Archive for October, 2008

The race in Washington’s 4th CD between George Fearing and Richard “Doc” Hastings could be a close one.  Until recently, no polls were available to show how this race might turn out leaving only speculation that Hastings would easily win with similar numbers as previous elections.  Even strong challengers rarely brought in over 40 percent of the vote against Hastings who has a significant cash advantage over Fearing.  But Fearing’s campaign, described as scrappy by local media, looks to down ballot voting, and the overall poor political environment for republicans nationally as having potential to put it’s campaign over the top next Tuesday.  And a recent internal poll suggests for the first time in many election cycles, Hastings may be in trouble.

On the question of whom to support, 52.5% would vote for Doc Hastings; 47.5% would choose George Fearing.

[...]

Voters in Washington’s 4th Congressional District are clearly unhappy with the direction of the country (79% wrong track).  This is a surprisingly strong number in an area that conventional wisdom has marked as “conservative”.

On the question of “Are you happy wiht the performance of your Congressman”, 65% of voters said ‘No’.

With the Fearing campaign within the margin of error of roughly 6 percent and a clear dissatisfaction of both Hastings and the overall direction of the country, the Pasco Democratic candidate is clearly in the hunt for Hastings congressional seat.

Since the poll announcement campaign staff have described last minute fundraising as “coming in at a good clip” as the campaign scrambles to buy as much media as possible before the November 4th election.

To date, no internal poll has been provided by the Hastings campaign.  But the the Washington State Republican Party has been quick to attack their opponent on technicalities.  Earlier in the week Washington State Republicans were calling for Charter Media to pull one of Fearing’s ads because the trailing “approval” message did not meet a 4 second requirement.  And Thursday, Washington State Republican Party Chair, Luke Esser, criticized the Fearing campaign over a late FEC report filing.

The Washington State Republican Party noticed the delay, saying it appears as though Fearing was “hiding something” from voters in the Fourth Congressional District.

“This is a critical time with (campaign finance report) deadlines coming much faster. So it is a big deal that they could hide this,” said Luke Esser, chairman of the Washington State Republican Party from his office in Bellevue.

The Fearing campaign fixed the ad and FEC reports were filed within the grace period.  The cash strapped and understaffed campaign attributed its staff’s professional obligations to the late report and the FEC assessed no penalties to the campaign.

But the attacks show a weakness in the Hastings campaign: over confidence.  The Fearing campaign marginally out raised Hastings the first two weeks of October and is scrambling to buy media, while the Hastings campaign may have under bought and underestimated the political environment.  Equally, some newspapers in the district may have done the same often citing previous elections as a precursor for 2008.  The new poll suggests all is not what it seems.

To learn more visit the George Fearing campaign website.

Thx Slog.

Corrupt old bastard anyway.

The verdict throws the upcoming election into disarray. Stevens is fighting off a challenge from Democrat Mark Begich and must now either drop out or continue campaigning as a convicted felon.

That shouldn’t be a problem for him…

If you use the schoolyard taunt “then why do you talk about him so much”, then Washington 8th District Legislative candidate Rob Welch loves imcumbant Larry Haler… lots!  But thats not exactly a fair assesment.  Because if you’ve been reading the paper, its pretty clear that it’s anything but *hearts*!  The bad blood goes back to the two being on the Richland City Council together and accusations of wrong doing by both… by both, that hardly pass the smell test of a major controversy.  Instead it has devolved into something personal that not even the Tri-City Herald understands in their recent endorsement of Haler.

Instead of getting mired in finger-pointing and name-calling, they ought to focus on issues that are important to the people of the 8th District, not their own deep-seated personal issues.

Amen to that.  But what the Herald doesn’t mention, and probably can’t due to space, is how absolutely foolish it was for Welch to even run against Haler in the first place.

It was pretty common knowledge when Welch resigned his position on the Richland City Council that, despite his professed desire to start and organization to combat child predation-abuse-er-whatever, was a precursor to his running for the legislature and not the child predation-abuse-er-whatever… everyone pretty much knew that was… well… bullshit.  And so was his choice to run against Haler. If Welch is figuring to unseat a successful legislative incumbent, it isn’t going to happen.  As I wrote before Hankins retirement about Welch’s potential candidacy:

Hankins already has two Republican Challengers in Rich Jansens and (uh-hum) Brad Klippert and maybe that race has room for one more on the Republican side, no Democrat has stepped up in that race (although there is another rumor there but I don’t have all the details). For Welch, a shot at Representative Larry Haler (R-8th) on either ticket would be a tough race. I don’t know for sure what Rob Welch’s political leanings, but a candidate with a history of public service on the left would be a nearly guaranteed path to the general election where it all counts.

