This Week in the Mercury
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
News / Politics Today In Recall Land
Posted by Matt Davis on Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Three things of note. First, Willamette Week editor in chief Mark Zusman has a page and a half opinion lede called "Sign It," subtitle, "What to do When the Recall Petitioners Ask For Your Signature" in this week's issue:
Recall campaigns are nasty, brutish and short. They also tend to be awkward, divisive and unduly influenced by money.Yet, after wrestling with this issue, we have come to see the value for Portland in such an election.
That’s why we are endorsing Jasun Wurster’s efforts to gather 32,183 signatures to put the question of recalling Mayor Sam Adams on the ballot.
Not to punish, and not out of rancor; rather, to help our city get back on track.
Read the whole thing over there. Second, former mayor Tom Potter posted this on his Facebook page earlier:
"I met a great guy the other day. His name is Jasun Wurster. He is leading the effort to recall Mayor Sam Adams. I respect his approach in keeping the campaign positive, his use of volunteer signature gatherers, and his commitment to good government. I ask anyone who lives in Portland to be a volunteer, give money to the campaign, sign the petitlon, and make a difference. Jasun can't do this by himself."
Third: Recall spokesman Jasun Wurster says he has 2,000 of his target 50,000 signatures in hand—the deadline for submission is October 5th, or 75 days. "We have over 200 volunteers right now," he says. "And we're signing up volunteers every day. And that's how we're gonna win." Wurster says 20 new volunteers signed up just yesterday. "I met a great guy on Monday, his name is Tom Potter," says Wurster, when asked about Potter's Facebook update. "I'm elated to have his support and also experience in running grassroots campaigns."
Wurster says Potter is going to help the campaign with fundraising, and by calling on his "extensive network of civic and business leaders that he has exposure to", who will "hopefully they will follow his lead and sign on to the campaign."
1
The Oregonian also reported they have 40,000 signatures that have not yet been turned in. Shocking.
I posted the following on the Oregonian comments section, sorry for the repost but I cannot help myself.
The recall will be having a table at an upcoming gun show according to the comments section of a recent story in the Tribune.
The latest ‘big’ donor to the recall as reported by Orestar is from out of state and appears to have previously donated to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth based on a Google search.
The event yesterday was at the business of a Ron Paul supporter who is for the recall because he feels Sam represents big government.
The number of people commenting on the Oregonian who support the recall based primarily on the 39th Avenue renaming is significant, and it has nothing to do with the stated rationale of the recall leadership.
Now an Oregonian story from yesterday says the recall will be circulating a petition at a church, which is the same tactic that was used for measure 36.
In February Jasun Wurster promised this is not how the recall would operate in an interview with Just Out. “This cannot be subverted by people who have a political or, more so, a social agenda,” he said. “It’s not going to be or I’ll pull the plug on it at any minute.”
Who is the liar now?
I posted the following on the Oregonian comments section, sorry for the repost but I cannot help myself.
The recall will be having a table at an upcoming gun show according to the comments section of a recent story in the Tribune.
The latest ‘big’ donor to the recall as reported by Orestar is from out of state and appears to have previously donated to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth based on a Google search.
The event yesterday was at the business of a Ron Paul supporter who is for the recall because he feels Sam represents big government.
The number of people commenting on the Oregonian who support the recall based primarily on the 39th Avenue renaming is significant, and it has nothing to do with the stated rationale of the recall leadership.
Now an Oregonian story from yesterday says the recall will be circulating a petition at a church, which is the same tactic that was used for measure 36.
In February Jasun Wurster promised this is not how the recall would operate in an interview with Just Out. “This cannot be subverted by people who have a political or, more so, a social agenda,” he said. “It’s not going to be or I’ll pull the plug on it at any minute.”
Who is the liar now?
2
You are. Or, more properly, I suppose, you're the guilt-by-associator. I bet I can find a pedophile who opposes the recall. Does that fact, standing alone, mean that the recall is a good idea?
3
The scandal presented an opportunity for people who don't like Adams to play sore loser. If you didn't like him before-- why would you like him now?
Adams gave the frothing idiots their rallying cry. And of course it's "not" about Sam being gay, just as the Obama "birthers" insist it's not about Barack being black.
