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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 2026)
slant — Still Moving >> Jan. 8’s “Top 10 Dick Moves” and the readers’ poll version (“Dick Moves: Your Move”) proved popular with readers! So we’re getting a jump on next year with “Dick Moves, Pre-dick-ted.” What dick moves do you see coming from local governments and businesses? Drop us a note at Editor@EugeneWeekly.com for an upcoming issue and see at the end of 2026 what dicks came to fruition! >> Greenland and Denmark are in the news as part of Donald Trump’s latest bat shittery. Check out the 1992 novel Smilla’s Sense of Snow (also a 1997 film and now a mini-series that perhaps the latest contretemps will push to Netflix) for some fictional background on Greenland or the Danish TV series Borgen (which is on Netflix) for your quirky European-Greenlandic political fix while Trump continues to play games with lives on the world stage. >> A group of former and current Spring- field students and community members BY EW EDITORIAL STAFF is working on a recall against Spring- field School Board Chair Heather Quaas-Annsa and members Ken Kohl and Nicole De Graff who voted for mid-year cuts that will cost teach- ers their jobs. The prospective recall petition was turned in to Lane County Elections. The county says the petition- ers must file their signature sheets for each petition and once approved for circulation, the group will have until April 20 to collect 4,826 signatures to get the recall on the ballot. At stake in Springfield are not just the cuts but also K-5 teachers who say they didn’t have the necessary time, standards-aligned curricula and other support materi- als needed to teach science and social studies. >> Want to try to bring transparency to policing in Eugene? The Civilian Review Board monitors the work of the city’s independent police auditor, reviews closed complaint cases and gives input on the Eugene Police Department’s NEWS TRUMP, ’24 AND MORE The past year has given former Rep. Peter DeFazio a lot to think about — including the failures of the Democratic Party BY PIERCE BAUGH V J an. 20 marked one year since President Donald Trump announced, “The golden age of Amer- ica begins right now,” as his second admin- istration regained the helm of the country. Now in that “golden age,” masked ICE officers roam the streets; foreign aid and public broad- casting have seen $9 billion in cuts under the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which permanently extended tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans; “No Kings” protests have drawn thousands; the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention — a first-of-its-kind office created to coordinate and accelerate national efforts to reduce gun violence — has been dissolved; and environmental regulations have been rolled back. Trump says it’s no longer the Gulf of Mexico — it’s now the “Gulf of America.” And he’s taking over Greenland. One of Oregon’s most prominent longtime political voices has been closely watching the nation’s trajectory. Former Rep. Peter DeFazio, who represented Oregon’s 4th Congressional District for 36 years, in a late December interview with Eugene Weekly, says that he knew Demo- crats were in trouble even before the Electoral College began tallying votes on Nov. 5, 2024. DeFazio, who correctly predicted Trump’s 2016 victory, has become something of a political bellwether. And he’s 4 January 22, 2026 investigative process. The CRB is looking for two members living in Eugene, 18 or older, can pass a background check and can meet the second Tuesday evening of the month. Applications due Jan. 31. Go to Eugene-or.gov/86/Boards-and-Com- missions to apply to be on the CRB, Human Rights Commission or other important service positions. >> Eugene City Council voted to offer the city manager position to Jenny Haruyama, currently the Beaverton city manager. The advertised salary range was $238,071 to $319,218, and a start date is yet to be determined. Interim City Manager Matt Rodrigues was one of the top three candidates. >> At a Jan. 20 protest outside the downtown Eugene Federal Building, over 100 students from South Eugene High School and Monroe Middle School joined forces with several 100 adults to protest ICE activity. The walkout was part of the Women’s March’s Free Amer- frustrated — particularly with his own party — with the 2024 election, the Dems’ response to Trump and how to handle the new version of Trump that doesn’t have guardrails. A FAILED TRANSITION DeFazio says he believes the Democratic Party missed its opportunity long before Election Day. His chief criti- cism is aimed at President Joe Biden, whose presidency DeFazio viewed as transitional. “He was supposed to be the bridge to the future,” DeFazio says. In DeFazio’s view, Biden should have announced his decision not to seek reelection in 2023, giving Democrats time to hold a competitive primary. Instead, Biden exited the race late, and the nomination was effectively handed to Vice President Kamala Harris. For DeFazio, Harris entered the race carry- ing the baggage of an unpopular adminis- tration without clearly distinguishing how she would govern differently. When she was asked, ‘What will you do differently than Joe Biden, whose approval rating is 38 percent?’ her answer was nothing,” he says. “Great answer. Great answer.” ica Walkout. It started at the Wayne Morse U.S. Courthouse and moved to the Eugene Federal Building, joining anti-ICE protesters. Later that evening, a mix of student and adult protesters stood in front of the building’s vehicle exit gate to prevent Department of Homeland Security officers from leaving. After a brief confrontation, the officers — some wearing riot gear — retreated and requested support from the Eugene Police Department, according to an EPD press release. EPD officers moni- tored the situation until around 6:40 pm when the students left. The federal officers again attempted to leave, but protesters prevented it. EPD’s Mobile Response Team was able to convince protesters to step aside without use of force. According to a protester, one of the vehicles is known to be used by ICE to transport detainees. To everyone’s delight, the feds didn’t tear gas or shoot at the youth and adults exercising their First Amendment rights. in federal prisons after lengthy court battles, about 20 in California, and a handful in Illinois — DeFazio says the messaging was devastating in a political climate where many Americans lack basic health insurance. “That ad was a killer,” he says. Ultimately, DeFazio says Harris was simply the wrong candidate for the moment. WHO COULD HAVE WON? Asked who might have fared better, DeFazio pointed to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, the latter of whom was reportedly under consideration as Harris’s running mate. He praised Whitmer for leading a traditionally Repub- lican-leaning state and delivering legislative victories, and Beshear for maintaining strong popularity in deeply conservative Kentucky despite being a Democrat. In the aftermath of Harris’s loss, a famil- iar narrative re-emerged: that the U.S. is not ready to elect a woman president, a claim often reinforced by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat. DeFazio strongly rejects that idea. “Whitmer would have kicked Trump’s ass,” he says. “You just have to nominate the right person.” PETER DEFAZIO Photo by Todd Cooper He added that while Harris and Clin- OLD ATTACKS, ton were qualified candidates, neither NEW CONSEQUENCES was right for the political moment. DeFazio argues Harris was also haunted by “America can elect a woman,” DeFazio says. her unsuccessful 2020 presidential run, partic- “You just have to nominate the right one.” ularly by a 2019 video in which she expressed support for incarcerated people and immigration detainees having access to gender-affirming surgery. In the video from YOUNG MEN, MICROTARGETING AND ICE the Trump campaign, a snippet shows her talking about According to the Center for Information & Research supporting taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgery for on Civic Learning and Engagement, 56 percent of young inmates. On a 2019 ACLU questionnaire, Harris responded men voted for Trump in 2024, compared to 42 percent that she supported gender-affirming surgery for inmates for Harris — a reversal from 2020, when most young men and those in immigration detention, though her 2024 voted for Biden. presidential platform did not mention taxpayer-funded DeFazio attributes that shift to sophisticated microtar- gender-affirming care for inmates. geting — the use of personal data such as media habits, That stance resurfaced in a 2024 attack ad that DeFazio geography and interests to tailor political messaging. compares to the infamous 1964 “Daisy” ad used against “There’s so much data out there on everybody,” he Barry Goldwater, which used the prospect of nuclear said. “The Democrats are way behind on it.” war to frighten voters. The ad highlighted Harris’s prior But DeFazio says microtargeting isn’t being used only statements and concluded with the line: “Kamala’s for to win votes. He claims ICE has also targeted young men they/them. President Trump is for you.” for recruitment — a development he finds alarming. Though cases of incarcerated people receiving gender-af- In an eerie prediction of the Jan. 7 killing by ICE of firming surgery have been exceedingly rare — only two Renee Good, he said: “They’re going to recruit 10,000 more support.eugeneweekly.com
