Liberal political website Permanent Defense reminds us of Dino Rossi’s quote from December 4th: “I have faith in you, the voters of Washington. Unfortunately, Christine Gregoire has faith in lawyers.”
It is curious to see how Dino’s faith in voters has wavered in the face of adversity. But then, after watching him run to the center after a establishing a right-wing legislative voting record, his sudden conversion to The Church of Christ, Attorney should come as no surprise.
Rossi now knows that he will likely lose the hand recount, regardless of the Supreme Court decision, and is now laying the legal and PR groundwork for a contested election and an eventual revote. This is a strategy that has been planned for weeks. Indeed, when you load the elections page at Permanent Defense, it plays an audio clip from a Nov 24th KOMO TV report, in which state Republicans threaten that if there is a recount, the Bush White House will send a team of lawyers to put up a fight: “And they will be unleashed, and there will be lawsuits affecting virtually every county in the state.”
It almost sounds as scriptural in it’s phrasing, as it is prophetic in describing our current circumstances. I guess Rossi has always been a man of faith… in lawyers.
Goldy, your last post about the qualification of the Pierce county judge seems to have evaporated into thin air, along with the response that said you were a jerk for posting it and should apologize. Any explanation? Should we expect it to appear in the inevitable next batch of newly found King County ballots?
The way the Republicans use the court system it’s no surprise Rossi’s being hypocritical about this. An “activist judge” is one that doesn’t rule the way Republicans want them to. Bad lawyers are ones that allow individuals to collect what’s due to them from companies run by big Republicans.
And tort reform is only needed to quash money going to individuals, never to stop big corporations from tying up the court system for years in frivolous motions and appeals.
Again, Republicans are constantly guilty of this kind of “projection”. We just need to avoid falling for it.
Big Republicans should be “big donors to the Republican party” (I’m not trying to imply anything about their actual size)
It’s good to know that Rossi has faith in lawyers. But not surprising. What’s odd is why he chose to paint Gregoire in that light. He must not have realized it would paint him as having a double standard.
Doug… it was a draft in progress that I had posted by accident, and I quickly pulled it after Jim King pointed out that the judical ratings were from 1999. It was only online for a couple minutes, and I will post a revised version once I confirm I have the correct facts.
What would you prefer… that I correct my mistakes, or that I stubbornly stand by them regardless? (Hey… that’s a metaphor for this election, isn’t it.)
Let’s hope the Repugnants are bluffing on this one. :-(
On a side note, does anyone know what county gave Gregoire one extra vote? I thought Rossi was leading by 50, not 49. Again, EVERY vote counts!
Karl Rove is running this show via the paid dogs from DC- fear the long arm of the R right wing to arrange all things they don’t like.
Washington State is regarded as very progressive, renegade, and VERY rich. East coast
R’s would love to get a better toe hold here- and Rossi is the only high card they have had in 20 years.
Watch for Bush to say somethig, esp. after he New Y. Times editorial.
And they will go to contest if they don’t win…. stay tuned…thank some god that the legislature is Dem controlled.
NEW VOTE- Thruston County correction this am
Thurston County? Thanks, bby.
Breaking news: The Supremes will hear the Repug’s case on Wednesday. http://www.courts.wa.gov
FOR THE TOTALLY ABSORBED -Live on King County TV – cable- the canvassing board in action – very orderly- sounds like some ballots are really messed up, messages, whiteout, BUT as my house guest says, Gregoire is polling two to one over Rossi…..I think these are absentees.
Yeah, I’ve watched the canvassing board. The chaos is just incredible. ChairmanVance doesn’t appreciate the lengths that King County elections has gone to to make this election fair. And they’ve been very open about finding mistakes.
Jenny- I was with the “evil” Larry Kenney- for all of you, he was #1 at the Washington State Labor Council when Dean Logan was an intern (intern=low pay) there (Al Brisbois, one of my junior high teachers, was #2, DESPITE Cynical Motormouth’s confusion). Larry and I have known each other for at least twenty years, he’s a liberal D, I’m a conservative R, and we both agree that there could not have been a better person in charge at King County this last year than Dean Logan.
