Morning-after reactions

Kari Chisholm FacebookTwitterWebsite

There will be plenty of time for analysis and recriminations, both deserved and undeserved. For now, some of my initial reactions:

That's just a few highlights. What did you see, hear, or experience on election night? What surprised you?

Election results are here.

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    Full disclosure: My firm built Eileen Brady's campaign website, and produced an independent online campaign against Mike Schaufler. I speak only for myself.

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    Kari - are you going to endorse in the Portland Mayor race going forward?

    I shoulda voted for Ludlow-Lehan based on the lawn signs I saw driving to Madras last week!

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        It should have surprised no one that turnout would be very, very low. Presidential primary moot; no contested federal contests; no high profile ballot measures; AG only major statewide race; persistently high level of undecideds;, etc. etc.

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          Yes, of course. The Secretary of State estimate was 40%. 31% means that nearly a quarter of the already-low expected vote didn't show up.

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            The question now is, what does a Romney-Obama top ballot race mean for the Hales-Smith race? Who will gain the most from a boost in overall voter turnout this fall?

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          The biggest total vote in Multnomah County was was the Library measure that won with 83%. Almost 116,000 out of a little more than 122,000 voters voted on the measure.

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        So if they didn't like Hales and thought Brady wasn't qualified, why did they vote for Hales? Why not vote for Jefferson Smith, who is both honest AND qualified?

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          FYI, There are lots of people who don't think Jefferson is qualified to be Mayor.

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            Don't worry, Benjamin, your own views are clear and a matter of public record.

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              Thanks Stephanie! As you can see I made clear that there are people who don't believe JS is qualified. Certainly opinions vary.

              This would differ from your statement which you present as factual, when in actuality it is simply your opinion, which certainly is shared by others.

              Just trying to distinguish between facts and opinions.

              Thanks again.

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                not sure what you're saying here, Benjamin. Are you saying it's a fact that people have opinions? That's how I read it. If so, then ....ok.

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                  I'm just trying to differentiate between facts and opinions. I wouldn't think that's too much to ask when discussing potential mayors. But that's just my opinion.

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                    To distinguish between facts and opinions, Benjamin, try putting out some facts that support your statement about Smith.

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                      My statement was that many people I know feel that JS isn't qualified to be Mayor. Obviously those are many personal opinions. Not sure what you're talking about.

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                        I'm not sure why you all are so fired up. Here's the deal: Factual statement- JS is qualified to be Mayor Opinion- I think JS is qualified to be Mayor and here's why. If JS is all about telling the truth, I would imagine that so are his canvassers. I'm hopeful that all canvassers for any candidate are passionate about their opinions, but mindful of separating opinions from fact. If a Charlie supporter said Charlie has the moral fiber to be Mayor would you all accept that as factual statement? I wouldn't. It has nothing to do with Jefferson or who won the election. It's all about holding ourselves and our politics to a high standard. Be passionate about your opinions, but don't forget that's what they are. I was simply trying to remind Stephanie of that in my original comment and somehow this has been wildly misconstrued.

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      That would have turned if only people knew Randy Leonard thought Charlie was a showboater?

      No, that's not what I said.

      I just said that the failure to cover that event as news was my biggest disappointment in how the race played out.

      As I said above, there will be plenty of time for post-mortems. I won't attempt to sort it out less than 12 hours after it came to an end.

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      To be fair, the campaign rolled out many detailed policy platforms and Eileen did offer many specifics. I'll leave it to others to dissect the withertos and the whyfors.

      And, disclaimer, I worked with Kari and Eileen in the primary.

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    I am saddened that Eileen Brady did not make it to the runoff.I wanted to like her however I could not make the connection to what her actual platform was.

    I am always interested in how people vote and why they vote (or not vote at all) the way they do.

    I talked to many people and it seemed people voted based on minimal information. Most people who I talked to had very little knowledge of any of the candidates.I actually took the time to email each of the candidates and I really could not distinquish one candidate from another other than the energy of the people working for the candidate.

    The 69 percent non voting rate said a lot about each of these three candidates. There was not a lot to get excited about. And I really wanted to get excited about one of them.

