Defining Jefferson Smith
By Jerome Brooks of Houston, Texas. Jerome calls himself "a forward thinking policy wonk with a body across the country and a mind and heart still in Portland."
Growing up in rural Mississippi and Alabama, I've always been cognizant of the ideology that politicians can only be trusted as far as your campaign contribution carries them. Add to that, a molding of sorts, in the belly of the the DC political system and it's safe to assume that politics has always left me jaded. Now don't get me wrong, politics has always been something I've been interested in as a necessary means to a public service end. However, it was something that I always felt I had to be abrasive in negotiation, distrusting of people in general, and willing to do "whatever was necessary" to get my way. Needless to say, it didn't make for a very pleasant outlook on society in general.
Fast forward four years to April 2010 and I found myself debating where I would spend my summer. I had offers all across the country, ranging from spending the summer working on the Immigration Law Project with the ACLU in San Francisco, to working for the world renowned Greenberg Quinlan Rosner in Washington, DC. All of the options on the table had the potential to catapult my career to where I'd always wanted it to be, but there was one that stood out for all of the wrong reasons. When I say all of the wrong reasons, I speak from the perspective that if there is not a clear end goal, then it's not worth your time. I was offered a spot as a Summer Fellow with the Oregon Bus Project. While I had never heard of the organization, nor had I ever thought about working in the Pacific NW, something about it called out to me. I'm a person who operates a lot based on gut feeling and discernment. I thought about it for all of a day and made the decision that I would turn down financial and career perks for an unknown that I had a great feeling about.
Fast forward to the middle of my summer with PolitiCorps. Having never been in the Pacific NW almost everything proved to be an absolute culture shock. I enjoyed myself from day one, but my viewpoints, comfort zone, and way of operating had all been continuously challenged from day one too.
Enter Jefferson Smith.
I'd seen Jefferson here and there, but hadn't really had a chance to connect with him because he was in the middle of a million and one things. However a random experience in Hillsboro turned negative brought us together. I was having somewhat of a hard time adjusting and really needed someone to hash things out with. I was passing Jeff on the stairs one day and he asked me a simple question "Hey, are you alright?". My response was a meager "I'm fine", fully knowing that I really wasn't; I just knew he was an extremely busy, extremely important person. Jeff saw right through that and directed me to set up a meeting for the next morning so we could sit down and talk. Over a very delicious breakfast at the Cadillac Cafe, I laid it all on the table - hopes, insecurities, fears, judgement, etc. In the most bare form of myself, I made one statement - "I just don't get it". In turn Jeff did the same, but also did a lot more. He met me where I was at and walked with me through a lot of different things providing insight and advice at every step. At the end of our morning journey, which felt like a lifetime of processing, I was alright. I was grounded and focused, ready to both give everything I had and benefit from the opportunity before me.
Since then I've been all across the country, from working for Rahm Emanuel in Chicago to working for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in Houston, TX. I've had years of experience in the political/government affairs arena that provides me with a wealth of knowledge on how to get things done. Yet, out of all of the things I've experienced, Jeff has taught me the most. When he says "Not left, not right, but forward", I see an ideology that will ensure that regular people needing representatives to be servant leaders rather than political actors will get the resources needed to be successful. When he says "The definition of priceless is 'worth a lot, not for sale'", I see a statesman whose only reason for serving in an elected capacity is because he knows that he has something to bring to the table that will benefit his constituency. I see a humble leader who is willing to admit that he doesn't know the answer, but will also put in the time to find out what that answer should be. He is a leader that has inspired hundreds of young politicos to not only serve, but serve in a way that bucks the traditional system of governance. We no longer have to bend or bow to the politics of service because we know that the most powerful special interest group is the people we wish to serve.
I'm proud to consider Jefferson Smith a friend and mentor. I am also proud of the way he has decided to run this race to be the next Mayor of Portland. You can tell a person anything, but your actions are the true testament of your heart. Jeff is the perfect mayoral candidate at the perfect time for Portland. We must not play trial and error with the values and future of Portland, because Portland deserves more. When the next Mayor of Portland acts, he must act with the integrity and deliberate intent that many of the issues in Portland require. When he acts, he must not only act in response to the issues at hand, but also in response to the need long past due.
