HorsesAss.Org

I was wondering when the shit would hit the fan regarding Mercer Island right-wing radio-rabbi Daniel Lapin, and his long and shady relationship with GOP scandal-monkey Jack Abramoff. Um… today in the Seattle Times:

Lobbyist Jack Abramoff funneled money through a Mercer Island religious foundation as he tried to influence a top aide to Republican congressional leader Tom DeLay, according to his guilty plea last week to corruption charges.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin confirmed Sunday it was his foundation, Toward Tradition, that took $50,000 from two Abramoff clients and, at Abramoff’s suggestion, used it to hire the aide’s wife to organize a conference for the group.

Lapin said he and his board had no idea the money was part of Abramoff’s vast scheme to influence Congress and, in this case, stop bills to raise postal rates and ban online lotteries.
…
“We were innocently hiring someone to do a job and not being aware that it was part of something else,” Lapin said.

Hmm. Well… maybe. But it’s hard not to judge a man by the company he keeps, and Lapin, the “The Republican’s Rabbi-in-Arms,” has been hanging out with crooks and liars.

Michael at blatherWatch has done a great job chronicling Lapin and his close relationships with the likes of Abramoff, Tom DeLay, Ralph Reed, Grover Norquist, and Pat Robertson. I’m looking forward to what Michael has to say about the latest news.

UPDATE:
The Seattle Weekly has also spent a ton of ink on Lapin, Abramoff and Co., and I had missed a Jan 4 roundup that provides links to much of their coverage. Great reading.

I believe a good chunk of Michael’s information also comes from coverage in the old Eastside Weekly, which unfortunately is not archived online. Perhaps the Weekly could post that for its online readers?

It should come as no surprise to those who know me well that I can be a touch arrogant and egocentric. For example, this time last year, as HA suddenly rose to prominence during the gubernatorial election contest, I stepped up my blogging efforts for fear of what the progressive community might lose should I stop. HA had quickly grabbed a dominant position in the local political blogosphere, both in terms of raw traffic and perhaps more importantly, in media attention. If I were to suddenly stop blogging, I wondered, would my traffic simply dissipate? Was there anybody else who could fill my role?

I’ve got no idea if those concerns were ever warranted, but I certainly don’t hold them anymore. I was in Olympia this weekend attending a conference of Northwest progressive bloggers, and if I have any fear now, it is that some other talented, energetic, local blogger is going to overtake me and knock me from my throne.

Organized by the NW Progressive Institute and sponsored by the SEIU, Progressive Majority for WA and the Institute for WA’s Future, the conference attracted over thirty bloggers from Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Friday afternoon and evening we held panel discussions and a reception at the Capitol, attended by Democratic legislators and their staff, as well as several members of the “traditional media.” Yesterday, us bloggers gathered for workshops and discussions that extended well beyond the scheduled 9 AM to 5 PM program.

Lynn Allen and John Stahl of Evergreen Politics did a great job facilitating the events (complicated by the constant need to shut me up and prevent me from speaking out of turn.) And of course, Andrew Villeneuve of NPI deserves a ton of credit for being the driving force behind organizing the event.

I’ll leave it to other attendees to blog on the details of the conference, but I just wanted to briefly comment on the incredible growth in size and effectiveness of the local progressive blogosphere. Last year at this time, our friend Stefan and his right-wing, nutcase, fellow travelers at (un)Sound Politics were the undisputed kings of the local blogs, consistently pushing headlines, and at their peak drawing twenty times my traffic. While I had more than respectable stats, I was a distant number two, and no other local liberal blog even came close to my traffic.

My how times have changed. (u)SP is still the number one local political blog in raw stats, but on most days barely doubles my traffic. And while much of the rest of the local blogosphere’s right wing has stagnated, growth on the left has exploded. The number of NW progressives now blogging is astounding, and the quality and impact of their writing truly impressive. Much as we have done on the national level, local progressive bloggers have overcome the right’s head start, surpassing them both in total traffic, and in influence.

