About 450 people are here at Montgomery Park this weekend for Rebooting Democracy, jazzing themselves up for the election year.
(Here let me disclose that when I’m not blogging for WW, I’m volunteering for the conference. One of my friends from college suckered me into doing sound for the conference months ago.)
“This event allows us to provide an access point to civic and political engagement,” says Jefferson Smith, Executive Director of the Bus Project (who was taking a break from his Legislative campaign for the weekend).
The purpose of Rebooting Democracy, which was organized by the Bus Project, is to create a forum for progressives to talk about issues important to Oregon in the 2008 election year, and give opportunities to participants to figure out how to move those issues forward.
Comparing the beginning of the twenty-first century to the progressive era at the beginning of the twentieth, Smith says that the 1980’s and 1990’s were “an era of ‘me’.”
“I think we’re beginning to lift our heads up from our stock options,” Smith says.
“We really wanted to create a narrative, and tell a story about Oregon and about Oregonians who have in the past and can in the future create an example for our country,” says Alex Aronson, Organizing Director for the Bus Project, citing Oregon’s history as a progressive state.
The conference kicked off with a welcoming address from Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). Wearing a bright blue bike pin that could be spotted at the very back of Montgomery Park’s banquet room, he framed his speech in terms of geezers and young people.
“Young people are leading the call for change,” he said.
Citing problems with health, global warming and public opinion about federal government, Blumenauer—in a voice obviously trying to get people pumped up for the conference—said “we cannot afford to be coasting.”
To which there was luke warm applause. Where’s the excitement, I wondered, looking at the audience sitting languidly in their seats. Are these people really going to be rebooting democracy?
My lids were getting heavy listening to what was obviously a quickly planned speech by Blumenauer, when out of the blue an elderly woman in a fire engine red shirt shouted “WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO IMPEACH BUSH?” Everyone must have been commiserating with me, because a lot of heads perked up and people sat up in their seats.
Part of a group calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, she had been protesting outside of the Park before the conference got underway. After pausing to collect himself, Blumenauer began talking about the Republican “road block” in the Senate, which would make an impeachment process impossible.
I couldn’t hear clearly what the woman said next, but it was something about Blumenauer not answering her question and asking when he was going to stand up and start an impeachment process.
“Ma’am, I’m trying to answer your question,” Blumenauer said. To which the woman (she left the conference before I could get a chance to interview her) continued heckling Blumenauer about evading her question.
“Well, then be quiet and let me answer it,” he said.
This garnered the loudest and most enthusiastic applause of the afternoon. Everyone likes a little drama, I guess.
The rest of Friday was spent in workshops and panels about health care, ballot measure reform, voter owned elections, climate change and other things you might expect when you stick a bunch of progressives together in a political conference.
“It’s all fairly intellectual,” says Aaron Deas, a conference participant. “I like how it’s not dumbed down. Everyone here is interesting in learning.”
The highlight so far today has been the Policy Battle Royale (I don’t know if this was planned by the Bus Project, but note that the event has the same acronym as Pabst Blue Ribbon). Seventeen different policies on a range of issues were chosen by the Bus Project for the conference, and during four 25 minutes sessions, experts on those issues pitched their policy to conference participants, who then were able to present their questions and ideas.
“Policy Battle Royale is a snapshot of the ideas and people out there,” says Aronson.
After talking the issues over, everyone convened in the conference room for the Lightning Round, where the people representing their policy was given one minute to pitch their policy to the entire banquet room. It was tough for some of them, and to keep them in line (as well as introduce them), the Bus Project enlisted Steve Novick, a contender for the Democratic nomination for Senate.
Novick’s formula for introducing people—and talking about politics—seems to be quip, quip, extremely intelligent remark, quip, quip. Here’s an example:
If his hook wasn’t intimidating enough, look at what the Bus Project gave him in case the policy pitchers exceeded their one-minute limit (sorry about the resolution...but you get the idea):
Yikes! And he wasn’t afraid to use it. Check it out:
After the pitches, people went around voting for the issues they cared most about. Eight issues will make it to the final lightning round, an Iowa style caucus where people will vote with their feet. (Be sure to check out tomorrow's post with the results!)
And the fun doesn’t stop here. Tonight at 9p is the conference’s PolitiPalooza party, featuring music by the Shaky Hands, DJ Beyond and Copacrescent. It’s open to the public, but you gotta pay $10. You can come dance your socks off, then stick around for the Fashion Show, featuring none other than Portland mayoral candidate Sam Adams. Post and video to come!
- Booty Call: Get To Rebooting Democracy This Weekend All the p
- Has democracy been rebooted? It showed
- ELECTION 2008: Blumenauer slights Novick, slams Smith in press call U.S. Rep.
- Earl’s Safe Kingdom [NEWS STOR
- No Senator Blumenauer (Yet.) This afte
That fiery old lady had a point. I urge readers to join over 185,000 fellow Americans in suporting Congressman Wexler’s call for immediate impeachment hearings. http://www.wexlerwantshearings.com
Our Adventure Into Never-Never Land!