Oh, those poor disenfranchised middle-class white Christians! When I hear a birther embarass herself by shouting "I want my country back", I think of the delusional recallers prattling on about how Sam has "brought shame to our city." I guess temper tantrums last as long as they have to.
Adams gave the frothing idiots their rallying cry. And of course it's "not" about Sam being gay, just as the Obama "birthers" insist it's not about Barack being black.
Oh, those poor disenfranchised middle-class white Christians! When I hear a birther embarass herself by shouting "I want my country back", I think of the delusional recallers prattling on about how Sam has "brought shame to our city." I guess temper tantrums last as long as they have to.
4
The social aspects of the recall can be debated and decided in the recall campaign. If folks think a bunch of conservatives are after Adams, they can vote NO.
Thing is, nobody gets to vote if it isn't on the ballot. If I were Wurster I would be turning away from all that moral high ground baloney too. He needs the signature of everyone willing to sign, regardless of motive. That's the only way it gets to the ballot.
Thing is, nobody gets to vote if it isn't on the ballot. If I were Wurster I would be turning away from all that moral high ground baloney too. He needs the signature of everyone willing to sign, regardless of motive. That's the only way it gets to the ballot.
5
So doing the math. Taking him at his word that he has 2,000 signatures (sig gathering campaigns always overestimate) that means he has been collecting at a clip of about 133 signatures a day.
75 days for 48,000 signatures = 640 signatures a day.
Quite a leap, but doable. But here is the problem - every day he fails to hit 640 signatures from here on out his job gets exponentially more difficult.
Not surprised that WWeek has jumped on the bandwagon, their circulation depends on a recall.
Also still puzzled by anyone who thinks that Potter somehow lends legitimacy to this whole thing. One of the worst mayors in Portland's history supports recalling his successor who he didn't support in the first place. Why is this news? And why does this help?
75 days for 48,000 signatures = 640 signatures a day.
Quite a leap, but doable. But here is the problem - every day he fails to hit 640 signatures from here on out his job gets exponentially more difficult.
Not surprised that WWeek has jumped on the bandwagon, their circulation depends on a recall.
Also still puzzled by anyone who thinks that Potter somehow lends legitimacy to this whole thing. One of the worst mayors in Portland's history supports recalling his successor who he didn't support in the first place. Why is this news? And why does this help?
6
There are 40K worth of signaturess on petitions out in the community being circulated by the hands of over 200 volunteers. By the end of the month, we will have at LEAST 500 volunteers at the rate they are popping up asking for petitions.
40K signatures collected by 500 volunteers equals 80 signatures per volunteer. One good day of signatur gathering, or two. I have personally gathered over 300 and have set myself a goal of 1000, as have a few others amongst us, all died-in-the-wool democrats like me (my first vote after I became eligible was cast for Jesse Jackson).
Keep grasping at straws and trying to polarize the situation and make it even uglier that it is.
We want nothing more than to put the question to the vote. I personally, will be the first to ask Adams if he would like any help from me once he is properly and democratically elected, should that be the outcome of this effort.
40K signatures collected by 500 volunteers equals 80 signatures per volunteer. One good day of signatur gathering, or two. I have personally gathered over 300 and have set myself a goal of 1000, as have a few others amongst us, all died-in-the-wool democrats like me (my first vote after I became eligible was cast for Jesse Jackson).
Keep grasping at straws and trying to polarize the situation and make it even uglier that it is.
We want nothing more than to put the question to the vote. I personally, will be the first to ask Adams if he would like any help from me once he is properly and democratically elected, should that be the outcome of this effort.
7
"Thing is, nobody gets to vote if it isn't on the ballot"
Yes, because the point of a democracy is not to simply to hold one election for an office, it's to continuously hold elections every time some folks become dissatisfied with the elected person's performance. Or is that American Idol? I'm constantly getting the two confused.
Yes, because the point of a democracy is not to simply to hold one election for an office, it's to continuously hold elections every time some folks become dissatisfied with the elected person's performance. Or is that American Idol? I'm constantly getting the two confused.
8
" personally, will be the first to ask Adams if he would like any help from me once he is *properly and democratically elected*, should that be the outcome of this effort."
Hasn't that already happened?
Or does the above statement mean that everything else that was voted on during that election cycle was not "properly and democratically elected?"
