News Mar 5, 2009 at 4:00 am

Who's Behind the Effort to Oust Mayor Sam Adams—and Will They Succeed?

Comments

1
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS NEED TO STOP CALLING ME HIS NUMBER ONE FAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2
Sam Adams is clinging to power, what he fails to realize is that his hand is around the throat of our Democracy. The Recall effort needs approximately 2000 volunteers from the Portland-Metro area to spend a few hours this summer collecting signatures from Portland citizens. You do not have to live in Portland to volunteer for the recall.

Please do visit www.recallsamadams.com and sign up to help and learn of the may ways to hold Sam Adams accountable.

With Adams recall we will remind the nation of what it means to be an Oregonian and reclaim the tarnished name of Portland, Oregon.

RecallSamAdams.com
Jasun Wurster
3
Jasun, you realize your recall effort is fucked, no? Tell us about how many people you enlisted in the heat of the first month. Then tell us how you plan to get 2000 volunteers this summer. Explain it to us realistically.

Bonus points for explaining it to us like we're 5 years old.
4
Hi Jasun -

I asked the following questions in another thread last week, but you didn't reply...

The recall campaign acquired its domain name [recallsamadams dot com], which they registered the day _before_ Sam even gave his big press conference. In other words, the Recall campaign rushed to judgement in just few short hours from the initial scandal news breaking.

We still don't know who was behind that rush effort, because the domain name was registered behind an anonymity service. Why is the Recall Sam campaign hiding the name of one of its earliest organizers?

Is it an effort to hide behind-the-scenes "coordination" that is being denied in public?

The Recall Sam campaign has also gleaned public records and posted the names of Sam Adams supporters during the primary -- people who were supporters before this scandal news broke. Will the Recall Sam people similarly post the names of their own supporters?

Just asking.

"You do not have to live in Portland to volunteer for the recall."

Well that will make door-to-door canvassing and phone banking interesting for the volunteers, now that it's know they aren't all Portland residents, won't it?

Of course, anyone has every right to be politically active for a cause they believe in, but from a practical perspective, considering human nature, do you really want it to be widely known that your campaign is actively recruiting non-Portlanders?
5
Hi Not A Cat,

We are getting new volunteers each day. To the point that people who do not have Internet access are calling to be a part of the recall. I can assure you that we are in no way... (sorry I would never use that word in front of a 5 year old).

Hi Bob R.

Registering the domain name was covering our bases. We were being smart.

It is a very common practice and a free service of Dreamhost to have domain registrations cloaked. One main reason is that I really would feel uncomfortable having my home address easily accessible to to people as "passionate" as yourself. Plus it reduces a lot of spam, junk mail and possible identity theft.

There is no behind-the-scenes "coordination" here, really give me a call at 503-799-7919 and we can meet in a public place to talk more about your concerns.

The records we provided Sam's info from ORESTAR:
https://secure.sos.state.or.us/eim/jsp/CEMainPage.jsp

As soon as we form a PAC all the info we provided about Adams will be available on ORESTAR about us.

Sam Adams has affected our whole region and state. Having a corrupt politician that resorted to lies, cover-ups, negative campaigning and abuse of power extends beyond the city limits.

To be honest I am kinda confused here Bob, you first criticize the campaign for having "effort[s] to hide behind-the-scenes 'coordination' that is being denied in public". Yet, when I provide you with our exact motives you say that we should not be telling you.

Really, Dude, is there any pleasing you? With the amount of time I have granted you specifically, are you capable of at least acknowledging anything positive about the Recall campaign?

Really, give me a call so that we can set up a time to chat.

I am totally open to extending this invitation to all Blogtown bloggers to a time as to where we can talk in person.

Remember Kids, Democracy does not happen on the Internet but in the streets,

RecallSamAdams.com
Jasun Wurster

6
"One main reason is that I really would feel uncomfortable having my home address easily accessible to to people as "passionate" as yourself."

So are you confirming then that you are the registrant? That you were the person who decided to orchestrate a recall campaign _before_ Sam Adams even held a press conference?

"The records we provided Sam's info from ORESTAR"

Yes, they were, including people's home addresses. You now admit you're uncomfortable sharing your own, but you readily distribute the info of Sam supporters -- people who supported Sam _before_ this scandal broke. Seems hypocritical, to be frank about it.

"As soon as we form a PAC all the info we provided about Adams will be available on ORESTAR about us."

And when will you do that? You've been pedalling this recall campaign for weeks now, and you haven't formed a PAC? Are you waiting for your earliest supporters to drop out of the game before you have to reveal their identities?

"are you capable of at least acknowledging anything positive about the Recall campaign?"

In a generic sense, it is positive that people are involved in the democratic process, and are advocating for a cause. I can't say anything positive beyond that, because so far you've run what I believe to be a disingenuous and secretive campaign. If I were a conspiracy theorist (I'm not) writing a screenplay, I'd suspect your team of being plants from the Adams camp, coopting a recall before it could get off the ground and then running it badly. But who knows, you might succeed -- the voters will decide, assuming your out-of-town volunteers get your recall on the ballot.

