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Dave Reichert: a Bush league Republican

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The Republican House leadership has worked hard to help Rep. Dave Reichert craft an image as an independent moderate… an image he needs to maintain if he’s to have a hope of winning reelection in Washington’s moderate, independent-leaning 8th Congressional District. Indeed, Reichert publicly admitted as much:

“Back in Washington, there are lots of games played. […] Sometimes the leadership comes to me and says, “Dave, we want you to vote a certain way.” Now, they know I can do that over here, that I have to do that over here. In other districts, that’s not a problem, but here I have to be able to be very flexible in where I place my votes. […] That’s where I need to be in a fifty-fifty district.”

The fact is Reichert has never cast a single vote against the White House or the House leadership when it really mattered, and now Karl Rove is rewarding him for his loyalty by sending President Bush on a rare visit to campaign for a House Republican in his home district. On Friday, the President will appear at high-donor fundraiser in Medina, where he expects to raise over half a million dollars on behalf of Reichert. And if the media does its job explaining the context of this visit, it should come at a political price.

Make no mistake: President Bush is making an extraordinary effort on behalf of the 8th CD’s freshman congressman because he knows that Reichert is a reliable vote. And Reichert is welcoming Bush into his district because he is a staunch supporter of the President and his policies.

As November approaches, the Republicans will attempt to localize the election by trying to make it a race between the silver-haired sheriff and an unknown, untested newcomer. But voters need to understand that this race in this district is about whether we want to leave our nation’s future in the hands of President Bush and the GOP leadership, unchecked and unbalanced. A couple weeks ago Democratic pollster Celinda Lake told a local audience that the Democrats cannot take back the House without winning WA-08.

If you had any doubt that Reichert is little more than just one more rubber stamp in our Republican controlled rubber stamp Congress, President Bush’s visit Friday should put it to rest. Reichert is as loyal a Republican as they come.

President Bush’s visit also makes one other important statement about this race: that it is incredibly tight and that Republicans are incredibly worried. Few GOP candidates are willing to appear with such an unpopular President, but well… Reichert desperately needs the money. Darcy Burner shocked both the GOP and the Democratic establishment by outraising the incumbent in the first quarter, and Reichert needs a huge second quarter to reassure his base. The President’s visit will do that for him.

Rather than despair, Democrats are turning lemons into lemonade. The Burner campaign is asking you to give as much as you can in the days before and after Bush’s visit, to help offset Reichert’s presidential-visit cash advantage. The campaign has set an ambitious $75,000 goal, and I urge you to contribute directly. The campaign has set up a special donation page where you can track the progress.

I also urge you to share your voice. A rally will be held Friday at Westlake Center, starting at 11:15 AM. President Bush’s very public embrace of Reichert is big news, and we want to give the media every reason to cover it.

Radio Goldy, tonight on 710 KIRO

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Tonight is Newsradio 710 KIRO’s annual “Battle of the Talk Show Hosts“, broadcast live from the Everett Events Center from 7 pm to 9 pm. Dave Ross, Ron Reagan, Dori Monson, Ron & Don and New York Vinnie will be slugging it out in a rhetorical steel cage match.

Afterwards I’ll be in the studio from 9 pm to 1 am providing post-game coverage with Frank Shiers and Bob Van Dyne. At least that’s what I’ve been told I’ll be doing. Or perhaps this is all just some bizarre talk radio hazing ritual?

Anyway, tune in to 710 KIRO tonight from 9 pm to 1 am and find out for yourself.

Seattle Times breaks (10-day) silence on estate tax repeal

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Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen announced today that the paper will change its name to the Death Tax Repeal Times so as to better reflect the interests of its core audience — which judging from the content of its op/ed pages pretty much consists of Frank Blethen.

Of course I’m kidding. (About the name change.) But seriously… doesn’t Frank get even the teeniest bit embarrassed using his paper to so shamelessly and relentlessly shill for this issue? Today his op/ed pages actually hit the issue twice, with both an unsigned editorial and a guest column from high-priced lobbyist Jennifer Dunn.

I dunno, I just think we should expect better from a news organization that aspires to be our city and state’s paper of record.

(That said, the Times also has a great editorial on Dean Logan. Credit where credit is due… though it would have been nice if the paper had displayed this kind of moral support and blunt reporting while Logan was still in the job.)

