You write "... I feel terrible for my wonderful campaign staff and for thousands of supporters: I let them down." No, you didn't let us down. You provided a breath of fresh air, and showed us what could be as compared to what is. Hopefully, you'll try again, and maybe this time we'll be able to actually create a new and better Oregon.
I live in South Africa now after living in California for 28 years with dual citizenship. Ive followed you avidly for years as a journalist and was so enthused when you entered the political arena. To my mind, you were joining a tiny minority of politicians of the same caliber as Ohio’s Sherrod Brown. We so desperately need the likes of you. I’m not ready to give up on you ...this is not the end, but a pause before regrouping.
Don't give up! You have such compassion and desire to make this better that you need (we need) you to find another way of improving things for Oregon. Write a column for The Oregonian and other newspapers in the state, the few that are left. Go on a speaking tour and get more citizens to buy into your ideas. Run for Yamhill County Commissioner or for the local school board, provided your residency requirements will be okay. Keep traveling around the state and talking to people. Establish your residence and run again for Governor!
I can well imagine how disappointed you are, and I understand that you are ok. I'm not surprised; you are well grounded, smart, resilient, and highly respected by a large community of folks. I am confident that you will find productive ways to help mitigate the enormous challenges facing Oregon.
I would like to propose one possible course of action: please consider running for a position on the Yamhill County Commission (the filing date is March 8, 2022). I know it's awfully soon after the Supreme Court ruling, but we desperately need someone of your caliber working on behalf of Yamhill County.
Your positive vision, values, and extraordinary communication skills would make a huge difference in the governing of our county. All of the problems you wanted to tackle at the state level exist right here in Yamhill County. You could have huge impact a little closer to home and would gain valuable leadership and administrative experience, which would serve you well in your future run for the Governor's office.
Please consider this option. I, for one, would voluntarily step up and eagerly work on your campaign for a position on the Yamhill County Commission. We need you, Nick. It's not to late to embrace this opportunity. In fact, it could well be a most excellent silver lining to the disappointing Supreme Court ruling.
You will find a way- I am quite confident of that. You are a rare person in public life demonstrating compassion and intelligence. We all need more of you.
So much wealth and yet women live alone in cars with colostomy bags. Heartbreaking doesn’t cover it. And there is probably even worse. I don’t know what to do either. Except ask Sheryl Sandburg or Elon Musk to buy her a house? They could afford many, to be sure. They certainly need to pay more taxes.
Apply for a position in any of the other candidates of either party’s campaign and keep on keeping on. Show all of us how it isn’t about the perfect person winning but about each person doing the one thing they can do and pulling together. You are a very inspiring leader. We need you more for losing this technical point. Not much that matters has really changed.
Please don't give up. Consider this simply a bump in the road. We so need people like you to run for office. Often it seems as if politicians do not run with the goal of helping their constituents. That must change. In the meantime, use your writing skills to create change.
I live in Massachusetts and have followed your columns "On the Trail" and in the NY Times. My regrets about your Supreme Court's ruling. I've been impressed with your compassion and feeling for the people of Oregon and hope you'll have another opportunity to run for governor. Keep up your good work and perhaps run for a position on a local board, or write a column for the Oregonian, to keep your name out there. Best wishes.
Nick, I’ve been following you from afar for some time and am always impressed with your journalism, insights and passion. You are both a fulcrum and catalyst and will land exactly where you will make a meaningful impact. Keep doing you; we need you to get there.
Stick with it, Nick. I was glad to see you running for governor. Sorry the court decided that you wouldn't be a candidate this time. But the next few years can be great for your and Sheryl. You can write a great book about Oregon and explain the state to the people who live there and to the world.
In high school (many years ago - I graduated in 1970!) I read a line somewhere that has never left me. I've searched and searched, but can't seem to pinpoint the source. But I've never forgotten it:
"Nothing great is lightly won, and nothing lightly won is great."
It's simple and preachy, yet it has been a constant reminder to me that when I face setbacks, I have to refocus on the goal. I've used this many times with my high school math students, whose main concern is receiving a high grade while doing the least to earn it. As I've told them, the value of an accomplishment is in the effort - if I handed an A to everyone in the class, those A's would be meaningless, since only some of the kids did the work necessary to earn it.
Of course I'm the last guy to be offering a life lesson to one who has risked his life so many times to get a story to tell the world of the suffering of our fellow humans - but I think it's easy to forget, and we all need a reminder now & then.
I'm just grateful to you for the lessons I've received through the years from reading your columns. Your current struggle to help the people of Oregon echoes the struggles you've reported on through the years: stories of men & women overcoming enormous adversity to accomplish great things. And with all of our successes & setbacks, the goal doesn't change. As Helen Keller said, we need to maintain "a willing effort always to cooperate with the good, that it may prevail."
How do we make politics the art of problem-solving? We hold politicians accountable? We demand results and if we don't get them, we vote the slackers out? But that would mean ordinary people taking responsibility for society as a whole instead of expecting all problems to be resolved by individuals. Keep writing. Write a book on homelessness. I watched for a decade as all the housed folks at various Portland homelessness agencies talked and talked and talked (and stayed housed) and nothing new was brought to the table for folks who needed services (other than the veterans, the VA finally kicked down some funds to care for their own.)
I don’t know how long Oregon’s gubernatorial term is but I hope you will run again with residency issues sorted out. I heard you speak years ago at an ALA conference and have followed you since. You’re about the best thing that could happen for Oregon.
You write "... I feel terrible for my wonderful campaign staff and for thousands of supporters: I let them down." No, you didn't let us down. You provided a breath of fresh air, and showed us what could be as compared to what is. Hopefully, you'll try again, and maybe this time we'll be able to actually create a new and better Oregon.
