Merkley campaign releases "Celebrity Jeopardy" video, starring Steve Novick
The Jeff Merkley U.S. Senate campaign has outdone Willamette Week with a Willamette Week-style video mashup -- to highlight opponent Steve Novick's pause heard 'round the blogosphere.It's based on the paper's endorsement interview with the Democratic Senate candidates from earlier this month, so we can claim some credit for its cleverness. Right? Maybe? Possibly?
Is Ralph Nader in the room? Watch and find out.
Here's the video:
Novick in Jeopardy from wweek.video on Vimeo.
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April 15, 2008
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5:48 p.m.
Apr 15, '08
Ok, I've had enough of this now. There are a lot more important things happening in the news that we haven't already beat each other over. Just a sample...
Fairview floats idea of Metro overseeing the metro area's bridges The Oregonian: http://tinyurl.com/3oa3rt
Oregon jobs report shows first decline in six months Associated Press: http://tinyurl.com/6epp3n
Republicans ahead in 5th District money race AP: http://tinyurl.com/6epp3n
Political season is adding oomph to a union’s boycott of the Portland Hilton Hotel & Executive Tower downtown... WWeek: http://tinyurl.com/5wyxqw
Apr 15, '08
Merkley released this? I don't get it. I think Merkley is too clever by half. I agree with the commenter above, let's get to the issues.
6:03 p.m.
Apr 15, '08
Hey Jenni -- The jobs story is here.
Apr 15, '08
While I, too, was tired of this story yesterday, and while I realize that this video isn't going to make any friends with Novick supporters, I admit that I did laugh during the second musical interlude when I realized how fitting the whimsical 30-second Jeopardy theme was with the otherwise completely awkward 31-second pause. (I think that's what the Oregonian timed it to.)
6:05 p.m.
Apr 15, '08
Oh, and even I'm getting tired of this story.
But I also think we should cover a statement by the chair of the party and a video by a US Senate campaign that addresses a current controversy.
6:13 p.m.
Apr 15, '08
I think the letter from the chair was something that needed to be posted. But the video? No. That's just too much.
I thought I'd deleted the jobs story from the listing since I'd seen it further down the page. But apparently I didn't.
We've just rehashed and rehashed this over and over. There are so many more stories we could be talking about.
For instance, how many here know there are an endorsement meetings of the Mult Dems this week?
Apr 15, '08
Jenni, I would hope that whenever either candidate puts out a video, I will hear about it here. I think debating whether Merkley should have put out the video makes more sense than debating whether BlueO should have let us know about it.
6:27 p.m.
Apr 15, '08
James X:
There have been a lot of videos on both sides that never got mentioned here. If we hadn't already been discussing this topic on several posts, that would be one thing. But we already have other posts on this topic today. We could have easily discussed it on those other posts, like we had been for the past few days until the topics showed up today.
It's just going to continue this back and forth stuff that is getting us nowhere - exactly the kind of waste of time that Novick mentioned. I'd rather us be talking about something like the fact that we have a huge fight to win Hooley's seat and the Republicans are doing very well with their fundraising.
Or the ballot title shopping and fight going on around the anti-gay measures.
When a new post comes up, supporters of one candidate will feel the need to defend their candidate and attack the other. That candidate's supporters then feel the need to do the same. So we go back and forth and back and forth. It's definitely not something that brings us together.
Apr 15, '08
Why is Steve Novick RUNNING? Maybe because he has thought all along - obviously - that Merkley is not the best man for the job!
Duh.
Apr 15, '08
I guess that serves me right for not hanging out on the candidate sites.
SDG: Merkley wasn't in the race when Novick jumped in, but thinking you're the best candidate for the job doesn't usually mean one thinks that a third-party candidate would be better than any other Democrat. (I accept the later bit where Novick says he would vote for the (Democratic) nominee.)
Apr 15, '08
This is not "In the news." This is "fuel on the fire of the Novick/Merkley infighting on Blue Oregon."
I'm sorry, but I'm really not interested in reading anything else here until divisive, low-brow material like this is screened out. Where's the useful commentary? What possible constructive message could this video clip convey?
As editors of a popular website, you may not have any commitment to neutrality, but you should realize when your actions are tearing your community apart.
See you after the primary.
Apr 15, '08
The more I'm exposed to Jeff Merkley the more I'm turned off. The more I learn about Steve Novick the more I realize he is not the perfect candidate, but he remains in my opinion very much better than Merkley. Merkley needs to throw the handbook of negative tactics in the recycle bin for shredding. Or send it back to Chuck Schumer with a note telling him where to stuff it.
