OLCV prepares to step up their political game
It appears that the Oregon League of Conservation Voters is getting ready to take their political work to the next level.
First, the Oregonian has a Q&A with OLCV's new Executive Director, Jon Isaacs:
How are Oregon environmentalists doing politically?The environmental community does not get the respect it deserves from elected officials. When it comes time to making compromises, it's the environmental community that gets kicked out of the room. If you look at the values of Oregonians, it shouldn't be that way.
Are environmental groups uncomfortable with politics?
Being very involved with campaigns and partisan political races is something the environmental community is still figuring out how to do. The history is sit-ins, and protests outside the political arena. But if you're not playing in major political campaigns, partisan races, Democrat and Republican, you just don't exist in the political system.
In addition, Isaacs has been writing at the OLCV blog, noting that a coalition of more than 40 environmental organizations is preparing to throw down for Measures 66 and 67:
The Oregon Conservation Network (OCN) is a coalition of more than 40 environmental organizations representing advocates for wildlife, clean air & water, fish, renewable energy, parks, transportation, recycling, land use and consumer protection. OCN endorsed the Yes on 66 & 67 campaigns and made this the top priority for the coalition’s work during the next three months. The coalition will actively recommend a Yes vote ton these critical measures vand turn out its combined membership of more than 200,000 Oregonians to vote Yes in January. The campaign effort will be coordinated by the Oregon League of Conservation Voters.
OLCV has done work for campaigns and issues before, and has been effective. But this does seem like a more aggressive political approach than we've seen before.
This should be extremely interesting to watch.
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November 6, 2009 |
Carla Axtman | Comments (17 so far)
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Comments
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Nov 6, 2009 3:20:34 PM
Please stay on topic. This is not a health care post. The posts on that topic are still active.
Posted by: What!!?? | Nov 6, 2009 3:40:08 PM
"The environmental community does not get the respect it deserves from elected officials."
What???!! John, are you kidding me? I am a huge environmentalist, and I live in Oregon BECAUSE the elected officials here wipe the ass of the entire environmental community. You've got Jeff Cogen not doing anything at the County unless you can slap a solar panel on it, Bill Bradley and Kitz arguing over who loves Big Green Al Gore more, pedestrian bridges being built over our rivers, Sam Adams building more street cars than God has little green apples, the I-5 bridge being stalled because it's an environmental nightmare, record wind power companies moving here due to tax breaks, public beaches due to one of the nations first environmental Governors, Larry Galizio changing his vote on the Metolius Bill, more farmer's market per capita than any city in America... I could go on and on!!!
Environmentalism is a freaking religion here!!
To say our elected officials don't give proper respect to the environmental community is fantasy and completely untrue.
Posted by: Bill R. | Nov 6, 2009 3:42:55 PM
@ Kari
Kick me off if you like, Kari, but that blogpost on Schrader doesn't even show up on my pull down menu and there hasn't been activity on that on in a day, the last time I went there. The House votes on whether to kill Health care or keep it alive tomorrow evening. I know you are a defender of Schrader, but an Oregon Dem is threatening to kill our only shot at health care in a generation and you want us to shut up about it.
Posted by: Kurt Chapman | Nov 6, 2009 6:34:49 PM
The friggin' OLCV and other tree hugging groups are no friend to Oregon politics. they do not know what compromise means. If they wish to spend time wasted on 67 and 68 all the better.
Posted by: Kurt Chapman | Nov 6, 2009 7:18:28 PM
Off topic - Schrader is right to vote "NO" on HB 3962. it is a bad bill.
Posted by: Cheesus Cripes | Nov 6, 2009 11:21:05 PM
Woot to OLCV for stepping up on these measures. While the teabaggers are out yelling and fearmongering and screeching, and while someone is firebombing union halls, our side is actually doing the work to build grassroots and organizational support for positive change.
This is why the good guys will win this one.
Posted by: Peri Brown | Nov 7, 2009 12:45:08 PM
Environmentalism is a freaking religion here!!
That's so true! For many it's faith in something they don't understand, given lip service in holier-than-thou gatherings, giving rise to litmus test speech, adopted because "that's the way I was raised", with little impact on everyday behavior, compared to non-believers.
Yeah, Oregon is a lot better than most places in the US. Shanghai business is a lot more open than the rest of China. Does that make them capitalists? Texas, I can tell you, was one hell of a lot better place to live than Indiana. Does that make Texas a nice place to live?
Most here recycle their trash, then jump in the car to make a solo trip somewhere. Take your own bag to the store and then take a job for Comcast distributing stupid paper intensive advertisements, every day. Hummer dealerships rightly get flack for building stupid, oversized showrooms, but when Trader Joes goes in for the high ceiling, no one complains about the waste of AC running most the time, because they're correlated with things that environmentalists do (like discriminating in hiring based on age).
This is a great place to take up the cause of environmentalism. It is still a long journey to the point that we are truly "environmentally friendly"...or even neutral. Yes, OLCV need to step up their game. Would have been nice to have in force when the Mayor was pandering to OHSU.
Posted by: Lord Beaverbrook | Nov 7, 2009 1:00:05 PM
Kurt, believe it or not, I generally agree with you. You make a good point, but, probably biased beyond hope, I just don't get it.
I understand that politics is the art of compromise. I will agree that environmental groups can be very bloody minded. But, doesn't that have something to do with the issues?
I mean, if we're talking about renaming a street, you can go for a yea or nay, but good politics might mean accepting that the ped bridge will get the street's new name, or whatever. If you're lobbying the Governor, trying to get a 11th hour reprieve for someone on Death Row, that's not much room for compromise. The state either kills the person or it doesn't. Once dead, it's over. Many environmental issues are like that. We have compromised forever, and, at the end of the day, many of those things are nearly dead. At this point we can only say, "sorry, it's a reprieve from the hangman's noose, or we're not satisfied".
