What happened strikes me, at the level of facts, as such a simple thing to discern. The mayor lied and got others to lie in order to get elected. No one can dispute that. He was elected by fraud. The election was a mayor-created fraud.
So I am shocked that I know so many people to whom this doesn't matter at all. Pretty depressing, actually, to have fellow citizens with such low values as a new politics tries to get born. Pretty depressing that otherwise smart people can have such a blind spot. The facts (i.e. lying, calculation) aren't in question. Their meaning and consequences are. And some folks are just fine having a calculating liar in charge because ... well, who the hell knows? I don't.
Here's how our gay newspaper put it recently:
Let’s be clear: These were not “Who ate the last cookie?” type of lies. These were manipulative lies intended to deceive every citizen of Portland. The desire to be elected mayor was so great that Adams was willing to compromise his integrity and his values in the pursuit of the goal.
There's considerable support for the mayor's removal. But there also is considerable support that he stays, and this is what baffles me.
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