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Oct. 12, 2012
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10:49 a.m.
Oct 12, '12
"You can tell a person anything, but your actions are the true testament of your heart."
i'm afraid that's the part too many people are having problems with.
11:10 a.m.
Oct 12, '12
Todd, I don't know what to think, except to remind you that you know Jefferson well enough to know that he's been an unerringly positive role model, which includes having been uniformly good and kind and respectful and decent in his treatment of women in all the years you have known him. If that's not the case, I'd like to know about it. And I am not threatening to reveal any sordid details from your own misspent youth. But then, I don't know any. Except that one obsessive relationship with my next-door-neighbor's granddaughter. Oh never mind.
12:27 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
i'm only relating what people are saying, using the writer's words as context. you can protest to your heart's content, but this is the conversation that's going on. he didn't lose the endorsements because the firefighters & cops suddenly don't like his politics.
12:53 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
Maybe not his, but theirs.
9:54 a.m.
Oct 14, '12
Yes- both candidates have done bad things- one in his personal life, one in his public life. With so many great folks in Portland, how did we end up with such a depressing choice?
12:42 p.m.
Oct 14, '12
This is getting so ridiculous. This happened 20 yrs ago. Hales pledged to run an 'all positive' campaign and yet he has hired opp researchers to dig up dirt on Smith, and the public has fallen for it. Smith has apologized, despite the fact that 6 witnesses have said that this person attacked him and punched him repeatedly, and it was 20 frickin years ago. Smith has done more for this community than anyone I can think of. He is running for mayor for the people who need a voice, my friends and neighbors in east Portland. And this is what is done to him. The big developers and ultra right wing editors at the Oregonian are terrified of a candidate who would be the voice of the people. Meanwhile, Hales lies about an education deal throughout the primary, even makes an ad saying he was part of the deal, and he wasn't even on council when the agreement was reached. He takes 48 days vacation and leaves halfway through his term while on council to make millions in the private sector with people he has formed relationships with while on council. He plagiarizes a story and puts it in the st johns review, then blames a volunteer. He fires his entire staff after the primary and gives them each an autographed photo of himself. He illegally records an OLCV endorsement and feeds it to the press. He pulls out of campaign finance negotiations and claims credit for it. He claims to be progressive and yet takes campaign contributions from coal, big developers et al. And of course the whopper, he moves to Washington, pays taxes there and continues to vote in Oregon. Oh, and he was a republican until 1998 yet says he's just as progressive as his opponent. These are the things voters should be outraged over. Not a kid who was attacked in college and made a bad decision 20 years ago, has apologized repeatedly for it (then and now). Mr. hales has never apologized for any of the above, it's never his fault, always blames his staff. I am so tired of my liberal friends being duped by this disgusting campaign Mr. hales is running.
10:51 a.m.
Oct 12, '12
Thank you, Jerome. Jefferson invites ordinary people to be part of something extraordinary. He did for me.
10:59 a.m.
Oct 12, '12
Let's be honest. Is that really what people have a problem with? Everyone has a past...EVERYONE. To say that past actions that are neither recent, nor relevant to the post of Mayor, should define a candidate in this race is a poor attempt at legitimizing personal factions that have emerged since Jeff jumped in the race. When we talk about action, let it be about the action, or the absence thereof, taken to improve the lives of would be constituents. We can argue semantics, or we can argue results.
5:13 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
Jerome Brooks:
Not everyone has a past that involves punching people. Jefferson Smith's tendency to punch people has been documented as recently as last year's basketball game where a punch got him ejected.
By contrast, a lot of us get through life without ever punching anyone.
Are Smith's violent habits relevant to the election? They are for voters who think good character is important in a mayor. I know that "morality" is an old-fashioned concept, but I think it's profoundly immoral to punch people. I'd prefer to have a mayor that didn't do that, whatever his other qualifications might be.
I just can't get past the image of 6'4" Jefferson Smith punching a 5'3" 18-year-old woman in the face so hard that she required six stitches.
