Gov. Christine Gregoire comments on Obama’s apparent victory:
We have just witnessed an historic primary season where ideas and ideals rose to the forefront of the debate in our country. The candidates and voters should all be commended. Now it’s time we all stand together and unite behind our Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama.
Many years ago, I was inspired by a man who offered a similar message of hope and belief as Barack Obama does today. Then, it was John F. Kennedy, a man whose words and actions led to my career in public service. Today, I feel similarly toward Sen. Obama. He offers this country a vision of positive change and leadership we can stand behind.
Our country is about its people, and for the last eight years we’ve been divided and moving in the wrong direction at home and abroad. It’s time to stand proud and take back this country. Sen. Barack Obama is the right person to lead us.
We need a partner in the other Washington that believes it is our responsibility to provide healthcare to children, fund a world-class education system and fight global climate change. While we’ve gotten results for families in our state over the last four years, imagine even greater possibilities with the barriers down and a partner in place in our nation’s capitol.
It’s time to renew our country’s economy. It’s time our nation recommits to every working man and woman. It’s time for good quality, affordable, accessible health care. It’s time that we tell every child to dream as big as they possibly can, and that dreams really can come true. It’s time to eliminate hopelessness and poverty and give the great people of this nation a vision worth believing in.
Indeed…to me, this vision is like a breath of fresh air—a beam of sunlight breaking through—after 7.5 years under a cloud of incompetence, immorality, deception, and scandal in the White House.
Way to state it, Governor Chris. She knows which way the wind blows. Does Dino the Dim?
Ain’t that the “truthiness” of it.
President Barack Obama.
Get used to it wingnuts.
NOTE: Saw a tee shirt the other day. It read:
“Is America ready for the first black president?” In nice bold print. Underneath that, it reads:
“Why not, we have a retarded one now”.
I found it for sale at Cafe Press. I bought two.
MLF
Any chance you’d sell that second t-shirt?
Proud Leftist:
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/b.....3/c_10651/
Here is direct link. Shirt was $17 to $20 depending on style and seller. Shipping is $5 flat rate no matter how many shirts you buy.
I am not endorsing the seller. This is just the first one that came up on the search. Hope I am not violating HA policy. If so, I apologize.
Tonight, we have witnessed a watershed moment in the history of our country. We have lived to see that the dreams of Martin Luther King, the dreams of the Rosa Parks, the dreams of young men and women, black and white, rich and poor, who risked their safety and some who ultimately gave their lives…have come to fruition. All of the fire hoses, all of the billy clubs, all of the tear gas, all of the protests WERE NOT IN VAIN.
Our party should be proud. We have put aside racial differences, we have made a decision based on message and ideals.
What we have not done is choose based on color, religion, sex or any other esoteric criteria. We had two excellent candidates battling, there is barely a difference between them.
We went to the polls and we voted. We went to caucuses and argued and made choices. We participated in this great experiment called democracy. We have chosen OUR candidate. A Democrat that we can be proud of and support. A candidate who will lead the free world as the next President Of The United States Of America.
That is what we have done. We should be proud. We should be united. Most of all we should remember that we are Americans and we determine our own will.
President Barack Obama.
Nice ring to it, don’t you think?
Those shirts are lame. One says, “Is America ready for a president who is black? Why not? We have one now who is retarded.” Not only is that equating being black with retardation, it just the kind of divisiveness that Obama speaks against.
The word you were looking for is “insipid”, not inspired. They kind of sound alike, but they aren’t the same.
Daryl,
As an Obamite of long duration, welcome to the club!
Let me tell you some of our rules. While we welcome anyone to vote for the Senator, we want support for his vision and not just his skin.
Tjere is an Obamist vision. I am not the one to state it but here are what SJ sees in Obamoism as opposed to Bushism and Clintonism:
rationality.
It will be interesting to have a president who is an expert on the U.S. Constitution. Especially when it comes to the conservative justices and their nimnull decisions.