If anything we've been too easy in the past. Accepting poor, corporate friendly compromises has led to the perception that we've gotten enough attention, and are gluttons for control. The questions raised on the current health care leg., by real progressives, have been heartening. We are beginning to successfully question the Dem logic that a bad bill is better than none. A lot of compromise is motivated by ego. There is no room for ego in the environmental movement. If that's the case, then a pox on everyone's house. I really think, though, a certain healthy dose of bloody mindedness is totally appropriate when it comes to environmental leg. in the early 21st century.
Posted by: Paul Cox | Nov 8, 2009 9:37:59 PM
In the last 100 years, 90% of all life on earth has died, while mankind's numbers have grown five times. 99% of everyone that has lived since monkeys left the trees have lived in the last 80 years.
You've already lost. Why make everyone suffer for the last 10%? I say it's some kind of medieval hair shirt. Feel guilty? Find Jesus. Stop taxing us for your guilt.
Want to make me feel bad? Eat the last salmon! Yeah, misplaced. Doubt they'll be white. Talk about a jaundiced view of the world!
Posted by: Jason | Nov 9, 2009 9:34:16 AM
"The environmental community does not get the respect it deserves from elected officials. When it comes time to making compromises, it's the environmental community that gets kicked out of the room. If you look at the values of Oregonians, it shouldn't be that way."
Really?
1. Oregon land-use laws
2. Logging basically non-existent in Oregon
3. Spotted Owl protection
4. Wilderness Designations - like the vote on Mt. Hood
4. Fish reintroduction in Deschutes and Crooked River Basin - along with other waterways in Oregon
5. Ban on salmon fishing along Oregon coast in 2005/06
6. NO Destination resorts in Metolius
7. Wetland mitigation through ODOT & other agencies
8. Strict water rights/regulations (water use capped at 2,000 cfs in Deschutes Basin)
9. Ban of motorized boats on many Oregon lakes
10. Restrictions and reduction of motorized vehicles (i.e., snowmobiles, ATV's on portions of Ochoco and Deschutes National Forest to maintain habitat)
11. Reduction of wood-burning stoves/stricter rules for use (ordinances passed by many OR cities)
12. Tighter regulations on emissions in Oregon (I attended a DEQ hearing for local mills in January 2008.)
I could make this list 100 items long. For any environmental group in Oregon to suggest that their voices aren't heard or that they get "kicked out of the room" is laughable and asinine.
The point of this point isn't meant as a "for" or "against" environmental policy. But Oregon is known across the country as one of the greenest, environmentally friendly states. And while some may not think it's enough, there have been plenty of successes for environmental stewardship.
According to Oregon Live's business directory, there are 66 listings of environmental groups in the Portland area alone: http://businessfinder.oregonlive.com/OR-Portland/Environmental-Groups
Groups like 1000 Friends, Sierra Club, Deschutes Basin Land Trust, (and all the other groups in Oregon) absoluately have a powerful voice, and have been successful in changing policy and laws regarding the environment. (I've been around and involved long enough to witness it myself.)
In my opinion, this is about John Isaccs whining that he doesn't get his way more often.
Posted by: LT | Nov 9, 2009 10:06:12 AM
Like many lobby groups, getting out of touch with ordinary people is a danger.
"X didn't vote for subsection 3 of the bill" level of detail as a way to complain about any politician only resonates with junkies, not with ordinary folks.
Posted by: Klamath Angler | Nov 9, 2009 11:33:59 AM
"...Logging basically non-existent in Oregon..."
Really? Seriously? Take a look at a Google Earth satellite image of the clear cuts in the Oregon Coast Range and repeat that. Vernonia is a nice reference point:
http://tiny.cc/7Wr3U
Logging is certainly greatly reduced from what it was in the 70s and 80s, and that is a good thing. Whining about it now is like folks in New England whining about the decline of the whaling industry.
Posted by: Jason | Nov 11, 2009 9:22:57 AM
Posted by: Klamath Angler | Nov 9, 2009 11:33:59 AM
"...Logging basically non-existent in Oregon..."
Really? Seriously? Take a look at a Google Earth satellite image of the clear cuts in the Oregon Coast Range and repeat that. Vernonia is a nice reference point:
uhhhhh... Rush didn't tell us what to say about that.
There's enough trees for me when I want to get away. That's enough. The rest is liberal dross. Sean said that.
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Posted by: springer | Nov 16, 2009 5:07:39 PM
For OLCV to gain some stature, their worldview is going to need to expand west of Germantown Road and east of Foster.
Am I saying that OLCV is too Portland centric? YES
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Posted by: Bill R. | Nov 6, 2009 3:15:18 PM
Off topic-
Carla I hope you will do an other blogpost on Kurt Schrader. He's threatening to vote with the Republicans to kill health care tomorrow evening.
On a personal note I participated in a town hall of Rep. Schrader. As a questioner I told the story of my 58 year old sister in law who has lost her job and lost health care due to life threatening cancer. I told him for my wife's sister, passage of a good health care bill is going to determine whether she gets treatment or not, life or death, because of prior condition, finances, and access. Kurt Schrader responds, (paraphrase) "Oh yeah, this is just the reason why I and the Dem. Congress are definitely going to pass a good health care bill this year." And just oozing with apparently feigned compassion.I was falsely reassured.
Well, oh yeah, now he's playing obstructionist, pretending he's really for health care,but playing concern troll with this particular bill, and talking about voting with the Republicans to kill health care. The excuse is, 'I'm waiting for a "better bill.' There isn't going to be a better bill. The vote right now is up or down, and it's this year or not for another generation. His promises apparently mean nothing.