"Remember Kids, Democracy does not happen on the Internet but in the streets"

I guess that's why you've posted dozens of times on the Mercury and KATU blogs today?
7
Bob,

I really respect you because you ask hard, intelligent questions and as I told Matt you have every right to be cynical. I spend the time answering your questions because they force me to work on messaging and increase the campaign's credibility. Granted this is time that I could be doing other things, but at this point in the campaign I realize that you are helping me with your critical questions. It is my hope that I am helping you with my answers.

Did I register the domain name recallsamadams.com? No, and I am not going to tell you who did because the person has the same fears as I do. This extends beyond job loss and never being able to be taken seriously by those in power because we stood up to Sam Adams and his supporters. But since you got to put on your conspiracy theorist hat, allow me to share with you what really keeps me awake at night:

“Jasun Wurster, 33, was found dead in his rental home this morning at 4934 NE 21st Ave in what police are calling a robbery gone horribly wrong. Lucky his house mates were not home at the time.” Yes, this is my real address and it is already in ORESTAR frm Amand's campaign. But then again people have *never* been physically harmed for becoming a serious threat to an entrenched power structure.

Again, I reiterate to you and anyone else who are very proficient at 'keyboard quarterbacking' this recall. At all costs will I safeguard those that trusted me to protect their identity. This includes you and anyone's else attempts to destroy my credibility for not giving you the answers you demand. It is not going to happen.

As far as your valid concern of this being a 'fake' recall campaign. This was Jim Redden at the Portland Tribune's biggest concern and he has interviewed me about this. I have had extensive interviews with Jaymee Cuti at Just Out to answer her very valid concerns of this campaign being a veiled attack against the LGBT community. Over the years through my civic actions I have proved to Matt Davis that I am credible.

Bob, I understand your lack of trust of the media and of me. I totally empathize with you, but at some point you are going to either have to trust me or not. It is my hope that we can meet in person so that we can talk with one another as fellow Portlanders and not as some inhuman bits saved on a server.

The choice is yours, 503-799-7919.

With much respect,

RecallSamAdams.com
Jasun Wurster
8
I love how you belittle the major opposition (christianity) to Mayor Adams' lifestyle into the possible homophobic opportunists category. You brand Christians with "homophobia" with the hope that the loaded term will classify Christians as zealots, irrational, hate mongers. But the fact remains that Christians do not embrace homosexuality - they cannot embrace it and stay true to their religion, just as muslims and jews cannot and stay true to theirs. This argument has become a battle of one group force-feeding another group their own philosophical beliefs. But the fact remains, this isn't a fight for rights that were taken away, but for rights that have never in the history of the world been granted.
9
One more point, how can you laud the beauty of living in a democracy if you do not allow majority rule? It's a scary path to embark on when you start dismissing the fundamental tenets of democracy, whether you agree with the vote or not. That sort of precedent bolsters tyranny.
10
Jasun,

I'll start by saying (as I think I may have before elsewhere) that I respect the way you're prepared to defend your opinions, instead of degenerating into insults like so many others on this issue. In that vein, there's two extremely important questions that I've still not seen you answer.

1. How exactly do you believe Sam Adams 'abused his power' in this whole scenario? He had no power over Beau, who (despite what many in the public seem to believe) wasn't a city hall intern. Beau may have been attracted to a successful person - hell, there's millions of marriages in which that was one motivational factor - but that's not the same thing. It's a serious allegation you're making, probably the most serious of all the allegations, abuse of power, so I'd like to hear your logic behind it.

2. Given the economy and the city budget, will you concede that if a recall election happens it should wait until the next already-scheduled election takes place (this November I think??) instead of taking up vital city resources putting on a special election date?
11
Thanks Stu,

Great questions! Before I answer, please allow me to give you a little back ground about myself, generally I can not do this because I am having to constantly defend myself from the constant 'insults' you have observed. The answers I am providing you is one from someone who is 1 paper shy of getting my BS in Political Science (that specifically focused on local governments) with a minor in Communications from PSU. I went to PSU on my Montgomery G.I. Bill that I earned while I served 4 years in the United States Air Force. I put off writing the paper last year so that I could gain experience while volunteering on Amanda Fritz's campaign. I have opted to delay getting my degree, yet again, so that I can volunteer on the recall campaign. I sincerely thank you for your questions and hopefully I can take some of these answers and apply them to that paper.

1) Sam Adams abused his power

In politics there are 2 forms of power that are imbued upon a person when they are elected by the people.

The first is 'formal' power, these are powers that are given to an elected official by law when they take their oath of office. For example the ability to set the budget, draft legislation and enact laws. This also includes the use of public property, resources and hiring of staff. In the case of Sam Adams it is questionable as to if he abused his formal power in the hiring of Amy Ruiz, use of city staff and resources in regards to covering up his lie to get elected. The Attorney Generals office is hopefully focusing on this with their investigation. However, this is not proved and it would be irresponsible for me to use this as a reason to remove Sam from office.