If he criticises their decisions, it will carry weight. Maybe we can impeach Alito and Scalia for incompetence.
Say it with me – President Obama! That’s how all patriots should refer to him from now on.
Gee, I wonder if any of the current U.S. Supreme Court justices will try to retire between now and January so they can have Bush appoint their successor. If so, it won’t work – they still need the approval of the Senate, which won’t happen between now and then.
On the other hand, we might see Ruth Bader Ginsburg retire somtime early during Obama’s first term. She is the only Supreme Court justice appointed by a Democrat, and she is, I believe, either the oldest or the second-oldest on the court.
@2
I think I remember that from a stand-up comedian’s act – either Chris Rock or Lewis Black. The T-shirt only works for another 8 months though…
@7
Not only is that equating being black with retardation
No it doesn’t, but your comment does equate “troll” with retardation.
Wow. I am so shocked (read: not shocked) that the liberals at HA are dishonestly saying that Obama has won the nomination.
It is, of course, not true at all.
What is true is that he currently has enough delegates to win. What is not true is that he has enough delegates who are required to vote for him to win (unlike McCain).
He is the presumptive nominee. He currently has enough delegates to win. He has not, however, actually won, because he only actually has about 1700 or so pledged delegates.
You can have your own opinions, but you can’t have your own facts.
Pudge: If you want to pontificate on Democratic politics – it is your right. But you can’t even get republican politics straight – witness the Stalin-like republican primary where the victor was declared before ALL the “votes” were counted and the votes were not even alloted by proportional representation to delgates.
Your “facts” just happen to miss the important big picture. Obama has enough delegates to win – as does John McCain. We call this the presumptive nominee – if you want to quibble – fine – do it on your own pathetically simple-minded blog. ‘Nuff said.
@12…rhp6033…
You forgot Stephen Breyer who’s getting long in the tooth himself.
The Piper
@16…CnR…
Don’t forget who the DNC allocated delegates from Michigan to BHO! They just make stuff up as they go along!!!
How about that Dwight Pelz? No Dem primary for him! No, sir!
Remember…Boss Tweed, George Washingtion Plunkett, and Tammany Hall were all part of a Democratic machine…as was Mayor Richard Daily in Chicago (vote early and vote often) and, recently and locally, the Kut-up Kiddies from ACORN, some of whom did a little hard time in the big house for makin’ it up as they go along when it comes to fake voter registrations all in support of Dem interests and agendas.
Lest we forget…Srippergate, a tar baby that ensnared a melange of Seattle City Council Members, all of whom were Dems. Now that Frank Colacurcio – senior and junior – is once again under the investigatie spotlight, how many Dems will scurry to return any campaign envelopes from his crew?
Hmmm???
The Piper
A leader we can believe in!
@16
“Stalin-like republican primary where the victor was declared before ALL the “votes” were counted and the votes were not even alloted by proportional representation to delgates.”
Uhhh, at least the voters chose the Republican nominee…..
You see, the Democrat Elite ultimately choose their party nominee (read the superdelegates)
And those folks can change their mind all the way until they cast their vote at the convention….
So who is more Stalin like? Sorry. Democrats don’t trust the voter….Why else have the Superdelegates…
BO has won nothing via the vote….
Poor right stuff – yeah your republican “voters” came up with someone who doesn’t know how many troops are in Iraq, doesn’t know the difference between sunni and shia and constantly flip-flops on issues like torture, telecom immunity and campaign finance reform (he broke his own rules). McCain has fired HOW MANY lobbyists that were in critical positions in his campaign?
Of course here are some of my favorite McCain quotes that emphasize his “experience”:
courtesy of:http://www.truthout.org/article/mccain-misspeaks
It is really comforting to know that someone who has been so wrong, for so long, is the presumptive republican nominee. Bring it ON!
