Goldy

Yeah, Sen. Barack Obama won the Wyoming Democratic caucus yesterday by a twenty-plus point margin, but his bigger victory came in Illinois, where he won a proxy war with Sen. John McCain in the special election to replace former House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Obama cut an ad on behalf of Democrat Bill Foster while McCain personally campaigned with Republican Jim Oberweis. Foster won by a comfortable 53% to 47% margin in a traditionally Republican district in which President Bush garnered 55% of the vote in 2004, and that hadn’t elected a Democrat since the 1970’s. Those who have argued Obama would have long coattails in November are surely cheered by the results.

But yesterday’s special election has deeper implications that have Republicans worried nationwide, possibly presaging a second Big Blue Wave that could potentially reshape congressional politics for a decade or more:

The defeat — whether or not there are national implications — is a major setback for the NRCC and House Republicans. The NRCC spent nearly $1.3 million defending the seat, a significant percentage of the $6.4 million the committee showed on hand at the end of January. That is a major investment of limited resources — only to come up empty.

House Republicans, already dispirited by the loss of their majority in the 2006 election and more than two dozen retirements within their ranks since then, will likely take this defeat hard. Watch to see whether a rash of retirements breaks out over the coming weeks as vulnerable members take the Illinois special election as a sign of things to come in the fall.

Party identity sticks hard, but we may be in the midst of the type of large scale partisan realignment we haven’t seen since the Democrats lost the South in the 1960’s. In 2006 Northeastern Republicans were virtually eradicated from the congressional map, and 2008 is shaping up to do the same in the Midwest. What this means for Washington’s most vulnerable Republican, Rep. Dave Reichert, remains unclear, but… well… it can’t look good from his perspective. Twice now Reichert has been bailed out by multi-million dollar NRCC expenditures in a district that used to pump money into the party under Rep. Jennifer Dunn instead of sucking money out; with an unprecedented number of open seats to defend and a staggering cash disadvantage, the NRCC is going to have to make some tough choices about where they invest their resources.

With so many other fires to fight this cycle, does it make sense for the party to continue to prop up a perpetually needy Reichert? Or, would they be better off protecting stronger incumbents elsewhere, and then coming back with an energetic Reagan Dunn against a freshman Rep. Darcy Burner in 2010, a cycle in which Democrats are due an electoral backlash? I know conventional wisdom dictates that a party’s first priority is to defend the seats they hold, but if Burner is as much of a lightweight as Republicans claim they believe her to be, a 2010 strategy could prove politically savvy. And besides, desperate times call for desperate measures, and the NRCC simply may not have the option of continuing to throw good money after bad.

Regardless of the nominee at the top of the ticket Democrats are poised to make substantial gains in both houses of Congress. How big and lasting those gains are remains to be seen, but either way, shifting demographics and party alignment don’t bode well for the GOP in WA-08.

No doubt my friends in the establishment press are looking forward to a bitter and divisive brawl between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton all the way up to the Democratic National Convention, but the truth is that even at its nastiest, the 2008 presidential nominating process has thus far been an extraordinarily civil war compared to previous campaigns. Still, while the candidates have mostly managed to stay out of the muck, their partisan supporters in the blogosphere are now poised to march into combat rakes in hand, the posts and comment threads of many of our leading blogs serving as battlefields in an increasingly bloody war of words.

To which I caution my comrades in the progressive netroots… who the hell cares?

There isn’t a nickel’s difference between Obama and Clinton on most policy issues, at least not substantive enough that it can’t be overcome by a commanding congressional majority, and both candidates arguably occupy the same center/center-left ideological niche. We may prefer one candidate’s health care plan over the other, or one candidate’s historical record on the occupation of Iraq, but both Obama and Clinton largely share the same agenda, and either would be far preferable to the Republican alternative. But most important to movement progressives like me, while both are good Democrats, and both have clear paths toward victory in November, neither is exactly what we would call a “netroots candidate,” and thus neither deserves the sort of unrelenting partisan passion that now threatens to distract our ranks, if not actually split them.

