海角大神

There鈥檚 something unnervingly genuine about Jason Atkinson. Unnerving because he鈥檚 a politician 鈥� once a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, today a member of its Senate, in between a determined but failed candidate for governor 鈥� but he doesn鈥檛 sound anything like one.

His speech lacks curated sound bites, and he tends to talk about solving problems, rather than who鈥檚 to blame for them.

This could be subjective. I met Mr. Atkinson only once; we had several conversations over four days this summer at the Aspen Global Leadership Network鈥檚 ACT II conference. (The AGLN paid for my travel and accommodations.)

He is an Oregonian, and I鈥檓 an East Coaster, far more comfortable with irony than sincerity.

But with all the blather on cable news, what explains his reasons for practicing politics in a time of intense partisanship like this?

鈥淚 used to tell people that I was the guy who actually believed the commencement speech,鈥� he says.

Atkinson, a Republican, has taken some stands considered controversial in Oregon political circles; by his account, that鈥檚 at least in part because he thinks of public service before politics. For a long time, these were important but mostly invisible battles guys like him waged in their hearts and souls 鈥� or in the proverbial back rooms where political deals are cut.

That changed, for Atkinson, in January, when Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) of Arizona was shot at a 鈥渢own hall鈥� style meeting. Atkinson knew Ms. Giffords 鈥� the two had been in the inaugural class of the ALGN鈥檚 Rodel Fellowship in Public Service.

He also knew what it means to recover from being shot; a friend鈥檚 gun had accidentally gone off, sending a bullet into his leg, and he nearly bled to death.

Atkinson spearheaded , signed by his Rodel Fellowship class. 鈥淲e know that democracy demands vigorous and honest debate. And we know that neither violence nor the threat of violence has any place in that debate,鈥� they wrote.

But Atkinson had more to say. He delivered a speech on the Senate floor accusing both parties of incivility and trying to chart a way forward.

"We have to turn off the national appetite for bad news," Atkinson said, "the idea that I am right, and you are evil."
It was a message he thought Oregon really needed.

鈥淲e鈥檇 just come off some extremely contentious debates where Republicans completely belittled the Democrats in campaign ads, and Democrats did scare-tactic campaigning stuff,鈥� going so far as to put cross-hairs on abortion doctors and to suggest what electing Republicans would lead to, Atkinson remembers.

鈥淚 called both sides on the carpet,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he fallout was amazing.鈥�

His office filled with hate mail, even threats.

鈥淚 actually had to have the sheriff park outside our home for about six weeks,鈥� he remembers. 鈥淎lmost all of the anger came from my party, and I was just dumbfounded. 鈥楧id you guys not listen? What鈥檚 the deal?鈥� But that鈥檚 politics. It鈥檚 sad, but that鈥檚 politics.鈥�

So you鈥檇 think anyone with Atkinson鈥檚 鈥渞ebellious or romantic鈥� idea of public service would give it up.

鈥淚 just believe in being in the arena,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t costs huge amounts of opportunity for me 鈥� but it鈥檚 done good things. I guess believing in it for me is enough.鈥�

And it鈥檚 that word, he thinks, we need more of in our national political conversation -- not just for civility, but for the politicians themselves to do the job that we choose them to do.

鈥淚f you look at politics right now,鈥� he says, 鈥渨hoever鈥檚 running for whatever, they鈥檙e not enough. They鈥檙e not conservative enough, they鈥檙e not moderate enough, they鈥檙e not environmental enough, they don鈥檛 have enough experience. Whatever it is, they鈥檙e not enough. And if you鈥檙e not careful, those are traps for the candidate, on a personal level after the campaign is over.鈥�

So what does it take to overcome those traps? How much, really, is enough?

Atkinson says it isn鈥檛 very much it all.

鈥淢y premise is that 10 percent holds the other 90 percent together,鈥� he insists. He鈥檚 been running an experiment on this idea for almost a decade, asking students at the end a graduate seminar he teaches to agree or disagree with his premise.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the easiest pass/fail you鈥檒l ever have,鈥� he laughs. 鈥淏ut if you write yes, you have to tell me who they are.鈥�

Almost all of his students say yes 鈥� and almost none of them list a politician the rest of us have ever heard of.

鈥淚t鈥檚 almost never the grand-standers or the people who would sell their own mother for a headline,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here is a 10 percent, and I would bet no one鈥檚 ever heard of them.鈥�

Jason Atkinson blogs about public service at therecoveringpolitician.com.

鈥� Jina Moore met Atkinson at ACT II, a conference of AGLN alumni, on a trip to Aspen, Colo., whose airfare and accommodations were financed by the AGLN.

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