@18: I love it when the pot calls the kettle black – in Washington state the republicans held a so-called primary. Before the votes were counted – McCain was declared the winner by Luke “thin air” Esser. Later, we learn that the republicans do not even have proportional representaion for delegates – that what the party decides via precint officers takes precedence over any actual voting. thanks to this stalinesque-like rule for the republicans – there is NO proportional representation.
In the meantime, Piper takes offence at the democratic primary (didn’t realize Piper was a democrat – did he get disgusted with the corruption among republicans?).
Obama was following the rules and was not on the ballot in Michigan. The delegates were apportioned by committee based on the polls since many did not vote and many voted for uncommitted. Sure seeems a lot fairer than the Washington state method of party apparatchiks selecting the delegates they want. Takes a lot of guts for the union of soviet republican party from washington state to criticize the democratic process.
Uh, Piper?
The DNC didn’t take any delegates from Senator Clinton. There were no Michigan delegates to take. Both she and Senator Obama went into that meeting with the exact same number of Michigan delegates. Zero.
What the DNC did was to look at a flawed primary that directly violated Democratic Party rules, listen to the state party leadership (which took a number of factors into consideration) and make a decision that allowed Michigan Democrats to participate in the convention.
So, instead of “taking” delegates from Senator Clinton, the DNC actually gave her 35 delegates.
I’m not entirely sure I agree with their decision, but as compromises go, I can live with this one.
Personally, I think that the Michigan delegation should get to watch the convention on CNN, but that wouldn’t help us win in November, and it wasn’t the people of Michigan that violated the rules, it was their legislature.
@21
At least McCain goes to Iraq to see what’s happening….So it’s an easy case to make who is more qualified, and understands what is going on “on the ground” over there….
Oh, and who by the way has his own flesh and blood serving over there…..
Change we can believe in?
How about earmarks? BHO is old school…
http://latimesblogs.latimes.co.....rlq8nc.jpg
pic says it all.
How bout those ringing endorsements for BO….
Hamas, Castro, Chavez…
I say, there is a long time between now and November…..
@22…CnR…& @23…JB…
Thank you both for proving my point about Dem disingenuousness.
That Michigan gets a delegation at all (ditto Florida) is creepy – break the rules, get busted, lose what it was you were after.
That Obama wasn’t on the Michigan ballot yet still gets Michigan delegates??? And that’s because…???
Rationalizing in order to avoid the embarrassment of no Michigan or Florida delegations is your problem, not mine.
And I never said anything about taking delegates away from HRC – she participated in the breaking of the rules, so she shouldn’t get any Michigan delegates at all, and neither should BHO – in fact, there should be no Michigan delegates at all.
To allocate them between a candidate who cheated and one who wasn’t even there? Only in the Democrat Party.
What…did they consult the entrails of a goat?
The Piper
Geez, Piper spins like there’s no tomorrow. Oh, wait, for Republicans there is no tomorrow. Sorry, my bad.
@18, oh, Piper…in your sleazy breezy smirking mudslinging don’t overlook the Republican machines of James McManes and Matthew Quay in Philadelphia, or the fiefdom in Pittsburg run by Boss Magee.
Chicago’s esteemed mayor Daley was first elected to the Illinois legislature in 1936 as a, gasp! Republican.
Don’t forget to mention the current Republican ‘noise machine’…perhaps a source of unlimited clean energy if we can get them to work and stop spending all their time soliciting bribes.
Cordially,
Here is McCain refuting McCain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=any3LY_zlqg
Oh – and before you are through pontificating on the democratic rules – maybe you should have read them. The rules state the penalties will be 1/2 the delegates – exactly what happenned.
Now, Piper will go on about how the democrats should NOT have followed the rules… what ludicrous nitpicking from the stalinist party of Washington state.
To allocate them between a candidate who cheated and one who wasn’t even there? Only in the Democrat Party.
You don’t know what you’re talking about. Florida and Michigan have paid a price and just because their party leadership is irresponsible doesn’t mean the rank and file have to suffer. The compromise on the face is reasonable enough.
