Polarizing Portlandia
It's amazing how early people choose up sides on political campaigns these days. Here in Portland, we're 13 months away from picking a new mayor, but already it's clear where some of the local media stand.
Willamette Week clearly supports Sam the Tram, throwing his chief opponent under the bus a couple of weeks back. Meanwhile, the semi-weekly Trib is pecking at the Trammeister at every opportunity.
It's fun to speculate about why these two free publications are already lining up as they are on The Sam. WW loves the youth, the gayness, the devotion to Condo Tower Portland. The Trib probably hates all three of those things. Is it a question of reader demographics and advertisers? In some ways, it seems like the difference between under-employed grads of high-priced colleges and the parents who are still supporting them several years longer than they wanted to.
I have no use for Sam Adams and the wasteful, plastic Portland that he's creating. The place is going broke, and mercilessly chasing real businesses and middle-class families out. Sam is a driven man who will surely leave the population in a severe civic neurosis after even one term as mayor. But until there's a viable candidate to oppose him, there's no sense in blowing a gasket, as the Trib appears to be doing. The wisest course appears to be to lie back and enjoy the experience.
| Posted at 9:51 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (9)
Roy Jay stands a chance. It was reported that he had bought a house outside of Portland and that he was facing health problems.
Funny thing is that credible rumor mills keep saying he's going to run. The same credible rumor mills that always are able to scoop the very media saying he' sitting this election cycle out.
Jay's Project Cleanslate lined up some serious financial backing from the state of Oregon so I would suppose its in a stable position.
From what I understand he's bought a house with a Portland address in unincorporated Washington County (leaving it outside of Portland politically). The funny thing is that no one ever has seen if he's sold his current/old Portland address. There is no law that a political candidate can't own more than one piece of property (especially with the housing market cooling off and deals to be had).
My money is on only two people potentially being able take on Sam the Tram and win. Roy Jay or his supposed backer Randy Leonard.
Posted by DarePDX | September 29, 2007 11:16 PM
"Sam is a driven man"
I think you, like so many others, are mistaken.
What you perceive as "driven", or admirable by others, is really major incompetence and convoluted thinking.
Sam was never really equipped to ponder the better society, or Portland. Then his tenure with Vera rendered him incappable of objective analysis. He's got wild ideas spawned from his imature impressinable self and has evolved into a very closed minded individual.
He's heavily weighted down by fanatical beliefs and conficts of interest while unaware he is perpetrating official malfeceance.
There's nothing that can be done with an elected official like Sam. He has a solid base of truly inept souls, and a press with the same handicaps as he.
In short, we're f'd!
Posted by Ralph | September 30, 2007 12:51 AM
"driven", or admirable by others
That's not what I meant by "driven." I meant tortured by some internal problem.
Posted by Jack Bog | September 30, 2007 2:38 AM
IS Polarizing Portlandia?? It seems to me to have been ongoing since Vera's My way or the Highway Stance
Posted by David Sullivan | September 30, 2007 3:32 AM
The biased O linked to Jack's post this morning with the title "Media already choosing up sides" - as if to legitimize its ugly practice of advocating for one side only without having to play by campaign finance disclosure rules.
As for ex-firefighter union boss Randy Leonard - he already runs the city commission and is not interested in being Mayor. Leonard is a shoe-in as Portland's and Oregon's next Governor. The O is desperate for a Portlander to reside in Mahonia Hall.
The O and WW - the tabloid with the new Bauhaus-style logo that evokes "national socialism" (wildly popular in the 1930's) - already dispensed with Leonard's only competitor, state Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose).
Currying favor with the Firefighters' union is a quid pro quo for the AFL-CIO to keep the Writers' Guild bears away from the papers' door.
It's their typical, double-standard at work. They don't care if the voters and taxpayers have to pay the price for protecting their profits. To them, that's what we're here for.
Posted by Silence Dogood | September 30, 2007 5:48 AM
I love the creative thinking in politics here. Lets keep the same old people in office (Sam with 16 yrs at CoP) and then Earl can keep the seat warm for Sam.
Sam's replacement, a Sam clone (C Smith), but maybe some hope with Charles Lewis.
I am beginning to think the remaining commis have a death grip on that job. Good to be king, eh, Randy? He'll keep FPDR safe until it bankrupts the city.
Dear god, when do we get a regime change and some fresh blood here? Someone NOT a product of the system? Someone not male and white?
Posted by Steve | September 30, 2007 8:22 AM
Oh yeah. one more thing from Sam's calendar this week:
5:00 PM - 5:45 PM -
MEET: Rick Gustafson,
John Caroll & Michael
Powell RE: Streetcar
Check-In
loc: (Sam's Office)
Gee, what no transport people at all involved? Glad to see Sam gets his orders on a regualr basis.
Posted by STeve | September 30, 2007 8:27 AM
official malfeceance
Boy. That's some bad s**t.
Posted by Allan L. | September 30, 2007 2:39 PM
Haha didn't Newt Gingrich once give similar advice?
Posted by Sean Cecil | October 1, 2007 3:17 PM