For whatever we wish had happened, for all the errors we regret- just think what it would have been like if Logan hadn’t been fixing it! And he has it 99.99+% fixed!
Thinks broke as we tested our system to destruction. Sims and Phillips waited at least two years too long to start the fixing of King County Elections. And I hate seeing people doing a good job, to the best of their ability and any reasonable expectation, get savaged like some insist on savaging Dean Logan.
Or Judge Stephanie Arends…
Vance, Berendt, Gregoire, Rossi- fair targets, in that they chose to be in the kitchen, they are making choices now, good or bad.
Many other players are just trying to do their jobs and get this mess cleaned up…
Magic 8 Ball poll- 93.2% of Washington voters will simply sigh in relief when there is white smoke over the Capitol in Olympia…
“Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum! Habemus Governor!”
Glad you all agreeded…so much for the resume backup. Logan is toast.
Cnavassing Board is counting 1,600, yes, 1,600 votes today. These are votes referred to them from the 80 counting teams, where there is the slightest problem reading the clear intent of the voter.
Yes, the three man panel is churning- on 994 at this point. No big disagreement, attempt at humor on one ballot, for Rossi and all marked up (possible idiot R voter)……..all on live TV for the world to see…….just did 1,000…….blows the R’ pr on the whole affair into the tank……MeisterOf ChaosVance looks even sillier….now at 1,034, and steaming along.
bby- don’t get King County TV in Olympia- are these, as I suspect, pretty much churning through unanimously- both D’s and the R agreeing?
Yes, all cool, moving rapidly…..one case where Logan turned to the other two…..when they agreeded he called it….the blond atorney for the R’s, Tibelius keeps gettting confused, she is taking notes right behind them. Stress reaction perhaps, fatigue and emotional pressures
I wonder if she is a volunteer?. Bet not. Big time money from the old GOP.
King 5 – story on the newly added vote for Gregoire. Thruston added vote of person who was not counted due to marriage and question about age. Young Lady, happy her vote was counted.
~Soon we will have the whole world at our finger tips~
bby- Saw the King 5 story- seems to be the counterpart to Chelan- reconsideration has added on Rossi, one Gregoire…
Tibelius, Diane- Washington State Republican National Committeewoman- attorney- lost to Sheriff Reichert in the GOP 8th Congressional District Primary (was the annointed of the GOP money establishment, the preferred heiress to Jennifer Dunn)- possible successor to Herr Vance…
Now what we really need is a Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of all this…
On KOMO TV’s website, they are reporting that the canvassing board decided to reject the 22 ballots… Nothing about that on KING TV or on KIRO TV…
Well, Andrew V.’s a good guy. I guess Christine Gregoire just found her SecDef, bless his heart.
Comment by bby— 12/20/04 @ 5:03 pm
HIP, HIP HURRAY! HIP, HIP HURRAY! HIP, HIP HURRAY!
Jim,
I thought this(the blogs)was the Mystery Science Theater 2000 version. Am I wrong?
3000, sorry.
If R’s really want to cement a Gregoire victory, by all means get Rove’s and Bush’s hands all over the recount aftermath, turning it into a DC/Texas vs. WA thing. Can you say blowback?
Comment by Rudy— 12/20/04 @ 7:14 pm
I respectfully don’t see Karl Rove’s fingerprints over this – I see Marummy and her legionaires!
Comment by Jim King— 12/20/04 @ 5:54 pm
While I’m not happy that the 22 voters who cast legitimate votes won’t have their wishes counted towards our election, I support the canvassing board’s decision, because unlike the other ballots, I believe there was an actual concern about security.
Here’s to hoping the Supremes use this as proof, along with similar logic to the last ruling, and lets KC continue to do its job.
Based on everything I’ve read, I believe this hand recount (across the state) is doing an excellent job of making the election results more accurate.
And, for you number crunchers, 22 votes (out of 900,000+) is 0.00244%, or a system that works 99.99866% of the time. Anyone who has ever worked on a system or process of any time would love to have that kind of accuracy.
I know people here disagree, but I view the 730+ votes that were mistakenly set aside as similar a one-time anomoly, and one that can and should be corrected during this hand recount.