At the time, I was suggesting that Welch run as a Democrat for the Hankins seat.  I mean, why the heck not?  For technicality sake, the Council seat was non-partisan, and most democrats who run around here tend to be moderates anyway.  And keep in mind that this was before the Washington Supreme Court ruled for the top two primary, which in my opinion opened up wide the opportunities for Welch.  A wide republican field and a lone Democrat, Welch had a better shot running in either party against an empty seat, than an established incumbent with a solid record.  And Welch had a pretty strong record to run on!

But for Welch, this looks now to be about ego, wanting and justification that somehow the universe will make it right.  And for not going after the Hankins seat, Welch is going to lose this one.

I’ve got my problems with Haler.  Despite his being pretty solid for this district, I do get particularly tired of the republican leadership talking points in every one of his legislative reports that lands in my mailbox.  I find that stuff insulting.  Larry doesn’t need to blame over and over “the majority party” for us to know he himself was actually doing a pretty good job.  And how could us moderates quit him after he was quoted saying this over Minority Leader Richard Debolts 2006 fake sex offender mailings.

“I’m appalled at it,” he said. “I came over here to build bridges and this burns those bridges. It makes me want to throw up. My constituents didn’t send me over here to do this.”

Haler, who said he apologized to at least three Democratic colleagues Tuesday, said DeBolt “has no room for deniability.”

So yeah, Welch blew it.  And I won’t argue that he would or wouldn’t be a good representative.  He just suffers from poor tactics.

One of the Mid-Columbia races that has been interesting to me is the 8th LD race between Carol Moser and Brad Klippert.  Moser, the lone Democrat in the primary advanced to the general election despite a crowded field of Republicans, with roughly 40% .  And amongst those Republicans, social conservative Brad Klippert, despite being viewed as the least threat (and possibly the least qualified) and having virtually no fundraising, advanced to the general.

Here’s how the primary panned out:

The table begs a couple questions as we move toward the general election: Will Moser garner republican voters who don’t support front runner Klippert on the republican ticket, or will republicans flock to the party brand and elect him?

Moser has a moderate record and broad support among democrats and republicans alike so it would seem she has the best shot at this race.  Klippert, a social conservative, could gain some ground among voters who become familiar with him and place social issues above everything.  But moderate voters who generally vote republican could find Klippert unpalatable. For my money, it will be the social issue voter who will be most disappointed.  Klippert’s campaign is openly anti-everything from women’s choice to gay rights and voters appear to be tiring of dead end issues that never find any consensus or resolution.  Although he has scrubbed his website some of the more hard core language and trying to float himself to voters as a moderate, it should be pretty clear to anyone paying attention that Klippert is anything but.  And it was his 2006 Senate primary run against Mike McGavick that really explains what makes him tick.

I, Brad Klippert, am a husband and father. I am a full time law enforcement officer, a veteran and active Major/pilot in the U.S. Army National Guard. I have a Masters Degree in Teaching and I am a licensed minister.
I am a God fearing, Bible believing, Ten Commandment honoring, evangelical Christian candidate. I firmly stand for and fully support traditional family values; the committed marriage between a man and a woman/husband and wife.
I believe that every life is precious and valuable with great potential; including the life of unborn children.

[...]

In summation, I believe that there is a standard by which all will ultimately be judged. All is not relative. There are issues we are dealing with that are right or wrong and not simply subject to popular opinion or current trends. God’s word says, “There is a way that seems right unto men, but the end thereof leads to destruction.”

Or this gem in a recent Tri-City Herald article:

If elected, Klippert said he would look carefully at the budget to find ways to cut wasteful spending, just as if he were looking at his personal budget.

“If my wife was overspending our household budget, we’re going to sit down and talk about it and make a budget,” he said.

Pretty heavy stuff (perhaps especially for Mrs. Klippert).

