incumbent. Of course, that was when Democrats were in decline nationwide and on the way out in the mountain states, so it would only be a good analogy if Republicans were in decline nationwide and on the way out in the Pacific Northwest. Oh wait, they are.
Also, I think Orrin Hatch went from nowhere to the senate against an incumbent Dem. But I don't have time to research it right now; I'm trying to figure out how to attach a boutonniere to my lapel for the Wheelies tonight. But I think there are quite a few examples of nobodies beating incumbents.
Posted by: Sadie | Jun 9, 2007 2:27:12 PM
This is interesting. She's a political novice with experience running a successful business that promotes good health, family wage jobs, and buying local. Moms throughout Oregon could get behind her. I can only imagine a debate between her and Gordon Smith.
I know I would have an easy time knocking on doors in my neighborhood and talking about the good her company does for our community, and Oregon farmers. That is a message that would be easy to sell.
I don't know if she would win, but it would be a fun campaign.
Posted by: D-tourist | Jun 9, 2007 2:51:42 PM
Sorry, Maria Cant(vote)well Is far from a political neophyte. She was a legislator and representative that got voted out during the 94 elections.
My point in making the comparison to Cantwell is that Cantwell had not run statewide and was fairly obscure from a statewide name recognition standpoint by 2000--6 yrs. after she had last served. I grant you she was not a political neophyte.
However, I submit that Cantwell would not have defeated the popular Gordon wthout the time spent at RealNetworks--doing what real people do. Brady could be interesting in this way. Merge the Cantwell persona with Patty Murray "Mom in Sneakers" model and you may be headed somewhere. Novick brings no experience outside of government, law and politics. His persona is that of someone so caught up in politics he couldn't help but nominate himself. Voters won't see their reflection in that mirror, I'm afraid. Sadie's post exemplifies this.
If I'm Gordon Smith (and thank Providence I am not): Novick as nominee is my dream opponent. Someone with the profile of Brady should make G-Smitty MUY, MUY NERVOSO . Of course I have no idea how she is on the stump. That is key. She may have the right profile but that doesn't mean she has the juice. That said, I'm anxious to learn more.
Posted by: frank carper | Jun 9, 2007 3:20:16 PM
However, I submit that Cantwell would not have defeated the popular Gordon wthout the time spent at RealNetworks--doing what real people do.
not to mention the money she picked up from her time at realnetworks.
bert, your example (wayne morse) doesn't count because it's in the time before television. everything has changed.
Posted by: Stephanie V | Jun 9, 2007 3:26:34 PM
She sounds like an interesting person, and I'd like to know more about her, but being wealthy and smart are not enough. She is going to have to be conversant with a lot of issues and quick (and controlled) on her feet.
I wouldn't say that Novick had "[n]ever worked outside of government or the public policy arena." He did engage in the private practice of law for awhile, and the fact that he didn't necessarily enjoy it may speak well of him. %^>
Posted by: George Seldes | Jun 9, 2007 5:24:35 PM
Is New Seasons union?
Posted by: Jenni Simonis | Jun 9, 2007 5:59:22 PM
Maybe less so for Senate than say, Gov. or President, but still, the higher the office, the more people need to see something of themselves in the candidate. That's why the "junkies" tend to cream for Novick--he's one of them.
I'm young, a mom, and have a family that has been under the federal poverty level several times in the past few years - and even now we don't make enough to even come close to Oregon's median household income.
Sure I'm involved in politics, but that's been almost entirely as a volunteer supporting candidates I connect with and the party. I'm much more a grassroots activist than I am a "junkie."
And I support Steve Novick.
I see plenty of myself in Novick. I see someone who cares very strongly for the environment. And education. Someone who hasn't exactly had the easiest life, but pressed on nonetheless and has worked his ass off for the people of America and Oregon.
So what that he's not had that many jobs outside of government or public policy. That doesn't mean anything. Very few of my jobs have been outside of government or politics as well. That doesn't make you a bad person. It may mean you care so much about improving the lives of others that you look for positions within government, politics, and public policy.
Posted by: James X. | Jun 9, 2007 6:25:32 PM
New Seasons is non-union, or at least it was as of a couple years ago. Also, This rather harsh commentary on IndyMedia accuses them of union-busting tactics but cites no sources.
Posted by: Ross Williams | Jun 9, 2007 6:39:55 PM
There were some folks unhappy that New Seasons opened up a few blocks from People's Coop. They were afraid it would put them out of business. As I understand it, that not only hasn't happened but People's is thriving.