I personally like Clinton, and believe she has the makings of an excellent president… but isn’t she an icon of the very Democratic establishment we are all working so hard to challenge? And I do find Obama genuinely inspiring, and believe he may be able to deliver the kind of personal leadership we desperately need at this unique moment in our nation’s history, but… as phenomenally successful as his grassroots efforts have been both on- and offline, hasn’t he merely borrowed the techniques and technology of the netroots while showing little if any interest in growing our movement or building our institutions outside the narrow interests of his own campaign?

Both candidates have raised staggering amounts of money online and harnessed the power of the Internet in ways barely imagined just a few years before, and we should all be greatly encouraged by this shifting political paradigm. But Obama and Clinton’s Internet strategies have had little more to do with the progressive netroots than the surprising online success of Ron Paul. They are not, and never have been our candidates; they are merely the last two standing.

Nor should we have had any reasonable expectation of nominating a netroots Democrat in 2008, at such an early stage in a movement that will take at least another decade or two to reach full fruition. The presidential contest is necessarily the race on which we have the least influence and the least impact, and regardless of who wins, the White House is the office to which we will surely have the least direct access. As this campaign unfolds the blogosphere will play an increasingly critical role in helping to shift media coverage and shape the public debate, but the decisions of a handful of campaign strategists will be far more decisive in determining the outcome of the presidential race than we can ever hope to be in this particular cycle. The netroots are surely a force to be reckoned with — but in the context of presidential politics that sentiment is best conjugated in the future indicative.

It is hard not to get caught up in the hopes and passions of the race for the White House, but bloggers and other netroots activists must not get distracted from the long, hard task of building the infrastructure that will make a true “netroots president” a realistic objective. That candidate will come from the ranks of the House or the Senate or from a governor’s mansion, and that candidate must be someone who doesn’t just share our values, but who has also shared our burden in building a new progressive movement from the ground up. That candidate may be one of the dozens we are now working to elect this cycle, but we will never find out if we don’t succeed in putting them in an office where they have the opportunity to establish their credentials on a national stage, while working with us to build toward the future.

It is not that the choice between Obama and Clinton isn’t important, it is just that as bloggers we cannot afford to allow this drawn out nomination process to distract us from the House, Senate, gubernatorial and other local races where we can truly make a difference. These true netroots candidates can’t wait until the end of August for us to refocus our attention; they need our energy, our creativity and our financial resources now. Neither Obama nor Clinton can secure enough pledged delegates to seal the nomination, and so for better or worse, the decision is now in the hands of the party establishment. Let them deal with it, while we keep our eye on the prize of gradually and relentlessly transforming the party itself.

Andrew writes that state House Speaker Frank Chopp is “wavering” on the Homeowner’s Bill of Rights, but really, I don’t see it. Chopp has been the sole legislative obstacle to this reasonable reform these past two years, and I don’t see him wavering one way or the other. And if Speaker Chopp once again refuses to let the bill to the floor for a vote — a vote it would win by overwhelming margins — then I think it is time for Frank to be frank.

Chopp told KOMO TV that “I’ve listened to quite a number of stakeholders on this who have not had the opportunity to participate in this particular bill,” but there’s only one “stakeholder” Chopp seems to be concerned with, and that is the BIAW. Now, I don’t know if Chopp is simply afraid of the BIAW, or if he’s worked out some kind of a deal with them in which he’s promised not to pass the bill, but that’s the only reasonable explanation for Chopp’s intransigence on a bill that merely gives buyers of single family homes the same rights condo owners have enjoyed since 1990. I can sue my doctor… I can sue my lawyer… I can sue my auto mechanic or even my barber… but I can’t sue a contractor for refusing to fix shoddy materials or workmanship in a brand new house. What’s up with that?

No doubt as Speaker, Chopp needs to think strategically, and the BIAW can be a powerful foe. Chopp deserves credit for building and maintaining a Democratic majority in the House, and I don’t doubt his personal values as a true progressive. But when he’s so clearly caving to the BIAW on such an uncontroversial scrap of necessary consumer protection, one has to wonder if Chopp’s focus on building a majority is getting in the way of his willingness to use it?

