Jamie McLeod-Skinner knows how to run a race.
She has roots in the District. She has professional credentials. She served in a war zone. She knows the issues. She articulates clear positions. She has been battle tested in life and in politics. Audiences like her.
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| Jamie McLeod-Skinner |
Is it actually plausible that she can win an election against Greg Walden?
Well, she is doing what a person needs to do to win. Meeting people. Saying things people agree with. Connecting.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner told me, "I should have studied cultural anthropology." She has advanced degrees both in engineering and as a lawyer but her current task is to bridge a red-blue and urban-rural divide that appears to be politically real and insurmountable. She says it is a false divide, created by cultural symbols and faulty messaging, not by genuine policy differences between urban and rural America.
"I genuinely think we can find common ground with the more conservative people in the District." Some of the relevant issues are housing affordability, the opioid crisis, and making sure everyone has access to water, she said. "Those are issues where the regular politics of red and blue drop aside."
She went to high school in Ashland (where her 1985 record for running the 880 meter race still stands) but she "reads" at a glance as eastern Oregon rancher. She has an authentic blue jeans-Jeep-outdoor manner. The water issue is a useful authenticator for her. Especially in the dry 70% of the District, it demonstrates she isn't a political carpetbagger motivated primarily by national issues, dropped here in this district by accident of residency.
The impression she gives is different from that presented by some of her Democratic opponents. All candidates have authentic District connections, but the connections for Jennifer Neahring, Tim White, and Jim Crary come across as newer and connected to the world through their professional work, not their homes. Neahring is a physician, White a "Chrysler finance guy", and Crary a retired lawyer.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner says she understands rural issues. "I genuinely respect the culture. I am a rural Democrat."
She said the 2016 election brought out the underlying resentment people in rural areas felt toward the politics and messages of coastal urban elites. Lots of people were venting frustration at political correctness and a perception of condescension. McLeod-Skinner says that 2018 is a new election with a different theme. People regret Trump and Trump-ism. She says "people are tired of the shouting match" and she feels "connected to a wide swath of people, including people who voted for Trump." Now people want someone who will build bridges.
She says there is common ground, especially when one gets the language right. Both red and blue Oregonians want us to "manage our forests, for the long run." She said she doesn't talk about "sustainability" because that word divides. Instead, she talks about natural resource "stewardship." Both red and blue Oregonians care about ethics in government. All people want to know they have access to health care.
She says she understands the issues, the people, and the language, and that she connects to over half the District. She thinks she can win.
She said that evidence that she has uncovered the language of common ground connection is that her Democratic opponents are picking up her language, so sometimes we sound a lot alike, she said.
"The time I've spent in the District and the things I've learned, have given me actual experience and insight into what works. Others are saying it right along with me because it is, in fact, what needs to be said and done."
She acknowledges that all the candidates appear to have roughly the same general political positions. She says Eric Burnett and Michael Byrne seem to be the most self-consciously "left." She agrees with other observers that Tim White has adjusted his tone to reflect "the fighter" label he uses on his website, like Neahring and Mason, a niche she leaves for White. "We have seen what a pure fighter brings us in Washington. Pure gridlock."
McLeod-Skinner got the endorsement of the OEA. She said it was the result of having good positions on policies (full funding for Head Start, community block grants for school districts, etc.), but said that key to her success was that she had been campaigning longer and better. People knew and liked me, she said, so she had teachers at the endorsement convention from southern, central, and eastern Oregon willing to stand up and personally advocate for her. Jennifer Neahring and Jim Crary were also considered by the OEA, but the vote went overwhelmingly to McLeod-Skinner.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner is a Democrat and she has a wife. Political observers wonder if that is a one-two punch deal killer for her election in this District.
Jamie brags on her wife. She says she suspects that it might be a problem for some people, but figures they were unlikely to vote for her anyway. The candidate treats having an attractive wife with deep family roots in the ranching industry as another qualifier for the job. "God made me the way I am," she told me.
Presumably her having a wife puts onto the table the cultural symbolism and implicit messaging that divides red and blue. She thinks not.
McLeod-Skinner says that the cultural resentments that came to an electoral head in rural red America in 2016 were not centered on sexual preference issues. The resentment was for perceived disrespect and condescension by outsiders. In certain progressive quarters there is a narrowness of mind, and rural people pick up on it. "In some places it is more politically safe to say that I am gay than it is to admit that I listen to and enjoy country music." Rural people aren't hung up on sexual preference. What they don't like is the idea that college town elites think their music sucks.
