PORTLAND: THE SADDEST CITY IN AMERICA!
IN PURSUIT OF THE TRUTH - HTTP://WWW.CINOPSBEGONE.BLOGSPOT.COM - THURS. OCT. 15/2020
Wall Street Journal, Oct. 14, 2020, "Portland Tumult Ruffles Mayor's Race" by Donald Morrison
Preface:
Can you imagine having a well organized terrorist organization in your city and state? It's almost unthinkable, a communist, racist or antifa group. Well, they have one in Portland, Oregon and it's an
Antifa Feminist running for mayor. I can now understand why years ago, they voted for Assisted-Suicide in Oregon by less than one percent. A couple of years ago, they did not allow a Republican Group to participate in a Civic parade. What a crazy city?
"Six months of summer protests and violence in Portland, Oregon have turned what looked like an easy re-election for its Democratic mayor into a tight race with a challenger from the left who has never held office.
Mayor Ted Wheeler has struggled for months to handle unrest that began to grow zoom after the May killing of George Floyd in police custody. Largely peaceful protests against racism and police violence during the day have been followed at night by property damage, fires and conflicts with law enforcement.
Mr. Wheeler has been criticized by people on the left who say he gave police too free a hand, and by conservatives, including President Trump, who said he didn't do enough to stop criminal behavior. His opponent, Sarah Iannarone, is in the former camp. She has joined demonstrations while donning a gas mask and publicly declared "I am ANTIFA," referring to the loose affiliation of left-wing activists who confront those they consider racist, anti-Semitic or fascist.... the candidates themselves agree the Election Day contest has tightened significantly.
"There are people on both sides of that coin who were very anxious, frustrated and angry about the handling of the protests," Mr. Wheeler said. "I think that more than anything else has caused my favor-ability ratings to collapse virtually overnight."
A poll last month found 63% of voters had an unfavorable view of Mr. Wheeler and 26% viewed him favorably. The survey, commissioned by a group supporting a ballot measure to create a new police oversight board, found 59% of Portlanders believe the city is moving in the wrong direction.
Ms. Iannarone is in a stronger financial position than the incumbent. She has raised $691,420 this year and has just over $250,000 on hand, according to campaign finance records. Mr. Wheeler has raised $467,826 this year including a $150,000 loan to himself, and has close to $130,000 on hand....
If Mr. Wheeler had gotten 1,540 more votes in May's non-partisan primary, he wouldn't need to worry about his reelection. Since he fell short of a majority, with 49% of the votes cast, he is now in a runoff with Ms. Iannarone, an independent who received 24%.
A college administrator who has never held elected office, Ms. Iannarone has a platform that includes a version of the Green New Deal for Portland and new housing policies to address affordability and homelessness. She has tried to pin the unrest gripping the city on Mr. Wheeler.
Mr. Wheeler has tried to address protester' concerns by approving a $15 million cut to the police budget and banning a type of tear gas used for crowd control. He has resisted calls for more sweeping measures. The Portland Police Association hasn't endorsed a candidate in this year's race. In 2019, Ms. Iannarone used the occasion of Holocaust Memorial Day tweet. "To those who say Antifa are violent thugs: I am not a violent thug and I am Antifa."
"What I have been trying to do is normalize that there are school teachers and nurses. staying at home moms, students who all stand unified and say, "'hate isn't welcomed here," she said. Local businesses and civic groups , including the Portland Business Alliance and the NAACP, have largely lined up behind the incumbent.... Juan Chavez, project director for the Oregon Justice Resource Center, said he was supporting Ms. Iannarone....
George H. Kubeck
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