Chopp has until 5PM today to give SB 6385 a vote before it’s dead for the session, and he needs a reminder that there are more of us than there are of them. Call the legislative hotline at 800-562-6000 and urge your reps to tell Chopp to give the Homeowner’s Bill of Rights a vote, or link on over to Fuse and use their form to send Chopp an email. [UPDATE: You might also want to call Chopp’s office at 360-786-7920 and give him the mesage directly.]

Don’t let the right-wing militia funding orca killers at the BIAW win because we’re too lazy to speak out.

To the assholes who keep dumping trash in my yard waste and recycling bins… I mean… what the fuck? Do you come from some socialist dystopia where there is no such thing as private trash, and all bins are property of the people? And can you read? These bins are clearly marked “Yard Waste” and “Recycling” — you gotta know that when you dump a dirty diaper or a water-logged scrap of carpet remnant or the remains of your taco truck lunch in my yard waste bin, that I’m going to have to clean it out and put it in my trash can. If you’re gonna be such an incredibly inconsiderate fuck, why not just go all the way to inconsiderate fuckdom, and just dump your trash straight on my goddamn sidewalk?

To the assholes who keep dumping bags of trash on my goddamn sidewalk… well Jesus Fucking Christ! You’re neat enough to actually bag your trash, but then you just dump the bag on my sidewalk? I repeat… what the fuck? Who the hell just pulls up their car and says to themselves, “Gee, this sidewalk here, in front of this house… this looks like the right place to leave my neatly bagged garbage”…? And why the goddamn sidewalk? After all, there’s both a recycling and a yard waste bin just paces away, not to mention my actual trash can, which, for some reason, it never occurs to any of you assholes to commandeer. Sure, it’s incredibly fucking rude to dump your trash in somebody else’s trash can, but at least then I wouldn’t have to pick it up and put it in there myself, since the only trash the city hauls away is the stuff that’s actually in a proper can, and pulled up to the curb.

To the assholes who keep parking in front of my bins on trash day… goddamnit! Trash cans and recycling (or yard waste) bins are lining the streets for miles around, because, you know, it’s trash day, and the haulers only empty those cans that are placed by the curb. And you have to choose my cans to park your fucking truck in front of? Are you fucking oblivious, or do you simply just not care? So occasionally, after my trash hasn’t been picked up for weeks, I get desperate and put my bins in the street, and what do you do…? You put them back on the goddamn sidewalk so that you can park in front of them in that goddamn spot! Fuck you! And to the particular asshole with the beater van who when I specifically asked you not to park in front of my bins so that my trash might actually be picked up that day, you haughtily informed me that I’m supposed to put my bins at the end of my driveway… look around Peabody: I don’t have a fucking driveway! I don’t have a fucking garage! That’s why my bins are always in reach of goddamn fucking inconsiderate assholes like you, who obviously can’t be bothered to give a shit about anybody but yourselves.

I’m just sayin’.

ADDENDUM:
To the skanky Rainier Ave. whores who have chosen my corner as the perfect place to park with their Johns… it’s good to see you being so conscientious in your use of condoms. Thank you for being so responsible. But could you please toss your jizz filled love socks and smegma smeared wads of paper towel out the window into the middle of the street instead of onto my goddamn sidewalk?!

The 5PM Friday deadline is fast approaching, and so far no word from state House Speaker Frank Chopp as to whether he plans to let the Homeowner’s Bill of Rights come to the floor for a vote. If he does, it will surely pass by wide margins, giving owners of single family homes the same rights condo owners have had since 1990. If he doesn’t, than unfortunate homeowners like Scott Thalhamer will remain mired knee-deep in muck in the basement of his one-year-old home, barred by law from suing contractors for shoddy workmanship and code violations.

Even the Seattle Times agrees that this bill provides “reasonable protections,” yet according to KOMO-TV, one man stands in the way: Speaker Frank Chopp. Watch the video and see for your self, then dial the legislative hotline at 800-562-6000 and ask your representatives to ask Frank to let them vote on SB 6385.

