When the whole same-sex-marriage business broke onto the national radar screen in 2004--propelled along in large part by the actions of the Multnomah County commissioners--my comment to friends was basically, well, the upside is, you're going to get a chance to vote this year on legalizing same-sex marriage in Oregon; the downside is, you get George W. Bush re-elected in the process by dint of turning out the religious right. If that's OK with you, then go for it.

IMHO Diane Linn and others on the Multnomah County Commission--the glaring example being Serena Cruz--have been politically tone deaf and arrogant about a lot of things for a long time. What the endorsers take for political courage seems to me to be cockiness and an attitude that "we know better than you."

Rather then dance around it, "sr", why not just be up front about it and blame gays for not staying in the closet, that THEY'RE responsible for re-electing George Bush. And who's next...scientists for defending evolution? Atheists? The list could be a long one.

Whatever Diane Linn's merits as County Chair, to beat up on her for re-electing George

Actually, several commentators have said that in most of the states where there were gay marriage measures, Bush carried those states.

One does not have to push gays back into the closet to say that the way the Mult. Comm. handled gay marriage (secretly, shutting out Lonnie Roberts who was elected to the Comm. just like they were) backfired in that some people debated HOW it was done as much as the question of gay marriage.

One does not have to push gays back into the closet to say that the way the Mult. Comm. handled gay marriage (secretly, shutting out Lonnie Roberts who was elected to the Comm. just like they were) backfired in that some people debated HOW it was done as much as the question of gay marriage.

This analysis seems reasonable on the surface, until one gets a half inch under the surface, and sees what really happened here.

(For an exceptionally thorough recap of the issue, and a great analysis, see what b!X wrote last year.

The wingnuts on the far right who spearheaded the opposition to marriage rights for same-sex couples knew that in progressive Multnomah County they would not be able to rely on their long-standing, time-tested, standard argument: “These vile, disgusting, perverse animals want to consume your children. Surely allowing them to have special rights will cause the godly among us to become infected with their poison.”

Or some similar version of this.

I’ve heard this directed to me and others many times over the past 25+ years. It’s been polished, and groomed, and tailored to polling results through the years, but it still pretty much always boils down to the same thing: “You are not worthy of the same civil rights that we godly people enjoy.”

So when the far right found themselves once again blocking civil rights for gay and lesbian people in 2004, in a bastion of progressive thinking, the message needed to be something else. Anything else.

They latched onto the “process distraction” (thanks, b!X), and that worked pretty well. It even found support from many otherwise progressive people and middle of the roaders. But if it had not been this issue it would have been something else. Again, anything else. A flawed process did not cause the political fallout. Bigotry did.

Taking umbrage at how the Commission majority left Lonnie out of the discussion, is intellectually dishonest. This approach is business as usual, as anyone close to the County Board knows. This was not an underhanded thing that was done this one time. Lonnie himself has used this same political approach when he has quietly gathered support of the other Board members unbeknownst to Diane Linn. To argue about the inappropriateness of this type of secret caucusing, solely when it deals with same-sex marriage, is either ignorance or bigotry. Pick your poison.

I will join anyone who will work for a more open and collaborative Board of Commissioners, and I do find the secret caucus method to be ugly. But when it’s raised solely when my civil rights are being debated I believe I have the right to object.

OK, let's try that link (above) again: http://communique.portland.or.us/04/03/the_process_distraction_part_ii.html

I think that it is a little naive to say that the actions of Diane Linn and Multnomah Co. caused the anti-gay movement in 04 OR the re-election of W. The OCA, transmuted into DOMA, was already planning this move. I can assure you that by '08, they (Conservatives/ Social Regressives) will have yet another anti-gay measure on the Oregon Ballot. Why? Because it is the ONLY way they can WIN. Period.

They cannot run on their own fiscal, pro-war issues anymore successfully. So, they will bring up Gays, Guns and God. They will invoke fear and most people will be stupid enough to buy it.

I am not sure if I will vote for Linn or not. I do not disagree to the ends, but the means. I think that they should have opened the floor to public debate. But, I do not blame her for M36 or the election of W. The success of these two things was largely in part because of a naive public ruled by fear and self-interest.

A flawed process did not cause the political fallout. Bigotry did. Taking umbrage at how the Commission majority left Lonnie out of the discussion, is intellectually dishonest. This approach is business as usual, as anyone close to the County Board knows. This was not an underhanded thing that was done this one time.

one question, jim: Then why did diane linn apologize for the process?

diane has been right on the subject matter, but has been a disaster on process (many times, on many issues). and she doesn't listen anymore to the people who give her good advice.

