Elect Suzanne Bonamici for a new era

Oregonian (editorial):

But in background and in understanding of the issues, Cornilles can't match Bonamici. Although he's served on several community boards, including Virginia Garcia health centers and the Oregon League of Minority Voters, he has no government or political background. Cornilles' considerable but untried energy might better be tested first at the legislative or local level.

Besides Cornilles' lack of experience in how legislatures work, the candidates' differences are sharply displayed in issue presentation. Even on questions where Cornilles and Bonamici largely agree, such as the importance of building the Columbia River Crossing, Bonamici has a much deeper understanding of the details of the process, and how issues connect to other issues.

Bonamici can be excruciatingly cautious; it took her months, and the end of the primary campaign, to decide she was actually for the U.S.-Korea trade agreement, which by that time had already passed. But in a Congress that seems to barely function at all, patience and painstakingness may be the most useful qualifications, especially combined with a record of working effectively with others and putting in the time and effort to master the details.

By all those standards, Bonamici is the clear choice to represent the 1st district and raise its profile in Washington, D.C. The district had a congressman in a tiger suit; it can now have one with a tiger's tenacity.

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