From the Seattle Times: “Wenatchee cyclist could get shot at Tour de France.”
My advice to 23-year-old Wenatchee cyclist Tyler Farrar is, if you could get shot at the Tour… for God’s sake don’t go! It’s just a bike race, and you’re too young to die!
UPDATE:
The Times has updated the headline in their online edition to read: “Wenatchee cyclist has shot at riding in Tour de France.”
Another victory for bloggers everywhere.
Niki Sullivan follows up on her blog post revealing Dino Rossi’s illegal funder, this time using her J-school sanctioned grownup voice in the print edition of the TNT: “Did group violate campaign rules at Rossi visit?”
The answer, of course, is yes:
But the prohibition is clear, according to Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, a Chicago-based nonprofit that acts as a watchdog of other nonprofit organizations.
“They’re not allowed to be involved in partisan political activity, particularly involved in influencing an election. It sounds as if that’s what’s happening,” Borochoff said.
The nonprofit’s intent has no bearing, he said, adding that if a candidate is speaking, that constitutes political involvement.
Borochoff said the Christian group could be at risk of losing its nonprofit status – and the tax exemption it provides.
I suppose as a Christian organization the CBMC feels more obligated to follow the laws of God than the laws of man, but if so, they might want to reread the Ninth Commandment.
[Dwight] Mason, the local CBMC president who gave the prayer, initially told The News Tribune on Thursday that “no funds were solicited.” He also denied seeing any hints of fundraising.
“If there were envelopes there, they weren’t anything I had anything to do with,” he said.
But that was before Sullivan obtained an audio recording of the event in which Mason can be heard leading the group in prayer:
“Father, we are thankful of your care for us and thankful for this opportunity to hear Dino’s story and pray for him and his campaign…”
After the prayer, Mason told the crowd, “OK, at your table, this is not a fundraiser, although Dino did leave with us a couple envelopes there, and I’m sure he’d appreciate that.”
Oops. That’s not just a blatant violation of IRS rules, it’s what I think the Bible refers to as “bearing false witness.”
I don’t think Rossi faces any potential legal sanctions himself for his part in the illegal fundraiser, but as a candidate for governor it is fair to expect him to adhere to a higher standard in terms of respect for the law. 501(c)3 restrictions are Campaign Finance 101—Rossi and his staff must have known that they were treading on dangerous ground by soliciting funds from a religious organization, thus if he wants to live up to the ideals he professes, it is time for him to confess his sins and seek penance.
Cast out the CBMC moneychangers Dino, and return their ill-gotten donations. That is the only path toward redemption.
The TNT’s Niki Sullivan is fast becoming my favorite newspaper blogger. After being refused entry into a Christian Businessmen’s Connection (CBMC) event featuring Dino Rossi (obviously, one of the businesses they haven’t connected with yet is PR), Sullivan follows up by reporting that the gathering most likely violated the law, putting the organization’s tax-exempt status at risk.
The problem: CMBC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. And, as far as the Internal Revenue Service is concerned, Rossi could have talked exclusively about his shoe size and the event still would have run afoul of the law.
That tidbit in itself is worth the read, but I just love how Sullivan writes up her exchange with CBMC organizer Dwight Mason:
“I feel like it’s a private party. Our purpose was not fundraising, I can say that,” he said.
I asked if fundraising occurred.
“There was no plea for funds. No funds were solicited.”
I told him I had heard otherwise.
“You know, if there were envelopes there, they weren’t anything that I had anything to do with. When you have a political campaign, I’m sure there’s going to be some envelopes around somewhere.”
Understandable. But whether there was fundraising is irrelevant in the eyes of the law.
“To me this sounds to me like a reporter who has an agenda.”
Correct. My agenda includes something about holding people in power accountable.
Now that’s blogging. You go girl.
Gen. Wesley Clark is going to one lucky Congressional district to do a community service project and we get to decide where to send him. So go to Democrats Works today and vote for Darcy in WA-08.
It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s free, so there’s no excuse not to show your support.
When Andrew Franz ran for the state legislature as a Republican in the 47th District, Dino Rossi couldn’t gush more effusively. But now that Franz has been arrested for soliciting the prostitution of a 13-year-old girl, Rossi barely knows the guy.
Of course it’s hard to blame Rossi for being taken in, as apparently Franz is such a charmer:
The documents say Franz, who went by the user name sugardad4u33, even admitted he worked as a professor at a university and that “the girls who went to the university were too old.” […] The documents say Franz wrote he would bring “muscle relaxants and alcohol” for the girl.
