Great Oregonian editorial today on the Francesconi slime campaign

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http://www.oregonlive.com/editorials/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/109300343392321.xml#continue

Francesconi, turn in your shovel

The Portland mayoral candidate should knock off his misleading ads against former police chief Tom Potter

Friday, August 20, 2004

The desperation is showing in Jim Francesconi's campaign for mayor, and it's not pretty. Rather than offer voters a compelling vista of Portland's future, Francesconi has been digging up and splattering whatever passes for mud in his rival's record.

If he had substantive criticisms to offer of former Police Chief Tom Potter, that might be one thing. But what Francesconi has found to sling wasn't worth the price of excavation. It may have the texture of mud, and it may mislead some voters, but only because Francesconi has left out key facts.

. . .

These misleading ads try to rewrite history and convince voters that an admired police chief wasn't so admirable. They're more likely to convince voters that a mayoral candidate said to have a big heart actually boasts a big shovel.

One ad urges voters, "Before you take a chance, take a look," and, sure enough, the Portland police union followed that advice Thursday, taking another look at Francesconi. The union voted to rescind its endorsement.

. . .

[oregonjen]

1. Wholeheartedly agree!

All this mudslinging is disgusting and Portland isn't buying any of it. By the way, did you see the bottom front page with the boxed in article on French? The Oregonian did a great job debunking this guys story on his version of Kerry. He didn't have any proof of his statements. He's just going along with the story of others. Sick!

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2. Hadn't seen the front section, but I'll look into it, thank you.

The Oregonian seems to have come a long way in the past year, and I give its activist readers (the ones who give them feedback both positive and negative) a lot of the credit.

And as much as I have disagreed with the guy in the past, their public editor seems to be a good change agent as well.