Kari - I find it interesting that we over on the Lefty side often rant and rave against the measures that do not go all the way to any semblance of ideological purity; starting somewhere is an important rule of compromise, and also of longterm strategies playing out successfully...

SO I suppose everyone is at risk for operating in a universe driven by the complex of dynamics that came in with Rovian politicking.

Maybe if we on the Left stopped acting like horrible little ankle-biting dogs, but, instead, intelligently held our leadership to accountability longterm, we could reverse this degradation.

"Maybe if we on the Left stopped acting like horrible little ankle-biting dogs..."

See, I KNEW my chihuahua was a Democrat!

And I just realized my dog has better/more insurance than one-fifth of Oregon adults, which is ridiculous.

It seems that not only are some small businesses in Oregon fed up with the Chamber of Commerce for hating public schools, but even some of the bigger corporations in the U.S. are saying enough is enough with the Chamber of Commerce's climate denying, Glenn Beck loving, extremist positions. Excelon Corp. is pulling out of the National Chamber of Commerce.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/28/787284/-BREAKING:-Energy-giant-Exelon-quits-Chamber-over-climate-denial

Kari writes: [T]oo often, especially in DC, Democrats still behave as if they are in the minority - and Republicans still think they're in the majority!

A primer on Congress:

Republicans in power: GOP demands that Democrats capitulate to entire GOP agenda. Democrats politely agree in exchange for opportunity to write really cool "bipartisan" op-ed pieces.

Democrats in power: GOP demands that Democrats abandon their entire legislative agenda. Democrats politely agree in exchange for opportunity to write really cool "bipartisan" op-ed pieces.

rw writes: Maybe if we on the Left stopped acting like horrible little ankle-biting dogs, but, instead, intelligently held our leadership to accountability longterm, we could reverse this degradation.

rw, are you serious? Demanding that Barack Obama (for example) actually do things like shut down Guantanamo is "ankle-biting"? Demanding that Congressmen and Senators quit whoring themselves to insurance companies is "ankle-biting"? Or do I miss your point?

Speaking of newspapers and Sunday afternoons, here's the inevitable story from Local 9. In this one I waited on a great event called the McCall Forum, and met the late, great William Safire. You can describe the decline of the Republican Party simply by going from a newspaper giant like William Safire to the insane clown posse featuring Rush Limbaugh. Okay, Rush is not insane, but he is plenty mean. William Safire seemed like a kinder, gentler Republican with lots more dignity and class. Not to mention smarts. But that part of the GOP is gone. They got beat down like the Ducks beat Cal.

Fred, back off. I find that we carp and whinge in a way that makes us sound irrelevant. What you are talking about is EXACTLY what we need to hold folks accountable to. I speak of the way in which we conduct ourselves in that endeavour. We are a mirror twin to the Righties, dear!

Ms. MEL! Hahahahah... poor doggie. Poor US!

It's like this Fred (and sorry I reacted so fast): we began to bitch and badger before it was even correct to do it. Specifically, our Far Left contingent was set to be unhappy before the guy even had his nightcap and slippers off the next morning.

That does not win us any points for being relevant. Right about NOW is when the stuff should have started. In the past four months or so.

But it started up immediately, and it was in perfect tune with the noisome cacaphony issuing from the Right. We should have totally closed ranks, ensured that HE was stable, and then started putting on the pressure.

Just my thoughts.... at least it could have been handled in a more intelligent way had we decided to start in on him immediately. But it looks to me as if Rove has had a permanent and deleterious effect on discourse. To wit: while this level of lowbrow polemics has always been an entertaining/horrifying aspect of politics, we have no Great Statesmen or Populist Hero voices to turn to.

... oy vey, and before someone pulls my old posts out on me, annoying the cheerleaders, I'm aware that my bloggy moments may seem incoherent. The frailty of this medium. I felt that the Cheerleader Contingent was waaaaay too sunny and waaaay too damned defensive, refusing to give up the golden glow of honeymooning.

But in the same breath I have to say that the species of immovable diatribe practiced by the FarLeft folks was not much more laudable. Somewhere there needs to be the vocal range such as one finds in the New Yorker, reliably. Particularly, recall how they held the standard for us after 9/11 when it became quite dangerous for my little family to be who we [still] are.

I'd like more of the vocalese I"m speaking of - it's so stimulating, perfectly challenging in a nourishing way, and makes ya proud to be the affiliate you are.

Hey, how come you didn't post anything on Social Security? Oh, I forgot, that's not a REAL issue.

Anyways, according to the SSA, for the next two years, payments out will be greater than collections.

If I recall everyone 2 years ago when Bush thought SS reform was needed sayiong that this won't happen until 2045.

Give Pres Obama 3 years, we're on our way to a big meltdown. He can't collect tax fast enough to soak up the buckets of money he is spending.

Perfect, again you're oblivious blue.

How's Thorne been for Oregon?

http://wweek.com/photos/3118/goldschmidt.pdf http://wweek.com/html/leada.html

Yes, and Richard, something else you might want to consider. Unless you believe all good people supported Fadeley over Neil in the primary and / or Norma Paulus in the general election, you might want to contemplate that back in 1986 (do you remember back that far) we didn't know what was revealed in recent years. Norma would have been a good Gov. Neil got a lot of his support from people who knew little about him except what offices he had held and that he was not Fadeley. Would a former Sen. President who had alienated so many people (and whose career didn't end very well) really have been a better nominee? Or does that take more thought than just providing a couple of links?

How many voters are too young to remember the 1986 election?

And as angry as you may be about that Goldschmidt situation, you are no angrier than I am that reporters wouldn't let Gov. Ted get in his car leaving a military funeral until he answered questions about what had been revealed about Neil.

How long was the drive from the funeral to the Gov. office? They couldn't wait that long? It was that kind of emergency that anyone leaving a funeral needed to be disrupted? Had you been one of the people at the funeral, would you have approved of that press behavior?

I was stunned when the news came out that Goldschmidt was a pervert, esp. since he had been vetted for a federal job. Where were the people who knew about it back then? Parents? Neighbors? Teachers or school friends?

Are you saying that people who never lived in Portland should have known what was going on?

The Goldschmidt portrait has now been replaced on the capitol wall outside the Senate Chamber by an excellent Hank Pander portrait.

Maybe it is time to move on, unless you are so enemy-oriented that "Goldschmidt was bad and everyone should have known that" is all you can talk about.

Kari,

How pat that was. You reduce the tremendous Thorne detriment detailed by Jaquiss/WW coverage to an imaginary sharing of Goldschmidts crime?

This is the perfect demonstration of how obvlivious blues in this state are and seemingly choose to be.

Put the "crime" aside.

All this time you never heard or read anything about Thorne and the Port etc?

Yeah OK.

I guess you haven't heard anything about anything then.

No wonder you provide cover for the current regime.

You don't even pay attention to what goes on.

http://wweek.com/editorial/2001/06/27/welfare-king/

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=29326

"Neil Goldschmidt - or even worked for him - somehow shares in the blame for his horrible crime."

Not even Teddy K who looked the other way while Neil had his hand up his back for 20+ yrs? Of course, Ted could never have a clue. Then again, looking at Ted's performance maybe that isn't too far a leap.

I'm sure if it was Bush you'd have a lot lower bar for guilt by association.