It'll be interesting to see an academic's take on real-world issues, but my money says Wyden -- with his bizillion annual town halls and travels hither and yon throughout Oregon -- will have a much better handle on Oregon issues.

Ah yes, the magic Huffman touch - free markets are so cuddly.

Let's protect the tobacco industry:

Measure 50 is not just a tax on cigarettes to provide revenue for kids' health care and other purposes. It is a constitutional amendment. Why? Because the proponents of the tax could not get the necessary votes through the normal and appropriate legislative process.

How about falsely representing his former employer:

Last week a letter from Huffman was sent out by Oregonians in Action, aka the 'Stop 49' campaign to voters. The letter was made to look as it was sent from Lewis and Clark Law School, laid out like this:

Oregonians in Action Spokesperson James Huffman James L. Huffman Erskine Wood Sr. Professor of Law Lewis & Clark Law School 5340 S.W. Hewett Blvd. Portland, OR 97221

Does he still oppose M49, and believe

the move to " "reform" Measure 37 -- is a euphemism for emptying the law of any real meaning. "

Ah yes, Mr. Huffman, comfortably at home when advising the Cascade Policy Institute, trying to defund the Max, and wishing it was 1950 all over again.

"The Jim Huffman campaign will be about the PEOPLE OF OREGON who are struggling while an out of touch political class uses the economic crisis to grab power and enrich their special interest patrons."

Good for Huffman. This reminds me of the recent trib article: http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=126704714566865700 - Water Bills Rocket Upward.

There's not enough money for water, yet the City of Portland wants to spend $600million on bike paths.

I think Jim Huffman is right. There are a lot of families struggling and having their water bill double won't help.

But more government is always the Progressive Socialist answer. Keep spending, keep raising taxes. We need to spend our way out of this recession. In the meantime, unless you actually work for the government, you're going to struggle.

"We need to spend our way out of this recession. "

you sure as he'll can't save your way out of one.

by far right-wing activist (anti-public schools, global warming denying, anti-tax fairness) Rob Kremer.

He's rubber, you're glue. What you say bounces off him and sticks to you.

Let me know when the adults are back in charge...

I am looking forward to reporting of candidate Huffman in small town Oregon---young farmers who may have campaigned for M. 49, people going to town hall/ Rotary appearances and then comparing this candidate's grasp of the ordinary life of local folks in comparison to their experience with Wyden, etc.

If asked specific questions, will he respond with theory and ideology, or with specific proposals?

We the people are allowed to listen to candidates and form our own conclusions. If groups like Cascade Policy Institute don't like that attitude, not my problem. OK, MP--does the above make me an "adult"?

"or with specific proposals?"

When did our senator for NY (erm, OR) Wyden ever do that besides his cadillac tax intiative? Oh yeah, I forgot the tax refomr he did with his other Repub Gregg.

"Rumors about Huffman's resignation as Dean had come my way, but I can find nothing to substantiate them. Unless that situation changes, there's nothing there that I know of".

Disparaging and derogatory via indirect intimation. Should have left this part out since there was nothing you knew of.

Gosh, maybe he can get Tucker Carlson and George Will to do a joint appearance for him, and all three can rock their bow ties at once and get down into the nitty gritty issue that matter to the hoi polloi of Oregon:

Is the capital gains tax really low enough at zero? Does socialism start with compulsory vaccinations? Would a condom pulled over my head make me look any more ridiculous than these ties?

Can't wait!

There you go bringing up unicorns again Carla. I already told you: they are delicious, slow roasted at 325 and basted frequently. You really should try one.

Even comes with its own toothpick, right Dave?

I can't even look at Huffman's picture without thinking of cuckoo clock noises going off when he opens his mouth.

Kari commented: Interesting argument ... for a city council campaign. But unless I misunderstood something, I think he's planning on running for U.S. Senate.

The city may be about to spend more on bikes than it ever has before, but that money still does not come close to covering the cost of all the projects spelled out in the 118-page bike plan. Nearly 40 percent of PBOT's funding comes from state and federal grants, so if the city aims to actually build the bike plan, it will have to aggressively seek money from those sources.

Thus it's likely Oregon's US Senators will somewhere be tapped to support the process of 'aggressively seeking' federal grant money. I don't think you misunderstood anything - you just failed to think your comment through completely before posting it.

" far right-wing activist (anti-public schools, global warming denying, anti-tax fairness) Rob Kremer"

"far right wing"? Boy that sounds almost scary.

What's "far right wing" about opposing the establishment's mishandling of our public school system?

Nothing.

