The Boundary couldn’t have said it any better itself. Representative Mitch Greenlick and Representative Mary Nolan, like many other Democrats in Oregon, are tired of Senate candidate Steve Novick’s nasty approach to campaigning. In a post at BlueOregon, Reps. Greenlick and Nolan, who themselves voted against 2003’s HR 2, summarily dismissed any notion that they hold a higher moral ground than House Speaker Jeff Merkley, who voted yes to support troops in imminent danger but strongly argued against the war itself. It’s the kind of statement that seems overdue from representatives of the HR 2 ‘No’ voters, all of whom, by the way, are supporting Merkley.
To wit:
Instead of taking aim at Gordon Smith and his failed leadership, Novick used these occasions to smear one of Oregon’s true progressive leaders. It is a crass attempt to turn Democrats against one another, an effort that serves only his selfish personal agenda. And what’s worse, he based his entire attack on talking points sent out by the Oregon Republican Party.
Representatives Greenlick and Nolan certainly know progressive when they see it–and they see it in Jeff Merkley, with whom they have served for at least 5 years. Apparently, they see something in Merkley that Steve Novick fails to understand, or simply chooses not to in order to prosecute his self-styled insurgent campaign.
Novick’s negative gambit is obviously turning off Oregon Democrats. At the Oregon Summit last weekend, they expressed their frustrations by voting for Jeff Merkley 2 to 1 in the late-night straw poll last Saturday. Before that poll, Oregon Democrats had had a number of opportunities to hear Novick’s attack on Merkley, and on Sunday, they had a chance to hear it again when Novick and Merkley made a joint appearance at the Summit. Despite Novick’s earlier enthusiasm of taking on Gordon Smith side-by-side with Merkley, he turned around and smeared Merkley.
Representatives Greenlick and Nolan, present at the Summit for the speeches, immediately recognized what had happened:
Unfortunately, what should have been a unifying experience turned ugly when Senate candidate Steve Novick went on the attack against Jeff Merkley in their Sunday joint appearance [. . .]
When he went on the attack against Jeff on Sunday at Sunriver, the energy in the room immediately evaporated. Clearly, Oregon Democrats are tired of that kind of politics.
Exactly right. Read more of the Representatives’ story at BlueOregon.
Oh, and cue the non-affiliated Novick net squad in the comments!