The second for of power is 'informal'. This is arguably the more powerful of the two. Informal power is the ability for elected officials to influence people and policy. They mainly do this via the media and the creditability their elected office provides them. Essentially all an elected official has to do is hold a press conference and the media will report what they say. The more creditable the elected official is the more likely the media will unquestionably report exactly what they say. Think of this power as being analogous to that in which celebrities have in selling merchandise. Politicians informal power is used to persuade the public to believe them to pass policy.

Sam Adams abused this power to get elected. Here is proof: http://www.commissionersam.com/node/2801

Sam Adams has admitted that this was a lie here: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/david_sarasohn/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1232762123129260.xml&coll=7&thispage=2

Let's analyze a little more the ramifications of Sam Adams above abuse of power and it's effected on the 2008 election. First it removed a viable candidate from running (Mr. Ball). More importantly, it prevented other viable candidates from entering the race. With Sam's actions he used his power to 'bully' other not to run. “The best way to get elected it to prevent people from running against you”

By preventing other viable candidates from running the only message the public heard was Adams. Remember how he and Dozono (IMHO not a viable candidate) were the only ones invited to most forums. For the record, I voted for Kyle Burris because he was speaking (though not very articulately) about issues such as renters rights, police abuse of power and homelessness. With Adams abuse of power he prevented a public conversation about these issues, which today are way more prevalent and need to be discussed. Hence, Sam Adams abused his power in subverting the 2008 Mayoral election.

Sam Adams abused his power in a way that prevented others viable candidates from running, not only with his lies, but, through his manipulation of the media. Adams used his informal power over the press to have them repeat his deliberate lies. For his own gain, he used the credibility of the the members of the press to cover-up for him to get elected. This is why the media is pissed at him and not letting this issue die. He abused his power and made reporters the victim here. Here is some free advice for anyone ever considering running for office: “Never, Ever, Ever Lie To the Press.”

For fun blast from the past check this link out: http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/2008/01/meet_the_contenders_mayors_rac.php

This also may explain why Mr. Humphrey is critical of myself and the recall (I very much would like to talk to you if ever you get the time). I honestly empathize with him, for the Mercury has lost a lot of credibility due to Sam Adams. Personally, I think that the Mercury has come a long way journalisticly and I really appreciated Amy Ruiz's reporting (especially on the CRC).


2) Economy and Elections

Thank you so much Stu for this question. The important thing to start this out with is that no matter how bad our economy gets, we must always be vigilant in spending the money to have fair elections. Elections are what define us as a free people and the right for us to elect our own leaders must be safeguarded at all costs. The reason is that the rich will always be rich... and the poor (you and I) are the ones getting cheated with cheap elections.

The recall will time turning in our signatures to hit the November election for the recall election (assuming Adams does not do the honorable thing and resign). Once Adams is recalled we will then ask the City Council to hold the replacement election to coincide with next years May election. The city can operate with out the Mayor for that long and the City Charter provides this.

Not only will will this save the city money by having the next mayor's election happen during the May primary, this will also allow for the citizens to Portland to have a more normal election cycle to fully vet those who will run to fill the void and repair the damage the will be Sam Adams legacy. We need a normal election cycle so that a new leader can emerge who the citizens will trust.

I really would like to give verbose answers like this more often, however that minor in Communications I mentioned has taught me that I can not. Unfortunately, for me to get T.V. sound bites and printable quotes, I can not relay all of this.

Please understand that I am volunteering to organize a recall campaign. I get a lot of criticism for what I am doing because I may not connect the dots for most people. To tell the truth, it it were not for excellent professors at PSU (shameless plug to extend deadline of paper), I would be oblivious to the civic transgressions Sam Adams masterminded and how he diminished the meaning of our democratic process of selecting our leaders.

Thanks again for your questions Stu, as I really enjoyed answering them. Please feel free to ask me any clarifications you may have. Though to be honest, my time is really limited and talking in person is so much more effective for me.

RecallSamAdams.com
Jasun Wurster
12
tl;dr.
13
"I didn't get into public life to allow my instinct to help others to be snuffed out by fear of sleazy misrepresentations or political manipulation. I understand the need for good judgment, and I keep within the bounds of propriety -- as I did in this case."
--Sam Adams from An Open Letter to Portlanders

All lies. Sam misrepresented his relationship with Beau and used political manipulation to implement the cover up. He used bad judgement (on many levels) and did not keep within the bounds of propriety.

"The intern’s age, and what Adams’ staffers perceived as his romantic interest in Adams, concerned Adams’ aides to the point that they raised the issue to the commissioner, according to former Adams scheduler David Gonzalez and current Adams chief of staff Tom Miller." -- from the WW, http://wweek.com/editorial/2007/09/19/foul…

Sam lied to his own aides. They were concerned as to how this would appear, yet Sam lied to them and continues to be seen in public with Beau, and we now know, through both of their admissions, that they were 'romantically' involved from shortly after the time they first met. This shows serious lack of judgement and a pattern of on-going deception.