When he was arrested, agents say he had with him “a necklace with cherries on it,” “lingerie sets and fishnet stockings,” and “a form of Viagra pills.”
What a prince. So, how many hundreds of doorbells did Franz ring in 2006 with Rossi’s glowing endorsement in hand? How many underage girls did Franz scope out as he canvassed the 47th District? Sounds like a dream job for guy who’s clearly an experienced pedophile.
When asked about Franz by the Seattle Times, Rossi was reportedly “stunned“:
Rossi said that while he didn’t know him well, Franz “served his country.”
“He approached things with a very Army Ranger point of view. That’s why this is so out of character for him. That’s why it’s such a shock,” Rossi said Thursday.
Huh. So Rossi didn’t know him well…? That’s not what he said in a quote on a glossy piece of Franz’s 2006 campaign literature (front/back), in which Rossi’s was the only endorsement listed:
“Andrew is just the kind of person we need in Olympia. He’s hard-working, he respects different people’s viewpoints and he has excellent leadership skills. I’ve come to know him as a friend and I’m incredibly impressed by his personal integrity and commitment to serving others.”
So which is it Dino? Did you not know him well, or did you know him as a friend? It seems to me that Rossi is either a liar, or a very poor judge of character. Or both.
Either way it does say something about Rossi’s character. Dino Rossi is a fake and fraud (with a long history of associating with fakes and frauds), who will say anything to close a deal or get elected… and who fervently believes he can get away with anything as long as he says it with a smile.
Um… no.
Some Republican insiders believe Congressman Dave Reichert is in trouble, not because his opponent Darcy Burner, is anything great, but because the Democratic tide could be so high it sweeps out moderates in swing districts. And the 8th District is ready to swing.
God forbid she give any credit to Darcy Burner—one of the smartest, hardest working candidates I have ever met—for coming from nowhere to put herself in a position to win. And I suppose it never occurred to Balter to put part of the blame for Dave Reichert’s vulnerability on Reichert’s own “undistinguished” performance in Congress?
No, now that they see the handwriting on the wall, and suspect that Darcy might actually win come November, the Times editorialists just cover their eyes, ears and asses by blaming Reichert’s woes on tides, swings and Obamania.
Shorter Balter: stupid voters.
Oregon Democrats were incredibly fortunate to have two strong, progressive Senate candidates in Jeff Merkley and Steve Novick. In the end Merkley won the primary by a slim 45% to 42% margin, but managed to win a plurality of votes in all but three counties. Congratulations Jeff.
Novick ran an impressive underdog campaign, producing some of the best political ads I’ve seen in quite some time, so he deserves congratulations too for being himself and making it so close. But in the end suburban and rural Democrats felt more comfortable with Merkley’s more traditional style. From a strategic perspective I think there were good arguments as to why either might have been a better matchup against incumbent Sen. Gordon Smith, but that’s all moot now. The job from here on out is to convince Oregon voters that Merkley will do a better job representing their interests than Smith.
On a personal note, this was a difficult primary for me, and I’m glad to see it over. I had the opportunity to meet with both candidates and genuinely liked them both. But I also had close blogger friends passionately on either side of this race, and at times felt like a child caught in the midst of a nasty divorce. My hope is that in focusing on November, we can come together as one big happy family again… without a custody agreement or court oversight.
Did sexist press coverage sink Hillary Clinton? I’ll be a guest on KUOW’s The Conservation this afternoon, sometime during the 1PM hour, to discuss this and possibly other issues.
I was talking to a real journalist last night, and not surprisingly the subject of the Burner-Reichert race came up. Also not surprisingly, the journalist raised the question of whether Darcy Burner had done enough over the past two years to address concerns about her perceived lack of relevant experience.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard a member of the local media raise this question, and it immediately got my hackles up. Campaigns tend to focus on the job performance of the incumbent, not the challenger, and with good reason: to criticize the challenger for lacking the relevant experience of the incumbent would be an automatic argument for incumbency.
To wage a successful campaign a challenger must typically do two things: A) raise substantial doubts about the job performance and/or character of the incumbent; and B) present themselves as an acceptable alternative who voters might reasonably give a chance in the job. And generally, in that order.
But that’s not how this race has been covered thus far. The media narrative, that Burner must somehow match Dave Reichert’s legislative experience to qualify for the job, is a narrative that comes straight from the Reichert campaign, and one that she cannot possibly win, as it can be argued that nothing prepares one for Congress like on the job experience. It is a narrative that runs counter to the intent of the founders, who envisioned a citizen legislature, and counter to the mood of a public grown weary (and wary) of professional politicians. It is a narrative that defaults to the incumbent.
