It’s a sunny day, and I’ve got tons of little errands to run, but I just wanted to post a few additional comments on 45th LD Sen. Bill Finkbeiner’s announcement that he would not run for reelection, and Rep. Toby Nixon’s announcement that he would vacate his seat in an attempt to replace him.
Big picture, the state GOP was already in a world of hurt, and this now gives them two more open seats to defend. Ouch. The Republicans now have three open Senate seats, with Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer the odds on favorite to replace retiring Republican Sen. Bob Oke in the 27th, and both the 45th and 47th having a history of electing Democrats.
Changing demographics continue to chip away at Republican support in suburban districts. Combine this with a spate of retirements and the current political climate, and the Democrats have a good shot at expanding their majority in the House and capturing a comfortable working majority in the State Senate for the first time since 1992.
Back to Finkbeiner, I’m sure there were a lot of personal and political reasons for his retirement. His vote in favor of the anti-discrimination bill couldn’t have helped him with the most active segment of the Republican base — the right wing — and no doubt it is time for him to pursue other interests.
But Democratic challenger Eric Oemig deserves at least some of the credit for pushing him out of the race. Finkbeiner’s heart just didn’t seem to be in it, and on top of all his other problems he was now facing a tough challenge from a strong candidate who was willing to spend his personal wealth to stay dollar competitive. Had Finkbeiner faced only token opposition, I’m guessing inertia might have kept him in the race, but you gotta think the prospect of all that fundraising and campaigning factored into his decision. Which proves once again that when Dems put up legitimate challengers, even against relatively strong incumbents… good things can happen.
And how do the Senate Dems thank Oemig for his help? By trying to replace him with another candidate with greater name ID, of course.
Both current Rep. Larry Springer and former Rep. (and failed candidate for SOS and state party chair) Laura Ruderman are being urged to step in… and to be fair, the political calculus is defensible. Last I heard, neither seemed all that willing to jump in, but either would present Nixon with a strong challenge.
While Nixon is good on some issues (labor and the environment come to mind) he is completely out of step with the district on social issues like the anti-discrimination bill and reproductive rights. He has also been a bit of an obstructionist on transportation issues, and a downright frothing partisan on election reform. Oemig, Ruderman and Springer are all more closely matched to the district than Nixon, but the latter two have already proven they can win office.
My personal choice would be for Springer to run for the Senate against Nixon, and for Oemig to move to one of the two House seats that would now be open. This gives the Dems a more experienced candidate gunning for the Senate, while Oemig might be unbeatable going for the House.
A first time candidate like Oemig unbeatable? Well, the Republicans will have a tough enough time recruiting two strong House candidates at this late stage, and Oemig’s personal wealth will surely scare off potential opponents assured of being substantially outspent. If I were a GOP hopeful, I’d go for the other seat, and thus chances are, Oemig would draw the weaker of the two opponents.
Of course, all this is speculation. Neither party has yet to recruit new candidates, and when we last spoke Oemig said he was still running for the Senate. But Finkbeiner’s sudden retirement certainly leaves the GOP in a much weaker position.
Which brings up an interesting question: why did Finkbeiner wait so long to announce his intentions, knowing that it would put his party in such difficult circumstances?
Only Finkbeiner can answer that question, but one can’t help but wonder if it was a symbolic, parting gesture to a party with which he never really seemed to fully fit in.
“Changing demographics continue to chip away at Republican support in suburban districts.”
Screw chipping away — let’s return redistricting to the legislature and GERRYMANDER this state so we OWN the leg for the next 100 years!!! Republicans do it all over the country, so why shouldn’t we?
Furthermore, the State Patrol should create a special squad of state troopers — equipped with chase cars, airplanes, and butterly nets — to round up GOP legislators who seek refuge in Idaho, and bring them back to perform their civic duties!
In addition, Mark the Welsher should pay his gambling debt.