But who is more anti-public schools than the fools and scoundrels supported by the OEA who embark on decades of despicable, costly and failed experimentation (reform) only to start all over again with more of the same. The trail of failure in the wake of liberals running Oregon education could not be worse. Thrown out testing, useless certificates, rotten to the core ESL, cultural competency nonsense and other assaults on teaching and learning have left Oregon Public education strangling in your politics.

Kremer has never proposed anything but sound policies and well reasoned management of our public schools. Despite your smear tactics.

What's "far right wing" about rejecting the AGW movement? With so much of it shown to be baseless, contrived or sourced by Greenpeace and WWF activism this is an easy position especially since Kremer has studied and followed the issue far more than all of you.

"anti-tax fairness"?

Now that's a special one. So vacant any real thought or analysis that it's harder to filet simply because there is no meat there. However, most who share Kremer's view on taxation are far outside and ahead of the left wing Blue agenda and fully understand and advocate responsible use of tax revenue. Oregon progressives could care less as demonstrated by the total absence of any spending critique right here at BO.

What this is really about is you view that it is far right to object to and reject your extreme left wing.

Here's an explanation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtQLgIRhd8E&feature=player_embedded

This is sad news. I would have preferred the fight to be between someone more progressive than Wyden and Wyden. Now its possible that we could move even more to the right in order to appease the unappeasable.

Look, Professor Huffman starts with a premise and builds logically from there. The problem for progressives is that we believe the premise to be incorrect and demonstratively so. I definitely do not want him representing us, not because he is a bad man or a bad professor, but because I do not believe that government's sole reason for being is to protect the freedom of people and that the judiciary is a branch to be feared more than the other two branches. I do not believe that unregulated free market activity produces societal good for all. He just doesn't really care about making societal good for all a goal. That's why I definitely don't want him.

I don't think unicorns are relevant to the discussion of Professor Huffman. But I am aware that the Law School did come out and apologize that he was possibly misleading the public by calling himself the dean, when at the time he made the comments, he wasn't. It was done several times at strategic times and once after their was a big stink, at least by the students. If anything that has more to do with Law School politics- we alumni are horrified that Huffman is out there talking like a moron, from some of our perspectives anyway. Progressive alumns, and that is probably the higher proportion, especially among us older ones, might not contribute would be the thinking.

The Thoreau Institute website lists Huffman as a board member, and as Dean of the Northwestern School of law. Still.

It looks like they stopped updating the website in 2006, but if Huffman is on the board, doesn't he have some responsibility to see that information about him is correct?

A recent Federal mandate, unfunded of course, to cover reservoirs in Portland will be paid for by huge increases in water bills. So, Kari, it is more than a city council race issue. Hundreds of millions to cover reservoirs.

Why? I repeat Federal mandate. Billion dollar contract for Blackwater to train Afghan army? Huge water rate increase for Portland home owners. Which one keeps us safer? Covering reservoirs or training an Army 85% of which smoke hash every day. When was the last time you toked up on some black slab Afghan hash Kari? Blogging would be a challenge pants or not but a functioning army? Not so much.

Someone "more progressive"? You mean someone who takes orders from bloggers who say "all progressives should..."?

Would Wayne Morse have fit that description, or did he think for himself too much?

I would rather have someone who appears in every county every year and answers questions.

In a state where so many people register outside of major parties that they can tip an election, everyone knows what "the the right" and "to the left" mean in their daily lives? "Now its possible that we could move even more to the right in order to appease the unappeasable."

Would Huffman be willing to go to John Day and take a stand with the local residents?

Does he think Medicare rates for a public option would make it easier or more difficult for Oregonians to find a doctor than newly negotiated rates which don't penalize states like NY and Minn?

Will Huffman appear in front of general audiences in all 36 counties and answer questions?

And btw, folks, US Senate is about more than the Portland area.

A Facebook event to announce his campaign has been created by far right-wing activist (anti-public schools, global warming denying, anti-tax fairness) Rob Kremer.

Ditto what t.a. said, too. It's hard to understand why someone that was going to get at least a hearing with progressives would blow them all off this way. Obviously he gets judged by the company he keeps. I guess both ends of the spectrum think that 99% of winning a campaign is money and an experienced team of hacks. Maybe it is.

When was the last time you toked up on some black slab Afghan hash Kari?

Not recently enough, methinks. It's funny how the war has put geography, previously only known to tokers, "on the map". Hindu Kush mountains, Chitral mountains, Mazar-E-Sharif... Will save a few folks when brain scanning technology comes around.

a functioning army? The etymology of the word "assassin" would suggest otherwise. Yeah, I know it's an unresolved question how the hash was used.

Now its possible that we could move even more to the right in order to appease the unappeasable.