I’m filling in for Dave Ross this morning on News/Talk 710-KIRO. Here’s how the show is shaping up thus far:

9AM: If it’s not Boeing, is Congress not going?
With Rep. Norm Dicks blaming Boeing’s tanker deal loss on last minute criteria changes, and House Appropriations chair John Murtha suggesting that he is considering legislation to hold up the contract, the controversy only gets hotter. Rep. Jim McDermott joins us at the top of the hour to give us the lowdown on the latest developments. Does outsourcing this contract represent a national security concern, or just an economic one? And if it’s the latter, is that reason enough to hold up a defense contract?

9:30AM: Will the Dems get a do-over in FL and MI?
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is urging Florida and Michigan party officials to repeat their presidential primaries, a possibility that seems increasingly likely now that it is clear that neither Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton can garner enough pledged delegates to clinch the nomination prior to the convention. Also… an exploration of the “cult” of Obama.

10AM: Do “house daddies” make for happier marriages?
Men are helping out more at home, and studies suggest that this trend may result in healthier, happier marriages. Um… it didn’t work so well for this divorced, former house daddy, but then, maybe an SOB like me isn’t exactly the best control subject?

11AM: Dueling headlines… what’s really up in our local housing market?
The Seattle P-I today cheerily tells us that the housing market is “perking up,” while the Seattle Times blearily bemoans our housing “slump.” Local real-estate blogger Timothy Ellis of “Seattle Bubble” joins us to help straighten things out.

Tune in this morning (or listen to the live stream) and give me a call: 1-877-710-KIRO (5476).

Podcasting Liberally returns with another brilliant evening of conversation recorded live at the Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally. This week me (Goldy), Will, Carl, Jenny Jennie and McKenna provide live coverage of Hillary Clinton’s big win in "Crucial Tuesday" primary… or maybe it was her big loss. Listen in and figure it out for yourself.

[audio:http://www.podcastingliberally.com/podcasts/podcasting_liberally_march_4_2008.mp3]

The show is 41:54, and can be downloaded here as a 38.4 MB MP3.

[Recorded live at the Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally. Special thanks to Darryl for producing the show, and Confab creators Gavin and Richard for hosting this site.]

I’m filling in for Dave Ross this morning (and through tomorrow) on News/Talk 710-KIRO. Here’s how the show is shaping up thus far:

9AM: Who won yesterday’s “Crucial Tuesday” primaries?
No, really… who won? I’m not really sure. I mean, I know Hillary Clinton won three out of four, including the big prizes of Ohio and Texas, but she didn’t really make a dent in Obama’s delegate lead, so mathematically, does it really matter? Joining me to help sort things out is Democratic strategist, pundit, blogger and friend of the show, James Boyce, who recently suggested on Huffington Post that an Obama nomination could lead to a popular vote landslide victory/electoral college loss in November. Later in the hour we hope to hear from the DNC about fears of a brokered convention.

10AM: Goldy talks to Republicans!
It happens. You know, sometimes. Tracey Schmitt, a Republican strategist and former RNC communications director joins me at the top of the hour to kvell about Sen. John McCain and his prospects in November. Later, we turn to the state GOP’s new transportation plan that promises to spend $6 billion on transportation projects… without raising taxes! House Transportation Committee chair Rep. Judy Clibborn (D-Mercer Island) joins me at 10:35, but first we hope to talk to one of the Republicans behind this plan to explain how it works… or barring that, maybe a magician.

11AM: Do high school students have ANY First Amendment rights?
17-year-old Avery Doninger was disciplined by high school administrators after calling them “douche bags” on her public blog, a decision upheld by a federal court that ruled she could be punished because the blog addressed school issues and was likely read by fellow students… raising the question… do teens have any rights at all? Geez… students can be disciplined every time they call a school official a douche bag, off school property, two-thirds of students would eventually be expelled. Doninger’s attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, joins me by phone.

Tune in this morning (or listen to the live stream) and give me a call: 1-877-710-KIRO (5476).

The Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally meets tonight (and every Tuesday), 8PM at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E… but no doubt folks will be dropping by quite a bit early to watch the election returns trickle.

In fact, I’m headed off to DL in just a few moments, but polls have closed in Vermont and Ohio and some winners have already been declared. Obama is projected to win Vermont, where he currently leads Clinton 58-40 with 4% of precincts reporting, and McCain is projected to win… well… who the fuck really cares about McCain now that that race is already over?

