by Amy Jenniges and Scott Moore
Posted inNews
We’ve Got the Majority. Now What?
With Democrats in Power, Will it be a Field Day for Oregon Activists? (Answer: Not by a Long Shot.)
Scott Moore
Posted inNews
House of Cards
The Messy Path for Campaign Reform
On Election Night, the battle for statewide campaign finance reform took a turn—although a turn for where, exactly, nobody knows. One of lawyer/activist Dan Meek’s ballot measures—Measure 47, which bans corporate and union money and sets up a stringent set of campaign finance rules for individuals—passed with around 54 percent of the vote. But Measure […]
Posted inNews
Hall Monitor
Term Limits
In the months leading up to Election Day, one of the lesser talking points thrown around by proponents of Measure 45 was that term limits for state legislators would be a boon for Portland’s city politics. It went like this: When state lawmakers became “termed out” of Salem, they’d naturally end up back in Portland, […]
Posted inBooks
Destined for Destiny: The Unauthorized Autobiography of George W. Bush
by George W. Bush
The gag is so thorough, and executed so subtly, that it took several minutes to convince my friends that the book I was flashing around the bar wasn’t in fact a glowing tribute to George W. Bush. Despite the ultra-sincere jacket design and the glowing, bigger-than-the-Texas-sky photo of Bush on the cover, Destined for Destiny […]
Posted inNews
BLF Is Gonna Rock Ya
But Will Adams’ Plan Gut City Services?
For those who believe that City Commissioner Sam Adams never stopped campaigning after taking office, it looks like he’s shoring up support among an important group of constituents for 2008—small businesses. Opponents to his plan, though, say that support could come at a cost to the city. By the end of the month, Adams hopes […]
Posted inNews
Hall Monitor
Dramarama
Perhaps it’s the weather, or perhaps it’s the fact that two-fifths of the city commissioners are now nearly halfway through their rookie term, but city council sessions have gotten awful testy lately. For two weeks in a row, tempers have flared, largely over whether Commissioner Dan Saltzman has engaged in enough “process” over his proposals. […]
Posted inMovies & TV
God Loves Dick Jokes
Pallin’ Around With Al Franken in God Spoke
God Spoke, a documentary about Al Franken, is a funny and charming look at one of the nation’s eminent liberals—”funny and charming,” that is, if you’re already a fan of Franken. If you hate him, or are even ambivalent about him, this film will be like pouring acid into every one of your orifices. On […]
Posted inNews
Blue Tuesday
Democrats Succeed Nationally, While Progressives Carry the Ballot in Oregon
The good news started rolling in shortly before 3 pm. Exit polls from 10 key states showed that Democrats were leading the Senate races in eight—even in places like Ohio and Missouri—while Republicans were only pulling through in Tennessee and Arizona. The trend held all night. Thanks to the Republicans’ bungling of the Iraq War, […]
Posted inNews
You’ve Got Mail
Wading Through the Election Campaign Bullshit
It happens every election cycle: Your mailbox gets stuffed to the gills with all manner of colorful, oddly sized postcards, all attempting to convince you to vote in a specific way. Add to that campaigns’ increasing use of the internet—email, websites, and, oddly, YouTube videos—and the tide of information becomes overwhelming. Face it, you simply […]
Posted inNews
False Fronts
Pseudo-Grassroots Groups Fund Campaigns
The last campaign finance reports to come before the election were filed with the secretary of state’s office last Thursday. In the stacks and stacks of papers and names of contributors, one major trend has emerged—the Orwellian tradition of using hysterically euphemistic committee names is fully in force. Take, for instance, the Oregon Family Farm […]
Posted inNews
Hall Monitor
Processed Cheese
If Mayor Tom Potter is growing into his new nickname—Mayor McProcess—City Commissioner Dan Saltzman is quickly growing into his role as the favorite enemy of those in the city who prize process above all other values. That journey began two years ago, when Saltzman, as the commissioner in charge of the parks bureau, decided to […]
Posted inNews
Tug of War
Will the City Limit PDC’s Power?
ON Wednesday, October 25, Portland City Council was expected to finally pass an ordinance that will require the Portland Development Commission (PDC) to spend 30 percent of its budget on affordable housing for impoverished people. The result will be a culmination of more than six months’ worth of work, but it also leaves a number […]