UPDATE:
In the comment thread, N in Seattle points to the editorial cartoon today by Devericks, which equates the estate tax with grave-robbing. “Quite the trifecta for old Frank.”

Podcasting Liberally, 6/13/2006

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Did the world change last weekend when 1200 bloggers converged on Las Vegas and yours truly invaded the local airwaves? N and Ellen just returned from Yearly Kos and joined the panel to talk about an amazing weekend that will surely be looked back on as a seminal event in the development of the netroots. Or so they say.

Joining me, N and Ellen in self-congratulatory lovefest were Mollie, Will, Carl, and Nick. Topics of discussion included Yearly Kos and the incredible convergence of bloggers, politicians and the press, my new weekly gig on 710-KIRO (Sundays, 7-10PM), President Bush’s upcoming visit to Seattle to raise money for struggling sycophant Dave Reichert, Peter Goldmark and his soon to be hot race in WA-05, Carl Ballard’s "three county strategy," house warming presents for Dean Logan, and of course… Tim Eyman’s many failures.

The show is 55:55, and is available here as a 36.1 MB MP3. Please visit PodcastingLiberally.com for complete archives and RSS feeds.

[Recorded live at the Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally. Special thanks to Confab creators Gavin and Richard for producing the show.]

Drinking Liberally

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The Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally meets tonight (and every Tuesday), 8PM at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Come join us for some good beer and even better conversation.

If you happen to be a liberal drinker on the other side of the mountains, the Tri-Cities chapter of DL also meets Tuesday nights, 7 PM, Atomic Ale, 1015 Lee Blvd., in Richland. Go ask Jimmy for more details.

Meanwhile the Tacoma chapter of DL meets tomorrow night (and every Wednesday,) 8 PM at Meconi’s Pub, 709 Pacific Ave. They’ll be launching their “Guest Drinker” series with Rep. Dawn Morrell (D-Puyallup).

BREAKING: Court strikes down Eyman’s I-747!

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King County Superior Court Judge Mary Robert’s has tossed out Tim Eyman’s 2001 property tax initiative, I-747, ruling it unconstitutionally deceptive.

I-747 had been Timmy’s most wide-reaching victory, generally limiting increases in state and local property tax revenues to one percent a year… well below the rate of inflation. The fiscal impact has been catastrophic, particularly for rural taxing districts, with many now on the verge of insolvency.

Prior to 2000, local property increases were generally capped at six percent. In November of that year voter’s passed Eyman’s I-722, which amongst other things lowered that cap to two percent a year. I-722 was immediately challenged, and on November 30, 2000, the Thurston County Superior Court ordered a preliminary injunction barring implementation and enforcement.

In a concise, six-page decision, Judge Robert’s explains what happened next:

On January 11, 2001, after I-722’s implementation was halted, I-747 was filed with the secretary of state. By its language, I-747 sought to amend I-722, by decreasing the cap on property taxes from two percent to one percent, unless the voters approved a higher cap.

Amendatory legislation such as I-747 is subject to article II, section 37 of the state constitution, which requires that,

No act shall ever be revised or amended by mere reference to its title, but the act revised or the section amended shall be set forth at full length.

Wash. Const. art. 2,

Dean Logan resigns, Stefan loses his bogeyman

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The Seattle P-I’s Neil Modie breaks the story: King County elections director Dean Logan has resigned to take a similar position in Los Angeles County, the largest elections jurisdiction in the nation.

I’m sure the folks over at Sound Politics are dancing in the streets, but then, they’re all a bunch of pricks. Logan is one of the most knowledgeable and respected elections officials in the nation, which is why LA County, with over 3.5 million voters — more than the entire state of Washington — has been recruiting him for months. Meanwhile, due to the toxic political environment the Republicans have cynically promoted in the wake of the 2004 gubernatorial election, King County has yet to find a qualified candidate willing to take on the Superintendent of Elections position after a year of searching.

Logan has been incessantly vilified by the GOP and their surrogates, with Evergreen Freedom Foundation President Bob Williams even going on the radio to demand that Logan should be jailed. A colorless bureaucrat in the best sense of the word, Logan has simply had enough of the abuse.