I don't know Diane Linn well, but I have seen her and talked with her for almost a decade in venues such as City Club. She always has impressed me as being a very smart and dedicated public servant. She made a bunch of political mistakes in the past couple of years and I can only think she must have been put under some kind of evil spell. The snow day pay fiasco was one of the weirdest.

I'll take a good look at her opposition before making up my mind, but as far as I'm concerned, she has a good chance to get my vote.

By the way, I remember spending election day in 2004 calling voters in Florida and Ohio, because Oregon was a safe bet for Kerry. So the gay marriage issue here was irrelevant.

One of our columnists was less than kind to Diane Linn recently:

http://www.nwmeridian.com/content/051116_05_p1.php

I think one thing that Diane has always lacked is political awareness. If you asked me should gays have the right to marry, I would say they should have the same legal rights as every other individual as to the disposition of their property, who they want to make their medical decisions for them, and the manner in which they choose to live.

As far as whether government should be involved in "marriage" at all is debatable, but Diane Linn by focusing on creating a scandal rather than seeking worthwhile and relevant change, helped create measure 36 - and quite frankly helped it pass.

If she was more interested in making a real difference, instead of grandstanding she would have worked quietly with a small elite team who would have brought the issue of gay marriage to the courts under the same legal arguments made in Brown vs. Board of Education. Instead she was out to make a name for herself, and helped ruin things for the constituents she claims she was trying to help.

The fact that Basic Rights of Oregon actually endorsed her, shows how little they understand how the political process works and how to actually effectively lobby for real change and equal treatment.

They should honestly re-evaluate Diane Linn and their endorsement - they need an honest activist, not an opportunistic politician looking out for their interests.

Sincerely, Wes Wagner Publisher NW Meridian

If Diane Lind is your measure of 'leadership', then that explains a lot about why Democrats keep losing big elections. Inventing a 'right' at the county level that doesn't exist anywhere in the state isn't leadership, it is basic ignorance of civics 101. There was no way any court in its right mind would let a county determine state policy just because they didn't agree with it.

If you take an honest look, it is quite clear that Diane Lind's actions directly led to Measure 36, which had the complete opposite effect as her desired action. That wouldn't exactly be leadership in most definitions....unless your idea of leadership is shooting yourself in the foot.

You might not "blame" her for measure 36, but it is pretty clear to most objective observers that this measure wouldn't have been on the ballot and wouldn't have passed without her actions.

I agree with Jack...she just doesn't seem like a 'leader' to me either.

Too bad we don't have a better choice.

If you consider what Multnomah County did for gay marriage as courage or leadership your interpretation of greatness is far removed from history's.

The three cospirators screwed up big time and blew the chance to actually have debate. They could have put forward a proposal based in the finding of the ACLU's threat of a law suit. They could have spurred debate. That would have been leadership and courage.

Around Oregon's coffee shops, water coolers, and breakrooms people would have worked through this issue. For the first time people would have had to make their decision of how they stood on this issue. Instead the process distracted from the issue and the sudden line of protestors and couples awaiting marriage became the news story instead of the acutal news itself.

They are not couragous but cowards. They ran a secret plan for gay marriage in order to gain praise from people who already praised them.

dazed and confused asks me: then why did Diane Linn apologize for the process?

Well I can only guess at this, because I was no longer working for her by the time all this was going on; so I never talked with her about it.

But my guess is that she had taken so much flack for this that she felt she had to apologize to politically redeem herself. (It sure didn't work out the way she must have hoped!) Some of her based criticized her bigtime, and she needs to keep that support.

I don't think anyone near the inner workings of the County Board would believe that she had regret for making a political move via Board caucus. It's how things are done, like it or not. (I don't.)

ALSO... Wes says that Diane Linn... helped create measure 36...

This is absolutely not so. Several versions of what was to become M-36 had already been filed with the Sec'y of State's Office before Diane et. al. moved on same-sex marriage. And the same was already happening all across the country. This was a conservative movement, well in play long before anything happened here.

Finally, and it pains me greatly to say it, I mostly agree with Jack Bog.

I'm hoping that we can get a person on the Commission who is willing to work with Linn and Roberts and refer to him on matters regarding eastern Multnomah County. He's the one who lives out here, represents the area, etc. He knows what this area needs and wants but, with the exception of Linn, the Commission doesn't want to listen to him.

Dont count on it. They (except Roberts) dont care a lick about anything east of the Willamette (except for maybe the Convention Center.) All they care about is creating their perfect little utopia downtown.

If Diane Lind is your measure of 'leadership', then that explains a lot about why Democrats keep losing big elections.

