Exactly a month ago, after the Seattle Times editorial board transparently feigned bipartisanship by endorsing Barack Obama, I wrote:
As expected, the Seattle Times editorial board has endorsed Barack Obama for President of the United States, paving the way for endorsements of Republicans Dino Rossi, Rob McKenna, Sam Reed, Allan Martin, Dave Reichert and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, all the while leaving their vaunted bipartisan principles intact. At least, in their own minds.
In fact, with the possible exception of the race for Commissioner of Public Lands, I can’t imagine a single additional closely contested statewide or federal race in WA state in which the Times endorses a Democrat.
I’d be happy to be proven wrong. But I wouldn’t bet on it.
So, how did my predictions turn out? As of today, the Seattle Times has endorsed Republicans Dino Rossi, Rob McKenna, Sam Reed, Allan Martin, Dave Reichert and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, while Democratic challenger Peter Goldmark did indeed get the ed board’s nod for Commissioner of Public Lands. I ran the table.
Of course, the Times will publish meaningless endorsements of Democratic incumbents in the virtually uncontested races for Lt. Governor, Auditor and Insurance Commissioner (nominally Democratic in the case of Owen and Sonntag), but with the exception of Obama and Goldmark, the editors of the self-proclaimed paper of record for one of the bluest cities in America are once again backing a full slate of Republicans for every high profile contested statewide or federal race.
As is their right, I suppose.
But how thoughtful and meaningful are editorial endorsements when they can be so easily predicted a month in advance?
I’d say, not very.
UPDATE:
I want to be clear that I did not attempt to predict the Seattle P-I’s endorsements, because I couldn’t. No doubt the P-I’s ed board tends to lean significantly more liberal than the Times, but they are still media establishment types who overwhelmingly favor incumbents. And, as naive a notion as it is, the P-I seems to genuinely embrace nonpartisanship as a lofty ideal, whereas the Times merely manipulatively embraces it as useful rhetoric.
If they endorse McCain for the general election you’ll know who’s writing all these editorials (or at least directing their content).
McCain is against the inheritance tax.
Actually, I am, too. I think the inheritance tax should be abolished. The idea of taxing the property of dead people seems absurd. Inheritances should be treated as ordinary income of heirs and taxed the same as wages. It is, after all, income for those receiving it.
I also think rich kids should pay income taxes on the cars their parents give them for their birthdays, and they also should pay income taxes on the college tuition their parents pay on their behalf. After all, I worked my way through college, and I had to pay taxes on my wages. Why should they get a free ride just because their families are rich and they have this stuff given to them instead of having to work for it like I had to? After all, if you win a car or free college education in a lottery or on a TV game show, you have to pay income taxes on it.
All I’m asking for here is that everyone pay the same taxes on their income regardless of what the source or nature of the income is.
It would have been pretty bizarre of the Times to endorse Sutherland after the series they ran about what a lousy job he’s been doing.
Consistency is NOT a party label.
I was just out in RedLand (AKA the Eastside). I visited the McCain/Reichert/Rossi campaign bunker I mean “bunker” literall … words like grim, windowless, uptight, come to mind!
But, as I drove around giving away my trademark Obamabucks, I noticed a parsity of McCain buttons and signs. My impression … the Eastside is solidly in the Obama-Rossi camp.
Does thi9s, or the Time’s editorial make sense? I have two answers … one political and the other pragmatic.
My pragmatic answer is no. Gregoire is a competent, patriotic, generous pubic servant who really wants to do well by her state. Rossi, as far as I can see, is a self promoting politician, easily within the shadow caste by Powell on Radical Republicans.
My political answer is yes. Gregoire has done an atrocious job of leadership as Governor. She has worked hard but what was visible was unimpressive. So, when we come to a modern campaign where the medium of exchange is a 30″ packaged ad, Gregoire’s three years as a successful governor are not worth as much as Rossi’s clever campaign ads. Her charges of religious radicalism by Gregoire fall on ears made deaf by the cacophony of recent campaigns. In contrast, he, not she, has placed “change” ads in proximity to the debates.
The bottom line, SJ predicts Obama takes WA State by 8-10 points while Rossi beats Gregoir by 1-2 points.
I’m not making any assumptions about the PI after reading Bill Virgin’s column offering up the, shall we say, extraordinary reasoning that the present financial implosion is the fault of 401K participants.
@4 Has journalism really fallen that far?
@1 – Gifts are not considered “income” under the tax laws. You would have to pass entirely new legislation to establish what you want.
What can you expect from amen editorialists?
4. Darcy
I (heart) Darcy but I think she has a tough slog.
I will say,” I told you so” if only to express hope that her mistakes are nto big enough to prevent her election and that once elected she will turn t a more obamist, pragmatic mode of governanace.
Put yourself in the feet of Sandip the Programmer or Sally the Construction Worker on the East side. What image has Darcy promulgated over the last two years? Rather than being an innovator, presumably her forte, she has acted like more than a bit of a self-appointed leader of the antiwar movement. Her plan, likley unread by Sandip or Sally, does nothing to speak to the economic or social issues of her District.