Stefan now routinely whines about his failure to move his conspiracy theories onto the front pages, while my colleagues and I have notched a string of successes in moving headlines and influencing the opinion makers. While (u)SP’s claim to fame was their role in helping to shape public perception after an election, it is safe to say that 2005 was the first election cycle in which bloggers actually influenced the outcome… and quite frankly, we kicked ass.

Well, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Bloggers are by their nature a bit rebellious, unruly… even subversive. The fact that so many of us would gather in one place, with such unity of purpose, is as encouraging and exciting as the progress we’ve each individually made thus far. We certainly didn’t all agree on every issue, candidate or strategy, but we absolutely share the same goal: to dominate state and local politics, and to take our nation back from the far right. And this weekend’s conference was an important step in that direction.

Day late and a dollar short, but here’s your sandbox.

I have it from a reliable source that state Sen. Bill Finkbeiner has told the 45th District Republicans that he intends to vote for HB 1515, the anti-discrimination bill. The bill failed by a single vote during the last session, when as Senate minority leader, Finkbeiner and the entire Republican caucus voted nay.

If true, this would be a huge victory for gay rights in WA state. And if Finkbeiner votes his conscience, I’d expect to see at least one or two other Republican senators switch their votes as well.

UPDATE:
Ooops. Apparently, Progressive Majority beat me to the story.

I’ve just sent the following email to Seattle City Council President Jan Drago, officially putting my name into consideration for appointment to the seat being vacated by Councilman Jim Compton. Hmm. Re-reading it, I wonder if some of my prose was a tad indelicate? Aww, what the hell.

Dear Council President Drago,

As a woman of color I would add much needed diversity of experience and perspective to the Seattle City Council… that is, if I was a woman of color. Unfortunately, I’m just some middle aged Jewish guy… but then, you don’t have too many of those either, so I might as well offer my name anyway for consideration to fill the seat vacated by Councilman Jim Compton.

No doubt I would be a controversial choice. After all, I’ve never campaigned for office, I’ve never run a large, complex organization, and… well… as a blogger and four-letter-word aficionado I have produced a long and provocative paper trail of occasionally impolitic political commentary. (You know, like the time I told the Republican Governors Association to “eat me.”) But given the opportunity to serve on the Council I am confident you will find me thoughtful, intelligent, and respectful… and I promise never to use the words “fuck”, “shit”, “prick”, or “asshole” during Council meetings or in official communications such as this.

Now I know what you’re thinking: “Here’s a guy who wants to be appointed to the Seattle City Council, and yet, he just used the words ‘fuck’, ‘shit’, ‘prick’, and ‘asshole’… twice!” But please do not mistake my lack of solemnity for a lack of seriousness. In the unlikely event I receive the appointment, you will not find a more passionate, dedicated, hard-working member of your august body, and there will not be a substantive issue on which I do not obtain near encyclopedic expertise.

As an Ivy League educated generalist, the co-author of an Off-Broadway musical flop, and a self-taught software developer, I would bring to the Council a sharply analytical mind, well accustomed to quickly overcoming learning curves in a variety of disciplines. As both an entrepreneur and a progressive activist I am sensitive to the awkward balance the Council must sometimes strike between the legitimate needs of the business community and the moral obligations and utilitarian reality of our social contract. As a resident of South Seattle I am intimately familiar with the oft overlooked needs of our city’s neighborhoods, yet as a native Philadelphian and former New Yorker you will not find a stronger proponent of maintaining and promoting the urban downtown as a vibrant and thriving economic and cultural center.

But of course, most people are familiar with me as a progressive blogger and political provocateur, and I would bring that experience to the Council as well… experience that I believe would greatly benefit you and your colleagues. I have a passion for wonkishly wrapping my mind around complex policy issues in a search of creative solutions, but I also have a knack for summarizing and communicating these issues to the general public… a knack which sadly, the Council often seems to lack.

