Reading the Portland Mercury’s endorsements…

After basically going over reasons the “Big 3” candidates stink, they roam through a three other candidates and nearly endorse Cameron Whitten — or a write in for a man they consider much maligned and under-appreciated, the lame-duck incumbent.  But then gives us this…

And Whitten, while funny and smart and passionate, isn’t quite ready to run city hall—as either a political boss or technocratic manager. The same thing goes for the other earnest candidates we invited: Bill Dant, college student Max Brumm, and Scott Fernandez. (But wouldn’t it be fun to see someone like Whitten in a debate against Dan Saltzman in 2014?)

Fair enough.  That makes sense.  Doesn’t like him for mayor.  Thinks he would make a good candidate for city council against Dan Saltzman — or at least a fun one.  Skip to the endorsement of Amanda Fritz in her race against Mary Nolan and we get —

And as for Nolan, if she can stand waiting two more years, we think she’d also make a good opponent for Saltzman.

If I’m getting this right, the Portland Mercury is eager to see a city council race where Dan Saltzman is challenged by Mary Nolan and Cameron Whitten.  They will then endorse Mary Nolan and enthuse that Cameron Whitten was a good gadfly.  Which is not a bad role, perhaps, except that one has perhaps 3 losing electoral bids before even a paper like the Portland Mercury brushes one aside completely and quits being “impressed”.  I suppose this puts him in the “Qualified Activist, not Politician” category, with political electoral campaigns as a tactic that brings diminishing returns.

There is something of a trend that follows through.
We’d also encourage another candidate in the race, Teressa Raiford, to stay involved at city hall. Raiford, an African American activist whose family has been personally touched by the pain of gang violence, spoke unflinchingly to both Fritz and Nolan about the realities of inequity in Portland. The city needs more voices like hers.

It would’ve been better if a well-funded rival had taken on Novick—forcing him to sharpen his pitch to voters. But two opponents do deserve special mention. Jeri Williams, a sex-trafficking survivor and a person of color from East Portland, brought real power to our discussion of issues like cop accountability and equity. And Mark White, a Powellhurst neighborhood activist and the former co-chair of the city’s defunct Charter Review Commission, effectively, naturally, highlighted the need for real charter reform in Portland.

Yeah, well…

One comment for the Mercury… this endorsement for Jeff Reardon in an Oregon state legislator should have made print:
We’re for anybody but Mike Schaufler,

Overall, from the comments:
THE MERCURY SHOULD JUST HAVE SAID, “FUCK IT” AND ENDORSED FRANK CASTANO FOR MAYOR. THAT WOULD AT LEAST HAVE MORE INTEGRITY THAN THIS PANSY-ASSED WAFFLING ON THE DECISION.

In some ways I just have to say… when you have 3 bad choices for mayor… and state as much in your endorsement issue… I would go for the larkey answer (one of the other candidates or a write-in) and then face up to the 2 bad choices question in November.

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