Novick Calls for Debates; Merkley Welcomes Them
Steve Novick, responding to Jeff Merkley's announcement to run for the US Senate, said he welcomed the competition, and invited Merkley to join him in an "inspired primary."
I commend Jeff's decision to follow me in taking on Gordon Smith. Oregon voters deserve better than Gordon Smith. We deserve a Senator who works for all of us, not just for the rich and powerful. We deserve a Senator who takes issues like health care, global warming and the national debt seriously.
I look forward to an inspired primary where each of us makes our case for why we must replace Gordon Smith and presents our respective visions for Oregon and America. And I propose a series of joint appearances across the state with Jeff and any other candidates that enter the primary to let voters make up their minds.
Oregonians are looking for a new kind of leader, someone who will give them a straight answer and take on their fights as his or her own. Over the next ten months, I plan to travel the state – listening to voters' concerns and sharing my vision. It would be my great pleasure to have Jeff join me in that journey.
For his part, Jeff Merkley said on KPOJ this morning that he would be pleased to join Novick (audio here) and looks forward to the opportunity to talk about why one of them should replace Gordon Smith.
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Aug 1, '07
An early round of debates around the state between these two is NOT a good idea. If they take their act outside of Portland they'll put the audience to sleep.
Before there are any debates, Jeff needs to stake out positions more moderate than Steve (not a difficult thing to do) on the leading issues. THEN the debates might be worth attending.
1:05 p.m.
Aug 1, '07
This is great news.
Aug 1, '07
Uh oh skip, you just crossed the line into troll territory. I'm donating another 10 bucks to Steve. Keep posting and you'll bankrupt me.
1:27 p.m.
Aug 1, '07
This is great news.
Absolutely. Let's hope that things remain "collegial" in all of the Dem races throughout the primaries.
Aug 1, '07
how about a YouTube style debate? Seemed to capture the imaginations of the country recently - might be fun for OR to be the first state to try it out.
1:40 p.m.
Aug 1, '07
This is exactly why I've been saying two candidates are better than one. We instantly have interest in the campaign. It's possible to overdo friendliness and joint appearances. Although I'm pretty sure whoever loses the primary will instantly support the winner, that doesn't mean these guys don't care who wins. Jeff is running because he thinks he brings something to the table Steve doesn't; Steve isn't going to drop out because he thinks he's the best candidate.
Putting that out in front of people is inherently more interesting than watching a lovefest or listening to a single candidate give the same stump speech over and over again. That doesn't mean things have to turn ugly, but let's not kid ourselves about what's at stake. We want to beat Smith.
Let's hope for some interesting debates and interesting formats. Maybe Spicey is onto something--what about an internet debate? Both of these guys are techno-candidates, people-power types; could be a great opportunity to find new voters and grow the base for the general.
1:47 p.m.
Aug 1, '07
Just to clarify, personally I hope they fight each other tooth and nail... by trying to out do each other in seeing who can kick Gordo in the political nuts the hardest.
2:32 p.m.
Aug 1, '07
This is great news.
2:33 p.m.
Aug 1, '07
whoa... hit back on the browser after going to lunch and it reposted my first post in this thread. Mea culpa.
Aug 1, '07
The thing is, in a local election you don't need YouTube to ask a candidate a question. You can actually wait till they hold an event in your town, and then show up and ask them.
Aug 1, '07
local election...show up and ask them
Welcome to 2007. and the hugeness of Oregon. Let's use the technology that god gave us - plus, it seems to be interesting voters. Might also give Merk and Novi a chance to practice for the future where this might be used in the general election.
plus, plus, plus... many good reasons to suggest this.
Aug 1, '07
Debates are great. I just hope they don't try to have a debate a week like the Dems running for pres. seem to be having. One or two this year followed by two or three next year might be enough. Of course, many organizations have joint appearances that are similar to debates. I hope the debates don't end up being like the AuCOin-Lonsdale brawls in '92.
Aug 1, '07
Steve who?
Jeff who?
Aug 1, '07
I liked the idea of the YouTube debates. I also think that they would work nearly as well in Oregon. Liberals are far ahead of the technology curve vs. Conservatives in many ways, specifically taking advantage of the internet.
You see how the Conservatives running for President in '08 aren't taking the internet seriously? It could well prove one of their downfalls.
Using YouTube for Senatorial Debates will only strengthen our internet audience, widening the technology gap and also attracting younger voters.
Aug 1, '07
This is terrific news! I too like the idea of the YouTube debates. I've an opportunity to see Jeff tomorrow night, so maybe this will come up.
3:53 p.m.
Aug 1, '07
ROFL.. thankfully it's payday, so off to ActBlue I go to contribute to Novick and Merkley camapigns in honor of the troll fund.
Aug 1, '07
It is great that Merkley has thrown his hat in the ring. We needed that. For a bit is was looking really scary. Now with two, maybe there will be more to diversify the roster of choices.
As for the YouTube debates, that was so last week. ;)
4:47 p.m.
Aug 1, '07
You Tube. Eh. Whatever. Flavor of the day.
The same basic questions were asked in that debate with a bit of flair. And some questions were, well, unmediated and showed it. It's not like reporters haven't spent years thinking about this stuff.