The punch landed near the eye, so Smith had to be punching down. She's looking up, angry and upset, and Smith, looming over her, slams his fist down on her face without pity and with enough force to cause significant injury.
Her face could be that of my grand-daughter once she grows up, my three lovely great-nieces once they grow up, or my two wonderful nieces when they were a few years younger.
The image is both defining and relevant because it could happen to any young woman in my life if she happened to cross the wrong angry young man.
If Smith were elected mayor, I would see that image of his fist smashing into a young woman's face every time I saw his face on TV.
No thanks.
5:01 p.m.
Oct 13, '12
But here's the dilemma: Charlie Hales has been bought and paid for by the real estate developers. Hales punched the Richmond Neighborhood in the face. Who can we vote for? The immediate threat to our neighborhoods (Hales) or a man with anger management issues? I sincerely welcome your thoughts on how to solve this dilemma. Lavonne Griffin?
10:28 p.m.
Oct 13, '12
How did Hales punch the Richmond Neighborhood in the face?
9:12 a.m.
Oct 14, '12
The rack and stack no parking buildings financed by tax abatements. Remember that 40% of Hales money came from developers. He used to lobby for them. Now we face a taxpayer financed apartment bubble. Hales has ruined inner SE. Foster-Powell begs for development, but I have to finance the destruction of those features that made Richmond special because Hales & Adams et al are beholden to the Wemmers and Arbor Custom Homes etc.
I note that Hales insulates himself in low density Eastmoreland.
Our choices are bleak.
8:45 p.m.
Oct 14, '12
Write in Eileen Brady. There is a new page on Facebook called Write In Eileen. #writeineileen. You can read more about it on bojack.org.
11:40 a.m.
Oct 12, '12
I doubt there are many people who would want all the actions of their late teens early 20s revealed to all. If you're a guy, chances are you drove too fast and didn't follow the traffic laws. There is a good chance you drank alcohol - especially if you were at a university.
Everyone makes stupid mistakes when they are young. You're still learning, still maturing, and your brain's functioning is still leveling out. We all make stupid mistakes when we're young. But we learn and we grow and we become mature adults.
I think anyone who has worked with Jefferson for any span of time knows that the Jefferson of his early 20s is nowhere near the Jefferson of today.
3:41 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
"Everyone makes stupid mistakes when they are young."
Yes indeed. I did some pretty crazy driving in my early twenties, twenty years ago. Looking back I realize I'm lucky I didn't hurt someone (beyond making a few unlucky passengers nauseous).
I thought the way it was supposed to work in this society is that is that if you do something bad, you get a chance to make amends, pay your debt to society, and move on. If you hurt someone, you're expected to accept your punishment, experience remorse, and hopefully do better next time.
Has Jeff Smith paid for his mistakes? No one can peer into his soul to see how much remorse he has, but he's received punishment and sanctions for his bad actions. Enough punishment? Well, a judge made a ruling oh him hitting that woman, and referees made their calls on the unsportsmanlike behavior. And the DMV probably filled a file cabinet with citations (especially for the way he drove in his twenties). So he's at least gone through due process in all those cases.
But whether or not any of that was enough punishment, it's apparently politically expedient for those who want to take him down to act like no amount of punishment will ever be enough, and no amount of good work on his part will ever make any of it right. And that's what's getting to be a little sickening. Maybe I've just read too many OregonLive comments by commenters who make use of the phrase "he hit a girl," with such intense frequency that one might almost suspect there's some opportunistic shilling going on.
I keep thinking about Tom McCall. I had always been impressed by his accomplishments, but when I read his biography, I actually got mad at the guy for how badly he misbehaved in his younger days, because his irresponsibility (mainly having to do with drinking and gambling if I remember right) sometimes left his family in the lurch. I don't know that he ever got called out on that stuff, but at least he did a tremendous amount of good later in his life. And I suspect the demons that pushed McCall to some negative extremes in his personal life were inextricably linked to the passion and obsessive nature that drove him to do such great things in the political realm.
I don't think today's political climate would let a Tom McCall get elected to any office, much less governor.
