Blum and Gloom XIV

Week 14

[video h/t Joe Anybody]

[Week 13 / Week 15]

Blum and Gloom XIII

Week 13

[video h/t Joe Anybody]

[Week 12 / Week 14]

Silencing Speech

Once again, i have been banned from "Oregon's biggest blog." Kari Chisholm accused me of making an ad hominem attack. And while making his accusation public, he deleted from public view the "offending" comment in question. Furthermore, i am no longer allowed to comment on Blue Oregon.

Set you irony meters on "stunning" as i lay out the facts.

Kari is well known for not playing well with others as he throws his weight around on Blue0. He also gets pretty mouthy (which would give me pause if he were on my payroll as he is for much of Oregon's top Dems - Gov. Kulongoski, US Sen. Wyden, US Rep. Blumenauer, Councilman Adams, Senator Brown, etc.).

"Don't be an asshole, [Stephanie]" - K. Chisholm

And here was the context...

Posted by: Stephanie V | Oct 2, 2007 2:07:29 PM [...] My only advice to Jeff: better hire Mandate Media to do your website, so you can keep getting some good pixels over here. %^> ------------------------------- Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Oct 3, 2007 1:45:03 AM My only advice to Jeff: better hire Mandate Media to do your website, so you can keep getting some good pixels over here. Don't be an asshole. That's not how it works and you know it.

Classy way to overreact. And so i thought it curious when Kari made the following comment:

Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Oct 14, 2007 8:44:05 PM Stephanie V wrote... Kari, I didn't say you were hopelessly biased or an unethical asshole...

To which i responded:

Posted by: East Bank Thom | Oct 14, 2007 10:13:10 PM [Stephanie V] - Kari, I didn't say you were hopelessly biased or an unethical asshole Stephanie, the first phrase roughly paraphrases what Kari admitted about himself. The latter insult (minus the adjective) was slung against you by Jeff Merkley's paid media consultant. Money well spent indeed.

Something about my comment really pissed off Kari. He deleted it and replace it with this message:

Posted by: East Bank Thom | Oct 14, 2007 10:13:10 PM [Ad hominem attack deleted. -editor.]

I tried to get a bit of clarification...

Dear Editor,
How can it be considered an "ad hominem" attack, when i simply hotlinked to two quotes from Blue0's editor? I didn't even requote his admission that he is not only biased, but "very biased" nor did i requote his characterization of Stephanie V as "an asshole." Perhaps it was that i noted how the editor is Jeff Merkley's paid media consultant? Seeing that the editor has admitted as much, i don't understand how this could be considered an "ad hominem attack."

signed,
Curious in SE Portland

But alas...

An error occurred...
Your comment has not been posted because we think it might be comment spam. If you believe you have received this message in error, please contact the author of this weblog.

There's nothing quite as patriotic as silencing free speech. Jeff Merkley, I salute you.

Blum and Gloom XII

[Week 11 /Week 12 / Week 13]

[video h/t Joe Anybody]






[Week 11 / Week 13]

Why I distrust the DSCC

The above is reposted with apologies to and in homage of Rob Tornoe, one of my favorite political cartoonists. I first read it on PolitickerOR. Do click on the image above for my adaptation!

Drinking Liberally

This was week two for "Drinking Liberally" at their new digs upstairs at Madison's Bar and Grill. They sport enough brews on tap to please most PDX armchair politicians and the service was top notch.

<<THIS JUST IN...>>

A Merkley staffer close to the campaign was asked, "Will Merkley ever debate Novick?" And the reply?

"Um, yeah. They'll be having a joint appearance this weekend."

Ok, so this isn't breaking news. It seems whenever the Merkley Machine is asked (or even the man himself), the response is to point to (even accidental) "joint appearances." Is this a winning strategy or just politicians as usual? I'd say "You decide," but it appears the Party in DC has already chosen for us.

Craig goes, comes...

Once out, the "never been gay" Idaho senator says he staying in and intends to continue servicing his constituents.

Sen. Craig not resigning despite judge's ruling

(CNN) -- Sen. Larry Craig on Thursday said he was not resigning from the Senate despite a Minnesota judge denying his request to withdraw his guilty plea stemming from his arrest in a sex sting at an airport men's room. [more...]

Blum and Gloom XI

[Week 10 / Week 11 / Week 12]
See also: Impeachment and City Hall

[video h/t Joe Anybody]

[Week 10 / Week 12]







































[Week 10 / Week 12]
See also: Impeachment and City Hall

Sam Adams

.
It's official. Sam Adams, unabashedly out Portland City Councilman is in the race for Puddletown's Mayor.

It seems even Sam's own media consultant was kept in the dark until the last moment garnering yours truly my first kudo over at Blue0 after a lengthy list of complaints (and even temporary, accidental bannination) for my critiques of another one of Mandate's client's, candidate Jeff Merkley.