Roger @ 1, that won’t happen for two reasons. One is that the right-wing noise machine wouldn’t allow it. Perhaps just as importantly, you know very well that permanent, one-party control of any government leads to complacency and corruption. If Democrats stand for anything, it should be effective, efficient and fair government. Our commitment should be to genuine democracy, now power.
A major reason why Washington state has historically had an unusually civil, bipartisan and clean government is because gerrymandering was significantly reduced by the creation of a bipartisan redistricting commission. Take that away and you will quickly start seeing the dysfunctions of machine politics that so undercut the effectiveness of governments in both red and blue states.
Finkbeiners decision not to run is no suprise. It was pretty obvious when he stepped down as minority leader.
He has not been happy with the Republican party for quite some time. His public positions have been at odds with his personal ones for as long as I’ve known him. Don’t think he sides with the Democrats because he doesn’t. If anything he has more of a Libertarian bent.
If you really want to know how he feels ask him. I’ve have found him to be very open over the years. Maybe you should invite him to one of your driking liberaly get togethers?
What this tells me is that either Diane Tebelius and/or the social conservatives are chasing the corporate Republicans, or at least their leading lights, out of the state Republican Party.
To me, this makes things interesting on two levels.
First, people like Finkbeiner and Tom leaving will eventually sharpen the focus on state Attorney General McKenna, love child of the “desperately seeking Dan Evans” contingent in the local press. Will this in turn add further to his image as a “moderate”, and if so, will that in turn cause his fellow Republicans that work in the trenches to turn away from him? Or will it require some kind of devil’s bargain to keep the latter on his side if/when he runs for Governor in 2008 or 2012? (And how will BIAW’s relationship with the party, and with McKenna in particular, change, if at all? Do they become the doorstop to the state Republicans swinging too far to the right, or do they go along for the ride, assuming their cash flow and bellicosity will push aside any problems by association?)
Second, if the Democratic Party in this state becomes increasingly dominant in the state legislature and state senate, there will be increased pressure for more progressive legislation to come into being in Olympia. Some folks in Olympia are nervous about that, and will resist stubbornly, as they already have this last session. (Some would say that the battle is already joined, and will only get more intense after 2006.)
Springer’s advantage over Oemig isn’t his time spent in the legislature, but as Mayor of Kirkland and, if memory serves, as head of the Suburban Cities Association, which quietly has helped suburban King County have a realtively unified legal structure to make things work in an inegrated fashion in suburban King County on a day-to-day basis, and to provide a valid counterweight to Seattle’s wants and needs. However, I don’t know if Larry wants to run for state Senate. He surely could have done so in his first run for statewide office, and I haven’t heard anything that leads me to believe he’s hankering for the job. Further, given the “musical chairs” events that have happened in the 44th, 47th and 48th LDs, I would personally want to not add to the churning already going on in those districts regarding Dem state Senate primaries.
But the unanticipated happens, and I don’t pretend to know what’s next in the 45th. I just hope, and expect, that Eric be treated with respect for taking on his race when no one else wanted to touch it.
My two bits…
The republican house of cards is falling and it’s a great day in America!
By the way, did you all hear that Lush Flimbaugh was charged with a FELONY to which he entered a PLEA BARGAIN causing him to be booked in JAIL and to pay BAIL and a FINE? HE HE!
Palamedes @ 6, I suspect that the Democratic establishment will (for good or ill) withstand pressure to swing too much farther to the left. This is partly because of the partially successful effort of Republicans to question Gregoire’s legitimacy . . . and the growing power of the winger media echo chamber.
However, even in the absence of that factor, Gregoire would likely have followed in the footsteps of Locke’s clintonian centrism, which — like it or not — fits the state’s ideological inclinations more than Lowry’s more fire-breathing progressivism, e.g., his ill-fated advocacy of a state income tax.
The Legislature may not always go along with Gregoire (particularly if her poll numbers continue to be mediocre), but the center of the party has always been a split-the-difference, give business-what-you can get away with pragmatism (think Boeing subsidy). Increasingly sharp anti-Bush rhetoric won’t substantially change the underlying policy direction of the Democratic establishment.
