Representative Jules Bailey—a longtime skeptic of the $3.4 billion Columbia River Crossing highway-bridge-and-rail project—joined several other lawmakers earlier this week in reversing their opposition and advancing a $450 million state financing plan to the Oregon Senate and, presumably, governor’s desk.
That 45-11 vote enraged and saddened critics of the I-5 project who see the CRC as a financial and environmental boondoggle. And last night, at an Oregon League of Conservation Voters forum where Bailey was building support for a tough-to-pass state carbon tax, a few tried to drive home a point.
Activist Hart Noecker strode up to Bailey during a question-and-answer session and handed him a “Cars Rejuvenating Carbon” award for his “courageously increasing the carbon and car capacity” of the 10- to 12-lane CRC project—a behemoth that raises the serious possibility of making lousy air quality in North Portland even worse.
Bailey didn’t seem so pleased… and neither did some of the people at the event, maybe because it was such an awkward moment. Only a couple of people clapped during the prank. And Bailey decided to leave the award behind.
- TWITTER VIA NICHOLAS CALEB
Bailey, for the record, has written a lengthy explanation of his CRC vote. Reached for comment this morning, he defended his record on carbon and climate change and said he would have welcomed a discussion about the vote even after a somewhat amusing political prank (my words) that he described as a “sarcastic grandstanding maneuver.”
“They were asked if they’d like to ask a question. They declined. I’m sad they passed up that opportunity,” he says.
Bailey also says he stuck around after the event, along with Senator Jackie Dingfelder, who has yet to vote on the highway project.
“Everybody is entitled to their opinion,” he says. “I wish they’d have taken the opportunity to talk to me. I was standing near them. They huddled near the bar with their beers… It was a tempest in a teapot. I’m not worried. It was a good event.”
We know these pro-CRC politicians don’t just believe what they are told by CRC staff and others, right? http://www.CRCFacts.info for some enlightening FACTS.
I have to wonder did he read the bill he voted on. In his statement he says that he voted for it because it requires funding for the light rail from the federal government. That statement is wildly inaccurate because the bill only requires that the money be applied for:
(b) The United States Department of Transportation has
submitted a full funding grant agreement application, in an
amount of at least $850 million of Federal Transit Administration
funds, for congressional review;
This project is going to be incredibly underfunded especially when the inevitable cost overruns occur and the State of Oregon is going to be left on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars more. We can’t afford this wasteful project.
Jules fled the event as soon as it was over. Unlike Jackie Dingfelder, who lingered to answer questions, he left as quickly as possible and avoided any possibility of answering any question.
Notably, he also defriended a few of the people who tagged him on Facebook regarding his award.
We shouldn’t have to be your friend for you to do the right thing, Jules. You mock yourself when you “grandstand” about carbon reduction all night long knowing full well you just voted to increase carbon emissions and toxic pollution in your own district.
Here’s another video angle, with text: https://vimeo.com/60812404
Oooooooo, burn!
Bravo to Hart Noecker for taking on Jules Bailey’s doubletalk. Salem’s shameful collaboration with the CRC lobbyists reaffirms that it will be up to us, the people, not “experts” and politicians to take the lead in fighting climate change.
http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-2031…
You know, Jules could have approached Hart and the rest of us anti-CRC attendees after the event and tried to be nice rather than defriending me, on Facebook, for posting the video.
I helped lead the Portland Green Party to endorse Jules at a general meeting. He’s not all bad. Not everybody wanted to endorse him in our Party, though, and they have valid reasons. We’re just trying to hold people to account, even if we’re generally favorable.
As far as the grandstanding comment: funny coming from a politician. Jules had an opportunity to have a discussion at many points. The event ended at the end of the video I posted. Certainly he could have taken a few minutes to explain his vote and see what the response was, given the stunt.
@NCALEB: ACTUALLY, THE VIDEO PRETTY CLEARLY SHOWS YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK HIM A QUESTION AND YOU DECLINED. THEN YOU DERIDE HIM THE NEXT DAY IN AN INTERNET COMMENT FOR NOT TAKING QUESTIONS?
SEEMS LIKE EFFECTIVE ACTIVISM.
Another thing to note: We had been told that event wasn’t the place to have a discussion on the CRC, so the only time to discuss it was after the event in private (when he quickly left and we lost track of him), not during the Q&A session. Here’s the video where we were told that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq6tWV5KOs0 So when Jules said we were solicited for questions on the CRC, we actually weren’t, explicitly.
Jules needs to stop lying for cover and to truly offer to have a real conversation.
The vote passed 45-11. His vote made absolutely no difference. I’m betting he realized that, and traded it for a vote on something else – like, say, the statewide carbon tax. That’s how politics works – you vote for my bill and I’ll vote for yours.
It’s not how politics is supposed to work, in an idealistic universe, but we all know that it does.
At the OLCV event last night the amount of liberal climate change denial and cognitive dissonance around the CRC was disgusting. Repeatedly the audience was told not to speak about the CRC, was told that OLCV wasn’t going to waste “political capital” opposing it, and that ‘sometimes you have to realize you’ve lost’ as though nothing could possibly be done to stop it simply because OLCV had decided to throw in the towel before even getting in the ring. These people should be ashamed of themselves. This is Oregon. We didn’t get a rep as the greenest state in the nation by caving in to coward legislators and ineffectual bureaucratic “nonprofits”. Call you state senators and demand better for Oregon.
Wait, that vote was 45 – 11 ??
Well, it seems common sense has won the day.
Opposing the bridge, ostensibly on enviromental grounds, is idiotic at best.
Jules Kopel Bailey was on a couple of my little league teams, Belmont Little League.
I don’t think there is anyone in the legislature that is more concerned about the real public interest, including the environment, than Jules is. He is also a master at the convoluted, give-and-take process that produces legislation. I don’t like the CRC; Jules has been a skeptic; but his letter said that he felt their were sufficient protections built into the funding to move forward. I think the whole thing should be tossed, but I also completely trust Jules’ motives and intelligence. I would happily disagree with him on this issue, but I would never ridicule him for a well-considered opinion.
Do tell me is this the same Jules that is giving money to put fluoride in Portland’s water? He does not care about anything but lining his pockets..He does not care one bit about the environment in Oregon…The SHAME AWARD GOES TO JULES………….