And it’s the DemocratIC party, asshole!
@24: wrong stuff – you are a real maroon!
Going to Iraq in a flak jacket and parading around a pre-cleared marketplace with a squad of marines (just to show it is supposedly safe)and claiming Petreus rides around in an unarmormed humvee – that just makes McCain looks ridiculous – and that is his qualification for being President?
That and being consistently WRONG on Iraq!
Gee – now I am really impressed.
You idiots will buy any pathetically stupid line and run with it.
Gee – I traveled to Mexico – does that make me qualified to be ambassador?
Wow, the level of dialogue and the lack of a thought process on the right continually astounds me. Repeating talking points that are stupid does not make you intelligent wrong stuff.
correctnotright:
Incorrect. You did not show a single example of where I was wrong about GOP politics, and I showed several where you were wrong.
You did it again, in fact: you talk about counting votes that never existed. No one ever voted for Presidential candidates in the caucuses, but you keep claiming otherwise.
Your “facts” just happen to miss the important big picture. Obama has enough delegates to win – as does John McCain. We call this the presumptive nominee
Um. Yes, that is actually what I said. I am not surprised that you cannot read, but it is pretty funny. I wrote, “He is the presumptive nominee. He currently has enough delegates to win.”
You are almost as bad at this as Steve is.
Pooper, you are the Zelig of your party.
I see you gladhanding the Tancredo crowd.
You’re certainly friendly enough with the “women-in-shackles”, gay-loathing, end-times crowd.
No doubt the Pith Helmet and Jodhpurs crowd stokes the heat for you.
And fellating the club for growth crowd is second nature to you.
Yes, Zelig starring the Pooper – pick it up at NetFlix
YLB: You don’t know what you’re talking about. Florida and Michigan have paid a price and just because their party leadership is irresponsible doesn’t mean the rank and file have to suffer. The compromise on the face is reasonable enough.
Shrug. They gave delegates in MI to a candidate who didn’t earn them. And in both MI and FL they reneged on their own rules by giving the states ANY delegates at all. Those are clear facts.
And it’s the DemocratIC party, asshole!
Shrug. Tell that to your own candidates.
When I saw John McCain speaking last night about being the candidate of “change,” and talking of the need to go forward, not backward, I initially thought he was doing a parody of himself. I mean, here is a 71-year old white Republican male, who has been in government since the Stone Age, and who has supported GWB 95% of the time, talking about being an agent of change. And, even richer, claiming to represent more opportunity for change than does Obama. If Grampy wants to make this election all about change, he might win Utah and Kentucky. Go for it, Grampy.
Piper?
Disingenuous? Cheated? I do not think those words mean what you think they mean.
Of course, considering that this is a thread about Governor Gregoire, I suppose that it’s manditory that you claim cheating where none exists.
Senator Clinton violated no rule by leaving her name on the ballot. The rules committee of the DNC has the authority to mitigate part of the penalty against the Michigan Democratic Party, and determine an appropriate remedy. They did so. Just because I’m not thrilled with their decision does not make it either “cheating” or “disingenuous”.
And, they did so with input from all of the parties involved, as they should have. The main reasons for penalties are to prevent future violations, and to correct any inequity in the process.
Of course, you folks still claim that somehow Governor Gregoire cheated when she followed the rules regarding recounts.
Somehow, you Republicans seem to see following all the rules (as opposed to only following those rules that benefit you) as “cheating”.
In the words of Inigo Montoya, “I do not think that word means what you think it means“.
33 – It’s called a compromise? Something this country is know for?
No matter who says it, it’s still the DemocratIC party.
But especially to the party of Donald Segretti, Lee Atwater and Karl Rove.
@29…YippeeLilBoy…
Nope…Democrat Party – if it was democratic, then Pelz wouldn’t have quashed the primary and the DNC, over Harold Ickes seething protest, wouldn’t have awarded Michigan delgates to BHO.