There are many reasons that many of us believe Sam should resign or be recalled - it's not simply a matter of one 'mistake'.
14
Matt

You left off a category, the 'as-a' opposition. 'As a former mentor, I..." "As a victim of sexual abuse..." The special interest hysterics. The single issue, MADD style cranks.

Jasun

"his hand is around the throat of our Democracy." you cant be serious. even if you are you can t be taken serioulsly with this level of rhetoric.

"It is a very common practice and a free service of Dreamhost to have domain registrations cloaked. One main reason is that I really would feel uncomfortable having my home address easily accessible to to people as "passionate" as yourself." Youre suggesting Bob R is a threatening poster which is nonsense. I respected your courage & honesty Jasun but youre losing me.

"At all costs will I safeguard those that trusted me to protect their identity." protect them from Fred Hampton style slaughter in their homes. noted. "This includes you and anyone's else attempts to destroy my credibility for not giving you the answers you demand. It is not going to happen." honestly dont think your cred is in question at this point Jasun.

pdxrox, "All lies. Sam misrepresented his relationship with Beau and used political manipulation to implement the cover up. He used bad judgement (on many levels) and did not keep within the bounds of propriety." I cant count the levels of subjectivity in those three sentences. can you?
15
Come on Billy, you gotta let me have a little rhetorical fun every now and again :) Yea, the fist comment may have been a bit... heavy handed.

Though in all seriousness, a lot of people are going to lose their jobs and lucrative contracts will be in jeopardy when we remove Sam from office. People are going to incorrectly place blame on me (instead of Sam Adams). To be honest, there is a level of fear I now live with wondering what my life is worth to someone who is really pissed at me. Though I will not let fear stop me from doing what is right. Please understand that courage is recognizing and working next to fear (not eliminating it).

Don't get me wrong, I think Bob R. and most of the Mercury bloggers on this site are good people who I would not mind having beers with when this is all said an done.

The Recall will not identify volunteers who do not want to be identified for fear of job loss or political retaliation. With that said, the Recall will not mislead, provide false information or lie about our volunteers or what we are doing.

Really, all you have to do is ask... preferably nicely,

RecallSamAdams.com
Jasun Wurster
16
Mayor Adams' current political difficulty arises from our culture's schizophrenia rather than any particular failing of the man.

We practice a kind of doublethink about sex and sexual activity. On the one hand, we are just barely creeping out of the shadow of deep sexual repression and near theocracy from religious zealots. Talking frankly about sex is an only-recently-lifted taboo and talking frankly, in public, about your own sex life is possibly political suicide. (Worse, still, is the label for those whose sexual appetites deviate at all from the cultural norms lingering from our repressive past: Sexual Deviant!) On the other hand, we (mostly) all have sex and like it. We seek sex a good portion of the time (mostly calling it "romance" or whatever, but let euphemisms be euphemisms) and make many decisions from sexual motivation. Sing along with me: "Sex is natural, sex is good / Not everybody does it, but everybody should."

The problem arises when a person is asked, in public, about their sex life. If one follows their natural desire to be honest, they admit their sexual antics and desires and are immediately thrown to the wolves of moral piety. If one attempts to avoid this obviously hypocritical and self-loathing attack, they are immediately called liars and thrown to another set of wolves.

If you ask a politician about their sex life and they have one beyond fucking their opposite sex spouse, you are placing that politician between the rock of our cultural anti-sex morality and the hard place of our cultural pro-truth ethics.

No matter which answer is given, some segment of the public is going to attack based on their loathing of that type of answer. But rational adults, I think, should see this impossible dilemma, understand that neither answer is acceptable, and forgive the choice to lie. (I don't expect rational people to forgive the choice to tell the truth because, barring criminal activity [and we have no criminal charges at this time], because rational people will not be offended by the truth. This does not negate the political need to pander to the irrational.) In other words, if you are upset about this particular issue, you're either not completely rational or have an ulterior agenda unrelated to the facts of this event.

Sam Adams may have jumped off a cliff, but it's not political suicide because he was driven there by zealots with torches and pitchforks. It's political murder.
17
Jeme, you talk big but your words are hollow. you seem to say that the world is a better place with the breakdown of moral barriers, with the sexual freedom first initiated in the seventies. I have a few reasons why the degradation of sexual morality is not working so well for our society:

Aids and other STDs
Divorce
Single mothers
Sexual predators

You must admit that these are more rampant than ever and directly resulting from the removal of repercussions from sexual irresponsibility. It seems that you say that people should be able to sleep well at night with the knowledge that the freedom of our actions outweighs the inherent goodness that comes with moral responsibility. When husbands leave their wives for young men or women, the wife should be so grateful that her husband had the social freedom to go where his penis led him. You seem to say that it is better to worship the orgasm than the pride and well-being that comes from personal responsibility. It's people like you that are destroying this society.
18
Allow me to tackle this point by point, Concerned Insider.