But elected office has never been a prerequisite for holding elected office; it was never an issue during Mike McGavick’s run for the US Senate, and it hasn’t seemed to hamper Gov. Schwarzenegger in California. Indeed, representing one’s fellow citizens in Congress is supposed to be an act of public service, not a reward for it.
If I sound a bit defensive it is because I am, for Darcy Burner is clearly being held to an unfair standard. Capitol Hill is filled with Representatives and Senators who never held lower office before first being elected (or appointed) to Congress. Ironically, the best example I can think of to support the notion that legislators should work their way to the top before acceding to Congress is Reichert himself, who had zero legislative experience before winning his current office, and whose track record there shows it.
The primary question before voters is not what Burner has managed to accomplish since losing her race in 2006, but what Reichert has managed to accomplish since winning. Which brings us to the video clip at the top of this post, in which Rep. Jay Inslee cites Burner’s Responsible Plan while debating Iraq War funding on the floor of House.
Inslee describes Burner as a “citizen,” and that’s all she is, and yet through sheer grit and determination she has managed to influence the public debate on Iraq, while Reichert, with all the powers of office at his disposal, has done nothing but parrot the platitudes of the Bush administration. Where is Reichert’s plan? Where is his leadership on this issue or other pressing issues? What has he done during his four years in office other than issue an endless stream of press releases and glossy franked mail pieces?
When critics ask what Burner has done these past two years to prepare herself for office, voters should ask what Reichert has done these past two years with it? And local journalists, however well meaning, should start asking the same question.
This is what the GOP has been reduced to:
Pathetic. And this is exactly the way to respond:
HuffPo cofounder Arianna Huffington is speaking at Seattle’s Town Hall tonight at 7:30PM, and signing her new book “Right Is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe.” Eighth and Seneca.
In a more intimate setting, FrameShop founder Jeffrey Feldman will be stopping by Drinking Liberally tonight, chatting with folks and signing his new book “Outright Barbarous: How the Violent Language of the Right Poisons American Democracy.” 8PM, Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E.
See a theme there? Somehow, I’m going to manage to attend both.
It’s been all over the news, so you’ve probably already heard it, but Sen. Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. I’ve got no idea what the prognosis is, but clearly, things like this are never good.
Kennedy has long been a bogeyman for the right, beyond all reason, and no doubt there are more than a few assholes out there cheering his illness. But for the most part the reaction from the right has been muted thus far, and the statements of his Republican colleagues have been respectful, supportive and downright heartfelt.
I personally don’t believe in prayer, but those of you who do, have at it.
When the US House voted to approve the GI Bill of Rights last week, giving veterans full tuition benefits at any public school in their home state, 32 Republicans joined 224 Democrats in approving the measure… but Dave Reichert was not among them, despite having publicly boasted about supporting similar legislation.
Why did Reichert vote no? Because unlike most of the Republican agenda these past eight years, this bill actually includes provisions to pay for itself now ($52 billion over ten years) instead of shoving the costs off to future generations, levying a tax surcharge of 0.47 percent on income in excess of $1 million a year per family. When it came to asking the wealthiest one percent of Americans to help pay to give Iraq War veterans the same educational benefits given veterans of World War II, Reichert sided with the wealthiest one percent of Americans.
Let’s put this in perspective. While over half of American families save less than $600 a year from the Bush tax cuts, the wealthiest one percent have saved an average of $92,000 annually. That’s about $550,000 each since the tax cuts were enacted. The new GI Bill of Rights would add back an average of only $9,000 a year to the tax bill of these wealthiest of Americans. And that’s just an average—a household making a cushy $1.5 million a year would pay only $2,350.
In return, every veteran—the Americans who have sacrificed the most for our country—would be given the opportunity to earn a college degree and the economic benefits that come with it. And Dave Reichert voted no.
Reichert supported the bill when it included no funding mechanism, calling into question his fiscal responsibility; he rejected the bill when it taxed those who have benefited most from the Bush regime, calling into question his priorities. If this is what the Seattle Times had in mind when it lauded Reichert for his “conscience-driven independent streak,” I wonder how they define “conscience” and “independence”…?
Well, the Times hasn’t endorsed Barack Obama in the general election yet, but they will. They’ll also endorse Dino Rossi, Dave Reichert and Rob McKenna. But you know, because they’ll endorse the Democrat at the top of the ticket it will prove that they are in fact nonpartisan.
Remind me of my prediction come November.
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