Actually, it reads like a new sawbuck – thanks.
I think Eric should stay in — let the others scramble for the house. Running from the mayor post is an ace in that area. Big name recognition, as much as legislative folks.
The Dem. push looks great – and if the Eyman ref. of gay rights fails — look for tons of gay money and political prowess to flood the close to Seattle districts. it is called informally, Project 2006 – to get rid of more historic opponents of gay rights once and for all, wherever they run.
By the way – the Bruner push in that area wil help leg. candidantes a lot. Traction in the leg. races is a big problem, but the bigger battle will bring out progressives in droves…
SEE YOU IN THE STREET TOMORROW – KEEP AMERICA FREE – THE IMMIGRATION MOVEMENT MAY BE THE ONLY MASS MOVMENT CAPABLE OF OPPOSING FASCISM —YES A MILLION PEOPLE IN CHICHAGO SCARES THE RIGHT WING —–THINK NEPAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No way the D’s should support Ruderman. She’s a total lightweight. Couldn’t even get the endorsement of WA Conservation Voters in her race against Sam Reed.
4
Why should Republicans be the only dictators? Why not Democrat dictators? Republicans want a monopoly on every fucking thing!
6
We oughta do something about BIAW’s cash flow, since that’s public money they’re spending.
11
Hey the democrats have their monopolies too. Without democrats we would not have voter fraud. Come on Wabbit, you donks still can do some things right.
Some say Finkbeiner threw in the towel because the Repubs in the 45th wouldn’t let him into their tree house for the monthly meetings, and stopped writing checks to his re-election committee.
Can’t blame him, really.
7
You forgot to mention he was ARRESTED.
And who owns the monopoly of fucked up public schools. Right the dems!!! There are plenty of democratic monopolies if you just look for them.
@ 8: GT, real tax reform is an idea whose time nears closer each and every day. The goppers have pushed federal responsibilities and costs onto the states (unfunded mandates), and we have just about reached the limit of the ability of local property taxes to carry the burden of local government cost. At some point the people will wake up to this selfish, unworkable, interest driven, and dishonest scam.
Social Security “reform” went up in flames. The phoenix of tax reform can rise from the ashes.
8
Gregoire isn’t about left, center, center-left, or what have you. Gregoire is a pragmatist who gets things done. The practitioners of “isms” of all stripes left our state in gridlock with fetering problems that weren’t being addressed — education, higher education, transportation, etc. Gregoire has done more in one year than had been accomplished in the preceding 20 years; what it took was Democratic control of both houses of the legislature, to break the padlock on legislative action slapped on by Republican obstructionists who automatically vote against anything with a “D” on it, regardless of its merits or how sorely it’s needed. Kudos to Gregoire and the legislative Democrats for a job well done. There’s more to do.
13
“Without democrats we would not have voter fraud.” Commentby RUFUS— 4/30/06@ 1:03 pm
What a crock of mule shit! 98% of the voting fraud is coming from the wingers screaming “voting fraud!” You know it, and I know it. Whose votes got tossed in Wenatchee as fraudulent, huh? Who disenfranchised black voters in Florida? Who locked voting machines in warehouses in Ohio? Who follows black voters into voting booths with video cameras in Mississippi? Who impersonated a sheriff’s department to spread a phony fear-mongering message about sex offenders in Washington? Republicans wrote the book on dirty tricks, voting scams, fraud, and election stealing.
Doofus @ 13: With screeching loons such as yourself out there, your wild and wholly imaginary allegations might indeed be a “good thing”.
I still can’t figure out how McKenna snuck through our nefarious corrupt monopoly. Jeez, if you’re going to steal one statewide office, why not go for a clean sweep?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....rm30m.html
The democrats must feel guilty about not stopping sexual abuse in our public schools. The health-care practitioners union must not be funneling enough money to the DNC.
