July 07, 2004
Mayoral Campaign Tidbits (No, Really!)
Yes, There's Still An Election Coming
A story as related to us today by a streetroots vendor: "Vote for Tom Potter, he needs the money. He tried to buy a streetroots but only had 35 cents." Said vendor offered to sell it to him for that amount anyway, but Potter apparently didn't want to pay less than the usual dollar.
For the sake of candidate balance, Sarah Gilbert spots Jim Francesconi and ponders a thing or two about bicycles and fitness. Not to worry, though, Sarah. Soon, Francesconi will be out and about on his red Vespa.
Meanwhile, as we all start gearing up for the general election campaigns, The Oregonian editorializes about the sorry state of discussion during the primary campaign, in the aftermath of an apparent announcement last week (of which we've heard nary a word) that Potter and Francesconi are discussing holding twenty separate debates. The paper seems a little put off by such a high number.
That's not to say there aren't 20 topics worth talking about, but such a quantity of debates would almost certainly attenuate their quality. We're guessing most Portlanders would eagerly swap 20 so-so forums for 10 vigorous exchanges or even five truly memorable and dramatic debates.
True, voters want something akin to improvisational theater from a debate. That's unrealistic, perhaps, but why shouldn't debates be more lively and unrestrained? During the primary, the Portland City Club gave candidates a chance to quiz each other, which sharpened the dialogue, however briefly.
For our part, we'd like to make a request of any representatives of the Potter and Francesconi campaigns out there reading this: Find out who's received the two inquiries (per candidate) we've made regarding a new and unique debate concept we've been pitching, find out why we've yet to receive a response, and then find out what the candidates' answers are to our invitation. Thank you.
Finally, that same editorial mentions the possibility of a debate moderated by former candidates James Posey and Phil Busse, which seems like as good a place as any to mention this week's launch party for whatever it is the Me for Mayor campaign is morphing into.
Comments (1)
Tom for Mayor on 08 Jul 2004
I will look into your requests today. I haven't heard anything about your "new and unique debate concepts." You've got me intrigued.
Tom is excited about finally getting a chance to have a real one-on-one discussion/debate with the commissioner. He also believes the more creative the venue, the better. The campaign is already mulling over some ideas, but we are willing to consider others.