If the cream rises to the top, then the Seattle City Council is the political equivalent of a nonfat, decaf cappuccino: there ain’t nothin’ on top but foam. In fact, the choices this cycle are so unsatisfying that if some of the candidates were running unopposed I’d still have a tough time making a decision. Still, there’s one race where the choice seems clear.
On the one hand we have council wallflower/campaign warmonger David Della, who City Hall observers assure me, really is the incumbent. My handful of brief conversations with Della don’t quite give me a fair basis for concluding, as the The Stranger has, that he “simply isn’t intellectually fit to be on the council”… but then, they don’t give me much to refute the assertion either. I’m no fan of the Sierra Club right now, but accusing the environmental community of being a bunch of racists…? I’ve known mildly autistic people with better political instincts. Really.
Then on the other hand, we have Tim Burgess, a man who has spent the better part of a decade writing fundraising letters for anti-gay, anti-woman, right-wing hate groups… letters that equated homosexuality with pedophilia and emergency contraception with abortion, and that accused the National Education Association of seeking to turn our public schools into gay propaganda and recruitment camps. Really. Sure, he says his positions have evolved… since 2005… but I can’t help but think he thinks we’re all stupid. No doubt he’d bring a great deal more competency to the council than Della — a great, great, great, great deal more competency, I imagine — but competency in the service of an agenda I do not trust, I can do without.
That’s why I’m unreservedly casting my ballot for Heidi Wills.
Wills was a promising young councilmember on the fast track to bigger and better things, when our mind-fuckingly puritanical media crucified her on a demi-scandal of no great significance, before Della and his political hatchet-man swooped in with their mean-spirited and misleading “Rate-Hike Heidi” campaign. It’s amazing what one can accomplish with a little alliteration.
So for all you assholes complaining about your choices this cycle, but who bought into that crap four years ago (or, who like the Seattle Times, just seem to hate the notion of young women in politics,) I’ve got a simple seven-word, bumper sticker response: “Don’t blame me, I voted for Heidi.”
Generally, I don’t recommend throwing away a vote under any circumstances, but perhaps if enough people write-in Heidi or the person of their choice, it might send a message that Seattle voters have a hunger for candidates who are both qualified and clearly represent their values. Perhaps then, four years from now, we might get a field of challengers we can vote for without sticking our fingers down our throats afterwards.
(Or, if you can’t do that, vote for Della. He’ll be the easier one to beat in four years.)
Let’s get down to brass tacks here — where does Heidi stand on the tunnel?
No, not THAT tunnel — THIS tunnel. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/.....nel25.html
The article doesn’t say how much this tunnel will cost, but there’s NO WAY it can possibly cost less than an elevated structure on concrete piers. It will cost way, way, way more.
I have a feeling the $4.5 billion bridge just became a $6 billion bridge. And what do we get for the extra $1.5 billion? A POLTIICAL COMPROMISE. No additional lanes, no more traffic capacity; all a billion-and-a-half buys you around here is a backroom political deal to make everyone happy (except we who pay for these expensive deals). Brought to you by the Committee Responsible For Decorating The Christmas Tree.
So, what’s Heidi’s position on this latest Incredible Expanding Transportation Budget? For that matter, what’s Della’s position on it? Don’t even bother to ask Burgess … I don’t vote for haters or gay baiters under ANY circumstances ….
Another option is to write in “Roger Hell No — No Tunnel Rabbit.”
I forgot what a babe Heidi Willis is.
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE-ELECT DINO ROSSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mark the Welching Redneck at 4:
Too what is Rossi being re-elected? Head of his local real estate agent support group?
I hope I’m not going to divide the vote for ex councilmember women with my vote for Judy Nicastro.
5:
Typo only one “0” in To…….
Memo to Dino supporters:
They can only steal elections if they’re close. Get your dog and your dead relatives to vote. Register as many times as you can. Register under slightly different versions of your name and get absentee ballots for all of them. Drive around all day on election day and vote in as many places as possible. If they can’t find your name, get all huffy and demand a “provisional” ballot. Once it’s in the system, they’ll count it.
Gotta fight fire with fire. Take the gloves off. Do whatever it takes.
I plan to vote at least 20 times. You moonbats got a problem with that? Apparently not…
Moderator: Please delete commercial spam at 4. Thank you.
Rabbit 1 – Are you serious about “fixing” “global warming”? C’mon.. take a fucking stand…
Let’s knock down AWV and leave it. Building roads only accelerates the “Century of Fire”. Funnel all the traffic through the 2 lanes of I-5.