16
“And who owns the monopoly of fucked up public schools.” Commentby RUFUS— 4/30/06@ 1:06 pm
I don’t accept your premise that public schools are fucked up. Like everything you post, Dufus, it’s BULLSHIT! I’m a product of public schools — K-12, undergraduate, and law school — and I got a damned good education. Thank you taxpayers! In fact, every friend and relative of mine is a public school product, and they are smart, knowledgeable, hard-working, productive citizens whose abilities make most wingnuts look like the ignorant trailer park hicks they are!!!
America won two world wars, and a number of smaller wars, with people educated in public schools serving as officers, in the ranks, and on the assembly lines.
America built the greatest economy in the history of the world with a public-school-educated workforce.
The notion of free public education, financed by taxpayers, and first floated by 19th century progressives, is directly responsible for all of America’s successes. It is the idea that, more than any other, made America the great nation it is! Without free public education, we would be a Third World country today.
What is the alternative to public education? For the vast majority of our people, it would be no education. We would not have an educated workforce, and employers could not hire the people they need to run their businesses. We would be nothing more than a nation of dirt farmers, which is what we were before our population learned to read and write in public schools. And you know what? A lot of private schools, charter schools, and voucher schools aren’t all that great. Even though they can cherry-pick their students — which public schools cannot do; public schools have to educate everybody, even those kids who don’t want to be educated — they do not produce significantly smarter or more successful students than public schools do.
So go fuck yourself, Dufus, and take yourself and your retrograde mouthings back to the 16th century where you belong.
21
Don’t forget Doug Sutherland, another Republican for whom we Dems “stole” a statewide office.
22
Dufus, do you bother to even read the articles you link to, to see if they have ANYTHING TO DO WITH what you’re talking about? Don’t answer — you’ll only embarrass yourself further.
The article you linked to is further proof of what I’ve been saying all along: Gregoire is a great governor, and just what our state needs, because she is fixing the things that need to be fixed, solving problems, and getting stuff done. Health care professions licensing in this state has been a neglected backwater of state government for years that is not functioning optimally for the benefit and protection of our citizens. What did the Republicans do about it during the 10 years they held the state senate? Not a fucking thing!
That brings up the little matter of hypocrisy. After you finish cleaning the sexual deviants, sex offenders, adulterers, and wife beaters out of your own party … come back and talk to us about sex crimes.
20
Hey we are not the one going through convulsive fits whenever a voter’s registration is challanged. You dems want no control on who registers to vote. I am more than willing to make it mandatory to reregister every single voter and to have everyone submit finger prints. These finger prints have to be crossed with every single vote cast. So are you donks with me????
Man, Dufus is having a bad day! Left, right, left cross, right cross, uppercut, body blow — Dufus is getting the stuffing kicked out of him by an 11 3/4-lb. rabbit! You should’ve stayed in bed today, Dufus.
26
“Hey we are not the one going through convulsive fits whenever a voter’s registration is challanged.” Commentby RUFUS— 4/30/06@ 1:30 pm
Technically, you’re correct. You’re the ones going through convulsive fits because voters are allowed to register and vote in the first place, and your party is doing everything they possibly can to make sure they can’t — without regard for citizenship, military service, residence, or eligibility.
Can you say “Lori Soleto” and “felon” in the same sentence, Dufus? I can.
Speaking of voting crimes and felons, how about Ann Coulter’s felonious FALSE VOTER REGISTRATION and PERJURY and ILLEGAL VOTING in Jeb Bush’s paradise of Florida?
Dufus, you just got kicked in the nuts by an 11 3/4-lb. bunny, maybe you should quit now while you still have your nuts.
You’re embarrassing yourself in front of your trollfuck friends.
Well, I have other things to do today, so I’m gonna hop up the hill to Keystone Place to inspect Stefan’s garden and make sure he planted CARROTS and then I’m gonna SHIT on his lawn. Later.