Normally you wouldn't find me anywhere near Sam Adams and a pub. Traveling outside of Oregon i've asked, "Do you have any microbrews?" "We have Sam Adams lager!" No thanks. Portland's Sam Adams isn't anything like his namesake's distinctly average ale. His choice for tonight's announcement underscores this. Roots is the region's only all-organic brewery.

The event (whose hosts donated all tips and a portion of the receipts to the Leukemia Society) was a chance for normal folk to swim with the big fish in our small pond. I spotted pollster Mike Riley, who recently got a roasting for his polling tactics. In his defense, how can a guy who answers "wine" in a brewpub can't really be trusted to ask the right questions.

Also on hand were City Commissioner Randy Leonard and County Commish, Maria Rojo de Steffey. Underneath a portrait of Bob Marley, Sam gave credit to Portland's mayors present and past and went on to articulate his vision for Portland's future. [Disclaimer: I voted against Sam before i voted for him. Maybe it was simply Katz fatigue. After hearing his plan for small businesses, i was sold. As a successful small business, Roots lends Sam an important endorsement.

As Sam again steps into the media glare, he emerges perhaps scathed but strong following a failed smear campaign. That's partly why i was there, to keep good on a promise. Sam has been a good public servant. He's already earned my respect. He'll still have to earn my vote, but it was my pleasure to cheer him on in the process.

Chemical Ali not gassed

A month ago the death sentence was upheld for the cousin of Saddam Hussein, "Chemical Ali," for war crimes, including the use of chemical weapons against Kurdish civilians in 1988, killing as many as 180,000. The banned weapons were sold to Iraq by Ronald Reagan through is special envoy, Donald Rumsfeld. Current Iraqi law mandates that the death sentence be carried out within 30 days of an affirmative supreme court review. No word if the Iraqis will change the law retroactively or seek to turn back time.

City Council and impeachment

See also: Blumenauer impeachment vigil [Week 10 / Week 11]


When i heard that the City Council was hearing testimony calling for the impeachments of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, i knew i wanted to be there to show my support. The chambers were full by the time i pedaled across the Willamette. Imagine my surprise when i saw sitting among the dozen or two bright red IMPEACH T-shirts none other than Oregon's soon to be ex-Speaker of the House, Jeff Merkley.

Imagine my disappointment when i learned that he had just shown up with a few other legislators in order to receive a deserved pat on the back. Still, this is the closest Speaker Merkley has come to supporting impeachment. Well... it's the closest he's come to so many impeachment supporters. There was that other time at the recent vigil on the Hawthorne bridge. The Speaker showed up and spoke about ending the war and holding bush accountable. But then he left, leaving the protest to the actual protesters. According to Merkley's media man at Mandate Inc., "Candidate time is the scarcest resource any campaign has."

The Mayor invited the politicians to stay for the upcoming testimony urging the the Council to join other cities in saying the time for dithering is over. The time to take a stand for the Constitution is now. But Speaker Merkley (and his internet spin-mistress, Carla "raving hypocrite" Axtman) had to leave, not wanting to squander the valuable capital which is "candidate time." On the plus side, with the pols leaving, they freed up some more seats for the people; normal people who assembled peaceably to petition their City Government. Sometimes, We the People must lead, especially when our elected leaders are beating a hasty retreat.

Grant from Veterans for Peace addressed the council. (I'll come back and post some of his cogent testimony - in the meantime, we can reflect on an earlier comment he made...)

My question related to whether Sen. Wyden thought the invasion/occupation was in violation of the Constitution, specifically Article 6. I whipped out my pocket Constitution edition copy ala, Sen. Byrd, just because I like to read from it instead of relying on memory. He went on to answer that he argued this on the floor during the debate. Well that's nice but what has he done about it since then? If it was in violation of the Constitution then it still is and his first duty is to uphold his oath of office.

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.[

It seems there are too many members of the House and Senate that put politics and party above their sworn obligation. They don't seem to realize they can "multi task". Did the Congress come to a screeching halt during Watergate? During Monicagate? No. Committees met, floor debate continued and bills were passed.

[video h/t Joe Anybody]
See also: Blumenauer impeachment vigil [Week 10 / Week 11]

Slick, Willie

Willie Smith is an aide to Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) working out of the congressman's Portland office. He took issue with the following comment i posted on Mandate's BlueOregon.com

The entire exchange follows...

Posted by: East Bank Thom | Oct 1, 2007 2:53:18 PM

Although a previous supporter (and fair to say "fan") of Blumenauer, he lost me when he stopped telling the truth. This "forum" was promised a month ago and confirmed to many. Blumenauer thought he could renege and nobody would care. (I mean who else are you going to vote for in May, and then the General?) It wasn't until Blumenauer's aides were confronted at his closed door conference with Pelosi that a September date was set.