Then again even Hitman Harold is wrong since it was his candidate who went along with a renegade violation-of-the-rules so-called “primary.”
Since the rank and file elect the state organization, let the rank and file take responsibility for it, punish it as it sees fit, but not be heard to complain since so many of the rank and file participated in this five-finger-discount bit of electoral hanky panky.
It’s nice to see, however, that the Democrat Pary keeps in touch with its roots: political bosses (super delegates) and back room deals (DNC decision on renegade states).
As for the GOP? I never claimed it was pristine pure and squeaky clean. It’s only when the pot calls the kettle black do I enter the fray to remind the pot of its own sins.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3 (NIV)
The Piper
Nope…Democrat Party
I almost forgot. Worships at the feet of the Donald Segretti order of that corrupt, bankrupt, inept, hypocritical and most reviled of political parties.
And winner takes all primaries? Yeah, really democratic that R party.
@35…JB…
Inigo Montoya? “You killed my father – prepare to die!”
I could never be too hard on someone who quotes a Mandy Patinkin character since he’s a favorite of mine – the man has a voice to die for!
But really…Michigan and Florida broke the rules in order to leapfrog other starts for their own advantage. Like claim jumpers and the Sooners of the Oklahoma land rush, such chicanery shouldn’t be rewarded at all.
The net, net, net of all this is to make the Democrat Party look ethically squishy and hooker-like – its virtue can be bought for a price.
Howard Dean didn’t have the cojones to keep the states in line when the time came, so now you have to live with this bit of political poop on your shoe. Times are tough all over…
What would be refreshing – though not expected – is for a few of the HA Happy Hooligans to acknowledge the reality of the embarrassment this has caused, set the issue aside, then move one.
The longer the rationalizers and parsers continue to rationalize and parse by claiming nothing is wrong, no mess was made, the longer the issue will come back to haunt you.
Confession and repentance are the first steps toward healthy self-awareness, forgiveness, and redemption.
The Piper
@31 “You are almost as bad at this as Steve is.”
Why, thank you. I’ve never seen you be so complimentary before. Usually you’re just spewing your tired right-wing BS.
That was a classy statement out of Gregoire, don’t you think, Piper? Perhaps I’ll vote for her after all. Certainly, there’s no reason to vote for the BIAW’s (are those guys Stalinists or something? Talk about jumping the shark!) lackey, Dino Rossi.
40:
Interesting. Piper has a man-crush on Mandy Patinkin. This makes sense.
Patinkin is known for taking jobs, signing a contract and then vanishing at a whim (Chicago Hope, Criminal Minds). He marches to a drummer only he can hear. Piper, just like his man-crush, is in lock step with a musician only he can tune in.
This man-crush also fits with the Republican tradition of closeting ones, um, proclivities.
Sir, your self aggrandizing,sanctimonious ego would do well to heed your own words.
I’m just sayin’.
@40 “Confession and repentance are the first steps toward healthy self-awareness, forgiveness, and redemption.”
Perhaps if you tried that for yourself then you wouldn’t come off as such an ass. That you come here poking sticks in people’s eyes and then whine like a bitch when I slap you around for it tells me that you haven’t gone there yet. Geez, no wonder I have nothing but scorn for you.
@31: the short pudge:
“I am right because I say I am right”
You did not refute me – dream on, cupcake.
Definition of democratic:
From Websters:
“a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections”
When votes are not proportionally representative for delegates – that is not democracy. So – since you have said that votes do not proportionately represent delgates – I stand by my statement that the Washingtons state republican party and Luke Esser are undemocratic.
You have nothing but blather. Make all the excuses you can Pudgie boy, but the facts are that you are defending a Stalinist system while trying to poke at the more legitimate process the democrats have. If you want to debate superdelegates – I might agree with you that those rules are archaic. But trying to be holier than thou and defending the republican apparatchiks in Washington state give you less than zero credence.