So, no one is ever going to entertain the hypothesis that they're all right, but the Dems put on a liberal face to win their district? No possibility that they move to the right because they ARE on the right?

Posted by: Carla Axtman | Feb 26, 2010 6:53:03 PM

Let me know when the adults are back in charge...

yawn

You would be great in Louisiana politics. They certainly make no bones about the #1 function of politics being entertainment.

"Kremer has never proposed anything but sound policies and well reasoned management of our public schools."

A couple of years back Kremer proposed to launch a ten year effort to contract out low performing schools to be operated by outside, for-profit school management companies.

Nothing spells "sucess" like farming out education to KBR.

Scott,

You're an idiot and a hack to play that "for-profit" cannard. Since our ODE and districts contract with for-profit corporations to provide all sorts of things. Incuding the State's online testing system.

Anything Kremer suggested was for an improvement to the status quo. Not and ruin of public education.

Yet over and over again you blue fools have supported the status quo and perpetuated failure at every opportunity.

You'll continue that endless Democrat campaign for failure at the expense of another generation of students.

Kitzhaber at the helm of so much failure is returning for more damage now stating the education structure he built as govermenor is outmoded.
It was never moded. Every foolish fab and reform you people have inflicted on our public schools has been disaster. And you call Kremer anti-public education?

Every school and student in the state would be better off had OEA's Castillo lost to Kremer.

http://reason.tv/video/show/unlocked

If the 600 million (& prob much higher given this gang's inability to stay on budget; see s water front, tram, street car) is so important why not implement a sep tax to fund it instead of raiding the sewer fund when sewers are in need of maintenance?

I mean Portlanders would support such a tax wouldn't they?

Wouldn't they?

I actually am a Clackamas County resident, Lake Oswego city, not Multnomah, Portland. I was deeply chagrined that Clackamas voted down M66/67. When you make assumptions without data, you could be mistaken.

Well, we'll have a fun discussion in November.

Off-topic, ridiculously silly comment deleted--Editor

Off-topic comment deleted.--Editor

Yes, Dave, we will. It will be about which candidate won which counties. It will be based on election results, not theory.

If he took the plunge, then why is there no photo of him topless in swimming trunks with his hair crown dripping wet? I say hair crown because that is not a full head of hair he has, I could be mean and say hair bowl, but I am in a fantastic mood tonight.

Hell, if it came down to Kitzhaber and Huffman, I would vote for whoever has the smallest moobs (slang for man boobs).

I'm not sure what all the fuss is about this guy. Not only has his past political activity demonstrated that he's out of step with the majority of Oregonians, but this guy just doesn't have the tools to run a statewide campaign. His buddies don't have a lot of experience raising hard money, nobody no who he is, he has not net work in place and he clearly has no media savvy. If I were the R's I'd be embarrassed this was our candidate for U.S. Senator.

Carla, So Kremer is a hack againsts public schools because I haven't proven he isn't?

Up thread That's you lame bromide.

The truth is Kremer is against the many failed programs your establishment imposed upon our public schools.

Under Kremer's "model" our public school system would not be ruined. It would be much better off than the status uo you defend.

Your misrepresentation is simply the political obstruction to sustain the status quo.

Real progressive of you.

Do you honestly need links to know what is and has been happening in our public school system?

How about the OEA/Democrats attack on the public virtual charter schools?

I could go on and on about the last 20 years of failure in our public school system. Detailing how those YOU support are the enemeies of public education.

The trail of failure in the wake of liberals running Oregon education could not be worse. Thrown out testing, useless certificates, rotten to the core ESL, cultural competency nonsense and other assaults on teaching and learning have left Oregon Public education strangling in your hackery and politics.

And what's your brilliant hack of the day?

Saying Kremer, Huffman and I "want to see the public school system ended".

Could you more blatantly lie?

Kremer's tight association with Huffman is interesting because they both want genuinely sound policies to replace the dysfunctional, nept and corrupted agenda you advocate.

All of your misportrayals have nothing to do with these real people or the real problems the status quo represents. ANYONE who wants to see better public education and other public policies should be throwing out your friends who have crippled our public education system.

All of the failed math, reading and other aproaches that have outraged parents ovet the past 20 years have all been perpetrated by the Democrat/OEA/ODE dominated establishment you pretend are champions of public education. You couldn't be more foolish and dishonest.

But it's all about money with your electeds. Bradbury and Kitzhaber want billions more to be handed over to your pals running education. Without the slightest shift toward better performance. Sustain every rotten approach and zero consequences for those who perpetrate failure.

The same people doing the same things forever at higher cost. That's your advocacy. It's a disgrace. Own it.

