Archive for August, 2008

Thanks Goldy!

Given the buzz after his convention speech, my support for Schweitzer as VP pick wasn’t that far off.  This guy has got the goods.  Look for good things from Brian Schweitzer.

Who ever thought we’d have product placement in a blog post? The deliberate human manipulation of placing the commercial world into our daily lives, until now, was mainly reserved for Sylvester Stallone movies. Until now. Over at HA, Darryl has broken through that barrier.

With credentials come bags (typically canvass bags) filled with advertisements and goodies. Lots and lots of goodies. Obviously the goodies are given away in hopes of some return. The goodie suppliers for the press bags might have been hoping for some product placement. But I don’t see United Parcel Service getting anything out of me for putting those delicious little mints in my bag.

[...]

For instance, our blogger credentials came with a coveted floor pass in the Pepsi Center…

[...]

(I feel it is only proper to take a moment to thank the New Belgium Brewery for all the free beer they gave me in the Big Tent last night.

Oh the horror. Have we bloggers evolved past “dirty fucking hippie” to corporate whores? I know had I been at the Democratic National Convention, I would never have been so weak as to insert corporations such as Microsoft or Miss Vickies Hand-Picked Jalapeno chips into one of my ever important blog posts (and frankly Darryl, it shows a complete lack of character on your part).

You guys go on and enjoy your time at the convention. I’m going to go drink my Alaskan Amber Alt Style Beer and watch the convention on teevee.

(Dear Alaskan Amber, I’m patiently waiting for my shipment.)

Pretty weak so far. And there is a few ways to look at this. First, this isn’t 1968 when the warhawks weren’t so far and few between. And with the general message of withdrawal from Iraq a common theme, I don’t anticipate much of a disturbance. But it’s early and the head banging could come soon enough given the police presence in Denver and the propensity for brute force that has engulfed the law enforcement environment during the past 8 years… and because some of these protesters are a real threat!

(photo via Slog)

(Via Horsesass.org… via… just pass it along ok!)

Being wrong on the internets ain’t nothin new… But I’ve been right about this guy all along. I’ll get over it soon enough but for right now, I can just dig Joe Biden.

And that is good.  My obvious choice was Schweitzer and for me they were the only two logical choices.  And since Schweitzer seemed to have none of it, the choice of Biden makes me happy.

But sure as the sun rose this morning, critics are already parsing out how the choice is this or that… talk about reaching.

In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness — inexperience in office and on foreign policy — rather than underscore his strength as a new-generation candidate defying political conventions.

He picked a 35-year veteran of the Senate — the ultimate insider — rather than a candidate from outside Washington, such as Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia or Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas; or from outside his party, such as Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; or from outside the mostly white male club of vice presidential candidates. Hillary Rodham Clinton didn’t even make his short list.

Expect a bunch of this and other maddness as we move forward.  The upside is that Joe Biden is perfectly capable of defending himself.

It’s no accident that Drinking Liberally in the Tri-Cities is held on a Tuesday.  Election or primary days make for some good fun for the DL crowd.  Tonight, we are changing location to the campaign office in Uptown Richland on George Washington Way with a bit of a spill over to the Town Crier and I encourage folks to show up early (I’ll be down before 6pm.  But before you come down and join the fun,  make sure and turn in that ballot.  Don’t be “Lazy”.

Drinking Liberally in the Tri-Cities - Special Primary DL

Campaign Headquarters - Uptown Richland

5pm till?

Here’s a bit of interesting news.  Pete McCloskey is coming to Central Washintgon!  And given that stenography is getting so popular these days, I think I’ll just post the press release.

George Fearing - Democrat for United States Congress

Press Advisory
August 14, 2008
Former Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey to Campaign for Congressional Challenger George Fearing
McCloskey to discuss Doc Hastings’ spending, ethics, mistreatment of Veterans

Tri Cities, WA.  George Fearing’s campaign to unseat 14-year Congressman Doc Hastings received another boost today with the announcement that former Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey would join the candidate for a district-wide media tour on August 20 and 21.  The tour will focus on Doc Hastings’ deplorable record with Veterans and Ethics.

The media tour will include stops in Wenatchee, Yakima, Tri-Cities, Moses Lake, and other towns throughout the sprawling, ten-county district.  Rep. McCloskey and Candidate Fearing will meet with newspaper editorial boards as well as conduct on-air radio interviews and television segments.
Congressman Pete McCloskey (Ret’d)
Paul Norton “Pete” McCloskey Jr. (born September 29, 1927) is an influential former Republican Member of Congress from Yolo County in Northern of California. First elected in 1966, he ran on an anti-war platform against President Richard Nixon for the Republican nomination for President in 1972.

McCloskey could be considered one of the original “maverick Republicans.”  His public service has been marked by issues of ethics, honesty, influence by big money lobbyists, and the historic Republican principles of fiscal responsibility, limited government and environmental balance.  McCloskey testified in Congress along with “Vietnam Veterans Against the War” organizer John Kerry. He was one of the first Members of Congress of either Party to call for the resignation of Nixon after the Watergate scandal.  Co-Chair of the First Earth Day, one of McCloskey’s greatest legacies is his co-authorship of the 1973 Endangered Species Act.