Wabbit- Would you be for reregistering every voter and requiring them to submit finger prints? Yes or No?
It is funny how quickly donks shut up about voter fraud when asked that question. Hehehehehehehe
Looks like the scared bunny ran away. Dont blame him. Any other donk with me on stopping voer fraud.
Doofus.. .baying at the moon doesn’t get. Yer just gibbering.
Tree Fog Farmedout – No, you moonbats bark at the moon and eat shit! Please don’t confuse what you are with what you want us to be! Remember we are neo-cons, lovers of Israel. The GOP supports Israel. You moonbats support anti-Israel things.
So Bob from Boeing, you have no problem with illegal immigrants taking your hard earned tax dollars?
re 38: Not if you have no problem taking their Social Security money that they’ll never collect on. Does that bother you? I didn’t think so because , basically , Rufus, you’re a thief.
If someone gives you a false document when registering to vote and the document is convincing and you collect their fingerprints and they’ve never been arrested before , you have just given them evidence that they are who they claim to be. Also, it would be impossible to cross check all those fingerprints.
Do you have mental problems, Rufus?
Rufus reminds me of my crazy aunt. She will incessantly harp on something wacko, and no evidence to the contrary will change her mind. So pretty much everyone just nods their heads and tries to change the subject . . . or leaves the room.
Not a bad problem really – three really capable democrat candidates for for the Senate in the 45th!
The state senate GOP has earned what will be a disastorous year for them. They need a huge transformation to have any credibility with reasonable voters. That means Esser, Benton, Benson, Deccio, Brandland, Parlette etc. etc. – most all of them need need to go – and there’s a good chance that any state GOP senator with decent opponent this year will go.
Nixon is just more of the same.
RUFUS @ 22
This just goes to show you how DUMB Christine Gregoire is.
“Gregoire said she was stunned to learn that the state had 17,000 counselors who were not required to have any education or training.
“When you put yourself out as a registered therapist, in the mind’s eye of the average person, that means you have some special credentials,” she said. “That should mean something.”
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....rm30m.html
Gregoire was state Attorney General for 12 years. During that same time, Washington law provided for anyone to become a “registered counselor” without any required qualifications whatsover.
For Gregoire to have been the state’s chief legal officer for 12 years and not know anything about that VERY OBVIOUS LAW shows that she is merely a POLITICAL HACK and a DUMBASS.
Speaking of Dumb….how aqe you doing Pope?
What is your next ‘political disaster’? Bellevue dog catcher? LOL, Irons would probably beat you.
I Googled Kevin Carns name and came up with a lot of interesting information. Goldy should save all the scurrillous things that Carns has been writing in HA under his pseudonyms.
The Carns blatherings on various sensitive social issues can be used to discredit him in the future.
The GOP passed a law making it a felony to post messages that were intentionally “annoying” ( Yes, the GOP is that stupid }. Do you think Goldy could prosecute Carns under this statute?
I’ll testify that Carns has annoyed me on many occasions.
And Democrat dumbass liberals wonder why prices for energy are high………..
Dem energy policy [ex Hollywood Democrats, Kerry and Kennedy’s private jets, 110 ft Chris Crafts, mansions, water craft, and SUVs]
– tax and litigate as many energy/oil/transportation/retailers/corner gas station owners [ producers] as possible
– don’t drill anywhere, ingore the Russian drilling in Siberia, but it’s OK for the Chicomms and Cubans to drill 75 miles from Key West, FL because they are sweet and socialist. – blame Bush
– don’t pursue nuclear power. Jane Fonda’s movie taught all Democrats everything they need to know!! Only the French should because they are socialist.
– Always blame Bush
– don’t allow new hydro
– blame oil companies. Tax them even more. Add 50 cents more in taxes per gallon, then blame Bush for higher pump prices!!!.
– tear down old hydro
– blame Republicans. Oil Companies must not show any profits. Profits are evil.