Apr 15, '08
Jenni, I agree with your fed-up-ness with this tomfoolery, but this 30 second video which consists of 27 seconds of silence is more exiciting than a Mult Dems meeting by far.
Apr 15, '08
This is the first time I've been back to BlueO in months. Checked in to see if anyone had anything intelligent to say about the debate. Don't know why I thought things had changed here. Obviously not!
Apr 15, '08
Merkley's team got this one wrong. What the hell were they thinking? The raw video is already out on the net courtesy Willy Week, and Novick has done himself and his credibility enough damage without the stupid video editing trick by some campaign intern that will undoubtedly earn the campaign a copyright infringement "fine"/lawsuit-threat from the owners of the Jeopardy! theme song and the SNL production company (I wonder how long it will take the 5th Ave NY, NY lawyers to discover it). They should have kept their freakin' mouths shut and let this one spin around in blog/news world all by itself.
When your opponent is inserting his foot in his mouth, don't help him do it...because then it turns into a negative attack and you look just as dirty. If his staff didn't know any better then Kari should have known and advised against it...that is what they pay you for, right Kari? Let us know when you get the bill for copyright infringement...I'm curious to know how much it is.
Apr 15, '08
I lol'd
Apr 15, '08
Wow what a great affirmation of my choice to support Jeff Merkley for US senate! Novick sure sounded like a politician in that clip, didn't he? Ha ha!
11:54 p.m.
Apr 15, '08
AR:
There was a reason why I'd brought up the Mult Dems meeting. Two years ago, people threw a fit about the endorsements made by the county party and what they considered little notice (it was mentioned on numerous occasions for the few months prior approximately when the events would be held, with final notice going out a few weeks before and then some reminders after that). This time, we got notice for endorsement meetings on Monday the 14th. The meetings are the 17th and the 19th.
There was quite the fight among people on this very blog over the way things were handled, especially on notice. I'm just curious to see what's going to happen with this endorsement meeting.
I should note that I have been doing paid work for two of the candidates who are running for offices considered for endorsement by the county party - Nick Fish for City Council and Rob Milesnick. I only speak for myself as a PCP who is unhappy with the lack of notice on this issue. These are very important races to the City of Portland as well as the entire county. As has already been pointed out, after this election we're going to have completely changed out our commission in the span of 2 years. And we're in the middle of a huge mess - from threatening to kill deals that were made some time back, the Sellwood Bridge, the potential for east county seceding, poverty rates skyrocketing in east county, and more. And as everyone knows, Portland has its share of problems, which affect the surrounding communities, including east Multnomah County, Washington County, Clackamas County, and across the river into Vancouver.
And once again we could end up making endorsements on very important races with very little involvement.
Thankfully we won't be involved in any partisan races. I'm usually an advocate for it, but not with the way things are being handled with this race.
Apr 16, '08
This video is simply an affirmation in my mind that Jeff is the strongest candidate to run against Gordon Smith. Despite what the polls might say neither Novick or Candy Neville will stand a chance against Gordon Smith.
Opinionated
Apr 16, '08
Is Merkley running for Senate or VP under Hillary Clinton? Maybe they should be called "Kitchen Sink" Democrats.
Go with Obama and Novick.
10:01 a.m.
Apr 16, '08
I thought it was hilarious. Great political theater. I've got no dog in the fight but that gave new meaning to the phrase "pregnant pause".
People, chill out. Why are you belly-aching? If you don't like what ya read or see here at Blue Oregon, why not go help the MultDems register new Democrats in your neighborhood? Do something! Stop getting so fixated on the BO universe and go do something to help the actual universe.
Love, Moses
10:28 a.m.
Apr 16, '08
I think the pause actually speaks well for Steve. What he's sitting there contemplating is, "Do I be honest and explain that Merkley's been a giant dick the last few months, or do I play it safe and give the canned response?" Like he always does, Steve chose honesty and let the chips fall...but it was clearly not an unconsidered response.
Apr 16, '08
LOL
For those of us who were told we were supposed to like the beer commercial because it got national publicity, for those who don't think a serious candidate should have the link to the "flammable pants" comment on the front page of the website of a serious US Senate candidate, for those of us who do not find Left Hook Lager any thing other than (at best) a fundraising gimmick, I think this is very interesting.
How many seconds did Merkley take to answer? Why couldn't Steve have said "Candy Neville" in that short a time?
I still think the smartest thing Steve could do is to use the poverty video on his website in a very serious commercial---might win over the folks who think the beer opening commercial was not what a serious candidate should run.
Apr 18, '08
Mr. Novick is not a serious candidate...is he? I did not know much about him, but after seeing this...what a prick. This is an ordinary political race and candidates get into it with each other. This guy has got some growing up to do.