Obviously, Andy was not paying any attention to the elections on November 8th. Democracts won in nearly every single race, with the exception of TX and OH. They won in PA, VA, CA, and MA among others. Earlier on they won in CO. If you do not think these are 'big' races then you are being foolish. If you think that these races do not have national importance, then you are equally blind.

Diane Linn did not create M36. DOMA DID. Liberals and Progressives did not create the anti-gay movement, the Religious Right and Social Regressives did.

We get this same arguement from conservatives time and time again. Lies repeated time and time again. "It's the gay people's fault. It is the the fault of those that support gays." Sounds historically farmilar... "It's the Jews fault and those that support them!" Frankly, I am sick of it.

I am a 36 year old gay man, who pays a higher percentage of my taxes than almost any other group of people. I get NO right to marry? That is screwed! Accoring to Minnis, I can't even get the right to a Civil Union! I am tired of paying for a society that does not give me equal rights. I work just has hard to make it society as everyone else. My family were immigrants here, much like everyone else, generation after generation; sweat, blood and tears to build this country.

The lack of empathy on this line of discussion sickens to me to no end. People are self-serving and don't give a damn about the greater community and allowing their fellow tax payers and citizens feel welcome. I do not make moral choices for others, I appreciate those that do not do the same for me. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Odd how Christians seem to cherry pick their rules, isn't it.

Somebody left the italics tag on up above, this comment is solely intended to correct that problem.

Now, on to business...

I don't have particuarly good feelings about Diane Linn's term overall, so I'll wait to hear from her opponent. I hope to hear positive debate. If her opponent dwells for one second on the process distraction that anti-gay bigots put forth, I will vote for Diane.

For those who think that the Commission's actions with respect to gay marriage are responsible for M36, note that FOUR (that's right, FOUR) anti-marriage initiatives were circulating in this state BEFORE the Commission acted.

All the process debate did was give the bigots another peg to hang their rhetorical hat on. They were pushing this already, and they were pushing this in other states as well.

• Bob R.

-Bob,

I agree with your approach. I am tolerate of many things, but not being treated as a second-class citizen. Linn apologized and that is better than our President is doing now.

I will see what her opponenet has to say and if he or she criticizes her on the marriage issue and does not focus on other more important issues, then I will certainly vote for Linn.

When has it been popular in this country to stand up for minority rights?

By definition, fighting for the rights of those who find themselves in the "minority" will subject one to vilification and anger.

We are all human and none of us are immune from making mistakes.

It is easy to sit back and watch as others are trying to do the right thing and then, in the comfort of your living room, announce to the world that you would have made a much better decision with many more people feeling better about how you got there.

Please.

As far as I am concerned, Diane is a working class leader that grew up right here in inner Portland. She fights for what she believes in and no, it isn't always pretty.

Its too bad her battles could not have been executed with the Machiavellian precision that some of her detractors seem to suggest they are capable of.

However, I think her convictions and philosophy outweigh any deficits in strategic skills her detractors appear to be focused on.

I don't follow this screwy notion that being critical of how Multnomah County decided to start issuing same-sex marriage licenses is tantamount to "anti-gay bigotry," as someone in this thread put it. I have no problem with same-sex marriage. I do have a problem with arrogant politicians. My previous unpleasant encounter with the county commissioners was over a library construction matter, and the commissioners (especially Ms. Cruz) were contemptuous of the general public then as well

I think it is indisputable that the NATIONWIDE backlash against same-sex marriage helped motivate a lot of Bush voters. This is hardly the same as blaming gay people for giving us four more years of Bush. I tend to blame electoral fraud for that.

Randy writes: Its too bad her battles could not have been executed with the Machiavellian precision that some of her detractors seem to suggest they are capable of.

However, I think her convictions and philosophy outweigh any deficits in strategic skills her detractors appear to be focused on.

Problem is, Linn is running for Commission chair, not just one more commissioner. And like many, my perception is that the job is just too big for her. Building consensus, bridging differences, brokering agreements--that is the job of a chair.

More often than not, Linn leads with her left foot, and the other commissioners are quick to step on it.

I don't know if I'll vote for her opponent, but little that I've seen of Linn's leadership for the past few years makes me enthusiastic. And the whole gay marriage thing has little to do with that opinion.

Whereas it may be true that anti-gay marriage initiatives were on table prior to Diane Linn's actions, their efforts were fragmented and lacked funding. Diane's actions gave them a slew of highly motivated volunteers which allowed them to carry the signature gathering requirements.

Also we need political leaders that can carry out change with precision - it takes pragmatism savy to fight a corrupt system, not naive idealism.