– don’t allow wind mills if they spoil a Kennedy view off Cape Cod.
– blame people that drive to work alone. Make them use bikes and/or walk. No horses because of horse poop. Democrat welfare hacks who need to power their 42 inch Sony plasma HDTVs in Detroit, Gary, Philly, and South Central LA are OK.
– don’t use coal. Coal kills.
– blame businesses that use energy to produce products or generate jobs. “Guvment” jobs: good, private sector jobs: bad, must tax them until they go away.
– don’t give incentives to anyone, anywhere to find and develop hydrocarbons. “All you need is love”!!
– blame capitalists and shareholders of any energy/oil companies for being “greedy”. Russian oil companies are OK. So are Chicomm energy companies. EXXON is a four letter word!!
33
Over our dead bodies! Find some other way to keep eligible voters from voting — and when you do, we’ll stop that bullshit, too.
34
Really? See #48.
GOP: The party of literacy tests, poll taxes, no poor people voting, no blacks voting, and opposed to women’s vote.
42
But YOU knew all along the state had “17,000 counselors who were not required to have any education or training,” DIDN’T you Richard? Be honest now. Did YOU know that? Don’t you think a port commissioner candidate should know SOMETHING? After all, you don’t know anything else.
43
“Irons would probably beat you.” Commentby Drivel— 4/30/06@ 3:49 pm
With due regard for Richard’s pathetic electoral record, nevertheless, this is probably a stretch. Hell, even cigarette smoke nearly beat Irons.
Even Democrats in eastern Washington did as well as Irons.
Irons did better than Low Tax Looper, though.
Low Tax Looper (R) – 4%
Democratic Write-in Candidate – 96%
46
I hope to God I do annoy the whole thieving, lying, unpatriotic pack of cockroaches that make up the GOP – now let’s see them prosecute me for that!!!
re 47: We’ll also blame it on the Bossa Nova, if you know what I mean. Edie Gorme was a saucy tart in her day, but I’ll bet even Steve Lawrence has little use for her now!
Who ya gonna blame for that, [JCH]?
re 50: Don’t you find it ironic that Conservative RACISTS ARE IN FAVOR OF literacy tests? You’d think they would find that a frightening prospect.
Oh! I get it! Only minorities have to take the tests — which are administered by Gomer Pyle types.
GOP: The party of literacy tests, poll taxes, no poor people voting, no blacks voting, and opposed to women’s vote.
Commentby Roger Rabbit— 4/30/06@ 4:42 pm
Actually, you are referring to the DEMOCRATS.
re 58: You are kind of a bookish, intellectual type, Richard. Could you refresh us all on Richard Nixon’s “Southern Strategy”? You’ll notice, Richard, That I said “Conservative”, not Democrat or Republican. Conservative Racists are the people I was referring to — or the Republican Religeous Right as they are called now.
Anyone notice how Colin Powell went off the script and accidentally told the truth about truth strength in Iraq? Totally took Rice off message. I suppose we can look for a smear campaign now from Faux News Channel and the Rove-Taliban wing of the GOP!
But YOU knew all along the state had “17,000 counselors who were not required to have any education or training,” DIDN’T you Richard? Be honest now. Did YOU know that? Don’t you think a port commissioner candidate should know SOMETHING? After all, you don’t know anything else.
Commentby Roger Rabbit— 4/30/06@ 4:44 pm
Actually, I DID KNOW THAT. Looked it up the first time I was representing someone in a child custody (i.e. parenting plan) case that I ran accross someone was claiming the credential of “registered counselor”. Saw that this so-called “credential” basically meant absolutely nothing. The send-in-any-boxtop “registered counselor” law was adopted by Laws 1987, Chapter 512 — so this was probably within a few months after I started practicing law in November 1991.
GREGOIRE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT.
