Portland: From 'The City that Works' to 'Let's make better mistakes tomorrow'
What civic pride.

Matt,
thanks for quoting the same dan savage verbage TWICE today.

"Savage, six months ago, wrote in his column, "Gay men in their 30s and 40s who will date teenage boys are almost always scum." The Mercury did not seek clarification on what's different, now..."

The key word there is "date", I think. And "almost always" is probably important in his decision to change his tune. I think most of it was explained when he flatly replied in another post that he doesn't care to see public officials castigated for their private lives, even if they lie about it.

It's okay to support someone, even if you think they're skeevy or crossed the line. I support your right to write, even though jabbing a far more successful writer that brings more money to your own paper than you reeks of unprofessional jealousy.

Yeah, Adams is probably a skeev, I said it. But I don't think he should be run out or recalled before an investigation is completed because sex is skeevy anyway. And nobody is willing and ready to take the job right now.

There was a guy holding a sign on the corner next to city hall that said "Honk if you think Sam Adams should resign now." And there were a few honks, but it was pretty silent... I remember doing a honk&wave for measure 49. A lot of people will indeed honk if they agree with you...

And so by that totally unscientific poll, I think that most people want Sam to stay. Keep in mind that most people don't write letter to the O, or call up TV stations, most people don't do anything at all. And what this has proved is that there are a small minority that want him to go, and those people are fairly vocal. We just need to counter those people.

The Weaver rumor is per Adams telling Williamette Week:

http://wweek.com/wwire/?p=20111#comments_v…

Tanya Harding....That takes me back. Back to when we had respectable scandals in this town.

Is the Press trying to whip up a frenzy about this? He was 18. Get over it.

Here's what I want to know - if - IF - it were proven that the youngster was not 18 at the time, what would you Sam supporters say then?

Your assumption D is that the defense of Adams is predicated on 100% belief in Breedlove having been 18-- I think it's more on the fact that it's the newspapers and editorialists that are casting the judgment prior to any actual legal inquiry being completed.

Hope isn't THAT strong-- I think the reaction to Obama picking HRC proved that one.

Hmm, you're part right. But any journalist professing the underage presumption is open to a lawsuit, and I would argue any judgment professed is based on the inability to credibly lead.

Ah, D, I think it's actually all about selling ads, so the more salacious the better. The lawsuit factor is mitigated by the use of blogs as opinion and hardly bound by ethics. The difference in the tenor of the WW blog posts and news posts is fairly striking.

We're all dicks, I think.

Above all, however, it's just that regardless of the surprisingly minor punishment he'd face if Breedlove were 17, most people would just give Adams a gentle kiss off and expect him to go gently into that good night. Dicks can still be rational, you know.

Thank god Dan Savage came in to town to save us backward ass hicks from ourselves! How could we Portland possibly have resolved this situation with Dan Savage?

If he doesn't resign, he will be recalled. I think your assumptions about how much of the population wants to see him go are mistaken.

Stay classy, Storm.

Wow. I've lost a lot of respect for Dan Savage. Then again, he's not a Portlander, so he can fuck off. Breedlove is a skeevy fucker: he used Sam to get a job for which he's not qualified. Sam's a skeevy fucker: he possibly had sex with an underage kid (the AG will figure that one out), lied about it, and then wants us to forgive and forget? Even more: Sam's just a tool for Vera Katz, whose policies drove poor people out of downtown and encouraged the building of a Nazi-esque police force. Fuck Sam, fuck Vera, fuck the Pearl, fuck the Police, and fuck anyone who can't see that Sam should resign.

No, Your name, if Breedlove was 18, Sam should stay and put Portland through the turmoil of a recall. This is turmoil that the voters are in control of, and if they choose to go through with it, they get the poker they pick.

It'll be fabulous, everyone's invited!

No wonder nobody reads the Mercury anymore.

"No wonder nobody reads the Mercury anymore."

You obviously do.

Nobody with half a brain, apparently.

And no, I obviously don't. I just know how to follow a link.

Oh goody, just what Sam needs - the outspoken support of a self-proclaimed pole smoker and a loud mouth pseudo-celeb who has been know to rant onstage about the wonders of fisting. And I certainly don't like the idea of my Mayor being categorized as a chicken-hawk.

I really saw Sam's election as a big win for Portland as well as the gay community. Not only did we collectively stand up and tell the world Sam was our equal, we vouched for him on all levels. We forced the conversation to move past sexual orientation and onto much more important matters.

Sam's inability to come clean when running for Mayor (and his skewering of those who brought the situation to light) has made Portlanders the fools here. We trusted the man - and he betrayed our trust.

The right thing for Sam is to step aside. There is no amount of investigation or backpedaling that will erase the fact he's made a fool us everyone who voted for the man (myself included.)

Some thoughts:

1) The old school media like to use the word "teen" as though it's a synonym for "minor." It is not. Strange as it may seem to some, it's possible to be an adult and a teen if you are 18-19 years old (or 18-20 if you define a teen as someone older than 12 but under the age of majority).

2) If two legal adults want to "get it awn" the age difference between them (the equivocations of Dan Savage aside) is nobody's business. Nothing magical happens on someone's 18th birthday, but most societies set a date, always arbitrary, when we must respect a person's self-determination and let them run their own lives within the law. Paradoxically, because it IS arbitrary our need to respect it is stipulated. There can be no exceptions.