Blumenauer isn't telling us the truth on impeachment. His recent statements that impeachment should now be on the table (coordinated after the August break with other chastised congressmen) along with his hollow call for "investigations" is just a stalling tactic. He has promised Pelosi he won't support impeachment. In exchange he's already gotten a new office with a splendid view of the Capitol dome. He's not running for the Senate because he's holding out for that long awaited Committee chairmanship.

Color me red, for irate. [photos...]

Posted by: Willie Smith | Oct 1, 2007 9:18:34 PM

East Bank Thom:

As a staff member for Earl, let me help shed some light on your ���claims��� of truth.

1.) We never ���reneged��� on our plan to have a Town Hall Meeting. When you are trying to schedule a Member of Congress who lives in Oregon and work in DC, things can be hectic. We were also working with leaders of Portland Peace Group to help publicize Earl���s signing of the Oregon Declaration of Peace. I thought it would make sense to do these at the same time and so our timeline was bumped back. It was also posted on various websites before we hosted the Speaker Pelosi event.

2.) You may not like Earl���s position, but he has been quite clear in telling people where he stands. He always posts his comments on his website and we try and respond to all constituents who write or call in (we might occasionally miss one or two, but we try hard not too).

3.) Office locations in Washington, DC are decided by seniority and lottery. It has nothing to do with who the Speaker is. We did get a new office this Congress, because many Members with more seniority than Earl either retired or lost their re-elections in 2006.

4.) Most Committee Chairs are also decided by seniority.

5.) He has never promised the Speaker or anyone else that he wouldn���t support impeachment, nor has he ever said it was ���off the table���. He just doesn���t believe that it is the best way to achieve the goal that we all want, rolling back the disastrous policies of George Bush and his apologists in the US Congress.

Disagree with that decision, tell him why you think he is wrong, but please don���t just make wild assumptions and post them. If you have questions about something call me. I���d be more than happy to tell you the truth.

Posted by: East Bank Thom | Oct 2, 2007 7:51:17 AM

As a staff member for Earl, let me help shed some light on your ���claims��� of truth.

Willie, when you guys speak from the congressman's office, you speak for the office. So i will stand by my "wild assumption" that Earl Blumenauer lied to me when he didn't follow through with his promise (repeated through his staffers) to hold a forum in August. [LT, the difference between this and your anecdote of "come back in an hour" is one month and 66 more dead troops

When you are trying to schedule a Member of Congress who lives in Oregon and work in DC, things can be hectic.

Incompetence is no excuse, Willie.

We were also working with leaders of Portland Peace Group to help publicize Earl���s signing of the Oregon Declaration of Peace. I thought it would make sense to do these at the same time

Indeed, Wyden also tried to take the pressure of his misguided stance on impeachment by waving the flag of his anti-war cred. It didn't work for him either.

It was also posted on various websites before we hosted the Speaker Pelosi event.

Don't know/care what "various" sites you're talking about. Joe [Bolenbaugh] in your office said "Keep looking to the Congressman's website" ... "Homepage?" i asked. "Yeah," he said (on more than one occasion).

he has been quite clear in telling people where he stands.

I disagree. Watch the end of the "accountability" forum [video here...] and see Earl try to get up and go without saying ANYTHING about impeachment.

we try and respond to all constituents who write or call in

Even as you ignore the constituents who have been protesting outside your office (729 NE Oregon St.) for 10 weeks (Thursdays, noon to 2pm)... Yep, we see you going out the back door, Willie...

Office locations in Washington, DC are decided by seniority and lottery. It has nothing to do with who the Speaker is.

Then congratulations. But don't try and tell me that Blumenauer's reluctance to pursue impeachment is unrelated to Speaker Pelosi. It comes off as phony as Earl saying on the radio he didn't know who first took impeachment "off the table."

I'd be more than happy to tell you the truth.

Somebody in Blumenauer's office needs to. Because the Congressman isn't when he claims:

"Nobody in Oregon has been more opposed to this administration and that will continue. Nobody in any of these meetings has worked harder or longer to get the Bush administration out of office"

This claim quite frankly pisses me off. Personally, i have only recently left the cheap seats of the peanut gallery which is this blogosphere and taken to the streets to hold Bush, Cheney & Co accountable. Blumenauer comes off like Giuliani who idiotically claimed to have spent as much or more time at ground zero as the first responders. (Turn's out [Giuliani] actually spent more time at baseball games...) Tell it to John Bradach, Earl, whose nephew, Marine Cpl. Travis Bradach-Nall was killed in Iraq. Travis volunteered to stay on an extra three months to clear land mines. He was killed in a mine explosion the very day Bush said "Bring 'em on.." Tell John, who was at the forum, that you're working harder than him to get Bush out of office... Tell John, who spends hours every week trying to get you to do your sworn duty and uphold the Constitution... Tell, John... tell us all that Bush hasn't committed any impeachable offense.