@43 Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.
Well, Piper, a few points.
The DNC made the rules, and just like in other organizations, the DNC has the right to decide upon the penalty for violations, and also the right to mitigate those penalties.
It’s our party, and our rules. Personally, I think the way that you Republicans run your party is very strange (at best).
But it’s your party. If you don’t like the rules, change them. My opinion on that topic carries exactly the weight that it should. None whatsoever.
Michigan and Florida broke the rules, and each is being penalized. In the case of Florida, we’re actually taking a page from you folks, and reducing their voting strength by half.
Michigan is an exceptional case, requiring an exceptional remedy. But part of that remedy is, once again, a reduction in voting strength. Hardly a reward.
Sorry if we decline to cut off our own noses to spite our faces. If our procedures seem somewhat chaotic, well, that one I’ll grant you. They seem that way to me, too. In the words of Will Rogers, “I don’t belong to an organized political party. I’m a Democrat“.
Oh, and while I’m a Democrat, it’s the Democratic party. So, while the terms are occasionally used incorrectly (heck, I’ve done it myself) those are the appropriate names, as you are well aware.
You make the choice, in your posts, of using the incorrect term to annoy us. Claiming that somehow this is our fault is, indeed, disingenuous, although I would suggest that we simply ignore the slight.
Since the intent appears to be to annoy us, we defeat the purpose if we decline to rise to the bait.
Uh, Piper, don’t include Florida as “breaking the rules”, unless you are prepared to defend the fact that the Republican legislature and the Republican governor established a primary date which they knew violated the Democratic party rules, over the objections of the Florida Democrats.
And in early 2008 they were trying to take political advantage of it, by blaming the Democratic National Committee for “disenfranchising” Florida voters.
It was a crass political move. In earlier years, they might have gotten away with it, because in the mainstream media + Fox News, they would have just issued their press releases, as well as sound bites of outraged denial that they had done anything wrong, and that would have been the end of it. But now voters are becoming smarter, and the internet has provided lots of ways for the real story to get out.
The Democrats didn’t even like having to treat Florida and Michigan the same way, because this was a significant difference in their circumstances.
@47 Checked out your site. Mason County resident, here. Howdy, neighbor!
re 24: I’m sure McCain is well informed, at this point in time, on the dog-and-pony shows that the American military is capable of putting on for him when he visits Iraq.
“That’s a very spirited pony, John, would you like to ride him? No, John. I’ll hold on to the reins for you!”
Piper’s existence here is solely to harry, harangue and harass. Open discourse is his claim, however false it surely is.
Must be a bitch to see your party becoming the minority with no hope of return in the next several decades. BushRoveCheney, Inc. have guaranteed that. For him to think that Rossi or McCain have a snowflakes chance in hell, requires a leap of faith that would have made Evel Knievel jealous. So he gets more bombastic and outlandish.
I say let him bluster. In 150 days he will be silenced, left licking his wounds, curled up in a fetal position.
@44…Steve…
You’ve slapped me around? I’m sorry, but I never knew – had no idea – didn’t notice.
I mean I read your spew of vulgarity, cliched gibberish, and maladjusted anger, but that’s nothing more than what you see from a self-absorbed, self-obsessed teenager.
Believe me, in the slapping deparment you don’t qualify as a featherweight – maybe an airweight, which is all you slap, but nothing significant at all.
Too bad…so sad…
The Piper
correctnotright:
Actually, I did refute you. I showed that no one votes for Presidential preference in the caucuses. You claimed they did. You were wrong. Not sure why you still can’t understand this, but it doesn’t speak well of you, regardless.
And then you go on to do two more stupid things. The first is looking up the word “democracy” in a dictionary, as if this is somehow authoritative. It’s not.
But even if it were, you then proceed to the second stupid thing, by completely misrepresenting what the dictionary says: nowhere does that definition include anything about proportional representation. It simply says “representation.”
