We're not cocky. We're confident.
Paulie Brading
Wow! We sold out the Blue Bash, our Jackson County Democrats Election Night party we are holding at the historic armory in Ashland. After we sold 300 dinner tickets we offered 80 more tickets just for heavy-appetizes and they sold out. Yep, that's 380 tickets bought and paid for by voters all across Jackson County. The best part is we have funded the downtown JC Dem HQ's for another year.
Wow! The Election Night party in Medford for Obama, Merkley and Lynn Howe volunteers sold out!
Wow! Two other Election Night parties are filled up. One House party is full up with 60 folks invited.
Wow! Our Democratic Latino Caucus called every voter with a Spanish sur-name. The caucus held "Mechanics of Voting" workshops. On the weekend of October 25/26 the Latino caucus canvassed areas where large groups of Latino's live.
Wow! Christopher Len, the 34 year old Legal Director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center will replace me in January as the new Chair of the Jackson County Democrats. Chris has worked tirelessly for the Obama campaign. He's in Nevada right now helping at a Obama campaign HQ's. Chris has a degree in biology; a Master's in Marine Affairs and Polocy and a JD from Lewis and Clark College specializing in environmental law.
Wow! Robin E. Brown is the new Vice-Chair of the Jackson County Democrats. She was the finance director for Arizona's Gore/Lieberman campaign. Robin has held varied positions: campaign manager, field director, Chair of the AZ State Democratic Party's Caucus and President of the AZ Women's Political Caucus.
Wow! Kris York is the new Secretary. She was on the founding board of the Abdil-Ellis Lambda Community Center and served as Vice-President for many years. She has served on the LGBT Political caucus for many years. She's also served on the Phoenix/Talent School District budget committee for three terms. Golda Meir was Kris's first political hero.
Wow! Anna Dale Williamson is our Treasurer. She's done everything from office manager, payrolls, insurance, bookkeeping/accounting and was the Assistant Purchasing agent for seven mills in Southern Oregon. She's a whiz with the Secretary of State reports. She's been a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars for over 55 years and has served as it's State President.
Life will change on November 5th. Time to stop dissin' rural counties. Our work has been roll-up-your-sleeves hard. Look around at the other rural counties and you'll see the so-called divide is becoming non-existent. We've activated an army of volunteers across the state. Meanwhile we'll continue to unearth the hidden Dems all across jackson County.
The DPO needs to set it's sights on the 2nd Congressional District. Recruitment, candidate schools, and $$$$$ will finally defeat Greg Walden. Hope they get to it.
It's been a good ride. The new team takes over in January 2009.
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12:59 p.m.
Nov 2, '08
Just today ran into a friend who had been on a weeklong road trip through Northern California and Southern Oregon. She reported an astonishing number of Obama and Merkley signs in and around Jackson County "and not just in Ashland, either!"
Great work!
Nov 2, '08
WOW! Great news, Paulie!
Back when Alan Bates was running for St. Senator and the Republicans were trying to defeat him. A not political relative who then lived down there (outside Medford) came for a visit and I asked about his chances.
The response, "EVERYBODY knows Dr. Bates!".
And he won. Regardless of what experts say, a friend once said something very true about ordinary voters, "They just won't listen to you if they don't like you". Dr. Bates being well known and well liked didn't hurt his chances of being elected state senator!
This is why I don't have complete faith in polls and expert opinions of campaigns. This time in election years I start thinking about the surprise results of the past.
Paul Evans, deployed on election day, came within about 20 votes of carrying Polk County after all the Republicans had thrown at him. Only one prediction, about this time in 2006 or maybe a few days earlier, actually nailed it. A local family of 5 brothers had watched Paul grow up, and one of the 5 actively campaigned for him, although some of the others were Republicans. The prediction, "You know, I think Paul will do very well on election day, just from what I hear from people" came from the oldest brother. I called him my favorite pundit of 2006.
