Darlene Hooley town hall today in LO

[doubleplusgood]

My congresswoman, Darlene Hooley, has a town hall meeting today:

Sept. 6, 2007 5:00 PM
Metro Area Town Hall
Lake Oswego City Council Chambers
380 A Avenue
Lake Oswego

Also, got this e-mail from her today, in response from an email I sent her after Bush let Scooter Libby off the hook...I wonder if she's trying to reduce the chance of angry constituents showing up? No mention of her signing on to the HR333(?) bill calling for impeachment:

September 6, 2007

Dear Mr. xxxxxx:

Thank you for contacting me regarding your support for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney. I appreciate your thoughts on this issue.

I’ve heard from many Oregonians who are frustrated about how we got into the Iraq war, how the war’s been mismanaged, and how the Bush Administration has abused its power whether it regards warrantless wiretapping or stonewalling Congress.

I will soon be introducing a resolution that calls on the President to encourage all relevant parties that have been subpoenaed to testify and not hide behind Executive Privilege. Transparency is key to our democracy.

Oversight must be followed by accountability. Impeachment is in the Constitution and should never, ever be off the table for any President. Congress needs to right the wrongs of this Administration, and I want to ensure every tool is available to hold individuals accountable for their actions.

During the 110th Congress, I have cosponsored H. Res.530, legislation that calls for the censure of President Bush for his actions and the actions of members of his administration in the revelation of the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson. It also condemns the stonewalling of the investigation led by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, the perjury of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby about his role in revealing Mrs. Plame Wilson's identity and the commutation of Mr. Libby's prison sentence by President Bush.

I also led an effort with my colleagues from Oregon and California to have the House Committee on Natural Resources launch an investigation of Vice President Cheney regarding his involvement in the massive 2002 Klamath River fish kill which devastated fishing communities along the Pacific coast and led to the largest commercial fishing closure in U. S. history. Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall (D-WV), has agreed to investigate whether or not there was any intentional wrongdoing by the Vice President or improper influence exerted by his office over decisions made by the Department of the Interior when it approved the diversion of water from the Klamath River.

Thank you for sharing your concerns with me and I will keep your views in mind as the U. S. House of Representatives continues its work. To keep updated on my activities, please visit my website at http://www.house.gov/hooley and subscribe to my e-mail newsletter, or call my Salem office toll free at 1-888-4HOOLEY to receive e-mail updates on actions I have taken regarding these issues in Congress.


Sincerely,

DARLENE HOOLEY

Member of Congress

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[warren pease]

2. It's not clear from your post whether you went last night...

If you did, I don't have to tell you about the astounding level of outrage and frustration voiced by nearly every speaker regarding Iraq, Iran and, most of all, the need to rid the country of Bush and Cheney NOW through immediate action on impeachment.

If you didn't go, I'll try to do a quick recap.

First, the location. For those of you unfamiliar with Lake Oswego, it's just south of Portland on the west side of the Willamette. In brief, it's a classic GOP enclave. It's full of rich or upper-middle white people and the dirty work is delegated to immigrants. Property values continue to climb despite market slumps or crashes elsewhere. It has a private golf course and first-rate schools. The tax base is huge, so the city spends a lot of money making the downtown area pretty. They even have these enormous baskets of flowers and other greenery hanging from light posts in the center divide of the main north-south highway that skirts the town and parallels the river. We don't live there; we live elsewhere in Hooley's district and this was the closest meeting to our place.

Darlene Hooley, a five-term House Dem, showed up on time (5:00 PM) and did a quick glad-handing session. Then she was introduced by the mayor of Lake Oswego.

She spent the first 15 or so minutes talking about her key issues and legislative priorities, the Dem's "heroic" passage of their 100 hours agenda and bills she plans to introduce in the upcoming session. I should note that I generally support her positions; her voting record is pretty progressive and her ratings by interest groups are commendable (see links at the bottom for details on issues, where her campaign money comes from, etc). Having said that, I'd support a more progressive opponent in the primaries without reservation.

