FeedsJeff Merkley: A Progressive's Progressive
It seems like the more I read about Jeff Merkley's various wonky thoughts and policies, the more I find to like about the guy.
First, over at Forward Oregon, there's an excellent account of Jeff's positions on nuclear weaponry and global warming. His words show that he's got a fierce progressive streak that would serve Oregon well in D.C. With respect to nuclear weaponry, Jeff feels the our country needs to work in good faith: if we're going to expect others to disarm, we need to stop producing our own nuclear weapons. At the same time, we must be leaders, ending testing and limiting states who have them.
This just makes sense to me. I remember when, during the 2004 presidential campaign, John Kerry talked about nuclear proliferation and disarmament. Bush scoffed at him and the idea! We need more leaders like Jeff Merkley who have national security experience and the common sense to push for smart nuclear arms policies.
As for global warming, Jeff keeps reminding people to look at the big picture. We can't just talk about cap-and-trade, but example our whole system: "I support a multidimensional approach to global warming, using carbon taxes, carbon limits with cap and trade systems, increase trees and carbon sequestering to take carbon out of the air, shifting to renewables and modernizing the electrical grid with wind, solar, wave power, especially in combination with plug in hybrids." Sounds good to me and sounds like the sort of talk we'll need in D.C. to enact serious climate change legislation.
Similarly, Sarah over at Lefty Lane wants us to take a careful look at the similarities between John Edwards and Jeff Merkley, both of whom are the sons of mill workers. She first wrote the analysis a couple of months ago, but it continues to ring true for me and I still feel compelled to share it. For me, it shows just how Jeff's a good, progressive person, legislator, and candidate.
Both Edwards and Merkley grew up in hardworking families without privilege, and Sarah wonders if it's this background that allows them to connect to today's working class. My favorite note of hers, however, is when she notes just how personal Jeff got when he was talking about the need for universal healthcare. In this regard, he's a progressive's progressive: he and his family have battled against health care, and so they know just how important full, real coverage is for every single American citizen.
I'd also encourage to to talk a look at Sarah's full post from back in November; it's a fun, thorough comparison between John and Jeff, looking at where their policies line up. It's quite revealing and allows you to see why Jeff's a big leader in the Oregon portion of John's campaign.
Finally, with all of the above in-mind, it's no surprise that the SEIU Local 503's recently-released report card on our State Legislators and their voting saw Jeff Merkley received the highest-possible rating. He scored an A+ in each category, from workers' rights to healthcare. Fantastic.
There's a long way to go until November 2008 and Gordon Smith, but reading stuff like the above makes me confident that we've found the right guy for the job. Someone who can beat Smith in November and someone who will go to Washington to stand up for each and every Oregonian. He's got the progressive vision to rely on and the solid legislative record to show us that he can makes things happen. And, you know what, I think he can do it and I like the guy.
Have a great weekend! If you're attending Rebooting Democracy, have a blast. I cannot make it, but I'm sure Michael or Hayes or Christine will have a fun recap for you.
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Comments from site editors have a darker background than comments from everybody else.Great post, Ben. If the SEIU gave report cards for Progressive Advocacy then I'm confident you'd get an A+ too.
Ya know... there's a common thread weaving among your fine post here, the one over at Bradley's blog and especially Sarah's great post - they are uniformly positive. None of the strident bitterness that permiates so much of what I read from advocates of other politicians, both in Oregon and beyond.
I know that the conventional wisdom dictates that when your candidate can't seem to get any traction then negativity will work. And to a large degree it's true, if history is any judge. Of course it's also an inherently conservative tact since that's how it's been done for eons. Progressives, on the other hand, strive for progress and positive affirmations of what is appealing about one's own candidate just strikes me as vastly more progressive than the negativity that seems to eminate from the core of conservatives and pseudo-progressives.
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That's an excellent point, Kevin. I don't know about you, but I'm just exhausted by the progressive in-fighting. We've got to get our country back on track, since Republicans like Gordon Smith will just continue the same old, disastrous policies. It's no wonder that Edwards' and Obama' messages of change and hope resonate so throughly with the electorate: I just get the feeling that people are aching for something new, hopeful, and positive.