I don't know if she would win, but it would be a fun campaign.
I suppose the same can be said of a campaign by Steve Novick. But the point is to win. It seems unlikely to me that Brady is going to be able to do that. But I think the only way a Democrat is getting elected against Smith is to run a very strong primary campaign that catches the public's imagination. Brady has the money to have a shot at doing that.
Posted by: t.a. barnhart | Jun 9, 2007 7:00:10 PM
saying Steve Novick is a "vanity" candidate may be one of the dumbest things ever posted to BlueOregon (and i should know, having posted some of the dumbest, at least according to some people).
Steve has depth and background — in politics. the DSCC, of course, prefers depth of pocket and background in the corporate world, so that makes their support doubtful. or at least we can hope so, given their track record.
if Brady is a qualified candidate, we'll find out in the primary. i hope she does run; it'll be great for the party. i hope Sen Bates runs as well; the primary can't be just a Portland event. in the same way that the 06 goobernatorial primary told Ted what he needed to do to win, a good Senate primary will leave us with a candidate in great shape to take down Gordo. not to mention all the publicity a challenging primary should generate.
Posted by: Jenni Simonis | Jun 9, 2007 7:12:01 PM
And on the topic of bringing in money...
Novick has already brought in more than $100K. And he is regularly listed as one of the "hottest candidates and committees" on Act Blue (based on activity on their site).
Disclosure: I don't talk for the campaign, I just work on the web site.
Posted by: Patton Price | Jun 9, 2007 8:06:44 PM
or at least we can hope so, given their track record.
Schumer has run the DSCC for one election cycle. It was one of numerous historical successes. Are you seriously claiming that they did poorly in 2006?
Posted by: Chuck Butcher | Jun 9, 2007 8:54:59 PM
There is an element of "vanity" in any campaign for public office, you are making the statement that you best represent the interests of the nation. No matter your financial standing or legislative experience, if you're not an incumbent - it's a new job.
A whole lot of candidates siphons the available money for getting out and around, well it's not easy anyhow.
I couldn't know any less about Eileen Brady so I have no opinion on her candidacy or proposed candidacy.
Posted by: Kevin | Jun 9, 2007 9:54:54 PM
D-Tourist makes some valid observations, IMO, about the voter identification factor. I too am intrigued by Brady's potential.
Look at the polling over the last 7 years for Bush as well as for the Dems and GOPers in Congress. Clearly there aren't enough conservatives in America to account for Bush's early high approval stats. Likewise, the swing away from the GOP to the Dems in Congress can't be explained by political junkies or party loyalists or even idealogues. Like it or not (and I usually find it very frustrating) a significant number of voters are fairly fickle and even shallow. Seemingly unimportant things like personally identifying with a candidate sure seems to play a role in who they vote for. For better or worse, such voters are probably going to have a more difficult time identifying with Novick than with Brady.
I wouldn't be as quick to dismiss Novick as D-Tourist seems to be, but by the same token I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Brady as some on the other side seem to be. I think she has very serious potential as a candidate that a meaningful segment of the voting public could identify with, as D-Tourist has already spelled out more eloquently than I could have.
To the doubters: ask yourself how many times during Bush's first terms you were frustrated by Americans who expressed approval for Bush because they identified with him... that he was the kinda guy that they'd like to have a drink with (as if that was relevant!!)? I don't know about any of you but I remember hearing and seeing such anecdotes from a very wide variety of media sources very regularly back then.
Posted by: Grant Schott | Jun 9, 2007 10:06:27 PM
This is looking more and more like 1980. Bob Packwood was vulnerable, but his incumbency and money scared away Goldschmidt and AuCoin. A field of little known candidates ran in the primary and a freshamn state senator, Ted Kulongoski, won the primary. He ended up winning a respectable 45% in a very Republican year, more than some incumbents like George McGovern.
It would seem that 2008 will be much more Democratic than 1980. My guess is that someone with a somewhat big name will be lured into the race by filing day in March. If not, will the DSCC help Steve (or whoever the winner is) or will they abandon OR as they did in '02 and in other years past?
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Jun 9, 2007 10:29:37 PM
the DSCC, of course, prefers depth of pocket and background in the corporate world
T.A., can you point to a single candidate that was recruited from the "corporate world" under Chuck Schumer's DSCC?
Klobuchar - Minneapolis DA
Webb - secy of navy
Whitehouse - state AG
Tester - state senate president
McCaskill - state auditor
Brown - congress
Casey - state treasurer
You really can't compare Schumer's DSCC to previous years. Different leadership, different staff, different strategies.