UPDATE [5:17]:
No, I haven’t left for DL yet. But almost. Meanwhile, while the networks are saying Ohio is “too close to call”, final exit polls suggest a narrow victory for Clinton, likely within five points. In the end, its the delegate count that matters most, and so far it doesn’t look like Clinton is poised to pick up much ground on Obama in pledged delegates. As Jonathan Singer explains over on MyDD:

If Obama can get about 64 percent in Vermont tonight, the delegate spread would be 10 to 5 rather than 9 to 6 … I don’t think Obama will be able to hit 70 percent, which would yield an 11 to 4 spread, but if he could hit that 64 percent mark it could potentially mean that Obama would net as many delegates from Vermont as Clinton will from Ohio.

As of the moment, Obama leads Clinton 59-39 in Vermont, with 15% of precincts reporting.

UPDATE [6:11]:
Polls just closed in Rhode Island, where with 0% reporting, Obama and Clinton are neck and neck in a 0-0 tie. Obviously, it’s “too close to call”. (Or, more accurately, as Nick just pointed out, “too early”.)

More useful, Obama leads Clinton in Texas, 54-45 with 2% reporting. That may not sound like very much data, but over a million ballots have been counted, as all the early voting apparently gets reported as a single precinct. Clearly, Obama kicked ass in early voting. Expect the gap to close, just as Clinton closed in the polls over the final days of the campaign.

Elsewhere, Clinton leads Ohio 59-39 with 3% reporting, and 50-49 in Rhode Island with 4% reporting, while as earlier, who gives a flying fuck about McCain?

UPDATE [6:23]:
CLINTON WINS!!! (Rhode Island.) After losing 12 straight primaries and caucuses to Obama, Clinton has apparently finally notched a victory, with the networks declaring her the winner of “The Ocean State”… which ironically, is not actually on an ocean. (Or for that matter, is an actual island. Go figure.)

UPDATE [6:28]:
Mike Huckabee was still running for president? Who knew? He’s on TV announcing his withdrawal, with “this lady to my right” standing with him, just half step behind and to his side. I’m assuming he’s referring to his wife, but it might have been nice to mention her name. Assuming he knows it.

UPDATE [6:50]:
John McCain’s wife is better preserved than Vladimir Lenin. I wonder if she stops smiling if her face will crack?

UPDATE [7:20]:
As I predicted, the Obama’s lead in Texas is narrowing as more votes come in, down now to thin 50-48 margin. Man am I smart.

Earlier today I had state Sen. Brian Weinstein on The Dave Ross Show talking about SB 6385, his Home Buyer’s Bill of Rights. The bill would simply give purchasers of a new single family home the same basic warranty and rights provided to condo buyers since 1990. Right now it’s virtually impossible for a home buyer to sue a contractor for shoddy workmanship and materials — even violations of the building codes. This bill would fix that.

The bill passed overwhelmingly in the Senate and in the House Judiciary Committee, but faces a fast approaching Friday, 5PM deadline to get to the floor of the House for a vote. While it certainly doesn’t hurt to complain on the radio or a blog, it’s a helluva lot more effective to complain to your representative directly, so that’s why I urge you to call the legislative hotline at 800-562-6000 and ask your representative to urge House Speaker Frank Chopp to give this bill a vote.

Righties often complain that our elected officials don’t listen to us, but that’s just because they want us to give up. The truth is, they do listen to us, we just don’t speak up often enough. Give your reps a call at 800-562-6000 and ask them to pass SB 6385, the Home Buyer’s Bill of Rights.

I’m filling in for Dave Ross this morning (and through Thursday, March 6th) on News/Talk 710-KIRO. Here’s how the show is shaping up thus far:

9AM: Why is Sen. Patty Murray so pissed?
Sen. Patty Murray delivered an angry tirade on the floor of the US Senate this morning, decrying the Air Force refueling tanker contract as little more than an economic stimulus package for Europeans. Sen. Murray joins us at the top of the hour to summarize her grievances and to tell us where we go from here. What is the US sacrificing by outsourcing crucial military contracts overseas, and is economic stimulus a factor the Air Force should have been considering? Or if taxpayers can save a few bucks on the French built “Freedom Tanker”, is that all you need to know?