I imagine council members are often frustrated by criticism in the press (and on the blogs) that seems to misinterpret your decisions and actions. Well, that’s the Council’s fault. I would bring to the Council media savvy and a unique sense of showmanship that could be harnessed to communicate complex issues, and I would be happy to leverage my reputation for frankness and lack of personal political ambition to deflect criticism on controversial decisions. While I have earned a surprising degree of credibility with the local press corps, I must admit that I do have a handful of inconsequential detractors. (The Seattle Times editorial board comes to mind.) But think of this as a plus: just imagine Frank Blethen’s jaw dropping to the floor when you announce my appointment… it’s worth it just for that.

In drawing to a close, you may notice that the one thing I have not talked about are issues. Well, as a 14-year Seattle resident and the father of a child in the Seattle Public Schools, my issues are the same as those of most citizens: good schools, safe neighborhoods, clean streets, adequate transportation infrastructure, an attractive business environment, affordable housing, living wages, access to health care, and all the other essential services we expect from a functioning city government. It would be foolish to prioritize an agenda for what amounts to a ten-month term; rather, I am realistic enough to understand that whoever is picked to fill this seat must be focused on getting up to speed on an agenda that has already been set by current council members and circumstance. I am up to that task, and would relish the opportunity to make the Council stronger by contributing the passion and creativity only a political outsider like myself can bring to the job.

Finally, let me assure you that should I be given the honor of serving the citizens of Seattle, that ethics, collegiality, and professional courtesy would bar me from blogging critically about you and my fellow council members. Now I’m not saying that should I not be appointed to the Council, that you would suddenly become a primary target of my unique brand of muckraking journalism and blistering prose… but, well… you know… all bets are off.

Thank you for your time, and for considering this application in the spirit in which it is intended.

Sincerely,

David Goldstein
HorsesAss.org

Think I’ll get it? I could certainly use the money.

The latest Rasmussen Reports election poll shows Sen. Maria Cantwell holding a 15 point lead over putative GOP challenger Mike McGavick for the third straight month, 51% to 36%. Cantwell’s job approval rating is a comfortable 58%.

It is also interesting to note that Gov. Christine Gregoire’s job approval rating continues to climb, now standing at 55%. Come 2008 it looks like she’ll hold all the traditional advantages of incumbency.

Oh my God… Seattle P-I capitol correspondent Chris McGann totally sticks it to the grandstanding idiots leading the GOP caucus:

Republican leaders vowed Thursday to protect family farms from the ravages of Washington’s estate tax as they set their sights on killing the so-called death tax.

But they overlooked one important detail — farms are exempt from the estate tax.

You gotta read this piece… it’s hysterical. And keep in mind, that McGann is a reporter, not a columnist — if it sounds like he’s editorializing, well, how could it not sound that way when the Republican leadership is so totally and utterly clueless?

The revised estate tax passed last year exempts the entire value of all agricultural land and equipment… in addition to a $2 million exemption on other assets.

That fact was all but lost in the fanfare as Republicans in the House and Senate joined forces to promote their agenda for the coming Legislative session, a “contract with the State of Washington,” designed to restore trust in government and improve the quality of life.

Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, said the estate tax would be a top priority because it’s particularly hard on agribusiness.

“Their land is worth so much money,” he said.

Um… it’s an unlimited deduction. According to Department of Revenue Spokesman Mike Gowrylow, not a single family farm will be lost to the estate tax.

Nonetheless, Rep. Mike Armstrong, R-Wenatchee, called the effect of the estate tax on family farms “an atrocity.”

“When you look at farms and you see the amount of property that it takes to farm and the amount of equipment and storage facilities it takes to farm, it adds up pretty quick,” Armstrong said.

It’s an unlimited deduction!

Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, said growers and producers who fuel the state’s largest industry are “hammered by the high cost of government programs that create obstacles.