Its not enough to vote for someone because they have a good appeal to the public pathos, you must elect someone competent who will actually be able to acheive your aims. Hence our continued criticism of BRO's endorsement of Linn.

-Wes Wagner

I watched Linn and her staff very closely throughout her attempt to patch up Mult. County's mental health system. She tried to catch the ball from Stein, who seemed to be fleeing the chair more than running for Gov at the time.

Linn didn't catch the ball on mental health and hundreds if not thousands of Portland's most fragile people - children and adults - directly suffered from her administration.

She hired people who were incompetant as managers, as stuck by them. She fired people who had been asked to step up and take leadership roles. She ignored pleas from civic leaders and medical providers. She cut services, cut costs and cut our safety net.

Our mental health (and addiction health) systems are vital plugs in reducing costs of criminal justice, emergency health, low income housing and entry employment. We know a dollar spent is $7 - $10 saved. We actually know what to do about these problems - studied them to death. But in Portland there's been no leadership to make it happen.

Don't let her say mental health in Portland is fixed - or was improved by her administration.

I'm just going to offer a thought on the whole, "commission actions without Lonnie Roberts created a backlash" string. While, I generally dislike this sort of governance, let's face it the Mult Co. Commission was not the first to use this sort of action. It happens all of the time.

Those opposed to Gay Marriage grapsed onto it as another arrow in their quiver, I don't think that they really cared that much about the suppossed "back room deals." Try being in the Minority in the Oregon House this past session, they probably had it even worse than Lonnie Roberts, yet no one on the right had the same outcry for open processes.

I think that the issue was always about shutting down the process before gay marriage becomes normailzed for our communities.

Just a thought...

Let's take this discussion into another direction. As someone who considers myself to be a progressive, I don't support Linn for reasons which have nothing to do with the gay marriage issue and everything to do with what she did to trash a perfectly good youth organization in this county--4-H/Extension. While Rojo de Steffey, Cruz, and Naito were also crucial votes in defunding the 4-H youth program and Extension services in Multnomah County, it was Diane Linn who could have turned things around--but chose not to do so.

What was lost? An organization that provided services not just to youth from K-12, but an organization that provided nutrition training and other services to low income folks and Latinos in East County. All it took was $200,000 from Multnomah County to draw in matching funds from both State and Federal sources to fund the remainder of the program costs. 200 kids in this county were directly members of 4-H, but those numbers do not include kids who were part of 4-H Afterschool programs, or kids who participated in Wildlife Stewards programs or other educational services that were provided by Extension and 4-H. In its last years in Multnomah County, the rough estimate was that the program served around 20,000 youth, if I remember correctly, and the Hispanic outreach program was just beginning to catch on and grow within Multnomah. Multnomah was growing and developing a technology 4-H program which, while it didn't rival Washington County's program, was still pretty impressive (and Washington County was happy enough to get those tech kids). 4-H ain't just about cows and cooking; they've got some impressive leadership, technology, urban horticulture, arts, photography, and cross-cultural programs as well.

No more.

The last Multnomah 4-H kids are working their way through the system in Clackamas, Washington, Columbia and Marion counties. Several high-achieving kids from Multnomah County have earned some of the state's highest 4-H honors--but other counties are getting the credit for these kids. Multnomah's loss; the other counties' gain.

Maybe that doesn't matter to folks. I happen to think that it's a bad thing when one option is removed for our youth to grow and develop and expand their horizons. 4-H's experiential, hands-on orientation was a good thing for students with disabilities in this county (an informal survey on my part of those 200-some kids suggested that close to 1/4 of those kids if not more had some sort of disability--learning disability, communication disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, or emotional issue). 4-H's ability to level the field and allow kids to compete on equal footing despite any cognitive or physical challenges they might have is unique in my experience, and it's a tool that is not readily available now in this county. Additionally, the tolerance within the program allowed a safe place for some youth questioning who and what they were to do so without risking ridicule.

Again, maybe that doesn't matter. I was told to suck it up and support Linn because of her stance on gay marriage. My response to that is--well, I'm glad to see tolerance expressed, although I dislike the backhanded, indirect way it was done. But that does not eliminate the harm she did to a number of kids and others served by Extension and 4-H in this county, and for that action, I feel she's not been held fully accountable. Nor does she seem to feel that she should be held accountable. Some of those kids she harmed by her actions were gay, lesbian or bi. I just happen to think that providing services to kids, especially the lower income, east of downtown group that dominated much of Multnomah 4-H, is something important that should not be overlooked in this discussion.

