TAKE A MERKLEY MINUTE IN BEAVERTON TOWN HALL

What do you get when you attend a Senator Jeff Merkley town hall meeting?

I parked the car in a neighborhood near Conestoga Rec Center off 125th in Beaverton. Fifteen minutes from my driveway and I had time to attend? So I did.

It took more than a Merkley minute for the hole deal, but every moment was intriguing. It was my first town hall at sixty four.

The big gym was full, with people setting up chairs for the overflow crowd. Once Senator Merkley was introduced by the Beaverton mayor the good times began.

MERKLEY LOOKED GOOD, SOUNDED BETTER

Like so many, I vote and wait to see my candidates on TV. From one image to another I’ve always missed the in-person experience.

I found a chair on the right edge of the crowd and settled in, claundestinly surveying the crowd. More than a few walkers and canes, and more than a few note takers with pen and pad at the ready.

The Senator ran through the democratic menu line by line and added his participation in each issue. He came out clean. Instead of fixing on a crowd pleasing response and repeating it over and over to bath in the applause, Senator Merkley took another path.

He spoke to the crowd, articulated the questions asked to make sure he understood, then gave answers in complete sentences using logic and good pronunciation. What he modeled was a good education and he applied it to the Beaverton crowd. It felt like he trusted his constituents to work with him.

The town hall feel came with the red and green cards handed out before the event. Instead of applause breaks, the crowd raised a green card for approval.

The more efficient members in the group put the cards together. When they raised their hand with the green facing forward, the red showed behind like they disagreed. It was a green card afternoon.

PRESIDENT MERKLEY?

Questions were decided by lottery. If you had a ticket and your number was called, you got to ask a question. One question came up about the best democratic candidates to run for the presidency … besides Senator Merkley himself.

His answer speaks to all of us. We only have so much time and energy to spend and we need to direct it where we are most useful.

Who hasn’t felt that push and pull?

Could there be a President Merkley? He looked and sounded like he could do the work. Degrees from Stanford and Princeton weren’t wasted on him. He’s been in state and federal legislature and knows the ropes. Could he carry the democratic standard?

From my corner of the internet it’s a resounding yes. The man appears normal enough, even boring, the sort of guy who will work until he’s gone as far as it takes. He looks like he’d enjoy being around smart, capable, people.

I’d like to see what that looks like in the White House again, especially when the question of what to name someone who puts other interests before America  came up.

Senator Merkley knew the word and said it out loud. That’s our guy.