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Jun 9, 2007 10:34:20 PM
will the DSCC help Steve (or whoever the winner is) or will they abandon OR as they did in '02 and in other years past?
If Steve Novick is within shouting distance of Gordon Smith, you can damn well bet that the DSCC will pour in its millions.
I'm quite certain that they won't withhold support from a possible winner out of pique - or because they didn't "recruit" that candidate.
But that's the question: what sort of candidate do we need in order to be within shouting distance of Gordon Smith (or better yet, leading him.)
Posted by: LT | Jun 9, 2007 11:01:42 PM
Gordon Smith is a US Senator because a significant number of people looked at the open seat and said one or more of these things:
*That nice Gordon Smith came and visited / spoke to our...)small town, people in a restaurant, civic group, etc.
*For all the jokes about "the slick one", Gordon had won elections previously and made a better first impression in a number of ways:
* being able to talk in detail beyond the printed version of a speech,
*able to talk about a legislative voting record,
*a few memorable statesmanlike gestures and folksy conversation as befits someone from a rural area making a living from frozen peas,
*and also had been given appearance coaching at sometime in his life and often just looked better --small things like which colors look better on someone can make a difference in first impression.
Smith had some savvy political talent and made some smart political moves (Bruggere wouldn't allow his house to be photographed, so the Smith's conducted a tour of their home, for instance).
It remains to be seen as someone with New Seasons and Ecotrust experience can be as convincing a speaker in rural Oregon as someone like Ron Wyden.
Whether that would happen is an open question, but just think how the woman from New Seasons Market could "speak the same language" as the guy who used to run a frozen vegetable company.
That being said, I just finished 2 long days working in retail. The Republican complaint "would be nice to see people with experience meeting a payroll" could be an attack used on Novick but not on Brady. She has probably experienced times when people called in sick at the last minute, or how tired one gets standing on the sales floor for long periods of time, or pleasing customers by giving good customer service, answering every question in the detail necessary, etc.
An old friend said decades ago that politics is like sales. My guess is that Brady may understand that in a way Novick and other consultants and political junkies don't. The private practice of law isn't the same--usually takes place in conditions where participants are allowed to sit while working, need not do physical heavy lifting, a price scanning differently than what the sign above the product says, or other problems faced by lots of everyday workers.
Just doesn't seem like someone who comes home from work with tired feet is going to be impressed by someone with public policy experience--could lead to questions about "real world" experience.
Politics in this country is changing, and those of any persuasion with a "we've always done it that way" attitude may be in for a shock.
Posted by: torridjoe | Jun 9, 2007 11:36:38 PM
Real world is being protected by rapacious corporations and having the public services necessary to help people besides those who got Bill Sizemore's tax cuts, and those who wanted Howard Rich's TABOR. I wouldn't doubt that Brady could appeal to people who think government should run like a business, but Steve has experience making government run like government should, and will press the issue against Smith. They appeal to different constituencies at times, let's say.
Posted by: LT | Jun 9, 2007 11:54:34 PM
" Steve has experience making government run like government should, and will press the issue against Smith"
But the question is which candidate will speak to people who are not political junkies in a way that will persuade them to talk to their friends about the Senate campaign.
If Novick "presses the issue against Smith" and there are voters tired of Gordon but waiting to hear concrete proposals and waiting to talk with a candidate in person, why would Novick win those voters?
All due respect, even if every Blue Oregon reader of the past year got actively involved in the Novick campaign, how does that influence the folks who don't follow politics closely or who trust their friends over strangers?
And don't sneer at "run government like a business".
The slogan has been cheapened by certain politicians, but
many retail businesses are unfailingly polite to customers, work hard to solve problems and get people what they need (be it food, garden hose, or an outfit to wear to a family wedding), answer questions, talk in concrete terms, ask people to talk to a manager if they have a problem, or to react favorably if contacted by the chain to ask how their service was.
Compare that to the political games of many elected officials across the board.
"Let's all get behind one candidate" was tried in 1996 with Tom Bruggere. It did not elect a Democrat. If people here think Novick is great, by all means spend all your spare time on his campaign. Just don't think posting on a blog is going to earn the votes of retail staff, construction workers, or others who put in a hard day's work and may not have time for political discussion this early in the election cycle.