Then she opened it up for questions and comment. And the avalanche began. Aside from a couple of people with local, personal issues or problems dealing with various federal agencies -- who were immediately directed to one of Hooley's staffers -- the crowd was in an angry, combative mood and ready to unload a year's worth of frustration at Congress' continuous enabling of the BushCo agenda.

Speaker after speaker denounced the Iraq occupation and demanded Hooley not vote a single penny more for anything other than funding rapid redeployment (so far, she hasn't voted for any Iraq war money; she also voted against the authorization to attack Iraq). Many expressed anger and concern about the Iran saber rattling and all of those holding that position also demanded impeachment of both Bush and Cheney as the only immediate way to throw a wrench into their plans. Hooley responded that impeachment isn't off the table for her -- a hell of a statement considering Pelosi's contrarian and unconscionable position.

The level of vehemence and eloquence was breathtaking. I actually came prepared for a Q&A, and a couple of Qs got answered (one re inherent contempt; she had heard of it but had no idea what it actually meant; another about single-payer health care that left me unimpressed).

But most of the crowd apparently came ready to make speeches. And they were the kind of speeches you can't help applauding -- fiery; full of contempt for the "off the table" crowd; nothing but unrelenting rage over what's happened to this country, the Constitution and the US' position in the world at large since 2001; one after the other after the other DEMANDING impeachment immediately; most also demanding the US get the hell out of the Middle East, with a few wanting to stop giving Israel $3 billion a year to screw with the Palestinians.

But impeachment was the key word and just about every single speaker demanded it NOW. Pelosi was predictably and repeatedly vilified, as was Reid. A couple of speakers sarcastically noted the Dem's favorite non-impeachment excuses: don't want to ruin '08 chances and don't have the time because they're so very, very busy with other "more important" issues -- as if ridding the world of Bush and Cheney were some optional bit of frivolity to be dealt with after an important floor vote on whether to declare August 15 National Mayonnaise Day.

And the language wasn't particularly genteel, although there was no cussing that I heard; Bush and Cheney were called sociopaths, Bush an idiot, a liar, a draft-dodger and an election thief, Cheney a liar and a malevolent cyborg (in apparent reference to all his metallic and electronic body parts)... the list is extensive.

At 6:00, the meeting broke up and the people I talked with after were still highly pissed off and frustrated. They felt it was useless to engage in politics when elections are being stolen right under our noses (a topic, btw, that only came up once during the public comment period. Hooley, unfortunately, supports the Holt bill).

They felt Pelosi was either a coward or a traitor. Same with Reid. Several were considering not voting for the first time in their adult lives. Lots of very depressed, powerless-feeling, disillusioned, furious people who felt they didn't get enough of Hooley's buy-in to be even slightly optimistic that they had made any difference by attending the meeting.

Weirdly enough for a born cynic and self-taught pessimist, my impressions were far more positive. Just hearing the litany of grievances against BushCo, coming from six-figure former republicans and formerly moderate democrats alike, was truly astonishing. It was like sitting in a coffee house filled with anarcho-socialists listening to the most strident in the room ranting at high volume against entire list of offenses this mal-administration has committed. Shocking and energizing. Or maybe I just spend too much time with people I'd naturally gravitate towards and avoid the alligator shirt and tassled loafers crowd.

I think Hooley was also greatly surprised by the level of intensity and vehemence supporting impeachment, may have even changed her position on Kucinich's HR-333, and will take back to DC with her undeniable evidence that serving the will of the people now means participating in the House effort to impeach -- Cheney first, then Bush.