Aug 2, '07
I still don't understand, why can't we just have live audience questions and questions submitted by email? Wasn't the point of the YouTube debate to have ordinary people asking the questions? Do you really need YouTube for that? We have 1/100th the population to make submissions, no publicity from YouTube and CNN requesting videos for months, one-quarter the candidates to take time answering questions (so a need for more videos) -- just from a technical quality aspect it's going to be hard getting enough videos that are clearly lit and audibly comprehensible. They had a hard time with that even at CNN. Why can't the audience members right there in the studio ask a question?
Aug 2, '07
An early round of debates around the state between these two is NOT a good idea.
Does your ideal candidate have to focus group his positions before taking them on the road? I have heard both Novick and Merkley pledge a clean campaign. I look forward to seeing them together out at the hustings.
It's been said you can tell a lot about the individual by the company they keep. Please remember that the next time you (and by this i mean "y'all") tear down a fellow blue Oregonian in "support" of your candidate.
Republican trolls get contributions in their honor to StopGordonSmith.com. Dems who engage in troll-like behavior simply make themselves (and by extension the causes and candidates they support) less attractive.
Aug 2, '07
YouTube debates? Really?
I can't really think of a better way for the candidates to appear to be out of touch than to do that. More specifically, out of touch with everybody except a particular niche of people. Remember that you would be alienating a lot of people who rightfully expect the ability to ask any kind of question and then cannot simply because they don't have the equipment and/or know-how to produce a web video. The YouTube debates were (kind of) nifty because there were supposed to be quirky and on a national scale so you have a large sample. In a statewide Oregon race you have a bunch of Portland hipsters (and others, but a lot of that demographic) submitting questions. Way to appeal to the entire state.
I'm with the others - the best way would be to just hold a ton of town halls. Get them out in front of the public and interacting directly with them. It's a local enough race that that would be easy and valuable to do.
Put those meetings on YouTube? Absolutely. Hold YouTube debates? Please no.
Aug 2, '07
In a statewide Oregon race you have a bunch of Portland hipsters (and others, but a lot of that demographic) submitting questions.
Hey Michael, thank gawd i live in Portland now, cuz back home in Jackson County, we don't even have 'lectricity, much less access to digital cameras and the interwebs.
Just kiddin' man. It's just funny the biases people have against Portland (and by extension the rest of the state).
To be clear, i'm not arguing for a YouTube debate. I just don't understand your seemingly visceral reaction against them.
10:00 p.m.
Aug 2, '07
You want to shake up the debates? Have a real debate, where candidates engage each other.
But honestly, why do we think "ordinary people" can ask better questions of the candidates that reporters, bloggers, or other folks who follow politics on a regular basis.
I love citizen journalism. But I don't kid myself that citizens have suddenly become journalists.
10:43 p.m.
Aug 2, '07
The thing that made the YouTube debate great, IMO, was that the questions were coming from real people who were confident and at ease in asking them. When real people (non-journalists) stand up in the live audience at the debates to ask questions, there is a stilted, stage-fright, deer-in-headlights, oh-my-God-I'm-on-TV way about them. This time, the questioners were at home or in another comfortable environment, on digital video so they could have as many takes as they needed to get the result they wanted, and it showed. The candidates, for their part, actually engaged with the questions asked by the real people, instead of largely ignoring them and spouting canned excerpts from their stump speeches as they often do in other "debates." The candidates are just not afraid they will be disadvantaged by disrespecting professional journalists. They are vastly more afraid of disrespecting ordinary voters.
I thought it was really refreshing. I don't think Novick and Merkley need to do it, but I hate to see the format slagged, because it has immense potential. I can't wait for the Republican version!
8:33 a.m.
Aug 3, '07
I disagree, Paul. The media often has a closed feedback loop. This may be less the case in a local market, but it's still true that the concerns in Astoria differ from those in Ontario, Grants Pass, Bend and Portland. If you listen to the news that gets reported and debated, it's quite often a low priority with many voters. Other news, like the farm bill being debated now, is huge. What do you think the odds are that anyone would ask about the farm bill in a debate?
We saw that in the YouTube debate.
Also, the form of the question has become ritualized. Politicians and reporters have an established way of speaking to one another--it's at a safe, polite remove. Hearing the rawness of the questions from YouTube, where the issues were real and immediate, makes the questions more potent and harder to dodge.
I wouldn't suggest scrapping the MSM for this format, but I don't buy the argument that they're equivalent.
Aug 3, '07
An early round of debates around the state between these two is NOT a good idea. If they take their act outside of Portland they'll put the audience to sleep.
The problem is that many potential voters are already asleep. Perhaps, Novick and Merkley can wake them up; otherwise, many will continue in their current somnambulistic state and vote for Smith. Like, maybe, the commentator above who asked "Jeff who? Steve who?"
8:43 p.m.
Aug 4, '07
I came into this thread a few days late but want to add my $.02: I would like to see a YouTube Q&A with just Pavel Goberman, apparently running for Senate as a Dem. That would be hysterical! Q: Mr. Goberman, you have no experience in elected or any other public office, and have been in four different political parties in the last eight years. Why should anyone vote for you? Goberman: "Morons in government, the media, Wash. Co. Democrats and etc.(in my web site), and ....too bad: this nation (if I will not be elected) - something very bad will happen here, as it happened with former USSR and KGB. Soon or later." Note: Mr Goberman's unedited comment taken from an actual email sent to me on July 20 entitled "My Curse" Watch for this rising political star coming soon to (disrupt) a debate near you!
Aug 13, '07