Any politician who's lived so uneventful a life as to survive the level of gossipy personal scrutiny they receive in a campaign is probably a bit on the mild side. Certainly capable of being perfectly... Capable. Of keeping things moving along pretty much the same as they always have. But not likely to lead a city or state in any bold and necessary new directions.
FYI my driving is much better now, and the worst my passengers tend to experience these days is frustration at how slowly they arrive at their destination. Some things change a lot in twenty years!
11:44 a.m.
Oct 13, '12
If it was just one thing he did in his early 20s that be one thing. However, it appears that Smith has displayed erratic behavior, disregard of the law and self-responsibility even until recently.
It was less than a year ago or so when he punched someone during a basketball game and was also ejected from a soccer game. I have been playing basketball my entire life and never once, no matter how heated or competitive the game was, did I ever punch someone. He obviously still has anger issues.
12:43 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
Here's a little exercise as you prepare to vote for Portland's next mayor. It's a word game and here's how it goes.
In a single sentence, use these three names:
And these words and phrases:
12:54 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
Really?
1:57 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
That's the lazy way out and no fun at all. Try it!
1:54 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
Why not add Hitler and Stalin while you are at it? This is the worst kind of smear politics.
1:58 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
Oh no, it's not.
2:14 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
Oh well, that settles it then.
3:31 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
Can we move on to "neener neener", Rochelle?
5:26 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
Kari, your reply is so inscrutable that I can easily agree. To "move on", here is what we all should be extremely worried about. I'm here, and I know it's for real:
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-10-11/news/florida-republicans-ballot-fraud-2012/
5:33 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
It's not the twenty years ago part of this that bothers me. It's the lack of impulse control part of it, that comes up to the present.
Specifically, Jefferson S.'s decision to approach the woman in question, personally, unannounced, on her doorstep, bothers me.
Not, say, have one of his many friends reach out to her and say: "Look, Jeff is concerned about this, he feels really bad about what he did twenty years ago, he'd like you to know that, and if it would help you believe he's changed to talk to him he's available, if not no worries."
Some kind of approach like that would have given her the chance to have control over how she responded.
It would have shown that he understood after twenty years the problems with the power dynamics in his callower youth -- that the pressure he put on her then actually was a kind of sexual harassment even if University and frat culture led it to go unquestioned mostly, that as a really big guy he had a responsibility to control his violent reaction to her reaction of surprise, even if he didn't get that at the time and everybody was drunk or hung over.
It would have shown that he understands that he might appear threatening, being a big guy with a lot at stake who sent her to the emergency room once.
But that's not what I see or hear.
So that raises the question for me about what difference the 20 years have made.
It also bothers me that he lied about what happened, that he claimed at first that he never encountered her before the couch tipping incident.
Just as Hales' residency stuff has bothered me.
But the power of this criterion no to distinguish the candidates seems to have massively degraded.
5:35 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
"now to distinguish"
5:38 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
Are the Columbia River Crossing and coal trains no longer an issue, did we solve those problems yet? I really hope we have and that's why we focused on a misunderstanding and altercation that happened at a college party two decades ago because that's the only logical reason anyone could be up in arms about this nonsense right now.
Oh, wait, we HAVEN'T solved either of those ecological nightmare scenarios?! Then what on Earth are people giving two $#¡t$ about this mud-slinging story for?!!
Are we really so easily distracted by the right-wing Boregonian and Willamette Weak that we're going to let ourselves lose site of policy? Remember when these two rags tried to do the exact same thing to Sam Adams over a lie concerning an event in his personal life and after the initial hysteria every sane person realized what a joke it all was and that there were actual real issues and problems to solve? C'mon, people FOCUS! These papers have political agendas that are inconsistent with the value of our community and they know Jefferson is a legitimate threat to those interests.
Nobody is perfect, we all have dirt in our pasts. Hell, even more recently than this college incident Jefferson was a lawyer defending big tobacco, but I don't hold it against him because he left that world of corporate profits to dedicate his life to public service. His opponent did the exact opposite, Hales quit city council to go make big money in the private sector. But right now we have a very clear, very logical choice to make about the kind of policy each candidate brings to the table.