I came away with several impressions: Impeachment is now on the table for a very wide cross-section of the public, both Dems and GOPers (both were represented last night, although republicans were careful to note that the party no longer represents them or their values). The Iraq disaster seems to have been the great wake-up call that these blood-drenched vermin are fully capable of squandering a limitless number of lives and trillions of dollars to serve the PNAC agenda. The saber-rattling over Iran scares the shit out of a lot of people and nobody's buying the lies about Iran's various "threats" that BushCo has recycled from the Iraq run-up. People want to support the troops by getting them the hell out of there; no more money for anything in Iraq but a complete pull-out and redeployment. BushCo's depth of depravity is well-understood; they were called sociopaths and psychopaths, thieves and mass murderers. Their pillaging of the treasury is also well-known; a couple of speakers brought up the missing pallets of $100 bills and wondered why Bremer isn't in jail. People also wondered why Rove, Rice, Meirs, Rumsfeld and a few other superstar perps aren't in jail for contempt of Congress or, in Rumsfeld's case, treason.

And maybe most of all, people want their country back. BushCo's assaults on the Constitution and Bill of Rights haven't gone unnoticed. These people were adamant about doing away with the patriot act(s), the military commissions act, contesting this recent rash of imperial executive orders that constitute the blueprint for the imposition of martial law, the latest one that pretty much outlaws the anti-war movement by making it legal for the feds to steal your stuff if you're deemed pain in the ass... They were furious about torture in their names; Gitmo and "special renditions;" suspension of Habeas Corpus; tossing 3/5 of the Bill of Rights into the dumpster. Again, these people are PISSED and see impeachment as the fastest, most effective way to reclaim their country from the Bush Crime Family.

There were even two "9/11 Was an Inside Job" signs held high throughout the meeting, and no half-wit security shitheels showed up to arrest the protesters -- unlike standard practice at any GOP function, where the crowds are screened and only the truly devious make it in with dissenting signs or t-shirts -- and then are promptly ejected and/or arrested as soon as they display them.

That's about all I can remember, but I want to make sure to leave you with the impression that there was deep, white-hot rage on full display last night in a town that embodies the perks of upper-class white America. It was like reading a thread on the GD board -- everybody knows a lot, some know just about everything, but everybody's been paying attention to stuff that doesn't show up in mass corporate media.

While there's certainly a large, narcotized segment of the population poisoned by fundamentalism, TV news and wingnut radio, there's also a significant number of awake, aware, committed, furious-beyond-the-boiling-point people ready to take action -- although what kind of action is anybody's guess -- and help rid the country of the BushCo scourge.

It was a great night to live in the fading illusion of a representative democracy; the US hasn't even been able to fake this type of government in quite a while. Gave me a badly needed vision of what this place could actually be if we simply dismantled this toxic excuse for an administration, along with the entire republican party, and put actual progressives into positions of power.

Well, as promised, that was brief...


BTW, for full disclosure, I'm a DK supporter and volunteer, just so you know what I mean when I say "progressive."


Thanks for reading. Wish you all were there. The good guys kicked ass for once and it felt great.


wp


For reference, here's Hooley's House site: http://hooley.house.gov/

Here's where her campaign money comes from: http://tinyurl.com/2azgp7

And here's Project Vote Smart's page on her: http://tinyurl.com/3ym299

And for the hell of it, here's where Pelosi's campaign money comes from: http://tinyurl.com/2deb42

[doubleplusgood]

3. thanks, WP

Thanks for the words-eye view of the town hall last night. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend.

[warren pease]

8. If you can make this one...

She's having another meeting in Lincoln City on Friday, Sept. 14 at the Lincoln city town hall. That's a bit far for me, but if you live in the western area of her district, it might work for you.

There's an RSVP number on the email invite: 888-446-6539. I didn't RSVP for the LO meeting and it didn't matter. Lincoln City might be different, though.


Best,

wp

[oregonjen]

4. What was Hooley's reaction/response to impeachment

Did she nod and move on or give a response to those who voiced their opinions on impeachment? I went with a neighbor to a town hall meeting a couple of years ago and the level of anger was palpable, but I can imagine it much worse now. Her answers then were that their hands were tied because they didn't have a majority. How about now?