3) Let me make the controversial assertion that nothing wrong was done so far as we know. I don't even think lying before the election was wrong. There is no law or even principle I'm aware of requiring one to reply truthfully to a reporter asking a question about one's sex life. If the reporters had actual evidence that Beau was 17 at the time, they should have just printed it.

I think the reporters for the Willamette Week should be ashamed of themselves for even pursuing this piece of tabloid trash they call news. Frankly, if two CONSENTING ADULTS have a relationship that one or both of them later regret, I think they should be allowed to deny it happened till the day they die. Both of the men involved were OPENLY GAY. Neither of the men involved were MARRIED. Nobody broke the law!!!

I also think that all of you muck-rakers out there who are calling for Adams resignation should grow the fuck up.

All these people living in glass houses, throwing stones. I hope someday someone digs up the one thing you don't want people to know about yourself & plasters it all over the front page of a major newspaper. Lets see how you like it.

I hope all you hypocrites out there who feel you are above reproach stop your tongue wagging long enough to realize that there are real problems in this city. Sam Adams has dedicated his entire career to Portland, and this is how Portlanders repay him?

This is a witch-hunt, plain & simple.

That rally was truly inspiring. What other mayor could produce a crowd like that, with virtually no organization, in a few days, to support him during a hard time? For every one person who was able to be there right at the end of the workday on a Friday, on short notice, you can bet there are at least 10, if not 100 people who weren't able to come and voice similar support.

Let's show the nation that we're not a bunch of provincial prudes who can't distinguish legitimate public harm (say lying about a WAR?) from a spurious scandal.

No one should have asked Sam Adams about his sex life in the first place. He handled the questions poorly, but the fact is it should never have been anyone's business in the first place what goes on in his bedroom.

America, please show me that you're mature enough to value policies and the civic good over mistakes which have nothing to do with how well the city will be run.

Should we also go back in time and impeach Clinton while we're at it?

D, Blabby: you can pretend that because you comment the most that you're the majority, but you're not. Your political agendas do not match the people of this city, and most of the city are behind Sam. We might be disappointed in his actions, but we're willing to forgive him and move on, knowing that we still think he's the best person for the job.

"we still think he's the best person for the job..."

that's not too far off the mark given the field of losers he ran against. (Hipster-gassin' KB notwithstanding).

The problem may be solved by the following equation:

What goes into 17 three times?

If the answer is Sam Adams, there's a problem.
If not, cool it

It was great to see so many forward-thinking people at the rally. Hey, that's me in the bottom right of the first crowd picture. BLAZZOW!

Actually, the forward-thinking people know he's scum and want someone foreward-thinking as mayor. Let's not let Portland become the city in America that everyone laughs about, like the world laughed about the U.S. for the past 8 years. And to you, hypocrite Savage, it IS about the lies. And the smears. Sam's gotta go.

The Mayor is sick for wanting me? Really? Are you folks blind or what.

Here's my photos of the event.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/redbat/sets/7…

carye bye

No, Breedlove. He'd be sick to NOT want you, hot stuff!

Let's boycott Just Out while we're at it. They called for Sam's head on a stick just 48 hours after he admitted to the affair. Here's the Boycott Just Out Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4668…

BREEDLOVE, you Salty Pup! I thought I saw you at the event last night but I thought I was hallucinating! That was you, wasn't it, you are really enjoying your ongoing "15 minutes of fame", you Piece O'....Work! Listen, this is what you do: call a press conference (on camera) wherein you state,"Look, I was 18 years of age and that is all there is to it! You are all barking up the wrong tree here! And Mayor Adams, get back to your job! Also, to the media, I have hired a lawyer because I don't appreciate the way you are all portraying me as as an unemployed gadfly, gold digger and a victim here! If you don't stop all of this nonsense, the lawsuits for slander and libel are going to start flying!" Honestly, Beau, you have some really good cases, you could win some lawsuits here and be rich enough to retire at age 22! Anyway, I want to commend you for handling yourself in a really classy manner through all of this mess--you are one hell of an impressive 21 y/o! Your recorded statements to the press have been really kind to Sam, mature and very classy and encouraging. In some ways you seem more mature than he is. Hey, I notice that nearly 4 years later, you two have nothing but very complementary things to say about each other and you looked very happy together in that photo in the bar for the Q fundraiser back in November. Maybe if we would all mind our own business and get out of the way of you two...!? ...Maybe, you could get back together, eh?! Anyway, I can tell Adams is really depressed and confused right now. He could use a friend. Why not give him a call to cheer him up and encourage him to return to his desk on Monday? Truly, this will all blow over in a couple of months. Take care--and yes, you are a gorgeous hunk that no one in their right mind would refuse! ;P

BREEDLOVE:
ps: I have a straight male friend--even HE thought you were hot when he saw your picture on the cover of the WW! You are a Rock Star like Obama! :)

"What goes into 17 three times?"

I'm pretty sure Sam only had to go into 17 once for it cost him the Mayor's Office.

Based on comment from Steve on BikePortland.org:
To reiterate what others have said a million times-
He lied [when asked] about an alleged relationship with a minor. A perfectly legitimate question to ask, by the way. He then used that lie to attack others [Ball] and accuse them of being bigots (anti-gay). Classy guy, eh?

It would also take a simpleton to ignore the absurd hiring of Mercury Reporter, Amy Ruiz, to a position she is clearly not qualified for.

He has clearly violated the city's ethics rules by creating an 'Appearance of impropriety". Those are not my words, they are the words that Sam is beholden to as leader of our city.