Do we want a mayor who takes dirty coal money and supports a giant clusterF**k of a freeway expansion? Or do we want a mayor who's been endorsed by Sierra Club, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, and Bike.Walk.Vote?
Use your brain, support Portland's future, and VOTE for Jefferson Smith.
6:04 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
I don't see it as that clear at all Hart. A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to ask Hales directly about CRC and what he said to me was that he thought the whole thing needed re-examination.
Will have to look at coal trains if I can find them about either of them.
When I listen to Jefferson S., I often find it hard to understand exactly what he's saying.
When Brady, Hales and Smith were duking it out they seemed to reflect different parts of Portland's establishment -- a liberal establishment, but still an establishment -- and I thought and still think that whoever gets elected will end up mending the fences and not challenging very much. I still think that of the remaining two.
Also, I'm guessing you may not have daughters.
11:58 a.m.
Oct 13, '12
Hart is right and everyone not in 100% agreement with him is with 1) wrong 2) dumb 3) a right-winger or 4) all of the above.
12:24 p.m.
Oct 13, '12
For what it's worth, we don't elect a mayor based on one or two issues, regardless how important they maybe.
The Mayor of Portland is not the main driver (pun intended) of the CRC. Governors of both Oregon and Washington, the Federal government (DOT and Coast Guard) as well as other regional officials, like the mayor Vancouver. While the city of Portland should have a strong voice, we are not the only voice.
Regarding Smith. This is not a single incident that happened in his 20s. Less than a year ago, he decked someone playing basketball and was also ejected from a soccer game for over-agressive behavior. Add on to that his multiple driving suspensions, missing court dates and self-admission ADD (likely ADHD) and so on, and I don't know how anyone cannot seriously and critically question how he would represent our city without blowing a casket or worse.
5:57 p.m.
Oct 12, '12
Just read the apology Smith published. It at least speaks to some of the things that bother me.
9:18 a.m.
Oct 13, '12
Interesting that Mr. Smith would choose late Friday to make his apology, the time when politicians typically release news that want to bury.
1:25 p.m.
Oct 13, '12
The internet knows no weekday, his apology has been reposted on the innernettes by just about everyone I know.
9:08 a.m.
Oct 14, '12
Hart Noecker:
It's not a question of when something can be published but when the readers are interested. The Internet knows no weekends but people do.
A Friday afternoon release dumps a story into the Bermuda Triangle of news impact, today just as much as 20 years ago.
1:38 p.m.
Oct 14, '12
Spot on. Despite the quickness of news to make it to the "series of tubes", it is still very common to dump bad news on Friday
8:53 p.m.
Oct 14, '12
I personally give Jeff the benefit of the doubt, but he doesn't have a chance to win this election now. Charlie is owned by development interests AND I can't support him because I don't like how he's run his campaign. I want a mayor who practices honesty and transparency--two critical core tenets of sustainability that are too often overlooked by those who claim to practice it.
A movement has been brewing to write in Eileen Brady. I just learned about it and it seems to be developing some serious buzz with a new Facebook page (Write In Eileen) and a twitter hash tag #writeineileen. I am so excited to feel like I have a choice again. Eileen's not perfect and wouldn't claim to be but I've known her for 20 years and I know she's honest, compassionate, generous and smart as a whip. I don't need perfect but I cringe to vote for "flawed."
12:07 a.m.
Oct 15, '12
Does anyone know if Charlie Hales has given back that $10,000.00 in dirty coal money yet? If he hasn't I'm concerned that he may allow dirty coal trains to rumble through Portland several times a day, which would cause an ecological menace akin to a collective act of violence on our community.
8:21 a.m.
Oct 15, '12
Hart: Start off by saying that I don't really support either of the candidates, nor do I support the possibility of coal trains running through the city.
However, you are becoming insufferable with this one particular cry. You cleverly say "he may allow" knowing full well (I assume) that the mayor is only one vote on the city council. You are simply spreading irrational fear tactics with your rhetoric.
Do you care that Jefferson took a campaign contribution from a member of the Tonkin family (i.e. Tonkin auto dealerships) or took over $17,000 this year from Plaid Pantry whose business relies on selling junk food and sugary products?