She was the state’s chief legal officer for 12 years. She was an assistant Attorney General for 10 years before that, with another 5 years being a licensed attorney between those two positions. Prior to (and during) law school, she worked as a Child Protective Services worker. While she was state Attorney General, attorney from her office assisted the state Department of Health in writing numerous revisions to the “counselor” regulations which appear at Chapter 246-810 WAC:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/def.....;full=true
Irons did better than Low Tax Looper, though.
Low Tax Looper ® – 4%
Democratic Write-in Candidate – 96%
Commentby Roger Rabbit— 4/30/06@ 4:47 pm
You need to get your facts straight. The official 1998 general election results for Tennessee State Senate District 15 can be found at:
http://www.state.tn.us/sos/ele.....senate.pdf
Byron (Low Tax) Looper (R) — 1,531 or 4.71%
Charlotte Burkes (Write-In) — 30,252 or 93.09%
Other write-ins — 715 or 2.20%
WOW
How could RR be so wrong?
Keith Richards fell out of a palm tree and bonked his head. http://www.newsone.ca/piercela.....82854.html
re 65: You’re Queer!
Richard @ 61:
I look forward to the day when your favored candidate wins and brings you on to be his (can’t imagine it being a her) p.r. flack. Just as you will blame everything that goes wrong in Washington state on Gregoire, critics will do the same to your man.
I’m looking forward to seeing you play the other side of the fence. Oh, to hear you insist that it just isn’t fair to insist that your man perform miracles!
If you weren’t being such a low-brow partisan hack you would acknowledge that many of the problems we face in this state are rooted in complex dynamics that cannot be blamed on any elected leader or even party.
Institutional change is difficult. The Great Man Theory of social change — that one man of exceptional intelligence, vision and leadership abilities can save us all — is a myth. Someday, when your guy is in charge, you will see this. But we won’t listen to you, because you shot your credibility.
Wabbit- Would you be for reregistering every voter and requiring them to submit finger prints? Yes or No?
Commentby RUFUS— 4/30/06@ 1:39 pm
33
Over our dead bodies! Find some other way to keep eligible voters from voting – and when you do, we’ll stop that bullshit, too.
Commentby Roger Rabbit— 4/30/06@ 4:40 pm
There you have it. Democrats need the fraudulent vote to pull out tight elections. They want dirty elections. Nuff said.
The only difference between Rufus and my crazy aunt is that she hasn’t discovered blogs. God forbid if she ever did!
If GT says he has a crazy aunt she must be normal.
http://www.preemptivekarma.com has info. on some hilarious lampoons that Stephan Colbert did of W.Kristol and Dubwa — right to their faces.
Only a donk would think finger printing at the polls is crazy. Hmmmm I wonder why…. ah wait I know why.
It’s called, ” Colbert Unhinged”.
Fingerprinting is generally viewed as something that happens to people who are under arrest. Why not xerox their ass-prints?
How big do you think Rufus’s ass print would be?
Fingerprinting is generally viewed as something that happens to people who are under arrest.
Commentby Lee Atwater— 4/30/06@ 7:30 pm
For a sizable portion of registered democrats it would be “been there done that”.
Rufus @ 70:
My crazy aunt sees things that aren’t there, runs down the street screaming for no rational reason, and is the most paranoid person I know.
You think that’s normal? Is that what life is like in your world?
Amazing how the taliban infested right feels the need to defend a hard core drug addict, liar and criminal like Lush Flimbaugh. The fact that they won’t denounce his criminal behavior says that they support it. That makes them criminals too. What a great example to set for your inbred kids you fucking hypocrites. Hopefully they will all grow up to be meth addicts with no teeth and they’ll have you to thank for it.
Actually, it helps the opposition. Its time to rid this state of the culture of corruption that persists in Olympia. The Dems in Olympia are no better than the Republicans in DC.
Dems only care about giving illegal aliens the vote so they can acheive power, in other F**K THE LAW – its all about mememememememe…
76 – Uhhh. Doofus. People don’t register their party affiliation in this state.