First, I do not admit that these things are "more rampant". With the exception of divorce, these things are not more common than they were in the past, they are simply more open. Roughly the same percentage of folks came down with STDs (back when they were called VD and you were told you were a bad person if you got one so nobody came forward for treatment and nobody informed their partners in order to prevent further infections). There are roughly the same percentage of single mothers, but they aren't carted off to a Home For Unwed Mothers and disappeared from polite society. We haven't created a culture of more sexual predators, just more open mechanisms for people to report the abuse they receive at the hands of people in power -- their parents, teachers, priests, etc.. None of these things have increased in real frequency, but in apparent frequency to people who had, before, lived with their heads in the sand or simply insisted that things they deemed unsavory were hidden away from polite society.

Second, we have not removed the repercussions of sexual irresponsibility because the things mentioned above are the repercussions of sexual responsibility. And they are neither enhanced nor diminished by shame, guilt, and derision. Indeed, I would argue that as we become more honest and open about the absolute commonality of our sex lives, we will see the above-mentioned things decrease in frequency due to more condom usage (since a seventeen-year-old won't feel like they're being judged when they buy them) and children and other vulnerable people won't feel like they did something dirty when they are abused and can speak out openly against their attackers (should such an awful thing happen).

Third, when husbands leave their wives for young men or women, the wife should be so grateful that she has rid herself of a man who was not fully committed to the relationship. Staying together out of fear of social retribution is no foundation for a stable, loving home. If a fellow wants to go where his penis leads him, I think most folks would be happy to see the fellow go.

I don't worship the orgasm, but I do condemn pride (it's a venial sin, you know).

And yeah, I am working actively to destroy the society of repression and passive violence that has lead some people to use sex as a weapon to demean and punish and forced others to feel as though they must live a lie; closeted and miserable. I would like to destroy that society wholly and, in its place, construct a society of acceptance, support, responsibility, honesty, integrity, openness, and, most of all, love.
19
Good comments, Jeme. The world _is_ a better place in this regard, but we still have work to do when it comes to equality and openness.
20
Blah blah blah, I'm worried about paying my rent, not about Mayor Adams sex life. I know Ken Starr is busy fighting California fags but maybe he could give you a few pointers on how to politicize blowjobs Jasun.

Move on! It's fucking BOORRRRING!
21
Again apparent Sam defenders evade the primary issue, which are Sam's lack of integrity and dishonesty along with continuing deception and cover up, and seem only able to respond with their perception of Sam's sexual activities while accepting his unethical behaviors and poor judgment. It continues to be astounding how many of Sam defenders seem so accepting of lying, dishonesty, and poor judgment. Keep up the good work Jasun. We will work and support your efforts and will not call you names or attack your character.
22
I absolutely accept lying and dishonesty about a person's sex life. No one has any right to ask the question publicly and expect an honest answer. By asking the question, a politician is in a triple-bind: an honest answer outrages the sexually repressive, a lie outrages the "truth in government" camp, and "I refuse to answer" reads as "I have something to hide" and loses with both camps.

If you have evidence of duplicity, dishonesty, or lack of integrity beyond comments and actions related to this issue, I'd be curious to read them. But as it stands, I have no problem with him being caught in a lie about stuff nobody should have asked in the first place.

No prying, no lying.
23
Recall, I'm not evading the issue concerning lying and deception. But, in a city with more strip clubs per capita in the entire U.S. and with a support group for Adams that seems intent on deeming sexual responsibility as "puritanical" I feel the need to defend us "prudes". Jeme, you back up none of your points in your response to me. No statistics and very little truth. The most common STD and arguably the most dangerous, next to HIV, is HPV which is spread even through condom use. Actually, it is shown that condoms do very little to protect partners against contracting HPV, which begs the need for abstinence. Just think, if people didn't have sex before marriage, if people stayed physically committed to their partners, if men harnessed the responsibility that they should there would be no STDs, no single mothers, no sexual assaults and the divorce rate would be absymal. So, in response to your point that a cheating spouse is better off forgotten, a defeatest attitude to say the least, the government should be doing more to protect marriage and innocents in living the good lives that we all aspire to.
24
Hi All,

Please know that the Recall campaign will remove Sam Adams from office because he lacks the public trust and political capital to effectively represent Portland as Mayor.

His actions alone caused this by:

1) deliberately and willful betraying the public and press to win an election

2) orchestrated an elaborate cover-up by using the press and his paid political consultant to propagated his deception

3) resorted to negative campaigning (which suppresses voter turn-out) to eliminate potential rivals

4) abused his power as a City Commissioner (see comment #11)

Jeme, I very much respect you as a person. Hell, I volunteered my time and DJ'ed your going away party last year when you moved to New Orleans to attend Grad school and teach kids math. However, please know that this Recall focuses strictly on the civic transgressions committed by Sam Adams and that he is harming Portland.

