Steve Novick: Blogging "a way for a number of people to waste a vast amount of time"
Courtesy of the Senate Guru, we've just learned of a disturbing development in Oregon's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Earlier this week, Portland Magazine Willamette Week interviewed the four Democratic candidates competing to be the party's standard bearer for November, including Jeff Merkley and Steve Novick, who have attracted the most support.
One of the questions in the interview concerned the netroots. Here are Merkley and Novick's answers, in context:
First he says he has "no idea" whether blogs have had an impact (positive or negative) but he doesn't stop at that. He then suggests that they're "a way for a number of people to waste a vast amount of time."
Given how hard Novick has tried to present himself as a people's insurgent against an establishment rival, I can't help but conclude he's done himself some damage with these comments. Whether or not his supporters get upset about this remains to be seen, but Novick has already managed to lose favor with us.
Merkley's answer, on the other hand, is what I would expect to hear from a Democratic candidate who appreciates the value of the netroots community.
Novick's comment about blogging isn't the only bothersome thing that he said in that interview, however. Here's the Oregonian's Jeff Mapes:
Too often the Democratic Party splinters because Democrats can't forgive each other and move on. Beating the Republicans requires teamwork. Jeff Merkley has demonstrated that he's a team player. Steve Novick, on the other hand, has made it clear that he'll be sore if he loses. That's unfortunate.
Perhaps Novick's supporters can talk some sense into him before his comments get circulated more widely. We wouldn't mind an apology.
UPDATE: Steve has addressed his Willamette Week comments on his campaign website:
One of the questions in the interview concerned the netroots. Here are Merkley and Novick's answers, in context:
Willamette Week interviewer: The blogs...do you think they've helped or hurt the Democratic nominee's chance to win in November?I can hardly believe Novick actually said this, but you can see it for yourself - it's all on video. I've observed before that Oregon's netroots community is split between Novick and Merkley. Novick has many supporters online, so why is he dissing people who have invested time building new media?
Speaker Jeff Merkley: I think that the blogs help, because they are going to spread a lot of information. [...] We have some incredible progressive talent here... And that word is going to spread - about the fact that Oregon has enormously progressive candidates to take on Senator Smith.
[...]
Steve Novick: Uh...I have no idea. They are...I mean, I think that they provide information to some people. They're also a way for a number of people to waste a vast amount of time. But probably they're the only ones that suffer from that.
First he says he has "no idea" whether blogs have had an impact (positive or negative) but he doesn't stop at that. He then suggests that they're "a way for a number of people to waste a vast amount of time."
Given how hard Novick has tried to present himself as a people's insurgent against an establishment rival, I can't help but conclude he's done himself some damage with these comments. Whether or not his supporters get upset about this remains to be seen, but Novick has already managed to lose favor with us.
Merkley's answer, on the other hand, is what I would expect to hear from a Democratic candidate who appreciates the value of the netroots community.
Novick's comment about blogging isn't the only bothersome thing that he said in that interview, however. Here's the Oregonian's Jeff Mapes:
Democratic Senate candidate Steve Novick says the most qualified candidate in the race besides himself is not one of the other Democrats but independent John Frohnmayer.Eventually, Novick said he would vote for Candy Neville, "given what I know now". Novick's unwillingness to set his differences aside with Jeff Merkley in the interest of party unity is troubling. Jeff doesn't have a problem supporting Steve. So why can't Steve reciprocate that goodwill?
Novick, a Portland lawyer and consultant, does say that he would back his chief rival, House Speaker Jeff Merkley, if he wins the nomination. But he told The Oregonian on Thursday that Frohnmayer "would be a better senator than Jeff Merkley."
Novick's views, first broached in a Willamette Week interview posted on the Internet, is another example of Novick's willingness to break with his party.
Novick, Merkley and two other candidates in the Democratic primary, Candy Neville of Eugene and David Loera of Salem, were asked in the weekly newspaper's joint endorsement interview who in the room they would support if they couldn't vote for themselves.
[...]
Merkley immediately said he would back Novick. But Novick said, "I'd vote for John Frohnmayer." When he was asked what other Democrat he would support, Novick paused for a long time and said, "I have a hard time answering that."
Too often the Democratic Party splinters because Democrats can't forgive each other and move on. Beating the Republicans requires teamwork. Jeff Merkley has demonstrated that he's a team player. Steve Novick, on the other hand, has made it clear that he'll be sore if he loses. That's unfortunate.
Perhaps Novick's supporters can talk some sense into him before his comments get circulated more widely. We wouldn't mind an apology.
UPDATE: Steve has addressed his Willamette Week comments on his campaign website:
In the Willamette Week endorsement interview the other day, I gave a pretty dumb answer to a question about the impact of blogs on politics. Some folks online are blowing my comments up as a betrayal of the netroots, so I wanted to take a moment to apologize for my statement and clarify what I was trying to say.We appreciate your response, Steve - and we accept your apology.We were asked: “The blogs … do you think they've helped or hurt the Democratic nominee's chance to win in November?” Given the editor’s additional comments, I took this to mean, “Has all the back-and-forth between the candidates’ partisans on the blogs so far helped or hurt the cause?”
The truth is that blogs and the netroots are doing a lot to beat Gordon Smith and they are doing a lot to help my campaign.
# Posted by Andrew : 1:46 PM
Comments:
I suppose one should take offense if one felt Novick's comment directed at them. Do you feel you waste vast amounts of time blogging? If not, I'm not sure why you're fishing for an apology.
