I know there are those in our media and civic establishment who would prefer that politics not get in the way of, um, politics, touting bipartisanship or even nonpartisanship as the cure for most of our governmental ills.
That would be the uncynical motivation behind the relatively broad support for last year’s charter amendment that made all our county offices nonpartisan. The obvious cynical motivation, of course, is that removing the party label makes it easier to elect Republicans to office in overwhelmingly Democratic King County.
Personally, I find our media’s (not to mention the Muni League’s) infatuation with nonpartisanship to be fetishistic and naive, but it’s an issue on which I’m willing to agree to disagree. So my question to the genuinely uncynical anti-partisans is: are you going to stand by and allow partisan gamesmanship to subvert your lofty ideals, or are you going to definitively out Susan Hutchison for who she truly is… a conservative, Republican activist?
And Hutchison is a conservative, Republican activist, or at least, she has been over the past few years, sitting on the board of the Discovery Institute, speaking at numerous conservative and Republican events, contributing to the BIAW and a number of Republican candidates, and funneling $100,000 to the conservative Washington Policy Center while enthusiastically endorsing its anti-tax, anti-transit, anti-labor, anti-environmental agenda. There is a reason why Hutchison is such a close friend of the ultra-conservative David Boze Show, and why she gayly laughs when they enthusiastically exclaim: “Hey Suzie… you are our Sarah Palin!” She is their Sarah Palin.
There’s little doubt that if Hutchison were to be effectively tagged with the “Republican” label, she wouldn’t stand a snowball’s chance in fundamentalist evangelical Hell of winning in November, and so our media has adopted a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in an apparent effort to remain fair and balanced. But the last time I checked, Republicans are not a protected class, and it is neither unfair nor unbalanced to tell your audience the truth.
I know the Muni League crowd and the editorial boards would have preferred a nonpartisan race, but with Constantine and Hutchison, that’s not what they got. And I just don’t see how voters are served by maintaining the fiction.
It’s kinda pathetic if you can ONLY win an office by “pretending” not to be in your own party. It’s like changing your party from “Republican” to “Prefers GOP”…giggle.
If you have to ‘trick’ your way into office, you may have a problem, like not being in sync with the population you claim to represent.
Remember the GOP Party Party that the Dino-sore started?
Goldy sure is feeling the pinch from Dow’s campaign…I surely hope one of these days a Democrat throws him a bone and gives him a job!
Susan stop being a coward and embrace your political ideology.
I’d rather have a republican pretending to not be a republican then a republican pretending to be a democrat.
I can think of a few of our local incumbents with “d”s by their name who pay lip service to their voting majority but act on behalf of the wealthy minority.
The outgoing mayor for example. All talk!
After thinking about it more, I think there is a very real correlation between Goldy ramping up his posts and some bad news coming out about Dow…Can’t wait to see what that might be!
Religious scholar discusses Suzie’s crypto evangelicalism:
Susan Hutchinson – Washington’s Sarah Palin?
Goldy makes the argument that if Susan Hutchison were outed as a Republican, she wouldn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of getting elected. If you ask me, the media has done just this. I give the average reader enough credit to glean that she’s a Republican when it’s been written that she supported George W. Bush, supported Rob McKenna, and has exclusively given money to conservative candidates and causes.
The problem with Goldy’s thinking is that the average voter in King County doesn’t outright dismiss or support a candidate based solely on party affiliation. Sure, this county identifies overwhelmingly Democratic, but I would venture to guess that the majority of those who identify Democratic don’t consistently vote a straight party line ticket.
Voters here give candidates a chance if they trust them. I would argue why this is why Norm Maleng stuck around so long and Dan Satterberg was subsequently elected. Voters here also tend to “throw the bums out” when the shit hits the fan. King County is in a financial quagmire. There really hasn’t been anyone but the Democratic Party in power here in King County for years. There’s no one else to point the finger at. This is why Republicans got creamed nationally, and this is why someone like Hutchison, who voters may not trust, still stands a chance to pull off an election victory. I would echo the sentiments of Jacob above that there must be some bad news coming out of Dow’s polling, and this is why Goldy must be paying so much more attention to this race. Goldy’s schtick is to shame the mainstream media into reporting his point of view. Once it appears once, the opposing campaign can credibly use this as an attack. Unfortunately, if the Times takes the bait and “outs” Ms. Hutchison as a Republican, I don’t think it will matter. The Democrats, and by extension Dow, have done too much to put this county in a mess. I think voters are going to choose to insert new blood, at least for the time being, at the top.
@8 I think I found what I was talking about…
http://www.king5.com/news/spec.....e01d6.html
Hutchison leading 47-42 would give Dow and his folks some consternation. I would also guess that whatever internal polling they have done this campaign can’t be positive. If they had, they would have released it. There has not been one poll with Constantine in the lead released by anyone this whole campaign.
“our media has adopted a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy”
What media? Do you mean the Republican progaganda sheet of record?
@6 Don’t hold your breath, because it might be a long wait.
@8 “King County is in a financial quagmire. There really hasn’t been anyone but the Democratic Party in power here in King County for years. There’s no one else to point the finger at.”
What a load of bullshit. ALL counties and cities are in a financial quagmire. Why? Because of Eyman initiatives that virtually destroyed county and municipal tax revenues, that’s why. Blaming this on the Democrats who have run King County isn’t disingenuous, it’s just plain lying. Show me any Republican county in rural Washington and I’ll show you a county that has the same underlying fiscal problems that King County has.