What we are spending in Beaverton $14,462 per student all funds $7,921 per student general fund

http://www.beavton.k12.or.us/home/district/quick-facts/

Estimated enrollment - 37,536 2009-10 TOTAL BUDGET (all funds) $542,854,160 2009-10 General Fund Operating Budget $297,355,488

Portland From the Tax Supervising & Conservation Commission (TSCC)

On page 188 of their 09-10 annual report Portland School district grand total all funds spending $631,680,226 average Daily Enrollment 42425.0 students Equals $14,889.33 per student

Tax Supervising & Conservation Commission number of PPS employees 06-07--5,112.90 07-08--5,142.05 08-09--5,188.96 09-10--5,200.89

number of students 06-07--42,730.1 07-08--42,453.1 08-09--42,348.6 09-10--42,425.0

More teachers and staff, fewer students at $14,889 pr student If $14,899 is not enough what is?

Unrelated events, as far as I know:

Huffman announced his intention to step down as dean of the Law School on Feb 21, 2006.

January 11, 2006 was oral arguments on the constitutionality of Measure 37 before the Oregon Supreme Court -- Huffman represented the property-rights group Oregonians in Action in defending Measure 37.

He was quoted by Oregonian reporter Laura Oppenheimer and identified as dean: "It's purely a political question whether government can afford to pay," said James Huffman, dean of the Lewis & Clark Law School, who represented Oregonians In Action."

Much earlier (1/3/2003), The Oregonian printed this quote: "I don't think any law school should be an advocate for any particular cause. We should be educating ethical and well-trained lawyers." -- James Huffman, Dean, Lewis & Clark Law School

Huffman wrote an opinion piece for The Oregonian in May 2002 in which he defended the judicial candidacy of David Hunnicutt for the Oregon Court of Appeals. Hunnicutt (Oregonians in Action) was under fire for "a dangerous politicization of the judiciary." Huffman signed it: James L. Huffman, a dean and constitutional law professor at Lewis & Clark Law School.

And Prof Huffman was a player in the departure of his predecessor as dean. According to The Oregonian’s Steve Duin in July 2006:

"There is also extensive background on DuBoff's departure from Lewis & Clark in December 1993. Earlier that year, the college began an investigation into charges of plagiarism against DuBoff, brought by a former student and a former law partner, charges that DuBoff dismissed as "patently frivolous." The college also explored whether or not DuBoff pursued a substantial legal practice while teaching at the law school, his assertions to the contrary..."

"...Lewis & Clark investigators reached stinging conclusions about the tenured professor. In October 1993, Acting Dean James Huffman argued in a memo to the college president, "There is sufficient evidence to believe that Professor DuBoff is guilty of dishonesty and neglect of duty, both grounds for termination under the Principles" of Employment and Tenure.

Two months later, Jane Atkinson, the professor chairing a college advisory committee, said the committee found evidence that "DuBoff deliberately violated the Law School's policy concerning the practice of law and lied about the extent and nature of his practice to the Dean of the Law School."

A GOP commenter on Oregon Politico poses a tricky acid test for the reknowned Constitutional scholar:

"How many Tea Parties has Professor Huffman attended?"

He was quoted by Oregonian reporter Laura Oppenheimer and identified as dean: "It's purely a political question whether government can afford to pay," said James Huffman, dean of the Lewis & Clark Law School, who represented Oregonians In Action."

And if he wasn't still occupying the post, surely the Oregonian's fact checking would have caught that.

I meant "litmus test." Prof. James L. Huffman is unmistakeably at one with his camrades at Cascade Policy Institute and is better suited to be a Libertarian Party candidate, but...

Is Huffman a Tea Partier?

torrid,

Once again you demonstrate your ignorance and dishonesty.

What construct are you presenting.

Where is the public charter school which "releases budget and oversight control to a for-profit entity?"

Most, if not every, charter school in Oregon is a non profit run by an unpaid oversight committee.

They contract out, like Connections Academy, various operations/curriculum/assesment like many contracts in every other school.

Your democrat hackery in playing the "for profit" game serves only to sustain and prtotect the grip of the status quo failing our public school system.

You and yours are responsible for betraying public education in exchange for poltical power and a campaign funding stream.

This is the first time I've been to this site. It seems we might get some new political blood in the Oregon system and before the guy announces a candidacy he's beaten to death with the same old words.

Carla Axtman = yawn. Sheesh.

I don't think Huffman is being beaten to death and he is not an unknown quantity. Please don't rag on the author or anyone else. Stay on point. Huffman would be regressive for our state. That said, I am so pleased that Wyden spoke out today on the public option through reconciliation. It doesn't take us over the finish line, but it does help, a lot! at the moment.

<h2>How many Tea Parties has Professor Huffman attended?</h2>