Wouldn’t it be better to have a park, homeless shelter, $100k terlets, and a heroin shoot up center where AWV is now?
C’mon, where’s your compassion?
Spammer at 4: Either pay your fucking gambling debt or buy advertising space on this site, FREELOADER!!! No wonder your crack-whore wife died on you — if I was married to YOU, I’d overdose too!
@10 Who said anything about AWV? Not me. I was talking about some other tunnel. But you wouldn’t know that because you’ve never read a newspaper in your entire miserable useless life.
@8 “I plan to vote at least 20 times.”
You get to elect your cellblock fucking buddy?
Redneck’s gonna be crying in his crib after Gregoire cleans Dino’s clock.
Hey Rabbit – Different topic… maybe gotta take it to open thread sometime…
but…
do you believe in “free” healthcare?
Just yes or no…
Just answer the fucking question…
@15 In order to stay on topic, I’ll answer your question this way:
REPUBLICANS SUCK
Does that answer your question?
No
@18 Then let’s put it this way: I like our health care plan better than your health care plan. Now fuck off until you pay your gambling debt, lying welsher!
I would be for the democrat healthcare plan if it was voluntarily funded. If you dems can put that in your healthcare plan you got my vote. roof roof
Oh sweet jeebus. I could understand your hanky-wringing if:
1. He STARTED Concerned Women of America; or
2. He was a LEADER of CWA; or
3. He was a MEMBER of CWA; or
4. He was a CONTRIBUTOR of CWA…
but he was a guy in an ad agency who wrote some ad agency tripe for that group. If the Times’ story today is to be believed, he worked to get the business to drop that account-which they eventually did. That sure doesn’t sound like a guy who sold his soul to the highest-bidding wingnut.
What’s next, don’t vote for the guy who sold a copier to CWA, or the guy who rented office space to them??
His relationship with that group (at least as it was described by the Times)seems an awfully tenuous reason to condemn him.
Slime Ball Tim Burgess wants us to believe he is THE LEOPARD WHO DID CHANGE HIS SPOTS.
He made millions writing hate mail , what a fucking civic high water mark. God, at the mention of his projects there is stench in the room.
Don’t vote for him. He is a stealth neo con who is skilled at the political make over. He is the worst of the PR paid liar types.
And remember, the moral of the story is that, NO, spot changes are not part of life.
Vote Della, plea from a lefty fag. Signed, RandyAndyDandy
Some alit for Goldy, and Heidi was all perfect curves as well as a pretty face – every dyke in Seattle had a crush on her – oh the big world.
Other than Mark the Redneck, I have never come across a person without fault. In politics, now, all that needs be said about someone is that they fucked up at some point in their life. Of course, the allegation need not be true, particularly in the rightwing world. Just say it, and that’s enough. Then, a career is derailed. Someone like Heidi Wills, who has a fuckload of promise, is off the political map. Tell you what: I like flawed human beings. Those are the people I’m going to vote for (not Mitt Romney) for office.
23
I like it. How about this for a slogan: “Democrats: A flawed party for flawed people” Yes, it fits.
I dont mind flawed democrats, it is just their flawed ballot counting that bugs me. roof roof.
second post did not take – rats
Hey, above, justplainstupidbureggschill
HERE is a direct part of the times article.
Quote from Times -“In one 1999 letter that Burgess’ firm did work on, Concerned Women criticized the message behind a teacher-training video called “It’s Elementary.” The letter labeled the video as “slick propaganda to persuade teachers and others to actually convert children to homosexuality.”
And you call this tripe? It is clearly hate mail, and a attack piece on educators with the common sense to teach and a slam at gay people. That old canard about converting the children is pure old time right wing monger bile.
You like the far right wingers in your politics, vote Burgess.
Vote against blatant homophobic crap at its worst, vote Della.
By the way Ed Murrray, the gay 43rd Dist. Senator has strongly endorsed Della, as well as the SGN, SEAMEC and open lesbian Councilmember Sally Clark. And his endorsers include an awesome list of black and Asian leaders, including Norm Rice, they get it.
And for the first time in any memory, Della is endorsed by Gov. Gregoire, Gov. Lowry and Gov. Locke. Impressive.