And of course, that is correct: our system is not based at all on proportional representation, except for the hope that proportionality will naturally flow from geographical representation (and as ideology is increasingly being defined less upon geographical divisions, it is why I have toyed with the idea of self-selected nongeographical congressional representation).
Our system is purely majoritarian in its elections, and always has been. Indeed, the GOP caucus system nearly perfectly mirrors the larger American system. Just like we have a majority-takes-all vote for two representatives who then represent my legislative district in the state House, my caucus had a majority-takes-all vote for two delegates to represent my caucus at the county convention.
Call that “not democracy” if you like, but American history and state and federal law and your own dictionary don’t back you up, at all.
I take back what I said before: you are even worse at this than Steve.
@52 “I mean I read your spew of vulgarity, cliched gibberish, and maladjusted anger, but that’s nothing more than what you see from a self-absorbed, self-obsessed teenager.”
Cliched, vulgar, maladjusted anger. Sigh! Will you trolls ever get past this Psych 101 projection thing you’re stuck on? Sorry, but you were much closer to the mark when you called me an asshole. As far as a fascist bitch like yourself is concerned, I hope I truly am an ass in your eyes.
Right or left, you’re nothing more than a schoolyard bully. I’ve known how to deal with your type all my life.
@53 “I take back what I said before: you are even worse at this than Steve.”
Like anybody gives a flying monkey fuck what you might think. Come November you and yours will be headed to the backwater fringes of society from where you came. You’ll be old news, irrelevant, but will have left a horrific mess to be cleaned up. It’s a good thing that President Obama and a Congress firmly in the grip of the Democratic Party will be up to the task. Heck, we might even get to see your boys prosecuted for the crimes they’ve committed.
Hey gang – let’s cheer real hard for Pooper – maybe he’ll put on his skirt while he’s playing his little pipe and lying about the GOP!
@56 I’m sure he will be wearing his ‘Made in China’ flag pin.
@53: the last refuge of the incompetent is to claim that others don’t understand. Pudge, what don’t you understand about representative demcoracy? The definition is there, can you read it?
Proportional representation has been a hallmark of our democracy from the beginning. Are you disputing that or just excusing the lack of democracy in the Washington state republican party?
The point – which you conveniently keep missing, is that the republican rules for Washington state presidential primaries are not clear on proportional representation. Go pretend that that is fair or whatever, I and mnay others think it is more like the Stalinist USSR. If you support that – then fine – that is your choice. But don’t expect me and others to call it democracy and don’t stand on some high horse trying to be critical of democrats when your own house is on fire.
7 Actually, what’s offensive about that shirt is that it insults people with developmental disabilities, by associating them with someone whose greatest impairment is to be totally devoid of any sense of morality.
@58…CnR…
Since when has PR been the hallmark of our democracy? You name me a real election where it’s not winner take all. What elected office is apportioned proportionately?
The Piper
Piper:
I have not decided if he is stupid, or just a troll. But I’ll continue to humor him, as it currently pleases me to do so.
correctnotright:
“Pudge, what don’t you understand about representative demcoracy?”
Nothing.
“The definition is there, can you read it?”
Yes. What is troubling is that you apparently can read it, but still think it includes anything about proportionality. It does not.
“Proportional representation has been a hallmark of our democracy from the beginning.”
Incorrect. It has NEVER been a significant part of our democracy. It is not used in federal elections, or WA state elections, or, as far as I know, WA local elections.
I defy you to give a single example of proportional representation elections in federal or WA state elections.
“The point – which you conveniently keep missing, is that the republican rules for Washington state presidential primaries are not clear on proportional representation.”
On the contrary, they are clearly NOT proportional representation.
“Go pretend that that is fair or whatever, I and mnay others think it is more like the Stalinist USSR.”
Only if the U.S. and WA governments are like Stalinist USSR in the same way.