Please do let me know after this recall if it inspires citizens in Louisiana... as they are 1 of the 18 states that allows for a statewide recall. You see, this recall is bigger than Sam Adams or Jasun Wurster. It is about inspiring citizens across out nation to hold their elected officials accountable.

We as Oregonians will once again lead the nation in civic action,

RecallSamAdams.com
Jasun Wurster

25
Jasun

If you insist on getting your talking points all over Blogtown please have the decency to buy an ad. Newspapers everywhere are hurting.

insider

"Jeme, you back up none of your points in your response to me. No statistics and very little truth." unlike your rants which are packed with stats & citations & logical argument. please. spare us the debaters points. they dont make you look smarter. just do your rants.
26
billy, the Mercury doesn't need you white-knighting for them. While I don't agree with Jasun, his post are relevant to the discussion and the the Mercury is perfectly capable of asking him to move to a paid pulpit if that's what they want.
27
Jasun, I think your campaign is a little disingenuous, that's all. Do you really think it's important for a politician to be forthcoming about their sex life in the public press? Do you really think it hurts the constituency or democracy in general if a politician covers up things they did in the most private part of their personal life -- things which have no effect outside of the personal relationships involved?

Yeah, I know who you are and of course we're totally cool as friends and fellow citizens. But I think this campaign is some kind of political vendetta and the reasons for the recall are highly suspicious. I also believe that standing behind such questionable tactics just to get the result you desire will leave you without a leg to stand on when those questionable tactics are used to achieve goals that will hurt you or the city. Bill Clinton was not impeached for his perjury with regard to his relationship with Monica Lewinsky because few in Congress believed the special prosecutor had the right to ask the question in the first place. The same is relevant here. The man may have lied, but the question was totally unacceptable.

I understand the moral outrage of Concerned Insider -- I think it's woefully oppressive and hurts people far beyond the comprehension of the people holding the belief, but it's honest and I understand it. Your position, however, seems to be that a person in public service has no private life; that when these individuals are asked about their sex lives and intimate relationships, they are required to divulge everything completely and be forthright in their answers. The notion places an impossible burden on public servants and will only result in the most successfully deceitful (or freakishly antisocial) characters from attaining public office.

Be honest, Jasun: Do you really believe that a public servant must be 100% honest in response to ever question that might be put to them? Should we ask your preferred mayor whether or not she had sex last night, who with, how long it lasted, whether she attained orgasm and if so, how many times? Is this something that must be in the public record?

Furthermore, I still contend that if this had been a young woman, there would maybe be some snickering and a few gasps, but not nearly this kind of public outcry. No, Jasun, I don't think you're concerned that the sex he lied about was gay sex. I just think you (and your secret cadre of co-conspirators) are using this absurd over-reaction to meet your own political ends. Please have no illusions about it, Jasun: If you put this recall up for public vote, your desired outcome will be put over the top by the anti-sex, anti-gay contingent who will swarm to the polls to get behind removing your mayor. As much as you want us to believe this is about truth and honesty and integrity, it's really opportunism that requires this last gasp of socially acceptable hate to get your way.
28
I am one Blogtown reader that says, unequivocally,
SAM ADAMS MUST RESIGN and I support his recall if his pride continues to get in the way of this.

Remember when he said he would step down if this got in the way of his ability to do city business?

Now we know that was JUST ANOTHER LIE.
Shame on you, Sam. I was a former supporter...
29
LiesAreLies- If I don't come clean about my sex life in a job interview, should I not get the job? Maybe your handle should be "SimpleMindednessIsSimpleMindedness"

Concerned Insider- The fact that your bigotry and opposition to equality stems from your religion doesn't excuse it. Mormons used to think blacks weren't good enough to join their church. Were they not racist for thinking this simply because it came from their religion?

If you come from a bigoted religion and don't question its bigotry, you are just as guilty as someone who is bigoted for another reason. Gays shouldn't have to suffer because Christianity gets this issue wrong. Giving gays equal rights doesn't violate Christians' rights to be homophobic or anything else supposedly inherent to their religion. They can think that all they want. But they have to allow others to have equal rights under the law in order to be good Americans. If this equals forcing a gay agenda down Christians' narrow throats, then let's force it there because it's the right thing to do.
30
Hi Jeme,

I do not know if you read the interview 'Just Out' published:

http://www.justout.com/archives/issues/02_20_09/08.pdf

One of the main reasons we felt the need to be the first to set up a Recall was to prevent those with an anit-LGBT or religious agenda from co-opting the recall process.

We will have a policy that those who volunteer as signature collectors will only talk about 'civic values' (lie, cover-up, negative campaigning and abuse of power) for the recall of Sam Adams. We will provide training on how to educate members of the public that see this as a way to cast hatred toward the LGBT community.

I am still in the process of creating a PAC and writing the campaign plan. During my interview with Just Out I told them that I would be contacting them for resources in the LGBT community to help me effectively educate the public against homophobia. There is an educational component to the recall campaign to repair some of the damage Sam Adams has caused.