10AM: Are liberals coming back in the Lone Star State?
In this morning’s New York Times, Texas Monthly executive editor writes that “Lone Star liberals are back“, suggesting that more than a decade of Republican one-party rule in Texas may be over. Prof. Thomas Schaller, author of Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South joins us at the top of the hour to discuss our shifting electoral map. We’ll also get updates from the ground in both Ohio and Texas on this crucial election day.

11AM: Is state government working hard, or hardly working?
Are homeowners second-class citizens? State Sen. Brian Weinstein joins us at the top of the hour to give us an update on SB 6385, his Homeowner’s Bill of Rights, which gives buyers of single family homes the same legal warranties currently given buyers of condos. The bill flew through the Senate two years running, but so far Speaker Frank Chopp has refused to let it come to the floor of the House. We’ll ask… why? Later in the hour will discuss a new report that ranks WA’s government as one of only three states to receive an “A-” grade on management performance. Surprised? We’ll explore why.

Tune in this morning (or listen to the live stream) and give me a call: 1-877-710-KIRO (5476).

On the same day Washington was ranked amongst the top three most effective state governments, Gov. Christine Gregoire helped demonstrate how she made the grade by announcing revised plans that would replace the 520 floating bridge two years sooner and at as much as $700 million below previous estimates. Much of the savings come simply from accelerating construction, thus avoiding anticipated inflation of concrete and other materials.

The accelerated schedule is achieved through a number of means, including expediting the environmental permitting process and beginning construction on the rest of the 520 corridor sooner than originally planned, but much of it is due to advancing pontoon construction at two facilities simultaneously. Construction on smaller pontoons will now begin in 2009 at an existing facility in Tacoma, while construction on a new facility at Grays Harbor will begin in 2010, with production coming online the following year. Pontoons from both facilities will be floated through the locks, and into Lake Washington, where they will be assembled on site. This accelerated construction plan also has the ancillary benefit of creating hundreds of new local jobs at a time the national economy is headed into recession.

The proposal calls for a six-lane bridge — two general purpose lanes and an HOV lane in each direction — and will avoid the need for a draw span by raising the clearance on the Eastside approach. The bridge is designed to be expandable, with the ability to add new lanes or rail capacity by attaching a new row of pontoons to one side, and is now scheduled to be completed by the Fall of 2014, with full 520 corridor improvements to be finished by 2016. The total project will be financed by $1.7 billion in state and federal money, and as much as $2 billion in tolls.

In a letter to legislative leaders, Gov. Gregoire explained that the revised plan came in response to a request she made to WSDOT in January to explore all options for accelerating construction. Credit surely goes to WSDOT for rethinking the construction plan and finding the savings in both time and money, but credit also goes to Gov. Gregoire for pushing this process along.

While Dino Rossi and his fellow Republicans travel the state bemoaning our hostile business climate and out-of-control government, Gov. Christine Gregoire’s administration keeps racking up top grades from impartial national observers. First Forbes Magazine (hardly a bastion of liberal propaganda) lauds Washington as “the big story” of its annual Top States for Business survey, documenting our rise from 12th to 5th place under Gov. Gregoire’s leadership, and now the Pew Center on the States grades Washington an A- for performance in its 2008 State Management Report Card… the top score awarded this year, shared by only Virginia and Utah. (Hat tip Andrew.)

How are those campaign themes working out for you, Dino?

Washington receives an A- or higher in three of four categories; only in Infrastructure does our state drop to a B+, and that less than stellar mark is largely due to a decades long deficit in public investment that the Gregoire administration is only beginning to turn around. And like the Forbes survey, the Pew report not only shows top performance, but progress under the current administration, with Washington improving from a B+ the last time the survey was conducted back in 2005:

Washington has been a consistent leader in results-based governance. It was ahead of nearly all other states in controlling spending by keeping track of where investments were and were not paying off. Under Governor Christine Gregoire, Washington’s government has, if anything, moved further ahead on this front.

