The Jason Atkinson meeting that wasn't

I was invited to meet Republican gubernatorial candidate Jason Atkinson at a Newberg coffee house this afternoon. And I did meet him. But it wasn't exactly a memorable experience.

Before I relate the story, go and read this write-up from Gully from his meeting with Atkinson this morning.

When I heard the meeting was to be held in Newberg, I considered not going, but I really wanted to meet the man and talk to him. So, I left my office in Beaverton at 4:30 for the 5:15 appointment. I knew that might be cutting it close, but there's a road from southern Beaverton to Sherwood called Roy Rogers Road; it bypasses Tigard, so it's a great way to avoid the ugliness of Highway 99 at rush hour.

Unfortunately, a heartbreaking fatal accident on Roy Rogers earlier in the day left the road closed, and we were re-routed back to 99 for the long slog through Tigard. My 45-minute trip turned into a 90-minute poke, and I got to the coffee house with just 15 minutes remaining of the allotted time.

By the time I stumbled in the door, I was cranky. If I had any wits about me at all, I should have just turned around and gone home. (Actually, if I had any wits about me at all, I should have turned around at the Roy Rogers detour.) Jason Atkinson, chatting with Cheeser and his wife (and someone else I never learned about), gave me a "I'm not sure who you are or why you're crashing our party" look, so I sputtered out an introduction and had a seat.

Jason had to leave 15 minutes later for another commitment in McMinnville, so I got to say maybe two things to him. Alas, it was just not meant to be, I guess.

So what did I get out my 15 minutes? Just a few tidbits:

• Jason is very nice, and seems very down to earth — not full of himself. He noted that there are times he chooses to return donations because he wants to make it clear he's not beholden to special interests. He was asked if he'd be willing to list the returns as a way of documenting his integrity, and I liked Jason's answer: the concern he has is that he doesn't want to be perceived as "holier than thou," because that's not who he is.
• He talked about campaign donations, and estimated he will need nearly $1 million for the primary campaign. But he noted that the average donation to his campaign is $25, so at that rate he will need 40,000 individual contributors. That's why he said he needs help from bloggers to generate the grassroots support and the fundraising. Both will be hugely important in the next six months.
• Speaking of bloggers, he said his blog-roots support is drawing the attention of people like Grover Norquist and Bob Novak, and mentioned that Texas Gov. Rick Perry is throwing in a helping hand.
• He also said he is excited about where the campaign is today, and that he has already made significant inroads on the other Republican candidates, which is especially notable considering they've had a three-year head start.
  

By the way, Mr. and Mrs. Cheeser are extremely nice, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting them. Considering my mood, they probably can't say the same, so sorry to them.

Please don't assume from this whine-session that I hold Jason in any way responsible for any of this — it was just a bad traffic day. I hope to have another opportunity to meet him in the future, and to meet more of the bloggers on the list at right under Jason's picture. I encourage you to become part of the Class of 40K — to write a check for $25 and send it to the Atkinson for Governor campaign. I think there will be some pleasant surprises coming.