Aw, thanks! I have the best readers!
I live in South Africa now after living in California for 28 years with dual citizenship. Ive followed you avidly for years as a journalist and was so enthused when you entered the political arena. To my mind, you were joining a tiny minority of politicians of the same caliber as Ohio’s Sherrod Brown. We so desperately need the likes of you. I’m not ready to give up on you ...this is not the end, but a pause before regrouping.
Exactly!
Don't give up! You have such compassion and desire to make this better that you need (we need) you to find another way of improving things for Oregon. Write a column for The Oregonian and other newspapers in the state, the few that are left. Go on a speaking tour and get more citizens to buy into your ideas. Run for Yamhill County Commissioner or for the local school board, provided your residency requirements will be okay. Keep traveling around the state and talking to people. Establish your residence and run again for Governor!
I can well imagine how disappointed you are, and I understand that you are ok. I'm not surprised; you are well grounded, smart, resilient, and highly respected by a large community of folks. I am confident that you will find productive ways to help mitigate the enormous challenges facing Oregon.
I would like to propose one possible course of action: please consider running for a position on the Yamhill County Commission (the filing date is March 8, 2022). I know it's awfully soon after the Supreme Court ruling, but we desperately need someone of your caliber working on behalf of Yamhill County.
Your positive vision, values, and extraordinary communication skills would make a huge difference in the governing of our county. All of the problems you wanted to tackle at the state level exist right here in Yamhill County. You could have huge impact a little closer to home and would gain valuable leadership and administrative experience, which would serve you well in your future run for the Governor's office.
Please consider this option. I, for one, would voluntarily step up and eagerly work on your campaign for a position on the Yamhill County Commission. We need you, Nick. It's not to late to embrace this opportunity. In fact, it could well be a most excellent silver lining to the disappointing Supreme Court ruling.
Sincerely,
Diane Hofland
hofland@earthlink.net
You will find a way- I am quite confident of that. You are a rare person in public life demonstrating compassion and intelligence. We all need more of you.
Yes, it is important to continue to be hopeful and look for solutions. I appreciate your relentless sense of the possible.
" . . . relentless sense of the possible." Perfect!
Please never stop speaking out - and possibly run again - perhaps for national office
So much wealth and yet women live alone in cars with colostomy bags. Heartbreaking doesn’t cover it. And there is probably even worse. I don’t know what to do either. Except ask Sheryl Sandburg or Elon Musk to buy her a house? They could afford many, to be sure. They certainly need to pay more taxes.
Apply for a position in any of the other candidates of either party’s campaign and keep on keeping on. Show all of us how it isn’t about the perfect person winning but about each person doing the one thing they can do and pulling together. You are a very inspiring leader. We need you more for losing this technical point. Not much that matters has really changed.
Please don't give up. Consider this simply a bump in the road. We so need people like you to run for office. Often it seems as if politicians do not run with the goal of helping their constituents. That must change. In the meantime, use your writing skills to create change.
John Katz
I live in Massachusetts and have followed your columns "On the Trail" and in the NY Times. My regrets about your Supreme Court's ruling. I've been impressed with your compassion and feeling for the people of Oregon and hope you'll have another opportunity to run for governor. Keep up your good work and perhaps run for a position on a local board, or write a column for the Oregonian, to keep your name out there. Best wishes.
Nick, I’ve been following you from afar for some time and am always impressed with your journalism, insights and passion. You are both a fulcrum and catalyst and will land exactly where you will make a meaningful impact. Keep doing you; we need you to get there.
Exactly!
Stick with it, Nick. I was glad to see you running for governor. Sorry the court decided that you wouldn't be a candidate this time. But the next few years can be great for your and Sheryl. You can write a great book about Oregon and explain the state to the people who live there and to the world.
In high school (many years ago - I graduated in 1970!) I read a line somewhere that has never left me. I've searched and searched, but can't seem to pinpoint the source. But I've never forgotten it:
"Nothing great is lightly won, and nothing lightly won is great."
It's simple and preachy, yet it has been a constant reminder to me that when I face setbacks, I have to refocus on the goal. I've used this many times with my high school math students, whose main concern is receiving a high grade while doing the least to earn it. As I've told them, the value of an accomplishment is in the effort - if I handed an A to everyone in the class, those A's would be meaningless, since only some of the kids did the work necessary to earn it.
Of course I'm the last guy to be offering a life lesson to one who has risked his life so many times to get a story to tell the world of the suffering of our fellow humans - but I think it's easy to forget, and we all need a reminder now & then.
I'm just grateful to you for the lessons I've received through the years from reading your columns. Your current struggle to help the people of Oregon echoes the struggles you've reported on through the years: stories of men & women overcoming enormous adversity to accomplish great things. And with all of our successes & setbacks, the goal doesn't change. As Helen Keller said, we need to maintain "a willing effort always to cooperate with the good, that it may prevail."
So, thanks for always being part of the solution.
Good luck with your political career. As a media person, I am sure you know you have already created a platform for yourself.
How do we make politics the art of problem-solving? We hold politicians accountable? We demand results and if we don't get them, we vote the slackers out? But that would mean ordinary people taking responsibility for society as a whole instead of expecting all problems to be resolved by individuals. Keep writing. Write a book on homelessness. I watched for a decade as all the housed folks at various Portland homelessness agencies talked and talked and talked (and stayed housed) and nothing new was brought to the table for folks who needed services (other than the veterans, the VA finally kicked down some funds to care for their own.)
I don’t know how long Oregon’s gubernatorial term is but I hope you will run again with residency issues sorted out. I heard you speak years ago at an ALA conference and have followed you since. You’re about the best thing that could happen for Oregon.