George Bakan
is this site working?
http://votetrustusa.org/index......Itemid=113
Election Fraud Evidence and Litigation in Washington State
“The paper ballots showed the Democratic candidate winning by 2000 votes, while the touch screens (handling only 32% of the total vote) showed Republican winning by over 8500 votes. The chances of this happening based on voters being randomly assigned to voting technologies, with 68% assigned to paper and 32% to touch screens was far more than one in a trillion. Though statisticians debate exactly how *many* trillions, they all agree on the word ‘impossible’.”
WingNutz™ are delusional. They should gargle with razor blades!….
Dog @ 24:
And what would be your pro-GOP pitch: “Incapable of mistakes, perfect, your Republican Party. Bow down, now.” Sell that, dumbshit.
I hope Al Franken wins his Senate race. He’d be devastating to the WingNutz™. You can do a lot more damage with wit and ridicule than with logic and reason.
‘WingNutz™’!!! The party mix that no one likes! If you don’t know who to vote for, just write in Richard Pope.
If Richard Pope ran for something every two years, would the Seattle Times label him a biennial candidate. They are professionals, after all, and accuracy is very important to them.
joe pine: “You can do a lot more damage with wit and ridicule than with logic and reason.”
Joe, I’m sitting here listening to John Prine, and I kind of think that good wit and good ridicule match up pretty well with good logic and reason. Republicons are capable of none of the above. What do you think? I need to show up at one of those Drinking Liberally sessions. Who might I expect to meet if I show up there? Any of you regulars here?
Lori Sotelo donated $200.00 to David Della on February 28, 2007. While all of Lori Sotelo’s other contributions (i.e. those to other candidates) were listed with her Mercer Island address, Della listed this contribution with the Seattle address of her husband Mike Sotelo’s business, Approach Management Services.
Mike Sotelo has given the maximum amount of $700.00 to Della — $500.00 on July 31, 2006 and $200.00 on February 28, 2007. Mike Sotelo also gave $500.00 to Venus Velazquez on April 30, 2007.
It is interesting that Della and Velazquez have gone overboard in trying to smear their opponents as being too closely tied to Republicans — when Della and Velazquez are strongly supported by one of the most toxic Republican couples in the county.
How toxic are the Sotelos? Dan Satterberg is an avowed Republican. Satterberg had no shame in appearing at a fundraiser with Jane Hague recently, but still felt compelled to return all the contributions he received from Lori Sotelo.
Pope
Puzzling, do you not have your own campaign to worry about?
Satterberg, in a good political move, as a CONFLICT of interest, returned the Sotelo money. Get it correct.
Seattle City Council races, don’t you live east of the Lake, are non-partisan. Candidates talk good Dem. or bad Dem. mostly for the endorsement of the Dem. Legislative groups, much less otherwise.
You show little focus on your own campaign, bad sign. All over the map. I was about to promote you to east side friends as more serious about these campaigns than presented in the media. Now, I would feel foolish.
Second thought – wrong on another count, Pope.
Burgess is not being attacked because of party, but because he worked in the hate mail business for about ten years – read Goldy.
Attached to that truly sordid fact of his game, Burgess seems a lukewarm Dem. By the way, good Dems. don’t do hate mail for far right religious hate monger groups, Concerned Women of America is among the very worst. Does Burgess not have any personal political standards? Chasing gold, is that all there is for him?
Called blood money, just how does Burgess, Dem or R., sleep??? …
I have my head so far up my ass, I need a glass belly-button! Roof! Stairs!
Roof! Cuppola!
My owner signed me up to vote, but I don’t care about the thousands of votes Republican’s stole on Sequoia voting machines in Snohomish County — because I’m an asshole. How do I know? Because I lick it frequently. Boy, Howdy! Ceiling! Roof!
Up-graded carpet padding! Roof!
Don’t look at the description of one of Larry Craig’s sexual encounters on Wonkette. Circus! Clown! Roof!
Shingle’s! The disease!
I do not see the purpose in Goldy’s weak endorsement of Della. I too have had time with this man. he is arrogant and poorly informed … not unlike Mr. Bush.
The issue with Burgess is, of course real, BUT its eems ot me that we would be acting like the Repricans if we were to apply this sort of litmus test. On every other count, as Goldy himself shows, Burgess looks good or better than good. There is, moreover, no evidenc eof support for any activities that wouls limit Gay rights in the Emerald City and certainly nothing in Mr, Burgess record that suggests hew wants to make this an issue anymnore than Democrats wanted to make gay marriage an issue in 04. \
I also find it disappointing that Goldy thinks we should elect Della becasue the man is so incompetent that hew ill be easy to beat in four years. It seesm to me at least as likley that in 4 years Mr. Burgess will prove himself, while we all already know what Della is like.
