"Meltdown in P-town"? It' s Goldschmidt's fault, says Jack

When the Trib's Jim Redden writes a story, it's a near certainty that he'll call on Blogger Jack Bogdanski for some pithy analysis.

Today's front page feature offers up Jack's take on the troubles plaguing Portland:

"Theories abound as to the source of the problems. Bogdanski believes some are the natural result of the end of a good-old-boy system led by disgraced former politician and consultant Neil Goldschmidt that used to call the shots around City Hall.
   
“ 'There’s always chaos when a political machine collapses. If Neil was still around, the tram would be funded and the Clean Money plan would never have happened — he would have seen to all that,' he said.

So it's all Neil Goldschmidt's fault.  A novel theory indeed.  Maybe Jack can get his pal Phil Stanford to write a series of columns demonstrating the link between Potter's City Hall and the "Goldschmidt machine". 

The "Goldschmidt effect" is a stretch.  Not so the obvious Tribune-based media cabal -Redden, Jack Bog, Phil Stanford, the Cascade Policy Institute- conspiring rather openly to bash Portland's pols, and their policies.  Read any of Redden's recent features and you'll see what I mean.

As for the "Meltdown in P-town", what's the evidence?  Take a closer look:

• Derrick Foxworth's philandering has nothing to do with Portland's politicians or their policies.
• Same for the whining of Portland's downtown business community, which has long accused the city of an anti-business bias.
• PGE is asking for another rate hike! It wouldn't have happened under public ownership.
• Emilie Boyle's misuse of the Voter Owned Elections system was exposed immediately!  Isn't that a good thing?  Back room deals cut under the old system of big private donations were never exposed.

So that leaves the tram as the only serious misstep by the city council, and the blame for that probably rests with OHSU.  At a cost of $8.5 million, up from the agreed upon $3.5 mill, maybe it's not such a serious misstep.  It may turn out that the South Waterfront development will more than pay for itself.

We'll see.

Comments

[NWW]

Maybe Jack should write a weekly column for the Trib. It would be a match made in sensational journalism heaven.

[DarePDX]

Actually I would guarantee that the public explosion of the Tram's budget, the mishandling of the coverage of the tram, as well as the failure of budget solutions to magically appear would all be a clear sign that Goldscmidt had left the city behind.

Large pork projects like this have continually been pursued and happen without a hitch in Portland. Just when budgetary reality creates an impending doom - magically another pot of cash, a horse trade deal with uber-corporations, or some other Federally funded project lines conveniently up to fund the shortfall. This is the Goldscmidt effect.

Goldsmidt is a rare player in politics nationally and even rarer for small states like Oregon. He's played politics as an activist, city commissioner, mayor, US Secretary of Transportation, Governor, and Corporate board member and consultant.

Stevie the Perv knew how to quarterback a large-scale budget baby. Face it, Elvis has left the building and Homer Williams got stuck up a creek without a backroom lobbyist. The leaders of Portland are also left without his advice when in deep shit. He used to be the phone-call they all returned. Now he no longer calls in their moment of need.

[DarePDX]

Oops - I meant Neil the Perv

Sorry for my flippant answer gone awry.