McLeod-Skinner said what Raz Mason had said to me the day before. Rural people aren't losers. We live here because we chose to live here and we made a darned good choice. Jamie McLeod Skinner says that the key to connection here in a red district is that voters need to know a Democratic candidate understands and respects these neighbors just as they are. They don't vote red because they like Republican policies. They voted red because they thought Democrats didn't like and respect them.
Jamie McLeod Skinner doesn't present as an outsider. She presents as someone who belongs.
Well, she is doing what a person needs to do to win. Meeting people. Saying things people agree with. Connecting.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner told me, "I should have studied cultural anthropology." She has advanced degrees both in engineering and as a lawyer but her current task is to bridge a red-blue and urban-rural divide that appears to be politically real and insurmountable. She says it is a false divide, created by cultural symbols and faulty messaging, not by genuine policy differences between urban and rural America.
"I genuinely think we can find common ground with the more conservative people in the District." Some of the relevant issues are housing affordability, the opioid crisis, and making sure everyone has access to water, she said. "Those are issues where the regular politics of red and blue drop aside."
She went to high school in Ashland (where her 1985 record for running the 880 meter race still stands) but she "reads" at a glance as eastern Oregon rancher. She has an authentic blue jeans-Jeep-outdoor manner. The water issue is a useful authenticator for her. Especially in the dry 70% of the District, it demonstrates she isn't a political carpetbagger motivated primarily by national issues, dropped here in this district by accident of residency.
The impression she gives is different from that presented by some of her Democratic opponents. All candidates have authentic District connections, but the connections for Jennifer Neahring, Tim White, and Jim Crary come across as newer and connected to the world through their professional work, not their homes. Neahring is a physician, White a "Chrysler finance guy", and Crary a retired lawyer.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner says she understands rural issues. "I genuinely respect the culture. I am a rural Democrat."
She said the 2016 election brought out the underlying resentment people in rural areas felt toward the politics and messages of coastal urban elites. Lots of people were venting frustration at political correctness and a perception of condescension. McLeod-Skinner says that 2018 is a new election with a different theme. People regret Trump and Trump-ism. She says "people are tired of the shouting match" and she feels "connected to a wide swath of people, including people who voted for Trump." Now people want someone who will build bridges.
She says there is common ground, especially when one gets the language right. Both red and blue Oregonians want us to "manage our forests, for the long run." She said she doesn't talk about "sustainability" because that word divides. Instead, she talks about natural resource "stewardship." Both red and blue Oregonians care about ethics in government. All people want to know they have access to health care.
She says she understands the issues, the people, and the language, and that she connects to over half the District. She thinks she can win.
She said that evidence that she has uncovered the language of common ground connection is that her Democratic opponents are picking up her language, so sometimes we sound a lot alike, she said.
"The time I've spent in the District and the things I've learned, have given me actual experience and insight into what works. Others are saying it right along with me because it is, in fact, what needs to be said and done."
She acknowledges that all the candidates appear to have roughly the same general political positions. She says Eric Burnett and Michael Byrne seem to be the most self-consciously "left." She agrees with other observers that Tim White has adjusted his tone to reflect "the fighter" label he uses on his website, like Neahring and Mason, a niche she leaves for White. "We have seen what a pure fighter brings us in Washington. Pure gridlock."
McLeod-Skinner got the endorsement of the OEA. She said it was the result of having good positions on policies (full funding for Head Start, community block grants for school districts, etc.), but said that key to her success was that she had been campaigning longer and better. People knew and liked me, she said, so she had teachers at the endorsement convention from southern, central, and eastern Oregon willing to stand up and personally advocate for her. Jennifer Neahring and Jim Crary were also considered by the OEA, but the vote went overwhelmingly to McLeod-Skinner.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner is a Democrat and she has a wife. Political observers wonder if that is a one-two punch deal killer for her election in this District.
Jamie brags on her wife. She says she suspects that it might be a problem for some people, but figures they were unlikely to vote for her anyway. The candidate treats having an attractive wife with deep family roots in the ranching industry as another qualifier for the job. "God made me the way I am," she told me.
Presumably her having a wife puts onto the table the cultural symbolism and implicit messaging that divides red and blue. She thinks not.
McLeod-Skinner says that the cultural resentments that came to an electoral head in rural red America in 2016 were not centered on sexual preference issues. The resentment was for perceived disrespect and condescension by outsiders. In certain progressive quarters there is a narrowness of mind, and rural people pick up on it. "In some places it is more politically safe to say that I am gay than it is to admit that I listen to and enjoy country music." Rural people aren't hung up on sexual preference. What they don't like is the idea that college town elites think their music sucks.
