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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Occupy / City Hall Legislative Partners: Occupy Portland and Mayor Sam Adams

Posted by Denis C. Theriault on Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 5:59 PM

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Mayor Sam Adams this afternoon won enthusiastic council approval for a pair of resolutions that might never have seen the light of day if not for the persistence and mere presence of the Occupy movement, both here and in Portland.

(Well, most of the council, at least. Nick Fish was home sick, and Dan Saltzman, who's been very conspicuous lately, was out on long-planned absence.)

One resolution slags corporate personhood, calls for campaign finance reform, and sets in motion a citywide "advisory" vote on corporate personhood. The other loudly demands the swiftest possible drawdown of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and the redistribution of "war dollars" for starving schools and social services programs.

Of course, they're both symbolic—calling on other governing bodies to do difficult things they probably won't do. And I'm having a hard time getting as excited as the packed crowd that spent hours in city hall today cheering them on with a passionate debate that one city hall staffer, more cynical than myself, equated to "the kind of discussion I find myself having after four or five cocktails."

Even the mayor—who spent a few minutes making clear he wasn't angry at corporations, per se, just at the Supreme Court decision that dubbed them (and also nonprofit unions) people—seemed to be on that wavelength at times. As he celebrated at the end of the afternoon hearing, he also tamped down expectations about what would happen as his resolutions advance to the "less-than-thoughtful dialogue" on the national level.

So why bother, then? It's a fair question. But I think it goes too far to declare the whole exercise pointless. And here's why: On a local level, this lends some heft—a tangible victory—to a maturing, evolving, increasingly engaging Occupy movement. Without Occupy Portland's persistent input—building from the work of a policy solutions committee that took root way back in October—the mayor's stab at attacking corporate personhood would have been way more tepid.

It was Occupy that helped persuade his staff to address not only personhood, but finance reform, once he unveiled his draft proposals late last year. And it was Occupy that helped persuade his staff to muscle up and direct the city attorney's office to prepare for a citywide referendum that would put all of Portland on record.

"That was a big thing," said one occupier who met with the mayor's staff, John Springer. "We wanted to get an election."

Another reason why this wasn't pointless? It might also lead Portlanders to re-embrace public financing of elections—maybe with some more fixes and safeguards to make sure the money is spent appropriately.

Commissioner Amanda Fritz, clinging to the defunct public financing standards ($5 and $50 donations) in her re-election race against well-funded State Representative Mary Nolan, came close to giving a stump speech in her testimony on why campaign finance reform matters. But Fritz, the first successful non-incumbent to use public cash to win office, had a point.

"I've never accepted corporate contributions, and I never will," she said. "Money and politics is ... it's not participatory democracy, it's money."

Then she railed against the Portland Business Alliance's 2010 drive to shut down voter-owned elections—an argument that focused heavily on a few bad cases (Emilie Boyles, chiefly) but less on the system's moderating influence on big-check fundraising.

"The reality is the cost is much higher when people are taken out of the discussion," Fritz said, "and money is the main reason people get elected."

I'm sure occupiers were listening. If they want an even bigger marlin to hoist over the proverbial mantel at their new space over at St. Francis Church, reviving voter-owned elections wouldn't be a bad place to start. And there wouldn't be anything symbolic about it.

"This movement is more than a blip. It's a tidal wave," one woman testified. "We the people are pissed off."

 

Comments (9) RSS

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1
Denis, I'd go with your first instinct: it's pointless.
Posted by Blabby on January 12, 2012 at 8:36 PM · Report
2
This is the sort of thing that makes people laugh at Portland.

First of all, the Citizens United decision did not declare that corporations are people. That was decided under US law decades (centuries?) ago. Denis, are you and Adams really that stupid?

Second, if Mayor Adams is so against corporate personhood, why doesn't he push to dissolve the City as an entity and take personal liability for everything it does? You know, for example, the thugs at the PPB who go psycho on people? Yeah, I'm guessing he wouldn't like to pay for that sort of damage out of his own pocket.

