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.