Last night we went to the town hall with Senator Jeff Merkley and...
Sidebar discussion: Many elected representatives at the federal level fall somewhere along the continuum between "disappointing" and "useless." But, as an Oregon resident, I am glad to say that Jeff Merkley is one of the good ones. He is smart and courageous, and a representative we can be proud of - even if we still have to push him occasionally on certain issues.
...and were greeted at the door by two tables staffed with four volunteers - volunteers that I assume came from the local Democratic Party. Without any prompting from either Dale or I, they asked if I was still gathering signatures to get on the ballot. I said that indeed I was, and we showed them the clipboards we had brought with us for that very purpose. All four of the ladies working the tables cheerfully signed. It was a nice gesture, and it was very nice that they asked.
So, thank you to them, and to everyone else who signed my petitions to get on the ballot in November. One woman said, with a smile, "You know, I may not vote for you in November," and I told her that was fine. It's all about just having an open, accessible and diverse ballot, giving voters more choices. She finished signing the petition, smiled, and wished me good luck. That's been the tone of most of the interactions I've had with people.
Another woman asked me who I would be running against in November. I told her that I didn't know yet, that that will have to be decided in the primary election. That's perhaps the biggest irony of running for office as an unaffiliated independent like I am. On one hand, the system is set up to make it difficult for potential candidates, what with having to collect hundreds and hundreds of signatures. But, on the other hand, I will absolutely get those signatures, and thus am absolutely the only person pretty much guaranteed to be on the ballot in November. Right now, as of this writing, there are five - yes, five - Democrats running in the primary, only one of whom will make it to the general election. So, to whichever one of those candidates that ends up being, I'll see you in November.
Meanwhile, for some context, let me say just a few words about what I've been up to. Like a lot of you, I go to a lot of public meetings. I also go to a lot of less visible (though open to the public) meetings like my regular EIAC meetings, or our twice a month Indivisible meetings. I've also had dozens and dozens of private individual meetings with people from all manner of organizations. Every week I have somewhere between five and seven of these meetings - with non-profits, farmers, business owners, government employees, education groups, etc. - to pick people's brains, and learn more about what their groups do, and/or what they are concerned about. I also take every opportunity available to get out there and collect signatures to "get out the ballot." I'm also fortunate to have several fine people out there who are also working on collecting signatures for me. (Thanks so much to them as well!)
All of which is to say, though I cannot yet campaign officially, I am staying extremely busy. It's a level of energy and activity that I will take with me into the County Commissioner's office.
Sidebar discussion: Many elected representatives at the federal level fall somewhere along the continuum between "disappointing" and "useless." But, as an Oregon resident, I am glad to say that Jeff Merkley is one of the good ones. He is smart and courageous, and a representative we can be proud of - even if we still have to push him occasionally on certain issues.
...and were greeted at the door by two tables staffed with four volunteers - volunteers that I assume came from the local Democratic Party. Without any prompting from either Dale or I, they asked if I was still gathering signatures to get on the ballot. I said that indeed I was, and we showed them the clipboards we had brought with us for that very purpose. All four of the ladies working the tables cheerfully signed. It was a nice gesture, and it was very nice that they asked.
So, thank you to them, and to everyone else who signed my petitions to get on the ballot in November. One woman said, with a smile, "You know, I may not vote for you in November," and I told her that was fine. It's all about just having an open, accessible and diverse ballot, giving voters more choices. She finished signing the petition, smiled, and wished me good luck. That's been the tone of most of the interactions I've had with people.
Another woman asked me who I would be running against in November. I told her that I didn't know yet, that that will have to be decided in the primary election. That's perhaps the biggest irony of running for office as an unaffiliated independent like I am. On one hand, the system is set up to make it difficult for potential candidates, what with having to collect hundreds and hundreds of signatures. But, on the other hand, I will absolutely get those signatures, and thus am absolutely the only person pretty much guaranteed to be on the ballot in November. Right now, as of this writing, there are five - yes, five - Democrats running in the primary, only one of whom will make it to the general election. So, to whichever one of those candidates that ends up being, I'll see you in November.
Meanwhile, for some context, let me say just a few words about what I've been up to. Like a lot of you, I go to a lot of public meetings. I also go to a lot of less visible (though open to the public) meetings like my regular EIAC meetings, or our twice a month Indivisible meetings. I've also had dozens and dozens of private individual meetings with people from all manner of organizations. Every week I have somewhere between five and seven of these meetings - with non-profits, farmers, business owners, government employees, education groups, etc. - to pick people's brains, and learn more about what their groups do, and/or what they are concerned about. I also take every opportunity available to get out there and collect signatures to "get out the ballot." I'm also fortunate to have several fine people out there who are also working on collecting signatures for me. (Thanks so much to them as well!)
All of which is to say, though I cannot yet campaign officially, I am staying extremely busy. It's a level of energy and activity that I will take with me into the County Commissioner's office.
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