McCloskey was awarded the Navy Cross, Silver Star and two Purple Hearts for his service as a Marine rifle platoon leader in the Korean War.  He and other former Republican leaders created the Revolt of the Elders in 2005 to try to restore traditional Republican ethics to the House of Representatives after Congressman Doc Hastings, in his position as Chair of the House Ethics Committee, refused to act regarding the Abramoff scandal and the corruption of Majority Leader Tom DeLay and a number of other Republican House Members, two of whom are now in jail.  John Doolittle (R-CA), Tom Feeney (R-FL), and Don Young (R-AK) are under active investigation by the Justice Department and four others have declined to run again.

Mr. McCloskey, 80, who went through college and law school under the World War II G.I. Bill, has spent considerable time lobbying this past year for the recently-enacted GI Bill sponsored by former Marines Senators Jim Webb and John Warner and Congressman Jack Murtha.  It was Congressman Hastings’ opposition to this bill and his failure to act in the Abramoff scandals which has caused Mr. McCloskey to volunteer to help defeat Hastings, whom he believes to typify all that has gone wrong with the Republican Party in the past few years.

In April 2007, I was invited to help block off a section of highway so Jerod Shelby’s Ultimate Aero could make a run at the “worlds fastest production car” record. Three of us (my two brothers in law and I) set out early in the morning on motorcycles; two 1800cc Honda Goldwings and me on my Yamaha FZ6. It was a pretty memorable ride getting there that included the pleasure of watching my Brother in Law throw some sparks off the dragging peg of his Goldwing. Absolute heaven. It was a cool morning, but sunny, and with the spirited level we were traveling on the more straight back roads to the Patterson highway, I was feeling the lower temps.

Getting to the staging area we were greeted by Bigelow. He seemed like a nice guy and I had absolutely no clue that this septuagenarian was going to pilot the Aero. Sure, he looked strong and healthy but what I was expecting was some hyper-activated-testosteronified-20-something-with-absolutely-no-fear-of-death- and-probably-looking-forward-to-it to be driving. Instead I met a warm and friendly old guy, with a grin that probably couldn’t have been wiped off his face without heavy sedation… and even then I’m not so sure.

After about 15 minutes the trailer rolled up. It was the Aero and it’s crew. Impressive car, and as they rolled it out of the trailer I started to get a sense of what was really going on. This was serious business. The car was serious business. And the people that were there weren’t a group of ordinary car enthusiasts. They were there to set a world record and propel the best and fastest production car in the world to the A-list of automobile enthusiasts.

I’d never met Chuck Bigelow until that day. And even when I was introduced, it didn’t dawn on me until later why I knew the name. It was later on that day that I realized that I used to watch Bigelow when he was racing at the Tri-City Raceway (used to watch?).

After a brief logistics and radio check meeting we all took our positions on the Patterson highway and blocked off the side roads while crews stopped traffic (with permit to do so btw) on the highway itself. Video crews were set up and after about a half hour the road was closed. As the last of the big trucks exited out of the closure it was game time (I still had no clue who was driving this thing). Over the radio we heard the “go” signal and waited in our position some 2 miles away from the starting point.

I want to take a second to help you all understand what it is like when a vehicle goes by you at 240 plus miles per hour. It goes like this… look down the road… and don’t freaking blink. It is fast! By the time you see the car to the point it is upon you is very brief. And as it goes by, if you don’t feel a rush of adrenaline you must be dead. Most people only even get close to this type of experience from behind a chain link fence at the track and at much lower speeds. This was the open road and the close encounter with the 1184hp Aero was like a lightening strike next to your head. There is nothing like it that can be explained. And the 70+ year old Chuck Bigelow, was driving that car.

Bigelow and Shelby’s team weren’t just competing against the current record holder, the Bugatti Veyron, they were competing against the Patterson highway and although a smooth stretch of road, it was in no way the ideal road conditions in which the Veyron achieved it’s record on a closed track. It was noticable as I rode back from our road block point, feeling the roads ever so slight imperfections at just 100 plus mph, to see what was going on and found Bigelow intensely talking to the team about the car. It was as if there was a secret code that only they understood as they gestured and explained the car and how it performed. It was alien to me but as I watched, I understood that they knew just exactly what it would take to make a dream come true. And just a few months later, after some tuning, the Aero broke that record with a 257mph run. Chuck Bigelow was again behind the wheel.

I was just another kid at the raceway with his dad back when I first saw Bigelow drive. My childhood friend Dale and I would, as we would with so many other drivers of fast cars, boats and motorcycles, shout out their names as we raced whatever we had to race on hand.

Fast Freddy Spencer! Charles Muncie! Chuck Bigelow!

Bigelow was our local legend.

I don’t remember shouting his name as we drag raced our dirt bikes down the tarmac of the Richland airport (and got caught and properly grounded by our parents), but his death at that same airport this week is a sad end to what was a great life.

