We'll start with the disclaimer: Jeff Merkley has a long way to go with me, albeit due to lack of experience rather than adverse evidence so far, before I can offer a fully positive assessment. But it has to be said that nearly anyone who was a strong Steve Novick supporter in the primary, felt that way at least in part because of Novick's perceived superiority in calling a spade a spade, being unafraid of toe-treading, and cutting sharply through the partisan crap that most Democrats tend to shuck and apologize for when attacked with it. The word "milquetoast" got a lot of use on Merkley, by me as much as anyone, to make the negative comparison with Novick.
So, so wrong.
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