Re-registration, fingerprinting: code words for vote suppression, pure and simple.
re 76: We can’t afford those high=priced lawyers or get preidential pardons.
Rufus-
Do you favor fingerprinting for driver’s licenses? For Social Security? Do we need a national identrity card?
I thought Republicans opposed big government?
Ass-Prints or you don’t vote– pure and simple! Rush Limbaugh already has his on file. One of the 13 identifying marks is a putulous and hairy cyst. I guess that’s what kept him out of the service. No, wait. It’s moving! My God. It’s his head!!
That’s funny, Lee. So how’s life in hell, anyway? Met Richard Nixon yet?
Kilmer is in the 26th, not 27th btw.
Tree Fog Farmedout – No, you moonbats bark at the moon and eat shit! Please don’t confuse what you are with what you want us to be! Remember we are neo-cons , lovers of Israel. The GOP supports Israel. You moonbats support anti-Israel things.
Comment by Puddybud — 4/30/06 @ 1:57 pm
Thanks for the quote, PuddyBud.
And besides the “we are Neo-cons” admittion, you got everything horribly, pathetically wrong.
You are such and embarrassment.
Oh, and the “eat shit” comment.
Do you pray to Jesus with that mouth?
Palamedes, I think you ore on the money @6. But I would not rule out David Asher or Richard Cole getting in to one of the 45th races. Richard Cole and Laura Ruderman would make a funny primary.
74 HIS ASS PRINT WOULD BE THE SIZE OF YOUR WIFES FACE
WITH ANY LUCK THE RABBIT WILL SPEND HALF HIS CHECK ON MEDS.THEN FUCK OFF AND DIE.DONT WORRY HE WILL STILL BE ABLE TO VOTE.
Dark Vader @ 88:
My wife died of cancer a few months ago. What was it you were saying about her face?
89
You won’t be that lucky — do I look dead? http://news.yahoo.com/photo/06.....NlYwN0bXA- Face it, you weren’t born lucky. You were born stupid … you were born a Republican.
67
“There you have it. Democrats need the fraudulent vote to pull out tight elections. They want dirty elections. Nuff said.”
Commentby RUFUS— 4/30/06@ 7:01 pm
DUFUS is sucking farts out of dead seagulls, again! WHO did the “dead voters” vote for? Rossi! WHO did the double voters vote for? Rossi! WHO did the felons vote for? Rossi! In short, who got the FRAUDULENT votes?
Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi Rossi
“reregistering every voter and requiring them to submit finger prints”
This sounds like a solution in search of a problem. The question would be: what problem? Are there registered voters who are not eligible? How many are there (that is, IS there a problem,and if so how large)? How did they get registered?
Much of the ado about ineligible registered voters is due, as we already know, to the fact that the voter DB s lag behind the populatuion somewhat. Peopl get married, move, change addresses, change names, die, come of voting age, leave the state, and do all these things rapidly and without notice. None of these events constitute fraudulent or illegal activity, and our voter registration processes are built to catch up with these events in people’s lives. Are these processes too slow? Then speed them up. Rereg and fingerprint will do OTHING about any of these events, yet these events are the major churn in our registrations, and even after some spurious magic bullet fix, these events will continue to occur and will continue to be the major churn.
So, because some small number (is any; numbers never investigated or offered) of registrations among the much larger number of easily understandable and correctable ineligible registrations MIGHT be intentional attempts to subvert our elections process, AND even though the state is aggressively modernizing and automating our voter registration processes to make the continual and ongoing cleanup efforts even more effective, we are supposed to spend the money, create the brureaucracy, and throw our existing voter registrations into the dumpster? I don’t fucking think s.
The saving grace of RUFUS’ idiotic proposal is that even with ceaseless GOP flogging of ths particular dead horse, it’s gopign nowhere.
If I could type I would be dangerous.
Where’s Sven? We disagreed on everything, but I had my most “civil discourse,” to use passive-aggressive sillyguy’s term, with him/her/it.