State Rep. Deb Wallace, D-Vancouver, has dropped out of the race to replace US House Rep. Brian Baird, D-WA-03. That leaves two other major Democratic candidates, state Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, and businessman and TVW founder Denny Heck.
The emails were flying fast and furious down here over the weekend, but I decided to hold off until Wallace herself decided to announce it, which she did in a news release this afternoon.
In that release, Wallace says she’s not endorsing any of the other Democrats, but hints at what she thinks:
Although Wallace is not making an endorsement for another candidate at this time she believes we need to elect a true moderate Democrat who has the wherewithal to win this election.
I hope Wallace means she’ll fight for moderate, mainstream American values like health care for everyone, protecting the environment, respecting the Constitution and making sure the banksters can’t wreck the economy again, because Pridemore is definitely that kind of moderate.
Moderate means non-netroots. Moderate is the Hutchinson to Perry. Let’s get real stuff done here…not extreme positions that yield nothing but angry blog postings.
If one part of moderation is the ability to compromise, I would suggest that the netroots’ collective willingness to accept the public option, for example, is a very moderate position. I don’t accept others’ definitions of our movement. Of course the corporate wing and the GOP Tea Party want to define us as “not moderate,” because they know our values are those of most Americans.
Moderate sounds well and good, but I’d really like to see someone in office that can actually get things done, maintain the courage of their convictions, and not
utterly collapsecompromise on every single issue that encounters even trivial resistance. That doesn’t sound like the Democratic party as it exists today, unfortunately :(Socialist==Moderate??
Won’t sell Jon.
BTW–
Any insight into the real reason Deb Wallace dropped out?
Some rumors floating around…but you are Mr. Inside. Tell us Jon.
Why did she really drop out??
I also laugh at the portrayal of Anti-Health Care.
Anti-Health Care means you are against Health Care. WTF! No one is against Health Care.
Conservatives & Tea Partiers have clearly taken a position that we desperate need tort reform to cut out all the defensive medicine fat…as well as more interstate competition.
The Dems hear that…and the ambulance chasers have them trained like parrots to interpret that as the Republicans have no ideas.
Progressives are Ambulance-chaser huggers.
Give ’em some Johnny Edwards luvin’.
Disgusting.
1, 2 — Democrats have always been a moderate force in American politics. Tea Partiers are radical extremists and Gingrich-DeLay Republicans are just plain crazy.
@4 Socialism is taking my money to pay for your unnecessary wars.
@5 “we desperate need tort reform to cut out all the defensive medicine fat…as well as more interstate competition.”
The only people who desperately “need” so-called tort “reform” are bad doctors.
As lawsuits account for less than 1/2 of 1% of health care costs, you don’t even dent health care costs by taking away negligently-injured patients’ right to sue.
Transferring the costs of such injuries from negligent doctors and hospitals to innocent patients will result in even higher rates of medical bankruptcy.
Studies show that medical malpractice insurance premiums rose faster in states that have adopted so-called tort “reform.”
The facts do not support Republican arguments for so-called tort “reform.”
Cynical,
Why do you not believe in the Constitutional right to trial by jury? Look at the 7th Amendment. Juries should get to determine damages. Why do you think the ambiguous 2nd Amendment should be enforced, but not the clear 7th Amendment? Tort deform wouldn’t make a lick of difference in reducing healthcare costs. All tort deform would do is ensure poorer quality of healthcare. Don’t let that get in the way of your ideology, though, Cynny.
LOL. Goldy, Moderate != Socialist. Try again.
Uhh.. Look at the by-line on the article again…
They really grow them dumb in right wing land…
Crusader
Just try to locate your head. For most people, that location would be just north of the shoulders. For you, however, I suspect locating your head will require sticking your hands up your ass and pulling out.
Tort reform isn’t going to get anyone healthcare that doesn’t already have access to it. Texas has had medical malpractice law for many years. It caps pain & suffering awards @ $250,000 and has actually reduced the number of medical malpractice suits. But Texas healthcare costs have not come down, and Texas has 3 of the top ten most expensive cities for healthcare in the country.
Still, I’d throw in the Texas model if it would get us a public option and the elimination of the Insurance anti-trust exemption. Then we would actually be getting somewhere.
YLB
Isn’t it remarkable that these people think they should rule the world? There should be a bounty on them.
sarge
The hypocrisy of the rightwing in clamoring for tort deform is rather remarkable. In a medical malpractice case, it is the defendant==the doctor, hospital, or medical group–that invariably requests a jury. Juries routinely screw plaintiffs, particularly in the current economic climate. Nonetheless, the right to trial by jury in a civil case with a value over $20 is a constitutional right (assuming a common law cause of action that was recognized way back when). So, throwing in tort deform to get healthcare done is really not an option.
PL.. Unfortunately, the burden on the rest of us is to keep pointing out how silly and ignorant they are and rally the troops to overwhelm them at the polls.
The lure of power to know-nothing fools like Crusader is like that of the zombie in the movies to brains.
@9,@15: The 7th Amendment didn’t create a right to a jury trial, it only “froze” that right as it existed at common law in 1786. So you have a right to a jury in cases “at law” but not “at equity.” And more importantly to your point, the 7th Amendment doesn’t apply to the states. Each state is free to set its own rules regarding juries (except when a federal law is at issue). Medical torts are definitely not federal law, so the only “guarantee” an injured plaintiff has to a jury trial is if he lives in a different state from the doctor and hospital and is suing for more than $75k, or if the state happens to guarantee a jury trial (but then that would not be on account of the 7th Amendment, now would it?)
@5: Total Moron cynical:
Guess you have no understanding of “facts”, what an idiot!
Why do you post the same putrid droppings over and over?
Did you not pay attention the first time you posted that crap about torte reform for health care and I put up the links showing that it would not make more than a 1% dent in heatlth care costs – but would help insurance companies to get rich over the mistreatment of the public?
Are you incapable of learning?
Are you so stupid you can’t comprehend when you are making a total fool of yourself?
Why do you repeat falsehoods that have been shown to be “talking points” of right wing fools?
Do you think repeating lies over and over makes them true?
Her Cynical Goebbels…..a fool, a liar and a propagandist all in one.
Wow, you really are showing how stupid you are…..and you have absolutely nothing to back up your Fox News derived opinions that are about as shallow as you are.
cynical @ 5
Universal health care with a single payer is tort reform, times 10.
She was toast and she knew it and it’s too bad but that’s how it works. If the system worked better Deb wouldn’t have been elected to state office and the bar would be so much higher. So many today opt out to simply avoid scrutiny that turns nasty and ugly.
(Just ask Joe Hyer …)