This recall campaign will gather signatures in a way that truly represents what it means to be a Portlander. If we can not get enough signatures through an honest, fair and civil process, then there will be no recall.

I believe that a public servant must be 100% honest to the press. Journalists are professionals and understand that a "No Comment" is an acceptable answer.

Sam Adams did not do that. Here is what he did:
http://www.commissionersam.com/node/2801

If you were a journalists (blogger often *think* that they are journalists) I feel that an appropriate answer to your highly inappropriate questions would be: "I am not going to dignify myself by answering that".

The rest of the press would realize that you diminishing their credibility with your tabloid questions and hopefully pull you aside to inform you of the ramifications of your unprofessional actions.

The 'Open Letter to Portlanders' that Sam Adams penned is 100% proof how he diabolically turned on his own community to invoke their fear of "the anti-sex, anti-gay contingent who will swarm to the polls" for his personal gain. Please don't associate my actions with those of Sam Adams "opportunism that requires this last gasp of socially acceptable hate to get [his] way".

I have faith in the innate goodness of the Propel of Portland and together we will show the rest of the nation that "truth and honesty and integrity" will prevail.

RecallSamAdams.com
Jasun Wurster

31
And another thing, concerned insider,

You seem to be saying that we shouldn't be against those who criticize Sam for being gay because their anti-gay views come from their religion... which is basically saying that it's okay to call for the mayor to resign because he doesn't live within the confines of a particular religion.

So I assume you think it's okay for a Catholic to say, "the mayor should resign because he's a Methodist." I disagree with you on that.
32
Common Sense - Christians will vote according to their beliefs. So will muslims, jews, hindus, athiests, agnostics, whoever. To not expect them to do as such is ridiculous and would be implying, as queen elizabeth once said, that we had a "window into the hearts and souls of men" and the very oppression the constitution protects us from: the freedom OF religion.
33
That's exactly right, Concerned Insider. The recall is going to be as much a referendum on Sam's sexuality as it is on any notion of honesty or integrity and it's absurd to even think for a moment otherwise.

So, Jasun, you will not be measuring the city's belief in your arguments about Sam's integrity because those votes will be intermingled with the votes of people voting (probably in droves) by their religious bias and homophobia. Regardless of your stated intentions, you are serving that segment of the population with your campaign. (And if you really believe that a "no comment" suffices in these kind of cases, I think you need to take a look at history. Such an answer is always taken as an admission of guilt by the press. You should watch the film "The Contender".)
34
Concerned Insider-

So homophobic Christians oppression of gays and enforcement of inequality through the government is NOT infringing on freedom of religion (freedom to live outside their religion)? And my using my freedom of speech to criticize of homophobic Christians doing this IS infringing on their freedom of religion?

I honestly think you do have it backwards.
35
"During my interview with Just Out I told them that I would be contacting them for resources in the LGBT community to help me effectively educate the public against homophobia. There is an educational component to the recall campaign to repair some of the damage Sam Adams has caused."

and

"We will provide training on how to educate members of the public that see this as a way to cast hatred toward the LGBT community."

I find this really concerning. First and foremost, a recall campaign, with a partisan agenda (whether I agree or not) is not the entity with which to "educate" the public and repair any damage done by Adams. I guarantee that you are embarking on an issue that is not going to be adequately handled in an organization not equipped to do it, no matter how good the intentions. Who is the "we" that will be training volunteers that may or may not have any serious investment in standing up for the LGBTQ community, and what will that training consist of? You are embarking on a HUGE slippery slope there. The fact that your "resource" for doing this is a newspaper is a red flag to me. Don't get me wrong...I love Just Out, and have a lot of respect for the position that Marty Davis is in. However, they are a newspaper whose focus is on BEING a newspaper, as it should be. By no means does that qualify them for being the resource through which you have decided to educate the community. I would REALLY urge you to rethink this part of the campaign because the possibility for damage there goes well beyond what the recall effort would be capable of dealing with. The potential for fallout goes much deeper than a short term plan for such education would typically envision.
36
Hi Debra42,

We absolutely understand where you are coming from and your concerns. This is a very delicate endeavor that affects peoples longterm livelihoods. However, before I continue I need to point out a few things in your post that may mislead Blogtown readers.

1) Your assertion that we are “a recall campaign, with a partisan agenda”. I need you to clarify what your definition of 'partisan' is. The danger is that most people equate 'partisan' strictly in a political party or ideological connotation; i.e. 'Republican vs. Democrat' or 'Social Liberalism vs. Social Conservatism'. However, the term you used is too subjective and I feel that you are unfairly using generalizations.

If you are referring to 'partisan' in a larger context, such as, 'a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person' ( http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/partisan ). They we would agree that we do firmly adhere to our *cause* that elected officials should not deliberately lie to the public and press, orchestrate elaborate cover-ups, resort to negative campaigning and abuse their power to get elected.