If we were all willing to put up with waiting for a while we could have results this accurate during every election. But we all want the quick answer.
jcricket- The P-I, contrary to KOMO, is reporting that the decision on the 22 was DEFERRED until after the court decision.
I hate not having original source material…!!!
Josef – with profile of this election and importance to R’s if Rossi pulls it out, I have a hard time believing Rove’s fingerprints WOULDN’T be showing up!
Rudy- snakes don’t have fingerprints…
Jim – thanks for the update. Probably smart to defer (keep the ballots in their original form, don’t put them anywhere else, don’t disenfranchise people unless you’re forced to). I’m not sure where I stand on those 22, but right now I’m not inclined to include them (just based on what I know about their security). I’m open to my opinion being changed by some different evidence.
Just old silly me, no big time Olympia/Judicial expert – But – The Supremes hear arguments on Wed am, they do not rule from the bench.
King Co says it will report on Wed afternoon, and IF Gregoire is ahead at that point, isn’t it moot about the ruling?
If things were normal, I’d say it’s potentially moot, but given Goldy’s supposition about the Republicans laying the groundwork for a revote/contested election, it wouldn’t surprise me if they attempt to muddy the waters even if the Supremes vote their way.
Or watch them change their tune and claim that KC intentionally disenfranchised hundreds of Republican votes that would have thrown the election to Rossi had they been properly counted. The GOPs ability to use hypocrisy in their favor (knowing the public has short memories and the media is cow-towed) is astonishing.
If Gregoire wins without the contested ballots, well, even they might do a reality check.
After all what would be the basis? Sore looser drama? At the present, we are runnign down the close election track exactly as provided by State of Washington RCW’s. What to contest?
We don’t like her Ginch-like looks? Paul Brandt has a stawberry bitrhmark and can bellow as well as Chris Vance? Dean Logan is in over his head? Legal merit needed, not desperate propaganda.
I think the mudddy wates will clear greatly as soon as King reports. In many directions. If Dems win, they have a lot of $$$$ in their coffers, monied opponent. public will more on quickly.
The Democrats will convene the Legislature no matter what. Great place from which to poke the R’s in their soft parts.
This isn’t the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version, it’s the Jerry Springer version. A Mystery Science Theater 3000 version would be funny as hell.
Comment by Brent— 12/21/04 @ 12:48 am
Don’t you worry – I’m about to pick up the chair and join Marummy in a good old fashioned Monson smackdown!
(Today – the Dori awards! Guess who I’m gonna nominate?)
I am a little confused by the insertion of the line “his sudden conversion to The Church of Christ, Attorney should come as no surprise.” What is that supposed to mean? Has he recently been baptised into the Church? If so, this is the first place I have read or heard of this. Also, what does it have to do with anything? Would your post have been changed if he had joined the Catholic Church, the Baptist Church, the Jewish Faith or converted to Islam? I would hope that you would expand your thoughts, right now I have a pretty negative feeling about your article.
Thanks,
Russ
” ‘the Bush White House will send a team of lawyers to put up a fight: “And they will be unleashed, and there will be lawsuits affecting virtually every county in the state.’ ” Wow! this almost sounds like the four horsemen of the apocalypse!
Uh… Russ… you’re kidding, right?
It was a joke… a play on “Church of Christ, Scientist” the official name for Christian Scientists. And it poked fun at his quote that he had “faith” in voters, not lawyers, but was now using lawyers to try to win this election in court.
Sheeesh!
Karl Rove is running this show via the paid dogs from DC- fear the long arm of the R right wing to arrange all things they don’t like. – Comment by bby— 12/20/04 @ 2:55 pm
Right. As opposed to the national democlowns who are so busy fighting amongst themselves (“I want to be queen!” NO! You got to be queen last week..whaaa…whaaaa”) that they can’t even be bothered with a candidate who couldn’t muster even 50% in liberal la la land. Ah! Just look at all those lovely red counties in all those lovely red states (AND most of the cry-your-eyes-out-we’ve-lost-our-power-got the blues states!)
National party no more, babe.