Hey, I grew up in Lake Oswego, in Lake Grove. It's not all full of rich people ya know. ;-)

[warren pease]

7. Hooley's reaction...

I think she was surprised at the level of sheer disgust with and hatred of all things BushCo, including Iraq, Iran, election fraud, environmental destruction and so forth. As I wrote in another post on this thread, it was like the audio version of a DU thread asking posters to list their pet beefs with BushCo.

She did say, however, that "impeachment's never been off the table for me." And I think that's a verbatim quote, or damn close. She said she's heard this message all over her district since the summer recess began -- and via email, fax and snail mail for years -- and she will present the views of her constituents to Pelosi as soon as she's back in DC. Same with Iraq and Iran. She claimed to have never cast a single vote in favor of invading Iraq or funding the continued occupation. I can't find out if that's literally, given committee votes and such, but as far as I can tell, that's correct re floor votes on the war resolution and appropriations bills.

I asked her how she intended to deal with Pelosi's intransigence on impeachment, and there was a bit of waffling then, unfortunately. But in general, I think she was somewhat taken aback by the palpable rage in the room, by the unanimity of the messages, and by the fact that people seemed to know *everything*, rather than just the superficial mass media version of the BushCo regency.

There's no doubt in my mind that she personally wants Bush and Cheney gone yesterday. She sighed and wistfully mentioned how different the past seven years would have been had Gore not been cheated out of his victory.

She also said she's planning to introduce a bill putting some teeth into the means available to congress to compel testimony from subpoenaed administration witnesses who either lie or don't even bother to show up. I spoke with her after the meeting broke up about inherent contempt and how it already covers how to deal with serial liars or executive privilege excuses. She said she had heard the words but didn't really understand the process. I and about four other people spelled the whole thing out for her. Took about five minutes, during which she listened carefully, asked a couple of very pertinent questions, and otherwise didn't interrupt any of us during the discussion -- even though she had several others waiting to talk to her.

I viewed that episode pretty favorably. Let's see if she actually does something about it -- like maybe whisper in Conyers' ear that he doesn't really have to take this shit lying down.

And mea culpa for the LO-is-only-for-the-rich slur in my previous post. Hell, I was there, which is proof that even those of moderate means can get into LO's city hall without fear of arrest for "breathing-while-not-rich."

Which reminds me of one other thing that came up at the meeting. Some guy thanked her for coming to meet a live, unscreened audience, unscripted, everything up for discussion, nobody turned away for any reason -- least of all political viewpoint. She responded how nice it would be if Bush would do the same thing once in a while, away from his lunatic base, military posts, aircraft carriers, GOP "haves and have mores," and his usual hand-picked audiences.

She got one of the bigger rounds of applause for that one, even from the two guys carrying "9/11 Was an Inside Job" signs. :evilgrin:

Let me know if you have any further questions about the meeting. We'll see how my middle-aged memory is holding up these days.


Best,

wp

[oregonjen]

9. Thanks for your answer

I certainly hope all the congress critters go back to DC with fire in their hearts after listening to their constituents.

About Lake Oswego, my family could never buy a house there now. Property that was sold a couple of years ago, that we lived next door to, has 5 new McMansions for sale for over $850,000 a piece. Pretty sick. We live in West Linn now, but bought our house almost 11 years ago, right before prices really went out of control.

[warren pease]

10. West Linn, same here...

We moved up from the Bay Area in 2001 and, thanks to the absolutely insane housing prices down there, we pretty much traded a moldy 1100 sq/ft cabin straight across for a pretty nice place about 2900 sq/ft with views and about a half acre (almost completely unusable because of a steep hillside). Great place to work at home -- quiet, dead end street so almost no traffic, great for the cats since it would be almost impossible for them to get run over. Just have to get them in every night before the raccoons show up.

That said, I doubt we could afford this place today either. WL prices have risen pretty steeply, which is a double-edged sword in my opinion. On the one hand, if you're a home owner (or more accurately, if you rent from a mortgage lender) rising prices are always good news. On the other, one of the main things I liked about Portland when we first came up to scout property was the fact that it reminded me a lot of San Francisco before it became just another outdoor playground for the rich. Used to be you could be a writer, artist, musician, self-employed freelancer -- something other than having to injure your soul daily in some smothering corporate job -- and live decently. Not well, but you weren't living with rats and roaches either.

