Extraordinary Observations

Politico (via Yglesias) reports that Blumenauer is already one of the contenders for the appointment. He is the House Rep from Oregon's 3rd congressional district, and perhaps one of the biggest advocates for alternatives to car culture. Unless you live in Oregon, you, like me, have probably never heard of the guy. Who is he? The Portland alternative newspaper Willamette Week gives a brief introduction:

Ideologically and temperamentally, Blumenauer is an almost perfect reflection of his Portland seat, as safe a Democratic stronghold as any in the nation. He's championed light rail and the streetcar. He's the biggest bike advocate on Capitol Hill.

Last winter, the Wall Street Journal prominently featured Blumenauer on its front page; describing exactly what he stands for in Congress:

Some members of Congress come to Washington and get in the fast lane. The 59-year-old Mr. Blumenauer came to Washington and got in the bike lane. Few members of Congress care more than he does about cranks and sprockets.

Mr. Blumenauer’s “obsession with bicycling borders on the interesting,” sniffed TV satirist Stephen Colbert.

“Bikeman,” a House colleague from Oregon calls him. Mr. Blumenauer owns seven bikes. His congressional office is one of the few — if not the only one — that didn’t even apply for a parking permit. On occasion, Mr. Blumenauer has cycled to the White House. On Mr. Blumenauer’s first visit, the Secret Service, more accustomed to limousines, was flummoxed at the sight of his bike.

“I leaned it up against the portico,” Mr. Blumenauer says.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon is a cycling fanatic who rides one of his seven bikes to his Capitol Hill office everyday. The WSJ’s Greg Hitt reports on the congressmen’s efforts to promote bicycle commuting.

Washington isn’t particularly bicycle friendly. The summers are swampy. The winters are cold. And if you aren’t careful, you could get flattened by a motorcade.

But Mr. Blumenauer has been a pedal pusher since his days on the Portland City Council, when he pressed for more bike lanes and set an example by riding around in his suit and a big bow tie. When Mr. Blumenauer arrived in Washington in 1996, he didn’t bring a car. Soon he was preaching the benefits of pedaling.

He launched the Congressional Bike Caucus, a bipartisan group that promotes public investment in cycling. In his early days, he tracked down Speaker Newt Gingrich in the House gym to pitch transit-fare subsidies for House workers. He got them. As the ranks of the Bicycle Caucus have grown — there are now more than 170 members — money for bike projects has grown, more than doubling during his time in office.

The beauty of Blumenauer is that he isn't just all talk. He has fought hard in congress for alternatives to car culture and he embraces it in his every day life.

On his way out of Rayburn House Office Building, Mr. Blumenauer pushed open the door with one hand and dragged his bike through with the other. He exited among soaring columns and onto a horseshoe-shaped drive, where 11 cars lined up along the curb. Many more were parked tightly on the street beyond.

Mr. Blumenauer swung his leg over the Trek and pedaled off, a blue messenger bag slung around his neck, crumpling the collar of his blazer. A reflector strap was tied around his pant leg. He turned right at the bottom of the drive, avoiding Independence Avenue, choosing instead a more circuitous but less congested route.

As he approached a metal guard gate, a Capitol policeman called out, “Getting your exercise, Sir?”

He passed several Greenpeace activists tromping around in whale suits near the Supreme Court.

A few blocks beyond, he pulled up at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, where Democrats were meeting to talk election-year strategy. He was there to give a presentation on online town halls. He looked around for a bike rack. With none in sight, he grabbed the heavy-duty U-lock slung over his handlebars and secured the bike to a street sign: Authorized Permit Parking Only.

With Democrats in the majority for the first time since he came to Washington, Mr. Blumenauer snagged a seat on the Ways and Means Committee, and has had some success peddling a proposal to encourage bike commuting. The tax code already encourages employers to subsidize parking spots for workers who drive or fare cards for those who use mass transit. But it is silent on bikes.

“You can’t provide a benefit for people who burn calories instead of petroleum,” says Mr. Blumenauer, in disbelief. “It just seemed outrageous that somebody who cycles got zip.”

Blumenauer is an advocate for alternatives to car culture; he is a best friend for cyclists and others who are tired of being marginalized for their lifestyle; and most importantly, he is a role model. Blumenauer is someone we can look to in order to show that America can stand for more than just cars, roads, and seemingly endless surface lots. As a representative and local of Portland, he knows better than just about anyone how to implement cal-alternative policy successfully and effectively. For what its worth, Barack Obama should bring change to America by appointing Earl Blumenauer to US Secretary of Transportation.