It may be strange to some, but I understand risk. Whether you’re flying an airplane, riding a motorcycle, or driving a fast car, risk is there. But then, so is walking down the street and adjustable rate mortgages. So thanks Chuck. You led an inspiring life.

(And my deepest sincere condolences to the family)

How does a college dropout become a Congressman? Ask Republican Doc Hastings. While I’m sure it’s not completely uncommon, with Hastings it’s always been a bit of a mystery. That mystery was largely perpetuated by Hastings himself. His campaign website obliquely states “He attended both Central Washington University and Columbia Basin College”, but doesn’t mention he only attended Central for a very brief period (perhaps less than one semester). Attending Columbia Basin College often equates with having an Associates degree. It isn’t even clear that is the case. It wasn’t until a June Wikipedia bio update on Hastings that I was even able to confirm my suspicions on Hastings lack of education. And it came from Hastings own mouth as he spoke, ironically, at the Central Wa. University graduation commencement.

“I remember the winter,” said Hastings. “It got to 23 below in Ellensburg one day — and that alone could be reason enough to leave college. But, no in reality my grades were less than stellar and I chose to leave school after the fall quarter. I ended up in California for several years, where I met my wife, before returning to Pasco to run our family business.”

Hastings said he regretted not earning his degree.

“Regret, because looking back, I believe had I finished my formal education, my learning experiences later in life may have been accelerated,” said Hastings.

Does this matter? Well, aside from the humorous aspect in that “Doc” Hastings is nowhere close to being a “Doc”, and imagining the puzzled look on the graduating faces when their commencement address was being delivered by a self confessed dropout, well… hell yes it matters. Yes, it’s a good thing there are opportunities out there even without a four year degree but lets face the fact that we generally have higher expectations in our elected officials and their credentials reflect our expectations. And if that sounds elitist, ask yourself… would you have voted for any federal candidate knowing up front they dropped out of college? There are only two federal seats in Washington State that don’t at least hold a bachelors degree, Doc Hastings and Dave Reichert. In Fact, here is the educational breakdown of Washington State’s Congressional delegation.

• Patty Murray (D)- Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington State University
• Maria Cantwell (D)- Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration
• Jim McDermott (D)- M.D. from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago
• Rick Larson (D)- University of Minnesota, master’s degree in public affairs
• Jay Inslee (D)- University of Washington (B.A., Economics) and Willamette University College of Law
• Adam Smith (D)- University of Washington, Law
• Norm Dicks (D)- University of Washington, Law
• Brian Baird (D)- University of Wyoming, Ph.D. in clinical psychology
• Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R) - BA in Pre-Law from Pensacola Christian College (an unaccredited school). Executive MBA from the University of Washington.
• Dave Reichert (R)- AA in Social Work, Concordia Lutheran College
• Doc Hastings (R)- Attended Columbia Basin College and Central Washington University

So how did Hastings get elected time and again being the least educated amongst the Wa. delegation? One way is by dishonestly obscuring the fact that he has little more than a high school education. And it seems he gets some unwitting help from the press as well. Election after election the press has repeated the oblique description provided by Hastings. Perhaps it was an effort to avoid highlighting an issue that could be seen as a smear tactic, or maybe just lazy reporting. Hastings own admission should bring it right out in the open.

But somehow, running for a legislative seat doesn’t seem to be the best way to get that.

But what the story didn’t say was that, if elected, Novakovich hopes to curtail his activities in running his printing company in Kennewick, freeing him up for other activities, including the occasional vacation.

He said he typically spends a couple days a month in Northeast Oregon, though he hasn’t been there since May, and tries to squeeze in meetings with some of the boards he’s on during “the brief, in-and-out, times we’re there.”

So, yes, he does hope to spend more time there.

“I’d just like to take time off,” he said.

So aside from the obvious IRS tax code violation (not his violation but he should at least pipe up) of having his campaign sign on the Richland Baptist Church property, Skip Novakovick is running for the 8th LD seat so he can take a vacation in Eastern Oregon?

I hate to be so hard on the guy and I’d much rather set my sights on the complete whackjob that is Brad Klippert, but that is fucking stupid.

The 64-year-old Oregon woman, whose lung cancer had been in remission, learned the disease had returned and would likely kill her. Her last hope was a $4,000-a-month drug that her doctor prescribed for her, but the insurance company refused to pay.

What the Oregon Health Plan did agree to cover, however, were drugs for a physician-assisted death. Those drugs would cost about $50.

Savage Slogged it, I’m just repeating the outrageousness.

New ad’s hitting the district.  And you know, hitting Hastings on jobs and the deficit is dead on.  Sure, we could complain about Doc Hastings ethics committee shenanigans, his ties to the US Attorney scandal and his holding the vote open on the prescription drug vote.  But where it all hits home is well… right here at home.  The reality of the national deficit is so large it’s hard to wrap your head around it and understand what it means.  It’s big, and it’s your tax dollars paying it down instead of working for you.  Hastings and the anti-tax crowd, in their quest to limit government and lower taxes, have essentially raised them in the long term and shipped them overseas to be paid with interest.  That should really piss you off.