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      I'm not a wonk, or even very politically astute, but I did take a little time on the mayor race, although not a lot.
      Eileen Brady? In Portland, business connections don't pull a lot of weight in the public mind and may be perceived as a negative, but in the end it was her own lack of knowledge of Portland inner workings that led me to not support her. Charlie Hales? The Oregon tax issue made it a no-brainer. I am just amazed that he could even be in the race, much less leading. After Sam Adams I thought we had developed a nose for bad smells, but silly me. I always liked Jefferson Smith, but might have leaned for Hales had it not been for the tax issue. I just can't vote for Hales, and I am mystified at how he isn't called to account for his actions. Talk about a media blind side, this screams out.

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        Yeah, Jamie Damon is conflict resolution professional who actually hails from rural Clackamas County and has done an outstanding job during her short appointed term, and will be facing Tootie "Glock Raffle" Smith in the general. Jamie Dimon is just another Wall Street Weasel, who still ain't gettin' what's comin' to him despite almost daily updates of recent weaselitude.

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      Steven, I think you swallowed the lies from the pot heads. Dwight stated very clearly that he would enforce Oregon's medical marijuana laws, that he believed in their righteousness, and that he would work with the legislature to ensure that patients could get good access to medical marijuana and not run afoul of federal laws. Unfortunately this was not enough for those who want to totally legalize marijuana for all.

      However, I do share your view that this was not a vote by the citizens of the state that they do not want a prosecutor as AG. Let's keep in mind that Rosenblum won about 15%? of the Oregon electorate in a primary that excluded independents and Republicans and had very low turnout of Democrats.

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        I just checked, Rosenblum won 8.5% of all registered voters and 21% of all registered Democrats. Not exactly a mandate any way you look at it.

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        Wow, "pot heads" huh? It would behoove you to stand up and defend prohibition, if you really believe that Democrats shouldn't be demanding reform. What part of the 100 year history of Prohibition in America would you say represents the values that the Democratic party ought to stand behind? Name calling isn't an argument, and it's uncalled for here.

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        Mr. Holton picked a fight with survivors: fighters who think outside the box, or we wouldn't be in the OMMP in the first place. I have always been in full compliance with all OMMP rules and regulations, but that didn't stop him from sending me letters. I'm a stage 4 cancer patient. If he doesn't recognize me as qualified to be in the program, he has no respect for it. Period. But more importantly, he's not qualified to make that determination.The fact that he wanted to make it a major part of his job is deeply distrubing.

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    The story on Leonard's attack is not that it wasn't covered, it's that it wasn't effective. This election will be a changing of the guard at City Hall. Randy could be very effective at points, but the bluster has worn thin.

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        Kari, you mention the Oregonian. How did you feel about the way the Willamette Week covered the race? As I saw it they did whatever they could to slam Brady and promote Hales, even down to the photos and captions they chose to use.

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        Another candidate that the O endorsed was Jennifer Williamson who did the same thing as Hales on education only at the state level. WW caught it, but the O never published the story.

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        No Randy was not right. He was making a personal attack trying to hurt Charlie's chances plain and simple. Charlie Hales worked to help public schools every day he was in public office. I think he mixed up a few dates. That's the story and quite frankly it ain't that scintilating. The grapes you're hurling today taste pretty sour to your readers. Eileen lost fair and square. Done in by the same media who had undeservedly annoited her the frontrunner? Really?

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            It reminded me a little bit of the way Ronald Reagan used to "remember" scenes from his movies as things that he had done in real life.

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      " It will probably come down to whether people want something old(safe) or new(risky)."

      This is where the argument that we don't want someone who will be doing on-the-job training comes from.

      Follow that to it's logical conclusion, and we go down the slippery slope back to city states and feudal kings - in a world where global access is ubiquitous and yet.

      Consider for a moment not risking by utilizing new technology or embracing new cultures and opinions as being equally valued.

      The People's Republic of Portland is not populated by folks who are risk adverse because it means change or a learning curve.