“But don’t expect me and others to call it democracy”
Shrug. I don’t care what you call it, really. If you want to change the definition of democracy, that’s your choice. It’s stupid to do, but that’s never stopped you before.
However, I will continue to assert that you have not given anyone any reason to think that the GOP caucus delegate elections are any different than our representative system at the state and federal levels.
In your legislative district, you don’t say, “OK, half the people are Republican and half Democrat, so each one gets a representative in the state house.” Each one is elected separately and the one with the most votes wins. That is how the American system works. That is how the GOP caucuses work.
It is the Dem caucuses that are the aberration here. I see nothing WRONG with the Dem caucuses. They can set up any system they like. But when they erroneously claim, as you do, that the GOP system is the aberration, then I simply correct the facts and point them out to be ignorant, or liars. I think you’re both, personally.
Actually Gregoire should be more focused on HER responsibilities like this recent DSHS fiasco:
Warning signs missed in starved boy case
08:55 PM PDT on Thursday, April 24, 2008 By SUSANNAH FRAME / KING 5 News
SEATTLE – Just seven weeks before pictures of an emaciated 4-year-old Shayne Abegg were taken, a social worker visited Shayne’s home to check on him.
Ada Sharp, who testified during the father’s trial, said nothing seemed off during the visit.
“I didn’t have concerns because it appeared he was cared for,” she said.
Now the KING 5 Investigators have obtained an audio recording of Sharp answering questions from a Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office detective, Christopher Ferreira, as he investigated Shayne’s dad, Danny Abegg. It gives insight into how the social worker could have missed that the boy was wasting away.
First of all, the tape shows she didn’t know what she was looking for. She had no idea there were past allegations of starvation because she hadn’t read any of the records.
Caseworker Sharp: I didn’t have any records. I didn’t have any, any other indication, anything that I read.
Detective Ferreira: Did you request those records at any time, before March?
Sharp: No.
Related Content
4/24/08: $22 million suit filed against DSHS
4/24/08: Court documents: Lawsuit filed against DSHS
Accusation: State withholding documents
Court documents: Neighbor’s declaration of calls to CPS
Court documents: Lawsuit filed over alleged withheld documents
March 14: Starved Everett boy’s dad gets 8-year sentence
Dec. 10: State review shows DSHS failed child time and time again
On the tape Sharp describes an overwhelming caseload, and that her supervisor wasn’t monitoring her cases. Sharp was required by DSHS policy to visit the family within 30 days of getting the case assigned to her. On the tape she says she skipped that mandatory visit because of piles of work.
Ferreira: OK, so I understand, you’re assigned the case in November….but you didn’t go out until January for the first visit?
Sharp: That’s right.
Ferreira: Can you explain why that was?
Sharp: Well during the month of December we got a lot of referrals, and so I did not get a chance to go out because I had a lot of referrals that I was working on that came through, I think, in December … I got 12 or 14 referrals, and so I didn’t get a chance to go and see the family.
KING
Shayne Abegg was only 22 pounds when sheriff’s deputies rescued him from his father’s Everett, Wash. home — half the weight of an average 4-year-old.
Sharp also admits she wasn’t ready to handle this kind of case in the first place.
Ferreira: Did you feel like you could do those cases with the knowledge that you had at that point?
Sharp: Not with the time and knowledge, no, because I was fairly new. So I was kind of going through a training, on-the-job training mold, you know, because I came over (from a different department)….So at the time, no, because I was learning what I was doing.
DSHS tells us Ada Sharp has been transferred to another office, but she is still a social worker. Her supervisor has quit DSHS. We’ve also learned DSHS is conducting an internal investigation to determine if any state employees involved with the case should be disciplined.
Shayne Abegg is 5 years old now and living with relatives. He has gained at least 20 pounds and is doing much better. His new social worker describes his health now as “excellent.” However, medical professionals retained by the boy’s attorneys say Shayne suffers cognitive delays due to the prolonged lack of nutrition and hydration