“Taxes are literally eating up our family farms,” he said.

What part of “UNLIMITED DEDUCTION” don’t these guys understand? Did they even bother to read last year’s bill before they voted against it? Um… apparently, no:

When asked if they had overlooked the farm exemption — the Republican panel was stymied.

“I think (the exemption) was based around maybe hobby farms, not necessarily large-scale farms,” said House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis. “I haven’t seen any language that would help any of the farmers in my district.”

Hey Richard… try reading the fucking bill! That’s what we pay you for, isn’t it?

Well, at least one of the R’s showed a touch of political savvy.

Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, changed the subject.

Hmm. “Angry Ed” sounds like he could be one of our trolls.

Quite frankly, I’m stunned. Either the state GOP has elected an amazingly stupid, misinformed, and lazy leadership team — even by Republican standards — or they are simply all a bunch of conscienceless, bald faced liars. And if McGann sounded a bit snide and disrespectful in the way he covered this pathetic performance, it’s because the GOP leaders disrespected him and his fellow journalists by treating them as if they were as stupid as the R’s apparently believe voters to be.

If this is the GOP’s idea of restoring trust in government, it’s gonna be a long time coming.

UPDATE:
In the thread, reader Proud to be an Ass comments on the GOP’s “sheer mendacity.”

This event should be the subject of op-ed pieces from now till November.

Absolutely.

The news media should understand… they totally dissed you. The GOP caucus leaders apparently have so little respect for the Olympia press corps that they didn’t even bother tasking a staffer with fact checking their bullshit rhetoric before calling a press event. (Or, they simply lied.)

How can the Republican leadership be trusted to set the state’s agenda when they can’t even be trusted to explain to the public exactly what their agenda is?

According to an inside source, another Alaska Airlines jetliner was hit and damaged by ground crews today at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Unlike last week’s hit-and-run that resulted in a nearly catastrophic decompression at 26,000 feet, this incident was properly reported and the aircraft was taken out of service. Airline officials have yet to respond to my inquiries.

Well… um… I suppose it’s good news that the low-bid, contractors Alaska hired to replace their union baggage handlers last May actually reported this incident. Now if only Alaska can teach them to stop driving into their airplanes.

UPDATE:
Well, I suppose I owe the low-bid contractors an apology. They didn’t drive the baggage truck into the airplane. They towed the airplane into the baggage truck.

It was the second such incident by an employee of Menzies Aviation in 10 days. Passengers were boarding the 737-700 about 11:30 a.m. for Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport when the plane was moved by a tow tug, causing the jet to strike a baggage loading machine and the open passenger door to hit the jetway.
…
A spokeswoman for Alaska Airlines said the tow truck, operated by an employee of Menzies Aviation, accidentally pulled the plane forward about three feet. That means the tow truck would have been put into reverse.

Well, that makes me feel much better. Next time I fly Alaska I’ll just have to remember to quickly leap from the jetway into the airplane, just in case they move the plane as I’m trying to board it.

State Sen. Adam Kline (representing my 37th LD) has a great guest column in today’s Seattle P-I, ripping Tim Eyman a new one:

Uh-oh. Hold onto your wallets, folks. Tim Eyman is back.

That’s right, the professional initiative salesman, who secretly pocketed hundreds of thousands in campaign contributions, began his most recent screed (“2006 initiative: Save our $30 tabs,” Dec. 29) by stating that nobody trusts politicians. The veteran of umpteen initiative campaigns proceeded to attack politicians for allowing additional fees for vehicle registration. No mention, of course, that the fees are still there because he failed to eliminate them in the drafting of his own initiative, which he falsely advertised as the “$30 Tab Initiative.” Talk about truth in advertising.! He could have fixed it again with Initiative 776, which he dubbed “$30 Car Tabs for Everyone.” But he didn’t. He blew it, not once but twice, and now he blames it on “politicians.”

To quote Eyman: “The arrogance is overwhelming.”