So ,,, if you think Rovism on the Left is a good thing, the go ahead vote for Della. It is no worse than a “responsible” Reprican voting for the clearly incompotent GWB because he would be easy to replace in four more years.
bob, used to live in bellevue @ 35 & 36
Bob — I am tired of the hate mail business. Jane Hague and the King County Republican Party have spent upwards of $50,000 just on sending out hate mail against myself. Just like David Della and Venus Velazquez have spent prodigous sums on sending out hate mail pieces against their opponents.
Tim Burgess was in advertising for sometime, and his firm had a contract with Concerned Women of America — a group whose positions are disagreeable to many people. But there is a difference between producing propaganda supporting ideas that you disagree with and producing hate mail propaganda with false and negative personal attacks. For all I know, Burgess could have produced hate mail for CWA. But it is clear that Della is producing personal hate mail against Burgess in the present campaign.
The support of Lori Sotelo — the Republican too toxic for even Dan Satterberg is highly significant. Who is Sotelo supporting this year? Della, Velazquez and Jane Hague. What do these people have in common (besides Sotelo’s support)? All three of them are running very hateful and negative campaigns against their opponents, replete with massive spending on hate mail flyers. Velazquez and Hague were recently arrested for drunk driving. The two incumbents, Della and Hague, have been somewhat less than honest and forthright in talking about their records in office.
SJ, I see it more as a strong, if wistful, endorsement of Heidi Wills. Who would still be on City Council if Seattle were a mature city rather than a bunch of squeamish namby-pambys.
I mean “Strippergate”, which was really just a silly dispute over half a dozen parking spaces in an unimportant site on the outskirts of the city, something that wouldn’t even budge the indicator on an average city’s corruption-meter. Yet in Seattle, it somehow knocked two bright young rising-stars in City Council right out of the political arena, possibly forever. I, for one, would immensely prefer to be voting on whether to give another four years to Heidi Wills and Judy Nicastro than David Della and Jean Godden.
If Heidi and Judy were still here, I wouldn’t be holding off on completing my ballot. It’s really difficult to fill in an oval when you’re holding your nose.
Hey Richard, if your theory about Sotelo is correct, expect to say her name appear on Bob Edwards’s donor list. Talk about hateful and negative … and erroneous on its face.
But hey, didn’t the state Supreme Court say recently that it’s perfectly OK “free speech” to lie in a political campaign?
N@46, I don’t think we will ever see Lori Sotelo on Edwards’ donor list because he is too smart to accept a contribution from her (unlike Della and Velasquez). If she sent him one, he would no doubt send it back without ever depositing it so it wouldn’t ever appear on his C3’s at the PDC. If Edwards took $$ from Lori Sotelo, Tarleton could use that against him and Ron Sims, who has endorsed Edwards, likely wouldn’t be too happy either given Sims’ feelings about Sotelo’s bogus voter challenge http://www.metrokc.gov/exec/ne.....voters.htm
@45
AFIK Heidi Wills is not running. Actually I agree with you on what happened before. The silliness .. from R and L over irrelevant issues hurts us all.
Look, I am NOT a partisan of Venus or Bruce, but making the decision hinge on a binge is just nits. Same thing for Gary Hart, John McCain, Ed Musckie, Pat Scroeder .. etc.
I call this sort of thing “Rovism,” the misuse of the media to block consideration of your opponents’ points of view or qualifications.
The same thing is afflicting the Hague:Pope race. It would take sizeable effort for anyone to figure out the truth there, Is she a habitual lier? Is Richard an incompetent wanna-be? I do not ink I get to vote in that election but if I do, I will vote for RP simply because DL have given me a chance to sit and have a drink with the guy. Not the best reasoning but given the overwhelming flood of bad smelling rovisms, what else can I do?
Back at Della and Burgess, I have had opportunities to meet and talk with both of these guys. Della comes as close to GWB is sheer inability combined with an inappropriate self confidence as anyone I have ever met in politics. Even if there were just my own experience, as a biased opponent of much that is “Christian” I could see myself voting vs. Burgess if there were so many other sources of information confimring that David Della is simply WAY over hs head.