Anyway, here’s Logan’s resignation letter in his own words:

June 12, 2006

Honorable Ron Sims
King County Executive
701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3210
Seattle, WA 98104

Dear Executive Sims:

It has been a tremendous honor to serve as the Director of King County Records, Elections and Licensing Services. I recall feeling humbled and eager by the trust you placed in me when you asked me to serve the citizens of King County

Public schools

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A birdie tells me that a meeting was hurriedly called at Seattle Public Schools headquarters Friday morning to address a suddenly pressing issue. I wonder if it had anything to do with this?

From: Mike Rosenberger
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 5:26 PM
To: Gary Ikeda, Seattle Schools
Subject: Public Disclosure Act Request

Dear Mr. Ikeda:

Pursuant to the Public Disclosure Act, please produce the following hard copy and electronic documents, including email:

1. All documents since January 1, 2006, relating to moving the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center (SBOC) from its current location, including all documents mentioning potential locations.

2. All documents since January 1, 2005, relating to or discussing the potential closure of Graham Hill Elementary School.

If you withhold any documents based upon any exception to the PDA, please identify the documents with sufficient specificity to allow court review of such action.

Thank you for your attention to this request.

We have asked district officials point blank as to when they started discussing Graham Hill as a new home for the SBOC, and nobody will give us a straight answer, even though we have heard from people at the SBOC that our building was offered weeks before the CAC’s preliminary recommendation.

It would have been nice if the district had just been honest and upfront with us from the start so that we knew exactly what we were fighting. But we’ll get to the bottom of this one way or another.

Mexico 3, McGavick 0

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Mike McGavick’s nightmare became reality yesterday, with the Iranian national soccer team tainting the hallowed name of Nuremberg’s Frankenstadion in their World Cup opening match. Despite McGavick’s impassioned plea to ban the Iranians from international competition, (gasp) soccer was played, and on the very field where the Hitler Youth first learned to goose step. A foreign policy disaster if I ever saw one.

Of course nothing quite pumps up national pride like getting your asses kicked by Mexico, who outscored Iran 3-1 in their World Cup opener. This puts Iran into last place in Group D with 0 points and a -2 goal differential. If Mexico goes on to beat Angola on Friday and Portugal dispatches Iran on Saturday (and the smart money is on both), the Iranian’s World Cup hopes will once again be dashed before they finish the opening round.

If only Mike McGavick were in the US Senate, this foreign policy fiasco would have been avoided.

From the Complete and Utter Load of Crap Dept.

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In a letter published in the Puget Sound Business Journal, the unfortunately named State Sen. Cheryl Pflug (R-Hobart) amusingly attempts to frame real estate salesman Dino Rossi’s 2008 gubernatorial campaign:

Washington state’s economy is booming. Unemployment is the lowest since 1999. We’ve added 94,000 nonfarm jobs, exports are up and business is good. That’s the natural result of the Rossi recovery, shaped from the no-new-taxes budget that Sen. Dino Rossi crafted as a senator in 2003.

The “Rossi Recovery”…? Gimme a break.

Assuming for a moment you’re not rolling on the floor laughing at the ridiculous notion of crediting one man or one budget for our state’s economic performance three years later… by Pflug’s logic (or lack thereof,) if anybody deserves kudos for the economy, it’s former Gov. Gary Locke.

Far from “shaping” 2003’s no-new-taxes budget, Rossi was merely following the Governor’s lead. How can I be so sure? Well, in introducing the Senate’s 2003 budget proposal, Rossi led off a press briefing with a PowerPoint presentation titled: “Following the Governor’s Lead.”

In fact, apart from cutting 46,000 low-income kids off health care and a few other tweaks, the so-called “Rossi budget” was pretty much the same budget Locke had proposed months earlier.

I know Rossi doesn’t have very many legislative accomplishments to his credit, so it’s no surprise to see Republicans trotting out this tired old saw again. But as the 2008 election season approaches (and believe it or not, it’s approaching) I just hope my friends in the media don’t allow Rossi and his surrogates to continue to make this claim unchallenged.

Tonight on 710-KIRO…

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Tune in tonight on 710-KIRO from 7 to 10PM, for the Puget Sound region’s only unabashedly liberal talk radio show:

7PM: The Stranger’s Eli Sanders is back from Vegas where he witnessed the blogger revolution at Yearly Kos. He’ll fill us in on the details, and maybe give us a first hand account of Tim Eyman’s failure in Olympia this week.

8PM: Chris Van Dyk from Citizens for More Important Things will join us to talk the Sonics, Key Arena, and his group’s Initiative 91 to prohibit public subsidies of professional sports stadiums. Are the Sonics worth $200 million in taxpayer money? How about the Storm? Or do we have other priorities? (You know, things like schools.)