Hasn't that already happened?
Or does the above statement mean that everything else that was voted on during that election cycle was not "properly and democratically elected?"
9
In my opinion, Adams wasn't properly and democratically elected, because he wouldn't have been elected at all without lying.
The statements:
"all politicians lie"
"politicians have to lie to get elected"
"lying scheming politicians are the only ones who get stuff done".....
"sex has nothing to do with politics".....
These are all old-world, pre-internet standards, that are totally ripe for change. If Obama can win the presidency on the engine of 50$ dollar donations, voters can certainly be heard loud and clear if they decide they actually DON"t want to be lied to by their representatives, about sex with a teenager or anything else. And how one conducts one's sex life, sorry, can say a lot about you. Chasing a teenager, then letting your lawyers hang him out to dry a few years later as a shady untrustworthy character is just SO not acceptable to some of us.
We are free to use our right to organize against this scheming standardbearer for an old political paradigm, and if you were at all open-minded, you would accept that, and quit slinging mud at us and pretending we're all republican homophobes.
Ridiculous.
The statements:
"all politicians lie"
"politicians have to lie to get elected"
"lying scheming politicians are the only ones who get stuff done".....
"sex has nothing to do with politics".....
These are all old-world, pre-internet standards, that are totally ripe for change. If Obama can win the presidency on the engine of 50$ dollar donations, voters can certainly be heard loud and clear if they decide they actually DON"t want to be lied to by their representatives, about sex with a teenager or anything else. And how one conducts one's sex life, sorry, can say a lot about you. Chasing a teenager, then letting your lawyers hang him out to dry a few years later as a shady untrustworthy character is just SO not acceptable to some of us.
We are free to use our right to organize against this scheming standardbearer for an old political paradigm, and if you were at all open-minded, you would accept that, and quit slinging mud at us and pretending we're all republican homophobes.
Ridiculous.
10
Gonetorio
I am going to leave the merits of this and go back to the signature gathering issue which I know very well having run 3 (successful) campaigns to get on the state ballot.
40,000 signatures (I assume 10 signature opportunities a sheet, so 4,000 sheets) means nothing. I learned the hard way that until a signature is in your office it doesn't count. Period. The vast majority of those 4,000 sheets will either a) never get used/recycled or b) come back with two signatures on it - the household basically.
You know how many signature sheets we printed and sent out in the last campaign I ran (needing 110,000 sigatures)? 75,000! That's SHEETS.
It's patently obvious you guys have no idea what you are doing.
I also don't agree with what you are doing but I also know how hard it is to take the time to gather 300 signatures so congrats on that.
I am going to leave the merits of this and go back to the signature gathering issue which I know very well having run 3 (successful) campaigns to get on the state ballot.
40,000 signatures (I assume 10 signature opportunities a sheet, so 4,000 sheets) means nothing. I learned the hard way that until a signature is in your office it doesn't count. Period. The vast majority of those 4,000 sheets will either a) never get used/recycled or b) come back with two signatures on it - the household basically.
You know how many signature sheets we printed and sent out in the last campaign I ran (needing 110,000 sigatures)? 75,000! That's SHEETS.
It's patently obvious you guys have no idea what you are doing.
I also don't agree with what you are doing but I also know how hard it is to take the time to gather 300 signatures so congrats on that.
11
I was tempted to oust Adams based on his support of the giant bridge for our Vancouverite masters, and for his ridiculous attempts to destroy the city infrastructure in order to put the nation's least-popular sport franchise in our midst.
Nevertheless, politicians exist for the sole purpose of disappointing me. If we kick out Adams, the next fucker is going to probably be as bad or worse. I'd rather let Adams try to scramble in an attempt to keep me happy than start over.
Nevertheless, politicians exist for the sole purpose of disappointing me. If we kick out Adams, the next fucker is going to probably be as bad or worse. I'd rather let Adams try to scramble in an attempt to keep me happy than start over.
12
To learn more about the recall go to www.recallsamadams.com. You can also follow us on Twitter - www.twitter.com/recallsam
Cheers all!
Cheers all!
13
This is still America so take your best shot, but know that out of state backers of the recall are grooming Wurster to be the new Sizemore - beats working for a living.
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