McLeod-Skinner said what Raz Mason had said to me the day before. Rural people aren't losers. We live here because we chose to live here and we made a darned good choice. Jamie McLeod Skinner says that the key to connection here in a red district is that voters need to know a Democratic candidate understands and respects these neighbors just as they are. They don't vote red because they like Republican policies. They voted red because they thought Democrats didn't like and respect them.
Jamie McLeod Skinner doesn't present as an outsider. She presents as someone who belongs.
15 comments:
SO many people keep referring to "Clary" as a "retired lawyer". It is true. But he is so much more. He was not a BP oil executive. He was a contracts/procurement lawyer, mainly, for 14 years before ever going to BP, where he continued the same job description. He has lived in rural communities most of his life. He is a hunter and gun owner and calls for responsible gun regulations. He is a Veteran, not lifetime, but surely has a handle on their concerns. He has been campaigning since 2015 and, I dare say, has visited every community in ORD2 multiple times.
We ALL know that the concept of "campaign reform" is the ONLY thing that can help our country get out of this cycle of greed and corruption. It is endemic. He has solid plans to do that. We MUST elect somebody with that priority to Congress in order to gain the majority votes. The are so many other issues. But we need to be focused on what has to come first. Nothing can happen until we get campaign finance reform. Nothing.
His positions on Health care, net-neutrality, environment, immigration and more are what the Democratic voters of Central Oregon want.
He has formed his positions by LISTENING to constituents. He answers his own phone, and is not afraid to say "I don't know". He is one of the most "comfortable" candidates I have ever met with. That may not seem important, but it definitely important to me.
I have known a person named “Clary” for decades, which is how and why I made the misspelling. Sorry!
Hey Curt, my dad moved away for 21 years... exotic places like Arizona, Georgia, Germany, Korea, and Iraq. Then he moved back because he likes this scrappy piece of dirt where he grew up.
Is he disqualified from public office too?
God, I hate that lazy, simplistic argument.
Please note that Jamie has a J.D., but has not taken the bar and is not a practicing attorney.
I believe she's the only candidate who can challenge Walden, and I'm a volunteer for her campaign.
While I've been impressed with McLeod-Skinner's experience, some friends in Phoenix have been telling me that she wasn't always a blast to work with, which left sort of a bad taste in my mouth. If you can get past the weird title someone slapped on it, I did hear some concerning stuff in this video...
https://youtu.be/7_meNjTwm1g?t=23m14s
Would love to hear what she has to say about it though. Would go a long way for people out here.
According to the Federal Elections Commission (fec.gov), Peter Sage made a political donation in December to McLeod-Skinner for Oregon. In all fairness to the readers of these candidate profiles, Peter should have disclosed this up front.
I have disclosed this. I made the contribution as a kind of apology for a very strong criticism of Jamie McLeod's campaign kick-off, in a post in early July, 2017. I used it as an example for doing things poorly. She was a good sport about it.
I told Jamie that I was making the contribution not because I would vote for her but because I appreciated being able to use her as an example, and that she shouldn't consider this an "endorsement." I give to multiple campaigns. I have donated $100 each to Eric Burnette and to Michael Byrne, telling each of them that I was not endorsing them and that they should not consider it an endorsement. Why give to them at all? Answer: because I can, and because business-oriented Democrats like myself are few and far between and because when I was a candidate for office I wished more people casually threw some money my way. I gave to Burnette because I attended a house party and ate some of the hosts' food. I felt obligated to be a good guest. I gave to Michael Byrne because he asked me for $1,000. I laughed and said I probably wasn't going to vote for him. He said I should donate anyway. I admired his persistence and cheekiness.
Bottom line: a donation means I admire something about their campaign and I wanted to help. It doesn't mean I am biased on their behalf.
May I suggest to "Anonymous" that you sign your comments. Better, if you think that a post from me is unfair or incorrect, that you write a substantial comment pointing out what I get wrong.
Peter Sage
The first time I heard Jamie speak last fall, I immediately signed up to volunteer on her campaign. What impressed me was her knowledge on a wide range of issues, her desire to find common ground across the political divide, and her authenticity. As a volunteer on her campaign, I have watched week after week as more and more volunteers sign up to help her win. She's that impressive. She's also the only candidate who really stands a chance of beating Walden. She has experience running successful campaigns, and she knows what it takes to get things done when it comes to government. Unlike Walden, Jamie shows up. She's traveled all over this vast district, talking to people and, more important, listening to them. Her ability to see what unites us rather than what divides us is one of the reasons I admire her so much. We need someone who puts people over party (one of her guiding principles) and offers specific solutions to the problems the people of this district face. Jamie McLeod-Skinner is that person.