I blog and share Novick's POV. Novick's opponent has a small cadre, some of whom have created blogs for the sole purpose of slagging Steve. I'd say surrogates like this "senate guru" are indeed wasting their time.
Just my opinion.
"We would certainly accept an apology."
Who cares?
You're just a few fruit loops away from firedoglake levels by ending with this statement.
We've become a nation of people with thin skins that go crazy when Obama says people are "bitter" in the Rust Belt, or take offense if someone doesn't praise the Netroots.
Most of what you wrote prior to that last sentence rightly questions Novick for not being more in tune with the Netroots and bloggers, but drop the "apology" angle. You don't speak for the entire community of bloggers, and Novick doesn't need to provide an apology. He made his statement. It has been noted. People will react as they wish. No apology required.
Andrew, you need to stop citing SG on this race, he is neither objective nor honest in his attacks on Novick, and it's unfortunate to see you further that dishonesty.
First of all, is anyone really denying that a number of people waste a lot of time blogging? If so, let's
cut off the tap at the blogger saloon before we get
too drunk on our influence.
Secondly, Novick said very clearly he would vote for Merkley if he were the nominee. This is where SGs distortions are most damaging, the latest in a string of false attacks he has been forced to acknowledge (I can direct ou to them if you like.)
Third, wouldn't YOU reconsider your support if another so called progressive started attacking you for being a pro tax
Commie? It's that kind of behavior which led the Oregonian to call Merkley out as a hypocrite in today's paper.
let's not take what is printed at face value, eh?
John Frohnmayer ain't gonna win. He's a spoiler candidate at best.
Steve Novick's preference of John Frohnmayer isn't going to help us beat Gordon Smith. We should all realize that only Merkley or Novick can possibly beat him.
If you're running for the Democratic nomination, you should abide by the party process and commit to support the eventual nominee. It's the only way we Democrats and our progressive allies are going to take down Gordon Smith.
Novick shouldn't have to hold his nose here, and I am displeased to see him lose sight of the overall goal of beating Smith.
I'll support the candidate who will be out there in full force even if he's not the nominee. Jeff Merkley has made it clear he is that candidate.
Novick's comment about blogging isn't the only bothersome thing that he said in that interview
Novick has apologized for his comment on blogging, but he hasn't revised his statement about Frohnmayer. It appears as if he is more interested in making a 'statement' than in defeating Gordon Smith. The only candidates who have a serious shot at defeating Smith are Merkley and Novick, yet Novick expresses his preference for Frohnmayer. I understand that the campaign has been tough, but should a tough campaign distract a candidate from the goal of unseating Smith? With the record that Jeff Merkley has, he is clearly in a good position to defeat Smith in November.
Yes, Novick did ultimately say that he would vote for the Democratic nominee, but he continued to tout Frohnmayer as the best qualified candidate after himself. That's hardly an enthusiastic endorsement.
Many Novick supporters praise him for saying what he thinks. I agree that it's an admirable quality that should be more common among politicians. Unfortunately there are many times when I hear things Novick has said, or read things he has written, and I don't just ask myself, "Did he really say (or write) that?" I ask myself, "Does he really think that?" Apparently many of Novick's supporters believe that he does.
I agree with Daniel that asking for an apology is an unnecessary tangent.
Novick dissing netroots when it's so obvious that netroots have always been a central part of his campaign strategy is Orwellian, but mostly it's just an example of tone-deafness.
The much more *political* important issue to come out of that interview was Novick boosting of Frohnmayer.
Steve shattered his carefully crafted image as someone who gives direct, concise answers with the two incredibly long pauses he took after being reminded that his clear favorite (Frohnmayer) won't be on the Primary ballot.
But that's just an image thing. What Oregon Democrats are rightly questioning is whether or not Novick really wants to beat Gordon Smith. Coming on the heels of his 2007 statement that he'd vote for Gordon Smith over Bono, this whole Frohnmayer seems to be in the same vein.
It certainly appears that Steve Novick's bottom line position is that if he can't be crowned as Prom King then he wants Gordo to keep the crown.
"We appreciate your response, Steve - and we accept your apology."
Did I miss something here? Were his comments directed to NPI? Who are you speaking for here?
I'm a registered Democrat and have donated to the party in the past mostly because it best represents my political views. But it takes more than having a "D" on the ballot next to your name to get my vote. You have to show that you're willing to fight for what's right.
Merkley hasn't shown me that. His big claim to fame is that he stood up to payday lenders. That's a noble feat, but maybe he should set his sights a little higher. I mean, it's not like he had to stand up to a huge, multinational payday loan cartel to do so. He wasn't exactly taking any risks.
Right now, Congress is loaded with other Democrats who are also too afraid to take risks. The result? We're still stuck in Iraq, the government is spying on us, torture is now apparently legal, and impeachment is off the table despite the fact that electing Democrats in '06 was supposedly going to fix all that.
So it's bogus to say that if Merkley wins the primary, Novick should automatically support him unless you put your party above your principles.
"Steve shattered his carefully crafted image as someone who gives direct, concise answers with the two incredibly long pauses he took after being reminded that his clear favorite (Frohnmayer) won't be on the Primary ballot."
Please. Steve gives "direct, concise answers" to other questions because he's clearly put a lot of thought into them. I doubt, however, that he spends his time wondering which of the other Democrats who were at that meeting he would support if he were not running.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go waste time blogging on another site.
Does that statement apply
to the one that made it,
as well?
Terry Finley
http://boycottamazon.blogspot.com/
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