Of course, Rossi’s dire warnings of administrative mismanagement and looming crisis are just the usual political bluster; after three years of ducking questions on nearly every contentious issue that has confronted our state, Rossi has little option but to attack Gov. Gregoire’s leadership. But as empty and misleading as the Republicans’ anti-Gregoire rhetoric has been, we can’t assume it won’t ultimately resonate with voters, for I’m guessing the governor’s top grades likely come as a surprise even to some of her most ardent supporters.

No doubt a lot of the blame for this public perception gap falls on the governor herself, for as good an administrator and negotiator as she’s proven to be, she’s not always been the best communicator. (Recent communications staff changes look awfully promising, but Gov. Gregoire could still learn some lessons in self-promotion from Attorney General Rob McKenna.) Whenever I have the opportunity to speak to top Democratic elected and party officials I always tell them that if the public doesn’t understand their accomplishments — if voters don’t appreciate the value they’re getting for their tax dollars — it’s because these officials are doing a crappy job of telling their story. 99 percent of political life is exceedingly dull, and the bureaucratic process is duller still, so crafting a narrative that reaches beyond the occasional crisis or partisan food fight yet still manages to shape the public debate, requires both creativity and relentlessness on the part of public officials and their staff.

Yet I couldn’t touch on this topic without also blaming our local press, for it is, in the end, their job to inform and educate the public on what is really happening in Olympia and the impact it has on families throughout the state, an assignment they routinely fail when it comes to reporting on our government’s successes. Oh, I’m not blaming the rank and file political reporters; I think they generally do a pretty good job with what limited resources they have… and it’s not their fault that “State Government Program Operates Smoothly” doesn’t exactly make for a compelling headline. Their job is to tell a story too, and crisis, corruption and mismanagement, when it occurs, makes for a helluva a better read than a tedious tale of government doing what, in fact, it is supposed to do.

No, I blame the editorial boards, for not only failing to place our government’s flaws in their proper context, but for occasionally, maliciously doing the exact opposite. Of course the op/ed pages are the place for publishers and editors to express their opinions, but the gatekeepers of the Fourth Estate have public obligations that should run deeper than those of a mere blogger. As purveyors of a journalistic paradigm that aspires toward impartiality and objectivity, editorial writers and columnists have a unique responsibility to reassert a sense of proportion unavoidably lost in the daily rush of headlines. I don’t expect newspapers to attempt to balance the bad news with good news — that would be pointless and boring — but if they are to strenuously avoid editorializing within their news reporting, then they have an obligation to balance the news on their editorial pages by providing a little context. At least, they should have this obligation if they expect to be taken seriously.

Take for example Kate Riley’s column today in the Seattle Times, “When it comes to open government, a sledgehammer is sorely needed“, a dire headline if there ever was one. According to Riley our public disclosure laws have “utterly eroded,” and much of the blame falls on Gov. Gregoire who has allegedly “slapped open-government advocates in the face.” Uh-huh. And what does the Pew report say on this subject in comparing Washington to the 49 other states?

Bottom line: No state in the nation is better at developing and sharing information than Washington.

I don’t disagree with Riley that the Legislature needs to act to address the potentially frivolous use of attorney-client privilege as an end-run around our public disclosure laws (though her column might have been more useful had it come before this session’s legislative cut-offs,) but the tone and tenor of her piece suggest a system that has fallen into complete disrepair at the hands of a secretive governor. It is, through its utter lack of context, a mean spirited and misleading column, perhaps appropriate to the pages of a partisan blog, but unworthy of the weight of credibility assumed the pages of our state’s largest newspaper. The Times will run few articles trumpeting the everyday successes of our public disclosure laws, and understandably so. But the least they can do when criticizing our government’s failures on their op/ed page is to present those failures within the proper context of its established record of success.

That the majority of Washingtonians don’t understand how well managed our state government is compared to other states is a failure of our local press. But grading on a national curve, I guess I have to bump their report card up to a C.

FYI, Dave Ross is back in town today, and back on the air at 710-KIRO, but I’ll be back filling in for him Tuesday through Thursday. I’m particularly looking forward to Wednesday when I’ll have the opportunity to do some post-election coverage of tomorrow’s big primaries in Ohio and Texas. Talk to you then.