9PM: Was the 2004 Presidential election stolen? The Seattle Weekly’s Geov Parrish joins me to talk about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stunning expose on Rolling Stone, and why the traditional media won’t cover it. What does this mean for WA state and our move to all vote-by-mail?

Tune in or stream live and join the debate tonight from 7 to 10PM. Call me at 877-710-KIRO (5476) or leave a comment here, and I promise I’ll actually try to read the thread.

Daily open thread

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I’m not exactly sure what it means, but the blogosphere is definitely going mainstream. Tonight I officially start broadcasting on 710-KIRO, from 7-10 PM (more details later on tonight’s program,) while over in Vegas, “Yearly Kos” is taking the the political and journalism establishments by storm.

Andrew, Lynn and Eli all have reports from Vegas.

The great Goldstein/Eyman Debate

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Snidely worded as it was, I actually thought professional initiative monger Tim Eyman might take me up on my offer to have him on the first hour of this Sunday’s inaugural show. Apparently not.

And in typical Tim fashion, rather than just simply declining, he had to try to spin it into some kind of media game, demanding that he’d only come on if he could have all three hours — a demand he knew I would not (and as it turns out, could not) accept. And then he goes and forwards our email thread to the Seattle Times’ David Postman… as if that’s going to achieve anything other than drive more traffic to my blog.

For his part, Postman makes a salient point that perhaps it was a little hypocritical of me to advise the press to ignore Tim, and then go and invite him onto my show. Yeah, I guess. At the very least it’s probably bad strategy. I’m not approaching my radio show any differently than I approach my blogging — I’m an unabashed, partisan liberal with an unabashed, partisan liberal agenda — but I suppose I need to give some thought as to how my first, tentative steps into the cold waters of the mainstream might change my role in the media.

Anyway, I generally view the publishing of private emails as a violation of net etiquette, but since Tim is already forwarding our email thread to journalists, I suppose that gives me his tacit permission to go public.

From: David Goldstein
Sent: Saturday, June 10, 2006 7:49 AM
To: Tim Eyman
Subject: RE: 710-KIRO, Sunday at 7PM?

It wasn’t intended to be a game of poker, Tim. As snidely worded as my offer was, it was genuine; that’s why I followed up with the phone call. I’d say it was you who bluffed… except it was so transparent an effort to save face, it’s not really worthy of being called a bluff.

Besides, I couldn’t give you all three hours if I wanted to. (And I don’t.) When I forwarded your demand to KIRO management, the immediate response was “definitely do not let him do more than an hour.”

So it’s your choice. If you want to come on the show, we’ll be talking about you in the first hour. You know the number; call in and I’ll put you on the air.

Whatever. Postman was right; I probably shouldn’t have made you the offer in the first place. If we all ignore you, maybe you’ll go away.

—–Original Message—–
From: “Tim Eyman”
To: David Goldstein
Date: Saturday – June 10, 2006 8:00 AM
Subject: RE: 710-KIRO, Sunday at 7PM?

In this hand of political poker, you bluffed, I went all in, and you, afraid of an extended debate with me on the issues, decided to fold.

Gutless coward.

Regards, Tim Eyman

—–Original Message—–
From: David Goldstein
Sent: Saturday, June 10, 2006 7:49 AM
To: Tim Eyman
Subject: RE: 710-KIRO, Sunday at 7PM?

Save your breath Tim, that shit doesn’t work with me. You want 3 hours of air-time, go get your own show. My offer stands: 1 hour at 7pm. And if you don’t show, it’s you who will be hiding under a rock, while I’m on the air.

Probably a good decision on your part, though. If you had just ignored me three years ago when the “horse’s ass” story broke, the media would have quickly lost interest. Instead, by engaging me directly the way you did, you built me up. Um… thanks.

Oh… and if you think a large audience and the news media would listen in just to hear the two of us debate, you’ve got a more inflated ego than I thought.

Ah well, it’s up to you. Let me know if you change your mind.

David

—–Original Message—–
From: “Tim Eyman”
To: David Goldstein
Date: Friday – June 9, 2006 9:46 PM
Subject: RE: 710-KIRO, Sunday at 7PM?

