Chuck Butcher gets angry

The debate over HR2 - and whether or not Steve Novick is or isn't "attacking" Jeff Merkley (and whether that's good or bad thing) - has spilled a lot of blog "ink" here at BlueOregon.

Chuck Butcher, one of the Democrats who ran for Congress in 2004 in the 2nd District, wants both sides in the discussion to knock it off.

He starts by expressing his view that HR2 deserved a 'no' vote - "I was pissed off beyond measure that any Democrat voted for this junk ... you do not vote FOR something that stinks. My point of view. Period."

And then:

I have come pretty close to being angry with the partisan bloggers for both candidates. Discussion of a vote is not a personal attack, calling names about either the vote or the critique of it is personal attack, and stupid and pointless partisanship. There are very real issues at play in this country and in Oregon that will demand a Senator's attention and I'd like to know what that attention will amount to, and also that that our Senator can stand up to power without making unnecessary enemies.

At this point in time the candidates have acted responsibly on this issue, I congratulate them for not descending into childishness, some of their supporters don't seem to know when to shut up. The ones with their minds made up are not going to change them despite your presentations and the ones with their minds open are going to hold some of this against your candidate. If you don't STFU you are going to cost your candidate votes. So far my anger over this is pretty much "equal opportunity" applied. Some people have said/written things that should not have been said and those things are going to last and be remembered.

The OBJECT of this exercise is to defeat Sen Gordon Smith (OR-R) in 2009 and to do so with the best representative of Oregon. I want to know who that person is, I don't really care what he thinks about the other guy, I want to know what he thinks about ME. So let's go there.

Read the rest at Chuck's blog.

Discuss over there.

Oct. 16, 2007 Posted in elsewhere.