We arrived at our destination in front of the building, which was going to host Rebooting Democracy08 at 1:45 PM. We had been in contact with Ms. Caitlin Baggott, one of the members of the Bus Project and were given permission to hand out our leaflets outside the doors. When we made the turn into the parking lot there were about a dozen or so protesters along the street to greet the Peace Bus. Yes, we arrived with members of Chapter 72, to the cheers of our friends in a 30-foot bus with peace messages and impeachment signs all over the bus.
As we passed the security people standing at the gate, I knew the rules were about to be changed. We came off the bus, and Building Management with their security people looked like someone hit them with a brick—they did not know what to do with us progressives. First, they demanded we get out and off their private property. I explained we had permission to have people by the doors to hand out our leaflets, I called for Caitlin Baggott, “Caitlin come out wherever you are, no Caitlin–I knew this was not good. We talked and explained that we would move the bus, (parked at a yellow lined curb) but would not go away from the front door because we had permission to hand out our leaflets. The usual stand off began, they still did not know what to do except call the cops.
The police came and the negotiations began, I was talking to the supervisor when I noticed this guy who had a great hat on and asked, Who are you? “I am the City Attorney” was his reply–“cool,” I said, “We have a problem.”
Meanwhile, up on the street outside of the parking lot and off their private property the crowd was building, maybe thirty people now were standing with protest signs ranging from stop the war, impeachment now, to a picture of Earl’s bloody hands. We had banners, we had flags, and we had real progressives on the streets. and it was good.
The City Attorney was cool, he smiled a lot, I kind of liked him. The police were cool, they just laughed a lot; the building management and their security were in a tight spot, what to do with the little old vet who had, “A mouth that never stopped.”
Well, we agreed to move the bus into the parking lot, and have two people hand out our leaflets to the progressive democrats. I thought all our problems were resolved—boy, was I wrong. There was a woman who never identified herself but was part of the rebooting gang, said that Blumenauer was going to only speak for a few minutes at 2:40 or so. I looked at her and said, “The registration is not over until 3:00 PM and the Earlman is scheduled to run his mouth until about 3:45 PM. We will know when he starts and when he’s finished telling the kids how wonderful he is and always will be.” She went back into the woodwork with her two young assistants. Things were going OK.
About 3:00 PM we had about 50 people along the sidewalks and just outside the parking lot, you could not drive in without seeing us. The reception from the people coming in to hear our weak-kneed congressional representative was strange. They looked surprised and then fearful. They did take our leaflets and some did come over to talk to us. All that was left was for Blumenauer to finish his hot air for the “Bobble Heads,” and we were out of there. Two cop cars came into the parking lot and that always means there’s a problem somewhere.
Gordon from Eugene and a few other people were with me when we entered the building to find out what had happened, there was a major break in protocol, and someone had asked a question during or after the speech by Blumenauer.
Bad-bad-bad—Rebooting Democracy was not going to tolerate a member from the audience asking the welcoming speaker a question. The cops were called immediately and when I learned it was Bonnie who dared to ask a question, I started to laugh and asked the City Attorney and the rest of the protective force around this event, “You want to arrest a member of the press for asking a question of her congressman?” I looked around for Bush, but he was not there. Or was he?
Again it was resolved and even the police who had to come back seemed astonished that they were called for such a minor infraction of protocol. We were just about finished and most of us were worn out. Some went down to the Square to support the protest that goes on every Friday night; I just went home to bed. There was one part of the event that would happen on Saturday morning. Jeff Smith said he would set up a room for us to hold a work shop on Impeachment. I was taken by surprise by this offer. The arrangements were dubious from the start. Jeff was going to call me in the morning and let me know what time and I would call Dr. Jack Dresser and John Bradach to let them know what time etc. No phone call from Jeff.
I waited but never did get any message; Jack and Malcolm got tired of waiting and just went down to the event to see what was going on. John joined them and our work shop looked like it was going to take place. Only one of the progressive attendees signed up so as an alternate plan Jack, Malcolm and John got to sit at a lunch table and talk to a small group of kids who were assigned to their table. I will ask Malcolm, Jack or John to give their opinions on what happened because I was not there.
Bonnie did get to sell some red impeach shirts, but from what I understand sales to the progressives were slow and we may have to help her cover any loss she experienced. John et all did spend more time talking to people and that is always worth a few bucks. There was a cover charge of $50.00 for the day and I don’t think Bonnie covered her expenses.
What I learned from this experience is that I have very little in common with these progressives. They talk but don’t understand that democracy is a concept that is messy and must be defended every day, not just at cocktail parties with famous or not so famous people. For me, the real progressives were on the streets and we represented the wishes of the American people by any legitimate poll. The would be progressives were inside having a good old time. But that is just me.
I hope this gives you some idea of what happened from my vantage point and others should comment on how they saw the event.
There is something we should all start to think about, the defeat of the Earlman in 2010. We must run an independent candidate against him and we have three years to pull this off; let’s start the conversation now and form a group: Stop the Earlman!
Joe Walsh—Lone vet
Portland, Oregon.