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| Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire |
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First, when asked about his relationship with Beau Breedlove prior to January 2009, Adams lied in his statement that there was no relationship before Breedlove turned 18 in June 2005. Willamette Week broke the story on January 19th of this year, reporting that Adams admitted to having a relationship with Breedlove a month prior to his turning 18. Adams maintains that he and Breedlove did not have sex while Breedlove was a minor. Second, the Oregonian discovered this April that Adams made 30 calls to Breedlove in the month prior to Breedlove's 18th birthday. How much of the content of these calls related strictly to Breedlove's role as an intern at City Hall is unknown. Adams had previously denied that these phone calls had taken place. Third, disparities between the stories of Breedlove, Mayor Adams, and even the mayor’s staff complicated the investigation by State Attorney General John Kroger. Kroger failed to find any concrete evidence against Adams, nor any that unequivocally exonerated him, probably because of these disparities. Jason Wurster is the primary force behind the movement to recall Adams. Wurster, a PSU alum, maintains that there has been a cover-up. Wurster alleges that Adams hid his relationship with Breedlove while Breedlove was still a minor, and also that Adams offered a job to a now-former Portland Mercury reporter in exchange for burying the story. Wurster, who characterizes himself as a progressive, says that the recall effort is not ideological. “The campaign is not about the relationship,” Wurster said, “but it's about what we expect from our leaders. Is it acceptable for our leaders to lie?” Wurster says that the recall has brought Portlanders of all political stripes together. The recall effort has two goals. The first, obviously, is to recall Mayor Adams. “The second goal,” Wurster said, “is to show Portlanders what a positive, non-partisan campaign looks like.” While Wurster's campaign has been positive and non-confrontational in nature, volunteers for the recall campaign have had heated run-ins with Mayor Adams and Commissioner Randy Leonard. At a recent public event, the Adams and Leonard reportedly shouted profanities and flipped off the petitioners. The recall effort is described as grass roots, comprised of 600 volunteers at this time, and is funded by individual contributions averaging under $100. Wurster encourages small contributions in order to protect the identities of contributors, as well as to avoid political retaliation by Mayor Adams or by his supporters. Supporters of Adams are alleged to have retaliated against recall supporters violently, reportedly destroying petitions in public, smashing the windows of the recall headquarters, and even assaulting petition gatherers. Allegedly, some violence was perpetrated by people who claim to be members of Portland’s LGBTQ community. In response to the suggestion that the recall effort has unwittingly aided anti-gay, right-wing agendas, Wurster insists that he is running a progressive campaign. While Wurster has made presentations to conservative activists like Don MacIntyre, he has also given the same presentations to liberal groups across the city. “This recall is about holding Sam Adams accountable for his actions,” says Wurster. “It was the progressive movement that made recall elections possible for this very reason. This campaign has nothing to do with homophobia, right-wing or left-wing [politics].” The legal council for the recall effort is Erin Fitzgerald, a young Portland attorney who specializes in conflicts between landlords and tenants, credit card fraud, and general litigation. Fitzgerald is a PSU alum, having graduated in 2003 with an MBA, before earning her JD at Lewis and Clark in 2008. Wurster is also joined on the recall council by Gaye Harris of the Village School, Professor Charles Deemer of PSU, and Portland businesswoman Teresa McGuire.-g  |
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-Ron Paul, The False Choices Of American Politics, The Revolution: A Manifesto, p.3