And I'm just a positive guy. What can I say!
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I would thin a "progressive's progressive" would consistently take the strongest position on issues they care about. Merkley doesn't seem to fit the bill. Most notably, he doesn't even agree with the supposedly similar John Edwards on his central issue--taxing work and wealth equally. He also takes a less progressive position on same sex marriage and uncapping Social Security tax thresholds. And he has a history of taking contributions from decidedly unprogressive folks like Phillip Morris, if I recall.
Mr. Merkley certainly has strengths to tout, but being the most or prototypical progressive candidate isn't one of them.
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I wish that the strident progressives would take the time and effort to educate themselves. If they did then they would know that progressives have never agreed on a single creed of what constitutes progressivity.
Many of us see returning the religious rite of Marriage back to the Church from whence it came and fighting for the civil right of Civil Unions for everyone regardless of gender or orientation as inherently more progressive, just to cite one example.
Personally, I find the angry bitterness of the strident camp repelling and less than conducive towards the goal of unseating Gordon "Rubberstamp" Smith.
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what angry bitterness? Do you mean from approved surrogates of the Merkley campaign, who called his opponent "petty," "backbiting" and self-serving? That's not progressive by anyone's standards.
If that's not what you mean, please provide examples of "angry bitterness" that you're referring to.
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Wow... you seem really angry and bitter...
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I'm glad you brought that up, torridjoe. It's a perfect example of what I was referring to.
That entire train of events was set into motion by Novick himself. I'm tempted to call it a classic case of Preemptive Karma. Acting in his capacity as an unlicensed backseat driver, Steve stridently parroted a GOP smear against Jeff Merkley on a vote Jeff made several years ago on the apparent presumption that Oregon progressives wouldn't see through it. And what you're not admitting to is that the two legislators (AKA actual frontseat drivers who even voted the way that Novick claims was the only right way to vote) bluntly set the record straight.
For the life of me I don't see how or why you expected Oregon progressives to be receptive to a regurgitated GOP smear. I'm all the more bewildered at your implied notion that Oregonians would elect gutless sheep to represent us in the state legislature.
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I'm guessing Mark is referring to this, by State Representative Mary Nolan and State Representative Mitch Greenlick. They've worked with Jeff Merkley a long time and know the kind of man he is.
Actually, what they wrote is quite progressive. Calling for standing up for what one believes in no matter how politically unpopular it is, is as progressive as it gets. Asking for honesty and integrity for the process is too.
I thing perhaps "angry" and "bitter" is in the eye of the beholder. Mark's post above comes across as an example of that to me. But I'll bet he'd say that it isn't at all.
But then...progressives do tend to disagree on what is "most progressive", as I'm continually finding out. I'm guessing we'd disagree on other labels as well.
Carla--Netroots Outreach, Jeff Merkley for Oregon
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Oops...the html didn't work in comments.
Here's the link to Representative Mitch Greenlick and Representative Mary Nolan's post on Blue Oregon:
http://www.blueoregon.com/2007/10/smearing-jeff-m.html
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Fixed your html for you (by which I mean, switched it to markdown)
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Thanks, Michael. I see what I did wrong now. I didn't pay attention to Witigonen's code thing.
That's the second time this week you've bailed me out. :)
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Third, by my count.
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Not that I'm counting.
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I've never seen character assassination and provably inaccurate statements called "progressive" before, but maybe you just run with a different crowd, now. I'm also not sure how pointing to a statement full of namecalling makes ME angry and bitter but not them, but as you say maybe it's just one's perspective.
Beyond that, I hadn't yet replied, so Kevin must have had something else in mind when I asked the question.
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Okay, I give up. Who can tell me in plain English (my native tongue) what it is that TJ is talking about?
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As best I can tell, he seems to be saying that he's right and everyone else is wrong. Oh, and that if you disagree with him then you are not as progressive as he is. Something like that.
As a recovering conservative Republican (16+ years, thank you very much) I must say that it's disheartening to see the same kind of scorched-earth tactics being stridently employed on the Left that I saw stridently employed on the Right all those many years ago.
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Aw darn.
I go away to Seattle for a weekend and I miss all the fun! Teaches me to take time for myself...
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