Using Goldy’s own logic, Della is dangerous because here in Seattle we tend to reward incompetence as long as it is sympatico with out side. If Della simply behaves himself and keeps out of trouble he is unlikely to be easy to defeat in 4 years. Burgess, on the other hand, is obviously bright and his stated agenda makes him easy to evaluate.
So, I will vote for the guy with the ability to walk and chew gum at the same time.
SJ, I remain conflicted over the Della-Burgess race (and Godden too, but in a different way). I don’t want to vote for either David or Tim, and I may end up either leaving it blank or writing in a name.
If I do the latter, “Heidi Wills” is just as good or bad — or a wasted vote — as any other. It would, however, be more satisfying than, say, “David Goldstein” or “Stephen Schwartz”.
I think Burgess has started the rumors and snide comments about Della as part of his own media strategy.
Have known Dave and worked with him for 15 years, and find him dedicated and hard working.
What the fuck is all the whisper about?
Heidi was and is an airhead – she could not lead a cow to water with a rope. All the straight guys loved her, not for her politics.
Burgess is a creep. His hate mailers are horrible and today he admitted in the PI he wrote many more of them. Creepy. And some here want him in city govt. God, what sheep.
I voted for Dave and going to urge my friend to do the same. Then lean on him for better leadership if they feel that is what he lacks.
Oh, I forgot, Asian men as a category are lazy and stupid – or so they whisper. And if they fight back in a spirited political campaign they are too ruthless. So say the whispers.
Beware the instutional racism in the Burgess media shit, whispers and all.
My objection to Heidi and Judy was not puritanical. I just felt that as activists, taking money from a strip joint was out of character. Had Jim McDermott or Jane Hague had done the same thing, I don’t think it would have been as bad a deal.
Al Rossellini took the money from the club. Al Rossellini contributed to their campaigns. Some would have you believe that there was some sort of quid pro quo in that.
Last I heard, strip clubs are legitimate businesses (even if the Seattle puritans don’t allow them to serve drinks and force them to keep the lighting-level very high … at least the 4-foot rule didn’t pass). Legitimate businesses might want their customers to have off-street parking.
@ 52
It was a total quid pro quo.
“Three City Council members who voted to override the planning department on a strip club’s parking-lot rezone turn out to be beneficiaries of some $39,000 in campaign contributions that the club’s owners allegedly funneled through various contributors to get around donor limit laws. The rezone is then revoted and rejected. The council members return the money and pay fines.”
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/.....pgated.asp
“Strippergate” did not materialize out of thin air. They returned the money and were fined by the SEEC. The issue was never about whether strip clubs are legitimate businesses. The issue was about ethics violations.
Mr. Bakan-
Your referring to me as “justplainstupidburreggschill” (and while I have no idea whatever the hell it’s supposed to mean, I’m fairly certain it’s not a compliment) just because I disagree with you tells me all I need to know about your stand on hate speech.
@53
“The issue was about ethics violations.”
Hmmmm. By that reasoning…
http://thepapernoose.blogspot......-with.html
[full disclosure: am Szwaja volunteer; but TPN blog is independent]
I agree that Wills and Nicastro got a raw deal in ’03. They were both defeated by lesser lights as Della’s campaign was roundly seen as one of the dirtiest ever seen ’round these parts. The fact that he didn’t even take the energy committee chair after the election sealed it for me. I knew then he wasn’t to be trusted. I have watched him fumble in public forums by the better spoken Burgess for months. These last second tactics are simply a return to form and I won’t go for it no matter what Tim Burgess’ background. It only encourages the b*st*rds.
As for Godden, she ran as an “adult” and for a return to decency and all that is good and fair in Seattle. Isn’t that what the Bushies ran on in 2000? It’s amazing that it works, but people just LOVE operating at the level of their lizard brains when it comes to politics. As I wrote to the Seattle Times, polish, name recognition and polite party conversation are about the worst qualifications for public office I can think of.
Let me just reply to n in Seattle. Thank you for correcting me on that fact. I think you missed my point though, Strip clubs tend to be demeaning to women. I would think that as Liberal women, Heidi and Judy would vote against any strip club business, whether they took a “nickle” from anyone or not during the campaign.
I could be mistaken, but strip club patrons do not shout many Liberal slogans during a performance.
Mike – strip club patrons are on the leading edge of free speech for adults and their right to adult erotic entertainment.
You miss lots of big issues in all the strip club stuff.
Many of the women are Lesbian in the clubs and call them selves well paid sex workers.
Mike, are you a good old prude?