During this campaign I have made three attempts to get Darcy to organize academics and softies who would not only support her but would offer a visible alternative to Reichert’s own coterie of business folk.
I believe that this would emulate the briliance of Obama’s use of fora .. economics and military to demonstrate an ability to lead.
Instead, as with administrative skills in Gregoire’s campaign, we get an odd note of technogical competence without the details that could show some commitment. Why vote for a fresh-behind-the ears Dem when you can vote for one of the rare moderates in the GOP Party?
Still she MAY win. If so, she needs to begin her campaign vs. Reagan Dunn as early as possible. The best way to do that would be to immediately begin a coalition os academics and techno savvy business people who represent the future of the eight.
It doesn’t take a psychic to figure out liberal horse crap when you see it.
A screengrab of a washington state job-
http://media.bonnint.net/seattle/1/124/12472.pdf
Hell, you don’t even need a college degree for the job.
More perks than requirements. Ah, the liberal way.
8 “Her plan, likley unread by Sandip or Sally, does nothing to speak to the economic or social issues of her District.”
It should…whether people perceive it as such or not. Would the present economic crisis be as severe as it is (or would it have even happened) had not our our government’s debt been so drastically increased over the last five years, primarily due to the cost of the war in Iraq? How much more economic damage (not–ahem!–to mention other nasty effects) will we see if the war continues (or is replaced by another) for another five years?
Therapy should help you get over your anger at your parents.
Just because your parents didn’t care about you, most parents do care about their children and want to help them how ever they can.
I feel bad you got screwed with such bad parents.
@6 I know that, dummy! Of course I’m asking for legislative changes. What did you think I was doing? Sheesh.
Goldy spews:
You are a funny, funny man Goldy. You knew darn well who the P-I would endorse….you even knew they would endorse Reichert because Darcy is such a lame-brain. Even the P-I cannot support more than 1 McDimwit!!
@11 Christ, the projection never ends. OK, you got screwed by your parents. So fucking what? Let me help you. Nobody here gives a flying monkey fuck what your problems are or where they came from. We only want to watch your head explode.
Cynical @13,
No, I was surprised and disappointed that the P-I endorsed Reichert, and I thought their reasoning was naive.
Tippy States …
As I follow the data at Darryl’s blog, these six states seem to me to be potential wins for Obama. Win here, however, is beyonf just getting the 270 b=votes he needs to be elected. Most of the truly red states are getting stringer for McCain. I think this is why the national polls seem discrpant from the stae and electoral colelge polls. These six states, however, reamin tippy.
Arkansas
Georgia
West Virginia
Ohio
Montana
Indiana
WAGIMO!
My bet is that Obama will not take more than one of these, but .. if things continue this way, I suggest that the size of his victory will rest in this group.
Effort spent in the WAGIMO Tippy Six may pay off big time in a popular margin!
cross posted at SJ
@10 Artfart
We can argue about how big a contribution to the economic Alamo came from Iraq, but the issue that is central to the job of a Congressperson is leadership.
While well meant, Darcy’s plan may have been a trap for her. The same effort made to develop a regional base built on the unique interests of her constituency would, in my opinion, have made a lot more sense.
If she is elected, she MUST do a much better job of focusing on becoming as local leader. The 8th is in DASTATE nor in DISTCOLUMB.
If she does win, I hear she will be challenged by Reagan Dunn. Unlike her, Dunn has impressive local creds. He will beat her in 10 unless she, if elected, works hard to be come locally credible.
BTW, Darcy made one other mistake. She failed to become an Obamist early on. That made short term sense but now deprives her of some of the bump he could provide.
TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY! TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!TYPO ALERT TO GOLDY!
Your headline is wrong Goldy…
Your Headline should read:
I AM A PSYCHO!
Goldy MINDREADING
Predicting what the PI or Times will do is about as hard as predicting what the Faux restaurant will serve for lunch without the added spice.
As for Darcy, although I have contributed, she has to convince folks that a moderate Rep may be less effective in the new Congress than a leftish Dem. McDermitt ain’t a role model for her!
Anyhow, I have asked three no longer worshipped deities (Raven, Shaddai, and Tsonokwa) to watch over our lady over the lake and give her the magic edge needed to win!
@18 “I AM A PSYCHO!”
Of course, there are those times when a trolls’ projection teaches us nothing we didn’t already know.
SJ–
How do you convince Darcy, who is a dimwitted KLOWN just like McDimwit, not to be like McDimwit?? The die is already cast.
The only thing you can do is melt her down and try to recast her into something other the McDimwit mold. Quite a challenge…especially with Goldy & TEAM HORSESASS as her key advisors.
@11 God, you’re an ignorant fuck, Marvin. My parents worked hard and were good parents, but like most people in this country they made an average income, and like many people of their generation they supported a large family with it. Which meant the income had to be spread among a bunch of kids and there wasn’t much for each kid. They weren’t “bad parents” because they couldn’t afford to send their kids to college.