It’s clear you are afraid … deathly afraid of an extended debate with me with a large audience, including the news media, who will listen and report the results. Instead, you’ve chosen to crawl underneath a rock to hide from me after I accepted your pathetic challenge. Gutless coward.

3 hours with callers; my offer still stands. If you muster some courage, let me know.

Regards, Tim Eyman

—–Original Message—–
From: David Goldstein
Sent: Friday, June 09, 2006 9:23 PM
To: Tim Eyman
Subject: RE: 710-KIRO, Sunday at 7PM?

No Tim, I’m afraid I’d bore my audience and lose my new job. Truth is you’re not all that interesting. That’s why I have a show and you don’t.

Whatever. If you want to pass up a chance to plug your car tabs initiative that’s up to you. If you change your mind, let me know.

David

—–Original Message—–
From: “Tim Eyman”
To: David Goldstein
Date: Friday – June 9, 2006 6:49 PM
Subject: RE: 710-KIRO, Sunday at 7PM?

Why? Are you afraid that you can’t handle an extended debate on the issues? Afraid that you’ll look foolish? Yeah, that’s it, isn’t it?

Let me know if you change your mind, coward.

Regards, Tim Eyman

—–Original Message—–
From: David Goldstein [mailto:dgold@entercom.com]
Sent: Friday, June 09, 2006 2:23 PM
To: insignia@greekwatch.com
Subject: RE: 710-KIRO, Sunday at 7PM?

Funny, Tim. I doubt the audience can take three hours of me, let alone three hours of the two of us.

I can promise you a full hour if you like, from 7 to 8. You know I can’t do anymore than that. That would be the best hour for you too, as we’ll still have Frank Shiers audience listening.

Let me know.

David

—–Original Message—–
From: “Tim Eyman”
To: David Goldstein
Date: Friday – June 9, 2006 2:00 PM
Subject: RE: 710-KIRO, Sunday at 7PM?

Yes, but only if we go the full 3 hours. That way, there will time for lots of callers to call-in.

Let me know if that works for you.

Regards, Tim Eyman

—–Original Message—–
From: David Goldstein
Sent: Friday, June 09, 2006 9:48 AM
To: Tim Eyman
Subject: 710-KIRO, Sunday at 7PM?

Tim,

In case you haven’t heard, 710-KIRO has just hired me as the new host on Sunday nights from 7 to 10 PM, and considering how closely intertwined our careers have been these past few years — yours in decline, mine in ascendence — I thought it would be only fitting if you would honor me as my first guest, this Sunday at 7 PM.

Now I know you might have some reservations about appearing on the air with a host who made his name by calling you names, but this is radio, and you are, after all, a media whore. Just this past Monday you told the angry throng of reporters you duplicitously drew to the Secretary of State’s office that “there’s no such thing as bad press.” So why not join me on my inaugural show and see how far we can push that maxim?

Again, please remember that this is radio Tim, radio — tens of thousands of people hearing you talk — so if there really is no such thing as bad press, what do you have to lose? And besides, we’re going to talk about you anyway, so why not be there to defend yourself?

Please let me know if you can join me Sunday night. I look forward to continuing our close working relationship.

Sincerely,

David Goldstein
710-KIRO

We’ll be talking about Tim and the shenanigans surrounding his failure to qualify R-65 for the ballot. Tim knows the number; if he calls in I’ll put him on the air.

WA’s teen anti-smoking campaign leads nation

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While teen smoking rates have leveled off nationwide after years of decline, they continue to drop in WA state, which has one of the nation’s most aggressive and successful teen anti-smoking campaigns.

Around the state a 2004 survey showed 19.7 percent of 12th-graders — down from 22.7 percent in 2002 — and 13 percent of 10th-graders — down 15 percent in 2002 — reported having smoked, said Tim Church, spokesman for the state Health Department.

That compares to an overall 23 percent rate from the 2004 national survey.

What’s our secret?

Washington spends roughly 80 percent of a $100 million settlement from a 2000 tobacco-industry lawsuit on preventing tobacco use, putting it in the top tier of states nationwide, Valdez and Church said. While tobacco prevention covers all ages, youth are a particular focus because 80 percent of adult smokers begin under the age of 18, Valdez said.

Of course it was Gov. Christine Gregoire who led the fight against the tobacco industry, who brought the settlement money to WA state, and who has championed our state’s teen anti-smoking efforts. That’s a great example of effective government that saves lives.

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