It seemed most of the vocal republicans in this area were pulling for either Jansens or Novakovich in the primary and dismissing Klippert.  And Klippert really pulled off a coup winning the 2nd spot on the general election ballot.  And make no mistake about it, this seat is important, and despite the wincing I heard from Benton County Republican Chair after the primary on a KONA radio interview, the republican establishment is going to do everything they can to call the party faithful home.

And that would include some recent push polling.  Phones around the 8th district are being answered to the following questions:

Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for Carol Moser if you knew that Gregoire appointed her to serve on the Transportation Commission to represent Eastern Washington?
Would you be more of less likely to vote for Carol  if you knew that during her time on the Transportation Commission that Eastern Washington  got the lowest gas tax money of any region in the state?
Would you be more or less likely to vote for Carol if your knew that during her time on the Commission she never even once spoke up for more transportation funding in Eastern Washington.

These might be legitimate questions if they were… legitimate questions.  But Moser’s record suggests otherwise and she has proven herself in both her stint on the Richland City Council and the Washington State Transportation Commission where she worked on complicated transportation issues.  And with transportation being a key component of upcoming legislative sessions there is no doubt Carol Moser will be in the thick of those discussions.  And furthermore, if voters were to take the push poll at face value, they would be ignoring how transportation tax dollars are actually more evenly split than conventional wisdom would suggest.  Not until recent memory has transportation tax dollars tipped the scale to west side projects.  And overwhelmingly, with the 520 bridge and the Alaskan Way Viaduct looming on the horizon, it is the west side of this state that is truly in need.

It hasn’t been (and correct me if I’m wrong I have been corrected thank you… Tom Moak in the early 90’s.  I wasn’t around here much back then) since the mid 70’s that a Democrat has won a legislative seat in this district.  And I’m pretty sure it was my own Grandmother, Pat Cochrane, who did.  But perhaps now, in these extraordinary times, having the R next to your name on the ballot is less of a qualification than genuinely being qualified.  Either way, this is going to be an interesting race to watch.  But I think (and highly recommend) Carol Moser will have this one in the bag.

(http://www.carolmoser.com/contribute.html)

I’ve often lamented that the Republican party has gone over the edge and someday, just maybe, real Republicans will take back a party that despite its sometimes monumental policy failures, has much to be proud of.  And if there were a role model for the future of Republican Party it would be Colin Powell.  With a party so off the rails both socially and economically (not forgetting a penchant for wars), its no wonder the party couldn’t get a respected figure such as Powell to front the ticket. This would be a completely different election if they had.

This morning, Powell Endorses Barack Obama for President.

A couple times…  And man was that fun.

That’s my “new to me” Kawi KLR 650 ditched in the slop.  The KLR is a gem of a bike.  I’ve been out of the dirt riding for far too long (does it show?), but I’m so impressed by this new bike.  It goes pretty much where you ask it.  And when I asked it, it went straight to the ground.  Whoot!!!!

I affectionately call it “The Goat”.

Thanks to Iggy for the following “Action Cam” (sorry, no crash)!

Good times man… good times!

Excuse the sarcasm.  We all knew it would happen. The Tri-City Herald’s endorsement follows the print media’s legacy of endorsing incumbents.  Funny… Goldy recently wrote,

I was chatting with a long-time local politico over the weekend, bitching about the P-I endorsement of Reichert, and the old-timer sarcastically responded “Big deal.”  Both the Times and P-I endorsements were “soft,” and besides, newspapers “almost always endorse the incumbent.”

Huh.  It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that little gem of conventional wisdom, and anecdotally it appeared to be true, but I thought I’d start compiling a spreadsheet of newspaper endorsements this season to see how strongly that trend holds up.  So far I’ve compiled results from the Times, the P-I and the Olympian, for all non-open, statewide, congressional, and legislative endorsements… and so far the incumbents are leading by a margin of 41 to 1, the lone exception being the P-I’s endorsement of Democratic challenger Peter Goldmark in the race for Commissioner of Public Lands.

41 to 1, if that’s what it still is and-my-god-who-is-counting, is phenomenal, yet… no surprise.  Anyway, enough of that… it was just to put things into perspective.  On with the show!

Pasco attorney George Fearing is running an aggressive campaign in the 4th Congressional District.