Jesus, this is a level of dumb usually reserved for the Christo-fascists. Embarrassing.
Posted by Focus, Mushy-Headed Liberals on January 13, 2012 at 1:52 AM · Report
3
If Sam would have put as much real effort and thought into some of the problems the city actually has the purview to change, he might have made a pretty good mayor.
Posted by Chuck Garabedian on January 13, 2012 at 7:13 AM · Report
4
"This is the sort of thing that makes people laugh at Portland."

Damn right! I won't even bother drafting my own response - that sums it up nicely. Pointless waste!
Posted by Reymont on January 13, 2012 at 8:58 AM · Report
5
MASTURBATION SURE DOES FEEL GOOD.
Posted by Graham on January 13, 2012 at 10:33 AM · Report
6
@2: You're not really making sense. Just because the Citizens United vs. FEC decision upheld already existing status quo of corporate personhood, that doesn't mean it didn't establish a declare corporations to be persons under the law establishing a far wider basis for it specifically in terms of political campaigns. "Decades (centuries?)"? You don't really seem to know your stuff here. Santa Clara vs. Southern Pacific? Is that what you're trying to refer to?

And why the hell would a resolution opposing corporate personhood mean that Adams would dissolve the City as an entity? I'm stumped as to the connection there. The City has a completely different kind of charter compared to a corporation.
Posted by geyser on January 13, 2012 at 10:35 AM · Report
7
Couple extra words in my 2nd sentence there, sorry.
Posted by geyser on January 13, 2012 at 10:36 AM · Report
8
Man some dum dums post on the Mercury's website. And post a LOT of stuff too! Hey Blabby, we meet again! Have you moved to Vancouver yet? http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/Blogto…

So, people passionately attempting to get monetary influence out of our government is pointless? Masturbation? That doesn't make any sense. Perhaps taking money's influence out of our politician's actions and legislative policies is a hell of a goal, but I assure you that it is not pointless. People getting together for the clear reason of creating a government that better reflects our society is the kind of stuff you read in history books. Pointless? Pff. Masturbation? Yea, if foreplay is campaign finance reform, and orgasm is the end of a plutocratic government!

I'll tell ya what wont make a damn difference in this world and IS masturbation and IS totally pointless: posting THOUSANDS of comments on a newspaper's website that does not seem to share the same narrow/negative/dum dum philosophies you do - yea, Blabby, Reymont, and Graham I'm talking to you. OLD PORTLAND LAME-O'S: GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN - THE YOUNGER HAPPY ART PARTY POSITIVE ACTIVIST WHO REALLY CARE ABOUT THIS PLACE GENERATION IS MULTIPLYING IN PORTLAND TOWN! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE FOR YOU!

And seriously, this is not pointless. Whoever happens to be reading this chain: never believe the negative comments from people who post on forums all day, or let it change a damn thing you do. I assure you, getting out there in real life and trying to make a heartfelt difference in this world - whatever it is - is not pointless. It never has been and never will be. THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED.
More...
Posted by PDXGoosh on January 13, 2012 at 3:17 PM · Report
9
PDXGoosh:
While I appreciate the humor in your naive assertion that Blabby, Graham and Reymont all occupy the same "old" Portland category, I must take issue with your conclusion that your "happy art party positive activist" clan cares more about this place than any one of the rest of us. That is simply absurd.
Moreover, your assertion that you are somehow poised to take over our pleasant burgh is beyond stupid. As the owner of more than one piece of property here in town, I can assure you I am not going anywhere anytime soon. Nor are my heirs.
And I also realize it may be problematic for you to wrap your mind around the fact that I am NOT, nor ever have been a Republican (capital R).
Please, for the sake of this city, if you have anything remotely positive to contribute, pull your head out of your ass.
Posted by Baron von Turdwell on January 14, 2012 at 1:32 AM · Report

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