Re: Francesconi 2

First off, the editorial board is bigger than Busse.

As someone who worked intimately with the Busse campaign, I can attest that endorsing Francesconi was the last thing many of us thought would happen.

The Busse campaign, throughtout, was critical of both candidates. Potter for his lack of ideas or solid vision and Francesconi for, well, being Francesconi.

Francesconi's office and a group of folks (not just Busse) has been working on the resolution since July/August. I'm pretty sure it's timing has little to do with the election. It's not much of a headline grabber or vote getter.

And, meanwhile, the about-face isn't really all that about face. A talk with Busse throughout this election would have shown that both candidates had some convincing to do. But, while Jim said, what can I do to show you I'm ready, Potter said, will you endorse me?

Fact is, WWeek and the Mercury have a long standing silly feud. And putting quotes around "coincidence" is just another silly part.

Note: I don't work for the Mercury and see Busse rarely. And I thought I'd end up a Potter supporter. Independently, Busse and I reached the same conclusion.

Ha ha ha. I worked on Busse's campaign too, and I thought it was very funny that they attempted to wrap the shawl of a scandal around this. The Willy Week really dislikes the Merc, and Busse in particular, so the only surprise was that on something so weak and transparent the best they can do is use quotes on coincidence.

I think the WW tries much to hard to be snarky, when that isn't really their thing, and this is just a failed attempt at emulating wonkette or gawker. Still, even though they make me mad on a regular basis, I am glad we have the Willy Week.

Can I weigh in as well? I actually didn't mind the press attention to the resolution (which, hoorah hoorah, passed 5-0), but really didn't like the photo that WWeek ran. (Can I be that vain?) What the WWeek article shortshifted is what the ordinance will do: Every year it will help 100 disadvantaged youth (16-24 years old, homeless, single moms, criminal records, etc.) secure a job. It is well established that a job is the best way to help a youth gain traction in his or her own life.

I approached Jim Francesconi with this idea back in May/June because he was the only candidate and politican who I saw in regular attendance at youth forums and gang summits. He and I had talked routinely during the primary campaign about our concern for securing jobs for at-risk youth. (I worked for two years as an attorney for California's juve courts.) Jim seemed - and was - the right person to approach.

The only way that my vote for Jim's endorsement was affected by this ordinance is that I found it very easy to work with Jim and found him incredibly receptive to innovative ideas.

But more than anything, Jim outshone Tom at the Mercury's summer series of You Promised! forums. (This opinion was backed up by our informal exit polling.) Those forums, which the Mercury has been reporting about since July formed the bulk of my - and the rest of the endorsements - board's opinion about Jim and Tom.

Right after I lost the primary election, I said that I wanted to continue to implement programs in Portland one by one. I'm thrilled that I was able to be part of the team that pushed forward this resolution. And I was thrilled that Jim, unlike the WWeek, was able to put aside the squabbles and friction that he and I have had in the past to do something good for the city.

PB

I haven't really followed this race very much and I don't have a vote (moved to Vancouver 2 years ago).

Despite the lack of Potter "vision", Francisconi's transparent courting of campaign dollars permanently soured me on his candidacy.

Anybody but Jim!!

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Six days from portal entry and we catch a gimbel gyro moment ... did you see the moon tonight? What I hear a lot is "What does it say? What does it mean?" That shadow moon is in Taurus, sun in Scropio today.

I read it as the turn of the tide. Wherever the tidal forces have been running they have reached their highwater mark.

There. That's it. The eclipse means "the turning point." That's the take-home from it, and when you get there, some assembly required. Apply 'the turning point' to the tidal forces in your life.

It is a delicate bit to attempt. For myself, I am biased to read it as when all the polls go Dem's way after this, we don't ever see another poll with W. ahead. The phony "tied polls" story is over.

Where in our lives we "apply it" sort of makes it happen, the self-fulfilling effect, it comes out that way later because that is the only outcome we looked for. Like 'projecting' our interpretation onto the events. A favorite way it is said is: 'On what conclusion are your facts based?'

In one analysis, the only information that matters is which thing we choose to put the interpretation on, the outcome of that thing is arbitrary. The revealing information is our choice because it shows ourself our bias. And 't would be a gift'ee gi'e us, t' see urselves as outters see us.'

But in each life the tide turns in an individual way, and the sum of all the lives' tides turning is itself a tide. That's tonight.

Skylog date: P(ortal) minus 6.

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Continuing. Just feeling moon-y. There is loss in this moon but also gain. Property losses. Relationship gains. I expect many many relationships find in themselves a "new" wider parity, a refreshing commonality.

I like it in lyrics, these from Tom Waits' first album, definitely thirty years ago, hardly anyone has heard it, I don't know the title:

We'll put a new coat of paint On this old worn out town, They'll keep setting them up, setting them up, We'll keep knocking them down.

You get your coat And I'll wear a tie We'll laugh at that old bloodshot moon In a burgundy sky.

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