We’re glad to see it.

Voters are shortchanged when incumbents skate to the finish line without having to defend their records. Vigorous challengers strengthen the democratic process.

But on key issues, Fearing is simply on the wrong side. Incumbent Republican Doc Hastings is better suited by experience and political leanings to serve the district.

We’re particularly alarmed by Fearing’s positions on immigration and free trade. His stands on those two issues put him at odds with the best interests of Eastern Washington.

On immigration, Fearing favors securing our borders — who doesn’t? — but opposes a guest-worker program to fill the resulting gap in the district’s agricultural work force.

First of all, creating the myth that Hastings is better suited by experience and political leanings of the 4th leans to a conventional wisdom that is being overthrown across the nation.  And basing that on immigration and free trade as “putting him (George Fearing) at odds” with the best interests of Eastern Washington makes me wonder if the Herald has been even paying attention at all.

Hastings himself has decried free trade agreements with Peru over asparagus imports that have devastated a portion of Eastern Washington’s economy.  As recent as last evening, we heard the reality during the presidential debates about CAFTA where Obama noted that Columbia’s corruption threatens the very lives of labor leaders in our primary free trade partner countries.  It’s become clear that free trade has a larger price. Hastings supports those trade agreements.

And as the Tri-City Herald will at some point lament on how sophisticated voters are, they continue to take us all as dupes as to what Hastings and the republican party’s version of a “Guest Worker Program” will be.  Simply put, Latinos by large, a large part of Hastings constituency view a guest worker program as a form of republican based indentured servitude. True or not, the Herald should be called out to the fact that there is a very good reason consensus has been so hard to reach on a guest worker program. There is only a vague understanding of what a “guest worker” program would actually consist of.  Generalizing the issue doesn’t serve readers very well and not the stuff of an educated editorial piece. But then how often do editorial endorsements cross that threshold?  I don’t know, but this endorsement shows a disturbing lack of knowledge amongst an editorial board, that includes a Publisher, an African American, Rufus Friday, of the underlying issues that voters should actually might want to consider.

The Herald goes on…

More importantly, partisanship hasn’t kept Hastings from working with Democrats when it’s important to the 4th District.

He’s joined Democrats to ensure Washington residents get to deduct state sales tax when they calculate their federal income taxes.

He’s worked across the aisle to help secure cleanup money for Hanford, create the Ice Age Flood Trail and stop sea lions turning fish ladders at Columbia River dams into all-you-can-eat salmon buffets.

He worked with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray to save the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center from an ill-conceived ban on doctor-owned hospitals. When the New York Times trashed Murray for her efforts, Hastings defended her with a speech on the House floor.

Partisanship has been the hallmark of Hastings career in politics.  Sure, the state sales tax deduction and Hanford cleanup (ask Hanford Workers about those benefits that Hastings is fighting for) are naturals but did his unflinching support of the Iraq war and support of republican policies that led this country to the current economic crisis never cross the boards mind?  This simply ignores the larger discussion, pro and con, that is taking place nationally.

But those things aren’t what gets me off the rails the most.  It is particularly the notion that Hastings earns credit for bi-partisan action.  In brief:

When he’s needed to, Hastings hasn’t hesitated to oppose the Bush administration. He’s worked with the rest of the delegation to thwart Bush and protect the Bonneville Power Administration as a source of low-cost electricity for the Northwest.

Attempts to paint Hastings as an ideologue who puts party over interests of his district just don’t wash. Sure, he mostly votes with his caucus but so does everyone else in Congress.

This year, the economic crisis looms over every congressional race and may swing some support to Fearing.

But we’re taking the parochial view, and focusing on what Hastings has done for the Mid-Columbia.

We’re not always happy with his performance. His penchant for the technical details of the legislative process and a tendency to stay behind the scenes have sometimes limited his influence over events.

Never, amongst the most important legislation brought upon us in the last eight years of the Bush Administration has Hastings bucked party lines on anything more than local issues. And the issues that got attention, although deservadly they did, were never singularly championed in a bi-partisan fashion by Hastings.  In every case, it was Washington’s Democratic representation that was able to move those issues forward.  From the Wenatchee Valley Medical clinic (Murray and Cantwell), to Hanford funding and cleanup (former AG and now Governor Chris Gregoire), democrats have gotten the job done.