Here’s another thought for you, dipshit. Three-quarters of King County’s budget goes for law enforcement, courts, and jails. What part of that spending do you think is irresponsible? Hey? Do you think a Republican blowhard like Hutchison can wave a magic wand and make that spending go away? Do you really want to live in a county where criminals run free? And if not, where do you think Hutch will get the money for law enforcement, courts, and jails? Does she have some revenue source the Democrats don’t have?
You, like Suzie Q., are full of hot air.
We live in a very liberal and educated community. So, I don’t understand why the Puget Sound MSM is so rightwing. It produces, for instance, people like Susan Hutchison. She needs to come out as the rightwinger she is. Win on the merits, Susan, not on disingenuousness. Our local MSM is simply pathetic.
@10 Be careful of what you wish for. If Hutch wins, she’ll have to deliver, and there’s no way to do that except by cutting law enforcement and cutting parks and libraries. Is that a platform you want to run on in the future? Have at it …
What will actually happen if Suzie wins is, she’ll go to Olympia and whine for more state money …
@13
Voters in Eastern Washington may use the same logic to throw those bums out as well. I never said that the problems are unique to King County, but Eyman isn’t the one up for election or with a record that has erased record deficits. Mr. Constantine, on the other hand, has been in a leadership position for a long time. The next Executive is going to need to work within the Eyman set/voter approved/Legislature enacted limits put on the county. Constantine has had the chance to do this, and has ultimately failed. This is why I think voters are willing to vote for Hutchison
And I’m not necessarily wishing for Hutchison to win, I’m still undecided. It’s just the choice between a known (and lousy) quantity and an unknown (and potentially in over her head) quantity.
Let her go to Olympia and whine for more money. Maybe she’ll actually succeed. Dow and and the Democrats have been trying this for years unsuccessfully. Like I’ve said, he’s had his chances.
16
Honestly, what evidence is there that Susan Hutchison is prepared to lead anything, let alone a county that has an economy bigger than most states? Aside from a pretty face, and bland bromides, what could you possibly see in her, other than her ideological leanings?
@16 Eyman is a gadfly who pontificates from his comfortable seat on the sidelines, while people like Dow Constantine do the hard work of governing.
@17
Not to mention the next executive is likely to face pandemic flu and Green River flooding shortly after taking office in addition to the budget crisis.
@17
Her ideological leanings are exactly what I don’t support. Frankly, though, ideology doesn’t mean much to me in a county that is tasked with providing basic services. All I know is Constantine has had a long time to make changes, and so far he’s only been part of the problem.
@17 What we have here is another wingnut pretending to be an independent. No, I’m not referring to Hutchison although that description fits her, too.
@18
I know better than to try and keep up with you :)
http://xkcd.com/386/
Have a good night.
@20
Other than being in way over her head, that is exactly my fear, that she will attempt to run the county in an ideological manner. In particular in regards to transit and land use. If she wins she’ll be in charge of one of the largest transit agencies in the country and be an automatc seat on the Sound Transit board plus the ablity to name new members as seats become vacant and terms expire.
20
Hutchison is running for King County Executive because she has a big ego and big Republican bucks telling her to run. She has not the slightest qualifications to run for such an important position. Nothing, nada. Dow Constantine knows how the county works. Susan Hutchison worries only about how her bowels work, and nothing more. I can’t believe any thinker would vote for such a vacuous non-entity (Piper will, though he knows how dumb she is, but that’s just politics).
@24….The crook known as Rom Sims knew how the country worked too…..and look at what a fucked up mess he left it in…..
Looks like Roger Rabbits rich white Republicans argument is another failure… And these people are cheap too.
Tallyho says:
why would an airhead republican, who opposes all taxes succeed in getting more money for King county from democratic legislature?
Are you on drugs?
That is about the stupidest reason I have ever read for voting for an airhead.
I think Goldy is missing the point.
The race between Constantine and Hutchinson is clearly partisan, BUT the process makes it easier for folks to focus ion the candidates and not the parties. The real problkme is that the death of any real journalism means that the average voter will choose based on advertsing rather than ahy form of debate.
Hutchinson’s membership in the Rs is relevant, but being a Republican is no worse than being a drunk driver, cheating on her husband with her lesbian minister, participating in dog fights, or reading pornography. All of these rumors would be dumbass easy to start, like the claim that Darcy did not have a degree in economics.
More on Goldy as Quixote
I also think Goldy’s concerns about the R is overshadowed by the organizational issues. The brown shorted troops of the far right are MUCH better regimented than our own motley dressed crew. Mail-in ballots come out NEXT week. Anyone here want to bet that there will be pot lucks, spaghetti suppers and sunday school sessions to help the folks vote?
Rather than ring his hands over whether Susie should have to wear her R emblazoned on her forehead, I wish Goldy would take on our own crew .. the ineffective dems.
There is NOTHING in the non partisan law that says the effin Demo party, or Move-On or my left Jewish Synagogue can nto partipate in thsi process. But we will not.
There is NOTHING in the non partisan law that says the effin Demo party can not work with the very effective leadership of the Black churches, But the Dems will not meddle.
There is NOTHING in the non partisan law that says the effin Demo party can not have voting rallies at the UW, But we will not.
________________________
Lately I have been p[osting about the EFF … not Lee’s Eff’n Unsound but the far right, tax free EFF “think tank” that recently held a rally for Beck. Does ANYONE here not beleive3 that the rally heped Hutchinson?
@27
RR @ 15 was the first to make that claim, so my statement was simply a response. Keep up the name calling, it’s so productive!
King County Executive Susan Hutchison…hmmm, sounds good!