      They are risk adverse to missed opportunity, like stable funding for a public school system decade after decade, like closing Outdoor School or like starving the libraries for funds. They are risk adverse to unnecessary expenses, like a CRC plan that doesn't meet specs and req's, or zoning subsidies that never end or provide a return. That right there is is pretty old stuff.

      The concept of "old" or "new" ways were artifacts of the industrial era. Fact is, there is no more "old" or "new" way. That's not the way it is now. People no longer stop learning or changing at some point in their lives. I blame rock and roll for this, because it never dies.

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      I think the Nevada Creep did dump a fair bit of money into that slate!

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      I see a new campaign idea! Billboards on I-205. Radio ads. "Stop the Nevada Creep"

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      That, and Hales claim that voters need someone with experience, yet Vera Katz didn't have any city council experience when she was elected mayor. She had legislative experience... but then, so does Jefferson Smith.

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    In the Schaufler race..people misjudged how money and outside endorsements do not mean as much to voters in a legislative district as their impression of the candidates, hopefully formed thru personal contact and thru the impressions of others in the district whom the listen to. All politics IS local.

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      It probably also hurt Schauffler that after redistricting, a large portion of the district was new voters for him. Rarely are things black and white and rarely is one issue what carries the vote.

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    Reardon clearly connected best to the district and had the local support as well as dedicated volunteers that reflected local values. The Work and Family party and the LCV were consistent with those values. Money could not overcome these facts.

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    How I'd love to be a fly on the wall the next time Tim Kaine and Dwight Holton hang out... "Wow, those marijuana folks sure did give you a tough time, huh?"

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    In the Democratic presidential primary in Multnomah County, 10% of voters either wrote in someone other than President Obama, or abstained (70,692 votes for the president out of 78,468 total). Does this matter?

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        Indeed.

        Mitt only got 70% of the Republican vote. Does that mean 30% of Republicans won't vote for him in the Fall? Hardly.

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        This is not the perfect being the enemy of the good. It is the progressive being the enemy of the corporate war criminal.

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          Are you calling President Obama a corporate war criminal?

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            He may not be the criminal, but protecting them is just as bad. And on civil liberties I do feel he has done criminal acts, yes. Can't redeem that with a vote.

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              IBID.

              ...and I will add this. Grumpy liberals led by Ted Kennedy mounted a challenge to Jimmy Carter in 1980. Carter survived the Convention, but the damage was done, the tone was set, and Carter was unable to survive the multifaceted Reagan onslaught.

              While Jimmy Carter was no progressive, his acumen on energy issues was clear. But in January 1981, Reagan took the oath of office, ripped the Solar panels off the White House and started the Country down the trickle-down economic cycle.

              You really want to pout your way to MR. Trickle down on steroids?

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          ... and so you would open the door for the ultimate corporate hustler, Mitt Romney?

          Frankly, I am tired of the sanctimony and righteousness. Waiting on Mister or Ms. Perfect would be a futile lifelong endeavor. Reality dictates that we must do the best we can with what who is before us, and think of the long term.

          The Nov. Pres. election is not page 2 and 3 of a diner menu, it is a distinct choice between radically different candidates.

          But you go ahead and stay home, nestle in with your hyperbole, and help pave the path for SCOTUS appointments that will create a generation of corporate friendly decisions.

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    Come on Kari. They didn't cover it because it wasn't newsworthy. Randy Leonard has disliked Charlie ever since he forced Randy and the fire union to diversify their ranks (Randy and the union sued the city and lost). As far as being a showboat? I guess it takes one to know one since Randy turned around a few years later, when running for elected office and took "credit" for the very thing he sued to stop. Now that's showboating.

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    What a great campaign victory for Ellen Rosenblum and supporters of sensible cannabis laws. Not only will Judge Rosenblum be the first female Oregon Attorney General, but Dwight Holton may be the last state-wide Democratic candidate who doesn't believe that cannabis cases should be considered a low-law enforcement priority. Cannabis Prohibition clearly doesn't work. Our state would be better off redirecting our law enforcement resources and tax dollars towards other, more serious concerns.

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