I had to work my way through college instead of having it given to me by my parents. That’s simply the reality of growing up in a big family with an average income given what the standard of living was in the 50s and 60s. I’m not complaining about being self-made and having done everything myself without family help, in fact I’m proud of it. Few people would have, could have, or have done what I did. I worked far harder to achieve what I did than most people ever have to work, because I started with nothing. And I mean nothing, because I left the nest while still a teenager with literally nothing more than the shirt on my back and I did it all myself.
You Republicans love to bitch about taxes — including taxes you don’t even pay. You love to bitch about welfare but nobody gets more tax breaks than small business owners, and nobody gets more government handouts than farmers, business owners, and corporations. You Republicans brought up the subject of taxes — you’re constantly bringing it up — and for years you’ve been telling us you want a flat tax.
Fine. I agree with you. I want a flat tax, too. All I’m saying is everyone should pay the same tax rate on every dollar they get regardless of where it comes from. And you have a problem with it because it means you wouldn’t get special treatment anymore. I’m saying that I’m tired of wage earners getting screwed six ways to Sunday and you’re saying you want special tax privileges. Fuck you.
If I could enact my flat tax tomorrow, I would do it, and then kick back and watch all you Republican hypocrites piss and moan about having to pay your fair share. I repeat, fuck you.
You guys will love this one.
I was talking to a guy at the grocery store the other day and we got onto the subject of investments. He was sooooooo downtrodden because his $1 million retirement was down to $400,000 and he was 65 years old and could not work anymore. I asked him WHY he stayed in the market and road it all the way down…especially if he could no longer work??
His response was “I am a long-term investor and I believed it would stop declining & start coming back.”
I said “If you are a long-term investor, then what are you complaining about?”
That was a stumper….couldn’t answer other than to tell me he did sell out one day when the bottom fell out…but then bought back a week later at the top of a rally…making it even worse. Then he blamed Republicans and told me he was voting for Obama…despite being a loyal Republican his whole life.
You should take joy that your Blame Republicans for the financial meltdown worked on this guy!!
He wanted someone, ANYONE to blame other than himself!! Sad.
And no Rog, I did not rub it in by telling him about my successes!
@16 The bottom line is McCain can’t win unless he takes Ohio, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and Colorado — and Obama leads in all 5 of those states. And even if McCain does win all 5 Obama still could end up with popular and electoral vote majorities.
@17 I don’t see that Darcy is any less a leader than Reichert is. In fact, I would see more, because of her initiative and effort in pulling together a large number of prominent people in various fields (including military) to assemble an Iraq withdrawal plan. What has Reichert ever initiated? He’s a follower who doesn’t even think for himself but merely votes with a president who’s been wrong about everything over 90% of a time. Even high school sophomores can do better than that.
@18 You’re confused. That should be the lead-in for each and every one of your comments.
@23 So the point of your story is that Republicans are no smarter about investing than they are about public policy?
@23 “He wanted someone, ANYONE to blame other than himself!!”
Yeah, sounds like a Republican. After he becomes a Democrat he’ll learn personal responsibility.
“I did not rub it in by telling him about my
successes”
Oh, you mean your make-believe world of ranching and investing? I’m sure that even a Republican would easily conclude that you come from a space that’s well beyond that of being delusional.
“he blamed Republicans and told me he was voting for Obama”
There is hope for him, none for you.
@21: the idea that cynical (who many have shown to be utterly fact-free and lacking in the basics of logic) can call anyone dimwitted (something about people in glass houses) is ludicrous.
The only thing dimwitted is continuing to do and support the same policies that have gotten this country into this mess – and expecting a different outcome. Cutting taxes on the rich, decreasing regulation, starting unnecessary wars and ignoring the energy crisis have been the republican policy stalwarts. These policies have led to the mess we are in now. Anyone who continues to support these dimwitted policies after all the evidence that they don’t work is….well, dimwitted.
All the hyperbole you offer, Cynical, cannot disguise what failures you and your ilk are.
How does it feel to be supportive of the biggest idiots in US history?
It will feel even worse after the american public is not fooled by your false “blame the democrats and accept no personal responsibility” act. this election is the turning point, the majority of Americans will call out the GOP for the BS that they have been foisting on us and send the sorry republican party to a loss of historic proportions.
Goldy,
You seem to have a stretched view as to which races are “close”. I’ve seen nothing to suggest that Reed, McKenna, or McMorris-Rodgers are in close races any more than Kreidler, Sonntag, or the house Dems. So for actual competetive races, I see the Times endorsing two Dems (Obama and Goldmark) versus 3 R’s (Reichert, Martin, and Rossi). Not much of a difference, really.
@21 21. Mr. Cynical
SJ–
Given that the darkside thinks the Earth is flat and God created it as a turd 5k years ago, I guess the distance Darcy has to go from her modestly radical roots is far less than that Reichert needs to travel.