For those reasons there is no way in heaven or earth that Diane Linn will ever get my vote again. I'll abstain if she has an unacceptable opponent, but I will never vote for that woman.

Maybe irrelevant or flippant, but Mr. Dufay's last comments reminded me of something: Barry Goldwater 1964. Remember that slogan of his? "In your heart you know he's right." I'm trying to recall what else was happening politically in 1964 (when I was a very small kid): in California, where I lived, the voters went to the polls and passed, by a 2/3 majority, a proposition to REPEAL laws barring housing discrimination. (See, for example, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_14). Could that be a useful backdrop for thinking about debate about same-sex marriage?

Ideological purity can be highly attractive--addictive, really. Just take a look at portland.indymedia.org, say, if you like ideological purity and vicious backstabbing. Ideologically informed discussion along with considerations of how humans actually behave--that's another matter entirely, and something that this website seems to be really nice for.

Ted Wheeler, now running for the Multnomah County Commission, was a classmate and friend of mine at Lincoln High. He was a stand-up, smart and decent guy then, and he hasn't changed a bit in the last 25 years.

Two years ago, I was thrilled to hear he was planning to run for the Multnomah County Commission seat that Maria Rojo de Steffey was planning to leave as she campaigned for City Council. When Maria backed out of that race, Ted also stood down. After the Multnomah County Commission voted to allow gay and lesbians equal marriage rights -- when much of the community was up in arms -- some of the supporters he had courted came back to him, urging him to get back into the county race. They saw Maria as vulnerable, due to her role in the "backroom deal" that brought all those happy couples to the sidewalk around the county building.

I spoke to Ted then, and he was very clear: He supported gay marriage and he absolutely would NOT jump back into the race and ride into office on a groundswell of anti-county, anti-gay bigotry. He didn't want to become the poster child for values he did not share.

This is another year, another race. I know that my former boss, Barbara Roberts, and others will stand firm with Diane Linn because of her strong action on gay marriage. I respect that. But I know that Ted is right on the issues, and that this race is about far more than the gay marriage debate.

To me, this election is about bringing new, and better leadership to our county. About having a county commission that works together to get the job done, and that brings respect and effectiveness back to a government that provides libraries, jails, bridges and services to many of the most vulnerable in our community. Ted Wheeler is the right candidate, at the right time. Check him out at wheelerforcountychair.com

Wow, what an incredible collection of apologists for perhaps the worst Democratic elected official in the state (OK, other than Schufler). Commissioner Leonard, does being a working class Portland native qualify me for being an elected official too? If that's all it takes, there are thousands of people who meet the minimum qualifications. I’ll take the governor’s office. Scratch that, I’ll go for the US Senate. I thank you in advance for your endorsement Mr. Leonard.
Being working class alone doesn't make one a hero – actions do. Clearly her record is irrelevant to you.
Remember, she had turned into a punch line BEFORE the gay marriage issue. Months before. Maybe a year before. She did more damage to government and progressives on a weekly basis with her bumbling than most right wingers can achieve through there active aggression.
She is bad at her job. When someone is bad at their job, especially a job requiring the management of a billion dollars, you replace them, no matter how nice or how liberal she is, or where she stands on gay marriage. Commissioner Leonard, if Linn were the head of BDS, you'd have fired her by now, no matter where she grew up. And before we fall all over ourselves to label her the courageous crusader for gay rights, think back carefully. She had to be dragged across the finish line on that decision. Serena Cruz, Lisa Naito, and Rojo DeSteffy stood up proudly for the decision from day one. Defiantly even. On principle. Linn hid behind the County attorney for the first month, and argued about it as something that she had no choice on. Linn only began to claim it as a principled stand when it became clear that the gay community would be the only friend she would have, that being the reluctant champion on gay marriage wouldn't get her what she needed in pure political support or Terry Bean money. Does anyone on this blog remember the last week when she claimed, out of the blue, that she's going to open Wapato Jail? She randomly pronounces positions and decisions hoping something sticks. What next, starting peace on earth? Nametags for everyone? If you are a liberal, if you really believe government can play a positive leadership role in people's lives, then at some point you must want a capable leader. She may be liberal (when it is to her benefit) but she is not worthy of election. Think about how bad she has to be at her job when 3 members of her board, all equally or more liberal than she, all agreeing on the basic issues, will have NOTHING to do with her and are endorsing her opponent, who is an unknown, old straight white business guy with no electoral record? How untrustworthy a person must she be to elicit such sheer disgust from three colleagues (all good electeds) on her board? Vote for any liberal but Linn. Gay marriage isn’t on the ballot in May. The future of County government is.