Posted by: t.a. barnhart | Jun 10, 2007 12:25:01 AM
Kari, i guess i'm blinded by the DSCC's abandonment of Ned Lamont. of course, all the Dems pretty much bailed on him, that act of cowardice not coming back to haunt them as Lieberman serves as the 50th Republican.
i'm also still very wary of the Congressional Dems who so openly opposed Howard Dean for so long. i don't see them giving him the respect he earned for 2006; they seem convinced it was their big-money approach that won while many of us on the outside recognize that the 50-state plan, along with the growth of the activist roots network, and a demand for change from the lethargic voting public, was more responsible.
i'm a yellow dog Dem, but i'm cynical about many of those within the Beltway.
Posted by: t.a. barnhart | Jun 10, 2007 12:32:57 AM
and more to the point, i met Eileen Brady tonight. it was after the Wheelies (Bus Project Awards), and i was doing my usual standing-around-because-i-don't-do-schmooze-very-good thing, and this woman came up and said she thought she knew me. more importantly, she liked my "Obama '08" t-shirt; well, if i can't schmooze, i can at least advertise. it was great to meet Eileen (although it's possible we had met at Bev Stein's house in 1988, but that's the kind of story i can make very boring so let's skip it).
the thing i got from our brief, half-shouted convo (the dj knew his job was to force everyone to scream at each other from six-inches apart) is that (not to put words into her mouth) if she does run, it'll be to present a big picture agenda. i get that. one of the best things we can do with our frustration over what's been going on in our country is to return to the things that make us excited and proud to be Democrats. the Democrat's liberalism has done huge good for this country over the past century, and we can build upon that legacy. if that's what Eileen's candidacy is about -- the great things that are possible -- then i think she'll be a great candidate for the Dems to consider.
Posted by: LT | Jun 10, 2007 10:16:03 AM
Thanks, TA, for putting this into words:
one of the best things we can do with our frustration over what's been going on in our country is to return to the things that make us excited and proud to be Democrats.
Would be interesting to know how many activists think in those terms.
I'm a 3 decade (off and on) activist who has worked on many campaigns(local to federal level),have been a Democratic National Convention delegate, been a member of State and 5th District Central Comm. Aso, I have been a burned out "fed up with politics" registered NAV who re-registered Dem. in 2002.
Also, TA said
"i'm also still very wary of the Congressional Dems who so openly opposed Howard Dean for so long. i don't see them giving him the respect he earned for 2006; they seem convinced it was their big-money approach that won while many of us on the outside recognize that the 50-state plan, along with the growth of the activist roots network, and a demand for change from the lethargic voting public, was more responsible."
Great way to summarize what seems to be a battle brewing under the surface among Democrats. Dean brought some of us "battle scarred political veterans" back into politics as well as recruiting young people. Campaign veterans who recall successful campaigns based on a positive message like:
"Hello, I'm campaigning for my friend ---- who is running for...."
"We're excited about our candidate because........"
"Our issue is_________, we hope you can support it, and we'll be happy to answer any questions"
People who prefer positive campaigns along with excellent organization and volunteer structure are the sort of Democrats who belong to the "Howard Dean is DNC chair" Democrats. Maybe we need a different color dog or some other label for that. Blue is already taken (Congressional blue dogs.)
There is another Democratic Party where consultants have the revealed truth and if volunteers knew anything they'd be on a political payroll somewhere, "we have to target because there are limited resources", (but don't ask them for the target criteria--the criteria are for consultants to know and the rest of us just to accept because they know best), and caucus leadership at the state or federal level always knows more than people in their communities who together may have many decades of local political experience.
Sounds like E. Brady belongs to the Dean is DNC Chair Democrats.
More power to her!
Posted by: Ben Hubbird | Jun 10, 2007 10:24:05 AM
I fail to understand how owning a multi-million dollar business makes someone "real" in a way that fighting for environmental protections and progressive values doesn't. I don't really see that many Oregonians, especially voters in the primary, being particularly drawn to "big business" experience, even if that business is local and granola.
Posted by: Kevin | Jun 10, 2007 11:05:11 AM
I don't really see that many Oregonians, especially voters in the primary, being particularly drawn to "big business" experience, even if that business is local and granola.
That's definitely a valid issue to consider. The other side of that coin is of course that winning a primary and winning a general are two frequently very different propositions. I think that's kinda the point that TA, LT, D-tourist and others are trying to make. Novick may be better situated to winning a Dems only primary where the political junkies play a stronger role than they do in a general election.
Of course the "can he/she win a general election" coin has two sides as well. It seems to me that many primary Dem voters jumped on the Kerry 04 bandwagon because of the perception that his military experience made him more electable in a general election overshadowed by an ongoing war. To this day I maintain that Howard Dean would have performed better in the general than Kerry did.
