Sunday morning ponderings
Carla Axtman
I've been away most of this week, so this morning I've been catching up the goings on in the news. Here is what I've learned so far:
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts didn't vote to uphold the Affordable Care Act because it was the proper legal decision. He did it because he's an epileptic sellout who was afraid of being delegitimized before David Axelrod murdered his family. (No. Really.)
Or maybe it's just that Roberts was born in Kenya.
No set of stories are too small or too stupid for Willamette Week.
I'm really, really glad I don't live in the Clackamas River Water district.
I'm starting to wonder if the process around the annexation at Hayden Island isn't turning into another unjustifiable land use mess.
There may actually be a vigorous, contested race among Republicans to replace Matt Wingard in the Oregon House. I don't actually know any of these candidates, so some of them may or may not have a legit shot. But at least it doesn't appear to be a sham coronation, as it was when Wingard took the seat.
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9:24 a.m.
Jul 1, '12
Re: The WW story. Are they going to cover the endorsements of Tre Arrow and Cameron Whitten too? They did out poll him.
Max Brumm 739 votes.
Tre Arrow 851 votes
Cameron Whitten 1,621 votes
Meanwhile Cameron is on his fourth week of a hunger strike for:
For City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, Withdraw the fines on Michael Wright and Dan Cossette, co-owners of the Right 2 Dream Too Rest Area, and seek a peaceful resolution for this cost-free solution to homelessness for the remainder of the lease agreement.
For City Council, Add a housing levy measure to the November 2012 General Election ballot.
For Sheriff Daniel Staton, Issue a 1-year moratorium on home foreclosures in Multnomah County.
http://www.cameronwhitten.com/
That's what a real activist does.
10:20 a.m.
Jul 1, '12
Well...
I'm unconvinced that Cameron's hunger strike is what a real activist does. That's another conversation.
But at least THAT is newsworthy--someone who's actually putting it on the line for what they believe--as opposed to just whining.
11:00 a.m.
Jul 1, '12
As false and defamatory as it is, given that he ran and gained publicity for his run, it's newsworthy to print the Brumm letter IMO. He's come unhinged, but it's a story.
11:21 a.m.
Jul 1, '12
See..that's the thing, Mark. One shouldn't be able to just "run and gain publicity". There ought to be something truly substantive behind it, or it shouldn't be a story.
(People say I'm a dreamer...)
12:51 a.m.
Jul 2, '12
The inane and ungrammatical ramblings of a guy who got roughly 1% of the vote?
No, that's not newsworthy.
11:27 a.m.
Jul 1, '12
I'm a nicer person than Max Brumm and have a better blog than Bog, but do they come asking ME for my opinion? Noooooooo …
12:58 p.m.
Jul 1, '12
of course Max' story is "small" and "stupid" if you are a former paid contractor for the Smith campaign. it doesn't mean it's not true. i met him last summer when he attended a number of the street fairs as an invited candidate (HD 42 Dems were at most of them & we invited everyone running in our district). he's bright, committed, comes from a family with strong political chops, and did not strike me as a kid who would make up something of this kind.
dismissing him by calling him names & demeaning him for his youth doesn't mean you've proven his story is untrue, however.
2:17 p.m.
Jul 1, '12
I suppose it's just as likely that your former paid position with the Eileen Brady campaign is coloring your own perspective, T.a. In fact, you've been grinding an ax ever since she lost in the primary--so whatever.
I'm not accusing Max of lying or being stupid--or demeaning his youth for that matter. I'm saying he's having a tantrum. And that the story as written by WW is beneath them. Or at least it ought to be.
6:21 p.m.
Jul 1, '12
Carla, i ain't said sh*t since she lost. private conversations, yes; nothing public.
and i certainly haven't attacked others the way you just did Max.
7:32 p.m.
Jul 1, '12
Again T.a., whatever. Its apparent that "attack" is in the eye of the beholder. And so is "ain't said sh*t", it seems.
And if Max is big enough to dish it out--I suspect he's certainly big enough to take it.
9:41 a.m.
Jul 2, '12
I once posted something on Facebook only to see Barnhart publicly criticize me for posting too frequently. He was cranky and unpleasant. I defriended him as a result. I want to build bridges and support progressive causes, not become mired in intramural squabbles. There is a difference between the ad hominem attacks Barnhart launches (suggesting Carla is a paid hack) versus policy criticisms of her candidate (pointing out differences between Eileen and Jeff on specific issues). Not everyone is going to get along. If Barnhart needs to vent about his disappointments privately or publicly, God bless him. Unfortunately his approach is abrasive. No doubt he is influential in his circle, but we lure more bees with honey than vinegar. A change in style would make Barnhart a more effective advocate and activist. Carla is a great Oregonian whose commitment to Oregon families will be her legacy.
4:22 p.m.
Jul 1, '12
You might want to ask City Club about it. It was their rules; the candidates had no input. In fact pretty much every forum host sets their own rules. Smith blackballed nobody.
10:18 a.m.
Jul 2, '12
I'm the City Club Executive Director. You are correct, we chose whom to invite and by using our rules only invited three candidates. We did not consult any of the candidates about whom we would invite and never do. I can confirm that for our debate, we were never asked by any candidate to exclude anyone else.
12:56 a.m.
Jul 2, '12
Well, I used to work for Eileen Brady, and I think Max Brumm's statement is small and stupid. It also badly needs an editor.
And while I'm probably the last guy on earth to give someone advice about posting something online when you're ticked off, well, Max would do well to run an item like that past a friend he trusts to give him good advice.
I'm a big fan of encouraging young people to run for office. But Max's attitude toward his campaign didn't help -- he gave young candidates a bad name.
His campaign was largely about two things -- a lack of professionalism and seriousness about learning the issues, and a grandiose sense of entitlement to an audience.
Sorry, Max, but you have to demonstrate that you belong on the big stage. You don't get to be there just because you paid the filing fee.
8:28 a.m.
Jul 2, '12
So far as I can tell, you've just described the vast majority of non-serious candidates and about 1 in 4 credible candidates.