I commend Mike Beilstein for having the courage and conviction to admit to being all in for the Green Party (Letters, June 28).
Conviction is important and good, but divorcing it from reality brings us where the left is today: screwed. If you want the Green Party to gain strength and become a real player, then why not run small and work your way up? You might eventually demonstrate a groundswell of support: try school board, city councilor, county commissioner, DA, etc.
Instead, the Greens keep fielding candidates for major offices who couldn’t get elected dogcatcher. They play the spoiler instead of doing any good. Could’ve had the first environmentalist president but we got George W. and the Iraq/Afghan War — yay Ralph! Instead of suck it in and support Hillary we get Trump — yay Jill! So now, maybe instead of DeFazio we can have Art Robinson?
There actually is, contrary to Green doctrine, a measurable difference between the Obamas and Trumps of the world. Make your case and grow your base, but when it’s crunch time please put the Green Party shoulder behind the left/center candidate who can win.
Time to vote these MAGA bastards out, not split the vote and keep them in.
Bill Barnett
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
Comments are closed.