I don't think that the "big business" label will be all that easy to pin on Brady. Sadie articulated why very well. New Seasons works closely with many organic food producers who are typically very small operations compared to their mainstream corporate peers. Which is a dynamic at odds with the conventional perception of "big business" IMO. In that respect I should think that Ms. Brady's experience could be successfuly framed as a sort of counter-Big Business.
I am just a political Independent with an abiding fascination with political strategy and political framing. But if it were my task to frame Ms. Brady's prior experience for the upcoming general election, I think I would relish that task very, very much. I didn't know who she was until reading this post. Even so, the more I think about it and read the commentary here, the more potential I see for Ms. Brady.
Posted by: Bill Bodden | Jun 10, 2007 11:34:05 AM
But the question is which candidate will speak to people who are not political junkies in a way that will persuade them to talk to their friends about the Senate campaign.
That is where their supporters come in with letters to newspapers and other ways of spreading the word.
Re running government like a business": Didn't the Republicans use that line and show what a disaster that can mean? Barry Goldwater was once asked about Ross Perot as president and he responded that if he wanted someone to run a business he would choose Perot but running a government is an entirely different proposition and he would choose someone else for that job. I'm not a Goldwater fan, but he was right on that point.
So, I'm sticking with Steve Novick.
Posted by: LT | Jun 10, 2007 1:03:54 PM
Write all the letters to newspapers you want, but how does that influence someone who might see the paper on the table in the break room at work but not pick up the section with the editorial page?
In what way is New Seasons "big business" in the way that AT&T or GM or even Costco fits that term?
For those of you who have never worked with customers in a retail or other setting there are different kinds of managers. There are managers who just boss people around, and others who can get in there and sell a challenging customer just what they were looking for, be it clothing, food for an important event, a computer, or whatever.
The Obama post about the former Republican which I just read kind of makes my point. How many people reading this know friends and neighbors who have voted Republican for years? If not, what makes you think you can predict who will win the general election? (Unless you knew a year ago how well Sal Peralta and Jim Gilbertson would do running for state rep., what makes you think your 2008 predictions are accurate?)
Stick with Novick if you think he is the best candidate, but my guess is that conversations with people in ordinary life (actual person to person conversations) will change more minds than letters to the editor which may or may not be read.
Posted by: Ross Williams | Jun 10, 2007 1:08:47 PM
running government like a business
Its a fine political line, but Senators don't run government. And no one want a government run like Enron, which is what we have now.
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Jun 10, 2007 3:04:50 PM
Write all the letters to newspapers you want, but how does that influence someone who might see the paper on the table in the break room at work but not pick up the section with the editorial page?
Put it another way: You can knock on all the doors you want, but how does that influence someone who isn't at home when you come by?
Oh, wait. This is just LT rant #4B. Seen that one before. Nevermind.
Posted by: Bill Bodden | Jun 10, 2007 3:20:34 PM
That is where their supporters come in with letters to newspapers and other ways of spreading the word.
Critics of letter writing note "and other ways of spreading the word."
Posted by: Stephanie V | Jun 10, 2007 3:23:09 PM
>To this day I maintain that Howard Dean would have performed better in the general than Kerry did.
Thank you for saying this. I was afraid I was the only one who thought so (excepting perhaps my spouse).
Posted by: Randy2 | Jun 10, 2007 5:44:15 PM
LT:
It remains to be seen as someone with New Seasons and Ecotrust experience can be as convincing a speaker in rural Oregon as someone like Ron Wyden.
***Oh please! New Seasons makes a point of buying as much locally as they can.... and where is the local stuff grown? Their lamb is from southern Oregon. Their beef is, I believe, from Eastern Oregon. Their fish from the coast. If she's affiliated with that company, I think she already knows her way around rural Oregon and, more importantly, rural Oregon probably knows about her.
***I don't have a horse in this race yet, but I really like what NS does.
***It would be nice to have a choice in the primary.
Randy2
Randy2
Posted by: PID | Jun 10, 2007 6:44:57 PM
Randy2 says:
It would be nice to have a choice in the primary.I agree. From what I know about Steve Novick, I like him and am glad that he's in the primary. But I don't like this whole "let's get behind one candidate early" junk I seem to hear every primary campaign. Shouldn't we take the time to have a discussion about which candidate would be best to put forward in the general election?
Posted by: Kevin | Jun 10, 2007 7:53:20 PM
Kari,
With all due respect, I don't think you're being fair or even intellectually honest with LT's point about reaching those registered voters who don't read beyond the first page of the Metro section of the paper.