I know I am not a fan of Jamies. Why? Because I speak my mind. When all these candidates started running I happen to have this terrible habit of doing my own research on every candidate no matter who they are. I don't vote by who Fox News or CNN or whoever gossips about. If I hear something about someone I research and try the best I can to find the truth. I hate politics, but if I am going to vote I hope I do my homework and do my own soul searching by getting my gut feeling from what I find on each person since I can't do it one on one.
So, as each person entered the race I would pull up whatever I could using anything from wikipedia to vote smart to yahoo to city newspapers to just regular researching. Years ago I was a journalist for a small town newspaper. Of course I didn't last long because I had 3 children, two under 5 yrs, in an abusive controlled marriage, was trying to find my way out, was offered this wonderful chance but by all means was not in the right time to be that person that was offered to me. But I learned so much from that job.
Anyway, I researched then and I still research. I love the what, when, where and why. and especially the who.
When I first brought up Jamies name the same stuff came up that was pretty much like all the other candidates. Then I noticed something that caught my eye. Nothing serious, but something that made me curious. So, I looked into it. And I looked a little more. And a little more. And the more I looked the more confused her resume started sounding. Contrictions here and there. Nothing of herself shared. No "job" history. Lots of volunteering. Lots of college attendance. I had a dear friend years ago that had admitted he was a proffessional college student and it paid him well. He never settled anywhere. Just wherever the next grant took him. And he had one heck of a resume'! Not saying he didn't have a couple of good jobs. But the last time I saw him he was going to the UW and had just turned 40 and moved back to Seattle. I don't remember how many certificates or whatever you call them he had. But he was well qualified. I'm just gratful he never ran for Congress.
Bernie Sanderson, I appreciate the fact that you have been researching the candidates, but I can't imagine where you got the idea that Jamie hasn't held any jobs. That wouldn't come from her résumé, for sure. Her job history and elected experience are part of what make her so impressive, and why I support her. I appreciate the fact that you support Jim Crary, so he's your candidate, not Jamie. But I don't think it's a good idea to attack another candidate with something that just isn't true. Most of the candidates and their supporters have not been attacking the other candidates. I hate to see this race devolve into a game of dirty politics. In the meantime, if you and others want to know what Jamie has been doing for the past few decades, visit her website: https://jamiefororegon.com/why-jamie/.
Bernie Sanderson - All of the candidates have maintained a high road of not attacking each other - instead they simply put forward their positions on issues that affect us all. Please follow their example and talk about why your candidate is the best for the job, not your take on why all the others are unfit. We all need to support the candidate that wins in the primary.
Thanks for this post. Not much of a Democrat myself, I only registered so I could vote in this primary and then I w ill go back to being an unaffiliated voter. I plan to vote for Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the primary and in the main election for a few reasons.
1) She's purple. Most of Oregon isn't red or blue, it's purple. I grew up raising cattle and farming in rural Oregon, lived in some liberal cities, live in the woods again now. I'm purple, too. Don't care who's gay and who's straight. We need guns but we don't need overblown assault weapons in every hand. We need policies that help people in smaller towns and rural areas with jobs, schools, and medical care. McLeod-Skinner seems to get all that.
2) The other candidates seem well intentioned and nice enough, but they don't do much to help Oregonians talk with each other and find common ground. Crary has already lost to Walden. White is using anger to "rouse the base," not real helpful at a time like this. Most seem to be generic blue Dems. McLeod-Skinner on the other hand has a different kind of experience. She listens, she's reasonable, she's genuine. I figure even if McLeod-Skinner loses to Walden, she is out there on the ground showing folks you can be a Democrat and not be a snooty, 100% liberal-left-Coast type of person. Long term that's really important.
3) Greg Walden is such a lying weasel. About 20% of his work helps Oregon, especially rural Oregon, especially when he plays nice with Wyden or whoever. But the other 80% is just plain BS, bought and paid for by special interests and the NRA. That guy has gotta go or at least have someone give him a serious run for his special interest money. McLeod-Skinner seems like the right candidate to take him on.
Rusty,
You have hit every nail on the head! I appreciate your comment and request that i be able to share it widely. Thanks Joyce Stanley
Time to get rid of Rep. Walden who really doesn't care with Jamie who cares and is the closest thing to bipartisan candidate in the race. She can beat Walden.
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