It has been a long time between 1980 (when my boss called me a poor, misguided girl to think Jim Hill as a black man had any chance being elected in a district including S. Salem--he was listed as one of the casualties of Carter conceding to Reagan before Oregon polls closed, losing the recount by about 60 votes) and 2008 when, if all goes well, we will elect an African-American as president.
Many long years ago, a mayoral election in Salem included a neighborhood organizer (neighborhood chair, former legislative campaign manager), a well known older woman, and a man best described in current terms as a Mike Huckabee type (cheerful, background in religious work, willing to carry on a conversation with just about anyone). Prediction was "that poor man, he'll come in 3rd because the 2 women will come in first and second". But the neighborhood organizer was overwhelmingly the one elected, the man came in second, and the older woman came in 3rd.
Bob Schieffer today at the end of Face the Nation was talking about the glories of voting--one can tell anyone or no one how they voted, they can vote for any reason, or no reason at all. They can vote for the most qualified candidate (in their eyes) or against a candidate simply because they don't like that person's attitude.
I live near the border of 2 legislative districts. Those state reps. have co-authored newspaper guest opinions which were indeed cocky and full of attitude. If either or both of them lose, it will be due in part to the strength of their challengers, but in part to residents of the districts just having gotten tired of them.
Best of luck to all the Jackson County candidates!
Nov 2, '08
If Sarah Palin's conversation with the "President of France" gets enough publicity only the idiots will vote for the McCain-Palin ticket on Tuesday.
Nov 2, '08
Paulie: what I like about your post is that it feels reality-based. Nice.
As to Dr. Bates: if I have intuited/heard correctly, there is, thank god, some BAD legislation he had a major hand in being returned to rejigger this year.
He effectively ensured that elements were attached to a GOOD law overdue (to make big self-insured systems that bury malpractice adn malfeasance of medical providers now report what they have been hiding -- that would be Kaiser, OHSU, Legacy, Providence for a start), into a law that also helps make entire sections of provider malpractice disappear from view. As a professional in the field, that's all I can say in that area...
These added elements gutted one important function of the Quality Professions -- the building of long-term Quality profiles that only emerge after some years, and with FULL reportage on provider malpractice and license actions.
If a doctor has twenty dismissed or abandoned or withdrawn claims in just eight or ten years, you CAN look at issues such as anger management, poor communication, or even a need to restrict their practice scope until technical retraining has been done... Imagine if your surgeon has a lot of abandoned cases where carpal tunnel surgeries went wrong b/c he or she did NOT choose the correct approach once viewing was occluded too much? If you cannot see the ten abandoned cases regarding people left with poor outcomes, then the insurance panels and other quality workers have no way of assessing whether this provider should be on their panel, or restricted to only certain procedures till retraining is one.
I hope that there will be some rethinking about the complications created for state regulatory staffers as well as for those who must judiciously maintain quality profiles for the protection of the patient as well as the support of a practitioner who may be having trouble and cannot identify it for his or herself.
Removing our ability to see lawsuits and license actions regardless of etiology or outcome removes an important tool in helping providers get intervention THEY need for greater success sometimes!
Whoops... all that hobby horse.
It will be interesting to see if the important effort to force self-insureds to stop hiding malpractice/malfeasance will be unhitched from the other, unrelated quality-related statute elements.
They do not belong together. One rides upon the other and has an opposite effect viz the transparency required by the public.
Nov 3, '08
Bill,
If Obama's comments about operators of new coal fired power plants gets enough publicity, only idiots will vote for Obama. He made the comments THIS YEAR. Hello midwestern voters (OH, PA ).
Nov 8, '08
ok, troll of klemetti: instead of flooding this blog with your venom and bile, why not take an issues-oriented approach, use your own name, and say what you mean. Or are you just a pissed off loser of some kind who needs a urinal to publicize your spleen?
Not sure what anyone will say or think of what is really on your mind, but you are starting to remind me of the sore and evilly enraged Republican who speweed loud and long at the vote monitoring on election night - and will be reported to his own party once they answer the telephones again..... there's nothing but dark hatred in your crap, and it might be of interest or use to hear what's on your mind. Or not.
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