Now, with PDX metro area prices climbing steadily and rents, I assume, climbing along with them, Portland is probably going to lose the ability to support "alternative" means of making a living. So lots of the more interesting people -- those who aren't corporate androids -- will be forced out and their places will be taken by PR account managers, directors of marketing, "entrepreneurs" (whatever the hell that means these days) living in $1/2 million lofts in the Pearl.

I hope things turn out differently, which is, I guess, hoping that I lose equity. But there are a lot of things that outrank money, and high on the list for me is living around non-traditional, anti-GOP people with anarcho-socialist tendencies who aren't corporate drone workaholics driving Ford Expeditions a block to the corner market for a bottle of Miller Lite and a bag of chips.

Damn, I'm really rambling on this morning. Any more coffee and I'd begin that long-awaited first novel. Nahhh, probably not.


Best,

wp

[Trajan]

5. While I agree with most all of your post ....

The characterization of 'L O' as an exclusive bastion of the rich is unfair and simply not true ....

My first residence upon arriving here was LO .... I had nothing but a guitar, a suitcase, a car and a middle class job .... There are PLENTY of working class stiffs there who own modest homes, and MANY who are just as leftist as you are .... Furthermore: my own daughters got there first Oregon jobs in LO .... and they are no more (and no less) immigrant than you are ....

Your's was a coarse sweeping generalization that is absolutely fallacious ....

BTW: HEY Doubleplus AND Jen ..... LONG LONG LONG time, friends .... PLEASE join us at whatever meetup is planned tomorrow .... It will most likely be the last fair weather meeting ....

AND ? > We miss ya's ...

YOU TOO WP .....

[warren pease]

6. Yeah, broad brush characterization, I agree...

I know that these days, it would be pretty tough to settle into LO with a middle-class job, as you were able to do. Housing prices have gone insane, beating the general rate of housing inflation in the greater PDX area by several percentage points (or so I'm told).

I suppose you could still find a bargain -- maybe an apartment downtown (such as it is) off of A St. or close to Hwy 43. But you couldn't possibly buy into LO without serious equity from a previous house or some other way to amass a hundred thousand or so for the down payment.

Anyway, I get your point. I hate to mis-characterize an entire community; just sloppy work on my part.

Actually, one of the reasons I was so astounded at the near-unanimous calls for impeachment and ending the occupation (along with addressing election fraud and some Israel/Palestine discussion) is the contrast between the obvious affluence of the community and the extremely vehement hostility toward BushCo, Pelosi, the ongoing corporate crime wave, vanished Constitutional rights and so on.

It was like an audio version of a DU thread listing the things BushCo has screwed up. And there were no dissenting voices, although I'm not certain that's because of consensus of opinion or the heavy intimidation factor of the pro-impeachment majority.

That's why I used the broad generalization about LO being an enclave for the rich. I figured if even they're getting it -- and these people had chapter and verse down cold, stuff you could only get from non-US media sources or the internet -- then there are a lot more of us than I could have imagined.

Found it pretty inspirational, all in all, and I haven't been inspired to do much beyond putting most of my energy into hating BushCo -- and writing about that hatred anywhere on the internet I can get a forum. Whatever energy's left goes into volunteering for Kucinich, the family, making money and watching the Giants blow yet another season.

Finally, I don't know anything about a Portland meet-up, but I'll poke around on this forum and, if it's someplace I can get to and the timing's right, I'll try to show up.

Best, and thanks for your input.


wp

[oregonjen]

11. Hey Trajan!

I know, I know, not been too social lately. The past couple of years have gone by quickly. Life events got in the way of going out to have fun. I will try to go, but today, can't. I'm working and schedule appts., etc. for Saturdays.