2) The recall campaign recognizes that Sam Adams calculated political deception made this a LGBTQ issue ( http://www.commissionersam.com/node/2801 ). His desire for power and carelessness has placed the the LGBTQ community at an increased risk. Again, it is Sam Adams who used fear and lies to manipulate the LGBTQ community into supporting his deception. The Recall recognizes that we have an educational opportunity when we are collecting signatures to respond back to those that want to subvert the recall away from our stated civic goals of holding elected officials accountable.

3) I think that you misunderstood that we will be “contacting [Just Out] for resources in the LGBT community”. This is exactly what we will be doing. We will be asking for contact information to other individuals and organizations to help the Recall create the educational component of this campaign.

I can see that this issue is very important to you, as it is to myself. I extend an offer for you to be a part of creating and overseeing the educational component of the Recall. With your dedication and experience in this area this will ensure that your fears are not realized and that the Recall campaign is holding true to our word and effective implementing them.

Please do feel free to call me at 503-799-7919 and we can meet for coffee to talk more about this.

With much respect,

RecallSamAdams.com
Jasun Wurster
37
Hello Jasun Wurster,

You've said you think politicians should be 100% honest when speaking to journalists. Is that realistic or even practical? Can you name one politician in this town who has without a doubt been 100% honest to the press 100% of the time? Do you really believe that's a healthy and workable standard for the public to hold its officials up to? There are names for people who tell the truth 100% of the time but politician isn't one of them.

Also I would like to know if you support recalling council members who haven't called for Mayor Adams to resign. Certainly you must feel they're not stepping up enough and are certainly making political decisions that aren't 100% honest with the public. They've all made statements that are less than firm. None have called for his resignation. In fact there's been a lot of passive aggressive behavior on the part of politicos concerning the mayor, but passive aggressivity is by definition immature, hypocritical, and not 100% honest. Do you feel it is their civic responsibility to not just condemn, joke , ingnore, and express frustration but to act? Are they being 100% honest in maintaining the integrity of the mayoralty when they say they're disappointed in its current occupant but then don't call on him to resign? Can we trust any of them to step up if the next mayor is caught in a lie?

Thank you for your response.
38
Hi Adam82,

Yes, people who we elect to represent us (leaders) should always be honest and tell us the truth (via the press). The reason is that we can not make informed decisions when they lie to us.

Your comments in the form of a litany of contradicting questions highlight what I feel is a very disturbing trend in American political races. This is the learned helplessness of the electorate to be manipulated and lied to by those who's confuse their ambition for power as the calling to truthfully represent the People.

The American voter needs to start being 100% honest with themselves and ask if our political apathy has caused the current status quo of deceptive political practices. If politicians were 100% honest with their constituency, who in turn were 100% politically engaged, would we be encountering most of the environmental, economical, educational and political crises we are experiencing today?

The facts are that Sam Adams deliberate lied 100% of us to get elected to represent us. He then resorted to negative campaigning and abused his power to orchestrate an elaborate a cover-up that prevent us from finding out the truth until he was forced to be honest. As with many examples in history, if it were not for a journalists we would have never know of the lies. Not knowing that you have been lied to does not make the lie acceptable.

As a citizen I feel that each one of us are duty bound to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions. This recall will not only remove a corrupt politician from his ill-gotten office, but also be a very stern reminder to the rest of our elected officials that they are 'public servants' who server at the pleasure of the electorate. More so, it is my sincere hope that this will provide an opportunity for new leaders to emerge who understand that what the people need most is for them to be 100% honest with them.

With much respect,

RecallSamAdams.com
Jasun Wurster
39
Thanks to everyone for engaging!
My take:
Sam Adams has empowered homophobia;
Sam Adams has destroyed opportunity for the emergence of a better qualified candidate;
Sam Adams has single handedly launched a culture war;
Sam Adams has demonstrated inability to control his sexual urges and THAT empowers the right;

Since I don't like homophobia, suppression of democracy, culture wars, or the religious right, guess what!!....I REALLY don't like Sam Adams!

(And, BTW, I want my vote back.)

40
If this happened with a straight Republican having an affair with a 17/18 year old girl, all of these Adams supporters would be screaming pedophile and demanding the mayor's head on a pole. While we might agree with someone's political views, it does not absolve them of behavior that they engage in within the context of their personal lives. I would hate to see this city follow the path of the Catholic Church.
41
It continues to amaze me that Sam's defenders seem more interested in questioning Jasun's motives, honesty and integrity, rather than seriously confront Sam who has been the perpetrator of these discussions.
42
Another thought - I wonder what would happen to a journalist who was dishonest and lied to write an important story and continued to lie when confronted about the veracity of his reporting. What would happen to his career? Would it take a recall to remove him from his job?
43
democracy in the streets - huh - are you kidding

democracy in the voting booth - are you kidding

we all know it is in the hands and minds of the spin doctors and political consultants and tons of money

as an outsider - seems - Portland voters will decide soon enough

and despite all, there is no substitute for the voter in democracy....


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