Sure, he mostly votes with his caucus but so does everyone else in Congress.

Is the Herald saying “so what”? Man, if there ever was a reason that newpapers are in a major decline this almost singularly defines why.  With a nation eager for change and a desire to flip “business as usual” on its head, an editorial board that perpetuates the status quo deserves what it gets.

Ultimately, the Herald’s endorsement of Hastings isn’t my problem.  I expected that.  It’s the complete ignorance of that endorsement, the all-to-familiar stupidity that is passed off of what is supposed to be a logical, factual discussion is instead empty headed simplicity being passed to voters as reasonable political discussion. That freaks me out.

************

As a side note, I had a little camp-fire poll last night with some friends.  The point of it was to see if there would be a down ballot effect with the presidential election.  But something surprised the living heck out of me.  When going around the fire I asked folks who they were voting for in the major elections.  Keep in mind this was a very republican crowd.  Obama overwhelmingly was chosen over McCain, Gregoire was well behind Rossi (it is Eastern Washington after all), but George Fearing was selected over Doc Hastings by a wide margin.  Obviously there was no science behind this poll, but this was a conservative group that has voted for Hastings in the past and wasn’t planning on doing so this election.

In light of the glowing incompetence of the McCain/Palin ticket and the monstrosity that is the VP pick of Sarah Palin I thought I’d do Doc Hastings a favor are re-issue his August 29, 2008 press release (emphasis mine):

For Immediate Release
August 29, 2008
Contact: Tim Kovis, 509-736-1510

Doc Hastings Applauds Choice of Governor Palin
As Republican Vice President Nominee

“With his choice of Governor Sarah Palin, John McCain sends a clear message that he’s serious about leading a shake up of Washington, DC.

It’s a bold choice, a smart choice and one that the Republican Party can proudly and enthusiastically support.

Governor Palin shares John McCain’s reputation as a clear thinking, no-nonsense leader who isn’t afraid to speak their mind honestly and confront the status quo to change the way government works.

Governor Palin’s experience on energy and support for producing more American-made energy are key assets to the Republican ticket.  We need to lower gas prices and a key step is lifting the ban on drilling for oil at ANWR in Alaska and off our shores.

It’s exciting that we have a local Central Washington connection to Governor Palin, who has family that lives in the Tri-Cities.  I’ve known her aunt and uncle, Ron and Colleen Jones of Kennewick, for many years and called to congratulate them this morning.”

(How’s all that applause going anyway?)

It’s enough to be out of touch with your district, but to be completely out of step with the national political consensus strikes me as phenomenally ignorant.  There is a good Democrat who, chances are, many Republicans in this district would be quick to agree with in George Fearing on the issues. Otherwise, the choice is Doc Hastings, who’s party affiliation is largely his only qualification for office in Washington States 4th Congressional District.

Because your “Inner Jew” knows it’s the right thing to do.

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.
 

Linking here is a must read from Dan Savage that not only will put tears in your eyes, it should give you a better understanding to I-1000 and what it means to the individual vs. well… the individual! You see, that’s what it’s really about.  Argue all you want about “God’s will” or what precedent this will set.  Those arguments are subjective to the group think that has enveloped the anti I-1000 mantra and ignore the fundamental and individual desire for choice.

Choices.

Exactly. If I-1000 is approved by Washington State voters, the widow opposed to the initiative will not be compelled to end her life with the assistance of a physician. She can choose pain meds and the love of caregivers and die a “natural” death. (What’s so “natural” about pain management anyway?) But if I-1000 is rejected, the widow who plans to vote in favor of it will not have the same choice. She will not be able to choose to end her life, and end her suffering, if the pain becomes too much for her to bear.

That’s what the debate about I-1000 is really all about: your body, your death, your choice. The passage of I-1000 doesn’t impose anything on terminally ill people who reject physician-assisted suicide for religious reasons. But the rejection of I-1000 imposes the values of others on terminally ill people who would like to make that choice for themselves, who should have a right to make that choice for themselves.

Read it.

Dino Rossi and the BIAW aren’t exactly know for their honesty.  I wonder when the Tri-City Herald pick this up?  Waiting….

Via HA.