So last week, after the Public Disclosure Commission alleged that Tim Eyman received $308,000 worth of kickbacks from signature gathering firm Citizen Solutions on 2012’s Initiative 1185 alone, I congratulated myself for first suggesting this kickback arrangement back in 2006. Well, it turns out I was wrong. In fact, I first suggested that Tim might be receiving kickbacks way back in June 2004, a little more than a month into my blogging career:
For intrepid reporters looking to add their own angle to this story, I suggest you delve into Tim’s business relationship with Roy Ruffino, who claims to have the “exclusive contract” on both Eyman initiatives. Since Roy has been subcontracting signatures to other firms, (surely keeping a healthy cut for himself,) and certainly doesn’t have the track record of the more established firms, I have long wondered what was in this apparently lopsided business deal for Tim?
Is this a convenient means of mixing funds between the two campaigns, outside the purview of the Public Disclosure Commission? Is he merely trying to hide the fact that his Canadian dollars are primarily being spent on Californian signature gatherers? Or, perhaps… is Tim getting some kind of kickback in return for his business?
Eleven years later we now that Tim was both mixing funds between two campaigns and routinely getting some kind of kickback from Ruffino in return for his signature business.
Man… I really knew my shit. Too bad nobody took me seriously.*
* And in case you’re wondering why I didn’t follow up myself, well, I wasn’t a reporter, and didn’t have the time, resources, or experience to do that sort of investigative work. HA originally billed itself as “an almost daily blog on Washington politics and the press,” and as such was devoted to political commentary and media criticism. Still, I knew my shit, huh?
Bob had Ubber on his mind. Ubbber, Ubbber, Ubber
Good job Goldy!
The Eyman rules are “he gets his unconstitutional initiatives passed after they are ruled unconstitutional”. Compare to the Clinton Rules.
Whatever happens happens – just as long as the damn car tabs don’t go back to $600 for a renewal.
One reason to actually have healthy newspapers that can do real investigative reporting? It doe require having resources to investigate which might take months, involve risk, and may not result in a publishable report. So the Stranger passed on the story. The 4th Estates state of health is poor, and as of yet the internet doesn’t provide a healthy alternative as we maybe too cheap to pay for what we can get for free.
Well we do have a lot of smoke what will the AG do? I’m expecting a punt, and the Philadelphia Eagles to win the Superbowl this year. Could happen, more likely to be some other team named after an Eagle with the exact same record. GO AG! GO TEAM AG!
Maybe you could get the Republicans in Congress griping about the Planned Parenthood CEO’s legitimate, above-board, and entirely reasonable $590k annual salary to look into Eyman’s illegal kickbacks and money laundering. Nope, just a pipe dream, cuz he’s one of theirs.
I knew Eyman was a crook when I read he made his living selling cheap novelty watches to frat boys. A hustler like Eyman can’t swim with Republican money men without getting a taste, or a three course dinner in Tim’s case. Playing fast and loose with the cash is his business plan. The sad thing is his initiative mill won’t skip a step in generating new, more unconstitutional proposals for the low information voters to support. The only thing that will bankrupt his operation is for his financiers to get tired of getting slapped around every two years. The car tab issue was low hanging fruit for Eyman and none of his other campaigns quite measured up to that win. Honestly, his petitions read like they were written by three drunks at the end of the bar bitching about gun control and taxes.
@7,
That, in a nutshell, is the recipe. And it’s a recipe for success.
Like weight loss programs, televangelists, and “male enhancement” products, measurable results do not matter. What Timmmeeehhh sells is a remedy for frustration. And the repeat buyers of his snake oil obtain relief by the mere act of purchasing. They give. And in doing so they feel righteous, virtuous and victorious. And Timmmeeehhh is very good at reinforcing those feelings. Don’t fault him for being good at it. Fault his financial backers for caring more about political theater than public policy.
@8 The USA is a free country. Our Constitution gives every one of our citizens the right to be an antisocial asshole if s/he chooses, and a lot of them do.
That wasn’t “knowing your shit,” Goldy. It was just making a very cynical guess. The thing is, in politics, and especially when it comes to Republican con artists looking to separate the rubes from their money, it’s pretty much the same thing.
Of course it may demonstrate there is something valuable enough to steal. There is a certain level of corruption that is good. Total elimination of corruption sounds good, but what if it’s not worth stealing?
A Kitsap farmer bequeathed $300,000 to fund Eyman initiatives. Now his family is worried he got ripped off.
http://www.seattletimes.com/se.....-of-funds/