And then have your spokesman tell us that you're telling the truth.

Posted by: Willie Smith | Oct 2, 2007 8:25:03 AM

Thom-

You lose a lot of credibility with me when you continue to call people "liars" when there was no intent to deceive. Changing the date of a town hall meeting, doesn't seem to constitute a "lie" to me....but to each their own.

The only thing that upsets me is when you say we "ignore" you. I have come outside and talked with the people in your group (including you!) most weeks. You come into the office almost every week. You have someone who films these interactions almost every week.

We clearly are not ignoring you, I think we just don't agree with you.

I appreciate John Bradach's passion (and have spoken with him many times) and all of those who are doing what they think is right and we'll always meet and listen to people, even if we don't agree.

In 2000 and 2004 (when I didn't even work for Earl), I saw Earl and his team working every night and weekend along with thousands of Oregonians to help elect Al Gore and John Kerry.

I hope that you personally will spend as much time helping the Democratic nominee for president in 2008

Posted by: East Bank Thom | Oct 3, 2007 12:15:57 AM

Lies, damn lies and exaggeration...

You lose a lot of credibility with me when you continue to call people "liars" when there was no intent to deceive.

That's pretty slick, Willie... We want your boss to hold Bush accountable and you want to argue the definition of "liar." Save me your unrighteous indignation. Let's just say you're exaggerating now.

I have come outside and talked with the people in your group (including you!) most weeks.

Most? Surely you jest... and by jest i mean exaggerate. (Check the videos)

You come into the office almost every week.

Since the present action began, i've called three times and dropped in the office 4 of the 11 weeks. You do the math.

Changing the date of a town hall meeting, doesn't seem to constitute a "lie" to me...

Let me refresh your memory, Willie. In early August (after the third week of regular Thursday protests at 729 NE Oregon St.), your office began telling various interested parties that the congressman would hold a forum on impeachment at the end of the month before returning back to DC. This event was confirmed to me as late as August 23. I was told to just check your website for details (and that's what i passed along to others.) When another week went by with no word, i called the office and was told by Sage that no forum was planned... not that it had been postponed. The following day, i spoke in person with Joe. He too confirmed there wouldn't be any forum before the end of the August break (and again, there was no mention of postponement). I told him the congressman ought to at least post something on his website and Joe agreed that was a good idea and promised to pass it on (which i assume he did). The deadline for an August forum passed with no explanation or clarification on blumenauer.house.gov. You made me look like a liar... When you speak from the congressman's office, you speak for the congressman.

So we go from exaggeration to miscommunication to outright deception. After returning to the new DC office that he won in a lottery, the congressman posted a statement indicating that impeachment should no longer be considered by Congress to be "off the table." The following week he clarified this statement on KPOJ and made the following outrageous statement.

And one of the things that concerned me was the notion that it wasn't quote "on the table" at this moment. Somebody at some point said the phrase quote "off the table"

I say "outrageous" because we are led to believe that Blumenauer has no idea who started this rumor in the first place that impeachment had be taken off the table. That "somebody" who took impeachment off the table was the soon to be Madame Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. She said this in 2003 to her Democratic caucus members during their weekly closed meeting. The key figure in the House continuing to keep impeachment off the table is Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Willie, you claimed up-thread: "Most Committee Chairs are also decided by seniority." That's not the whole truth, is it now. Nancy Pelosi has a great deal to say what role Earl Blumenauer will play in the next Congress (assuming her reluctance to hold Bush accountable doesn't result in the House reverting back to Republican control).

Blumenauer Responds

Although a previous supporter (and fair to say "fan") of Blumenauer, he lost me when he stopped telling the truth. His recent "Forum on Peace and Accountability" was promised a month ago and confirmed to many. Blumenauer thought he could renege and nobody would care. (I mean who else are you going to vote for in May, and then the General?) It wasn't until Blumenauer's aides were confronted at his closed door news conference with Nancy Pelosi that a September date was set.

Blumenauer isn't telling us the truth on impeachment. His recent statements that impeachment should now be on the table (coordinated after the August break with other chastised congressmen) along with his hollow call for "investigations" is just a stalling tactic. He has promised Pelosi he won't support impeachment. In exchange he's already gotten a new office with a splendid view of the Capitol dome. He's not running for the Senate because he's holding out for that long awaited Committee chairmanship.

Color me red, for irate. [photos...]

A week after the forum, Rep. Blumenauer responded.