I'm a long-time minor league political junkie and I rarily read letters to the editor or anything else on that page or the one opposite it. In fact I can't think of a single issue or candidate who I was swayed to vote for or against based upon anything in the Metro section of the O. I don't even read my hometown newspaper beyond whatever glimpses I may catch of the headlines through the plexiglass window in the newspaper vending stands.
How much less impact do letters to the editor, however impassioned and sincere, really affect swing voters? My strong hunch is next to none at all.
On the other hand I have (once) voted for a local city council candidate for no other reason than that she made the effort to knock on my door and ask for my vote. I still don't know much about her nor does it really matter much to me. She made an effort that no other city council candidate has ever made in my experience and I gladly rewarded her for it.
Posted by: nochickenhawk | Jun 10, 2007 8:08:42 PM
I commend Ms. Brady for her courage. At least she has more balls (or ovaries) than DeFazio of Blumenauer. For some reason politicians in this state think they are entitled to life time appointments. Perhaps inspired by Wyden's disdain for term limits. Wyden has apprently even carried this philosophy over to republicans by his ignoramus support for Bushie Smith. All Wyden has to do is make up a simple spreadsheet listing how he voted on issues in the US Senate versus Bushie Smith and after viewing the results, wonder if he would still be so in awe of rubberstamp Bushie Smith? Anyway the so called democrat leadership in this state disgusts me with the way they have approached an effective challenge to rubberstamp Bushie Smith. It all starts with Wyden and Kulongoski. Why does this state need a republican in the US Senate? But again hats-off to Ms. Brady.
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Jun 10, 2007 10:10:39 PM
Kevin wrote, With all due respect, I don't think you're being fair or even intellectually honest with LT's point about reaching those registered voters who don't read beyond the first page of the Metro section of the paper.
No, I don't think I am being unfair.
LT's logic goes like this: Some people don't read the letters-to-the-editor. Therefore, don't bother writing them.
That's just as silly as saying: Some people won't be home. Therefore, don't bother canvassing.
Listen: the whole point of a campaign is to attempt to reach many people at many points over a period of time. Of course, not everyone watches every channel 24 hours day, not everyone is home all day long to answer the door, and not everyone reads every page of the paper.
It's a dumb argument.
(Oh, and one minor inconvenient fact: The letters-to-the-editor have long been one of the most heavily read sections of the newspaper.)
Posted by: Deborah Barnes | Jun 11, 2007 5:28:12 AM
Running for office is all encompassing. I've done the door-to-door and had folks write into our local paper and bought space in that paper. The most important seems to be word of mouth. If folks can relate to you in some way that is good you have a better chance of having their support.
Posted by: katherine | Jun 11, 2007 8:41:27 AM
Eileen Brady: from what I have read and heard from those who know her, she seems incredibly articulate, lively, inspiring, and committed. She also stradles the Oregon divide (city/rural) that people in Portland too often forget exists. She is a woman with Oregon in her blood and that can do her a great service in an election but all of us a great service once she wins. So far, she is my pick by a long shot. But like everyone else, I want to hear more, especially from the horse's mouth.
Posted by: Kevin | Jun 11, 2007 9:47:59 AM
Kari: LT's logic goes like this: Some people don't read the letters-to-the-editor. Therefore, don't bother writing them.
That's not what I've understood (or misunderstood) him to be saying. I think he's saying that one shouldn't over estimate the reach of letters to the editor.
While that section of the newspaper may be heavily read, my consistent experience in the workplace has been that in the lunchroom that is the one section of the O that is virtually always available because employees are reading other sections or ignoring the paper altogether. All of which it seems to me goes directly to LT's point.
Look: as valuable a resource as the party rank and file obviously is as a base for a political candidate, swing voters and Independents/NAV usually determine who wins. I seriously doubt that a very high percentage of them read letters to the editor.
The simple fact of the matter is that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have the sheer numbers to win much of anything without also winning the swing voters over, however temporarily. How do you reach them? Writing letters to the choir... er... editor, or finding a way to facilitate them identifying with your candidate?
Posted by: Neal Patel | Jun 11, 2007 9:48:46 AM
Three words
She is HOT.
Brady is a very attractive candidate. She is very good looking. plus she is wealthy.
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Posted by: Kristin | Jun 9, 2007 11:40:16 AM
Boy, do I love New Seasons, and I'm all for more women in politics, but can someone tell me why the DSCC isn't pushing for Novick?