It should also be noted that Eyman’s scandals have finally caught up with him, at least in terms of his so-called “grass roots” support. Of the $593,000 he raised for Initiative 900, over $514,000 can from a single source: investment banker Michael Dunmire of Woodinville. All it takes to qualify for the ballot is a half million dollars worth of paid signatures, and with a deep pocketed sugar daddy like Dunmire, Eyman is virtually assured ballot access. But that won’t mean his latest $30 car tab initiative has popular support.

Indeed, in the wake of I-912’s resounding defeat, targeting the other third of the funding for the state transportation package doesn’t sound like such a sure thing to me. I just hope the business community puts up the money to help kill Eyman’s latest folly, putting a fork in his dying initiative career.

Um, I’m guessing Sharon’s stroke was most likely due to the fact that he was a bitter, old, fat tub-o-lard… but hateful televangelist Pat Robertson insists it was the Lord’s work:

“He was dividing God’s land, and I would say woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU, the United Nations or United States of America.”

Media Matters has a transcript and video clip of Pat Robertson once again threatening divine retribution against anybody who disagrees with the right-wing political agenda. Robertson goes on to suggest that Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination was also an act of God.

What a prick.

Bellevue attorney Randy Gordon has dropped his bid for the Democratic nomination to challenge first-term Rep. Dave Reichert in WA’s 8th Congressional District. This leaves Darcy Burner as the only declared challenger.

While Gordon struggled to raise money, by all accounts Burner has exceeded targets set for her by the DCCC, Emily’s List and other potential big donors, and surely, her fundraising advantage must have played into Gordon’s decision to withdraw. In prior conversations, Gordon had assured me that should he drop out, he would actively support the eventual nominee, and thus I expect he will eventually endorse Burner.

In a letter to supporters Gordon said that he would “consider other elective positions.” I was unable to get ahold of Gordon for comment, but when I asked Progressive Majority’s Dean Nielsen for his take on the prospect, he was quick to respond:

“Randy’s a great guy, a great candidate and should really consider running for the state house.”

Run for the state house? Hmm. I believe Gordon lives in the 41st Legislative District, home of my favorite Republican, state Rep. Fred Jarrett. Jarrett is pro-choice, pro-environment and a just plain reasonable, thoughtful guy — I like to think of him as a Democrat with an “R” next to his name. Indeed, House Speaker Frank Chopp has been trying to get him to switch parties for years, but Jarrett refuses to leave a GOP that left his fellow suburban moderates long ago. No doubt Gordon would garner enthusiastic support from Chopp and Labor, both eager to put another progressive in the Democratic caucus… and it certainly would be fun watching the righties being forced to grit their teeth and spend scarce resources defending a moderate R.

Yeah, it’s kinda too bad to see one of the good Republicans targeted, but as was recently explained to me by somebody wiser in the ways of electoral politics, it’s always the moderates who are first to go in any legislative body. Why? Well, the reason they are moderate is that they usually represent districts where the other side holds an electoral advantage… a scenario certainly true of Jarrett and the 41st LD, which has grown increasingly blue over the past decade.

Personally, I like Jarrett. But I also like Gordon, and think he’d be an excellent campaigner and a great addition to the Democratic caucus. The 41st is a Democratic district, and it’s time we have a Democrat in Jarrett’s seat.

So, if Jarrett wants to avoid the toughest reelection fight of his career, it’s time to give in to reality and switch parties… and with the new legislative session about to begin, now is the time to do it.

Word is that Okanogan County rancher and former WA Dept. of Agriculture Director Peter Goldmark has decided not to challenge first term Rep. Cathy McMorris in the 5th Congressional District. Too bad. Goldmark is exactly the kind of Democrat we need running in Eastern Washington.

More candidate news brewing….

Snohomish County is the latest WA county to move to all mail-in elections.

In a 3-2 split, Democrat county Councilmen Kirke Sievers, Dave Gossett and Dave Somers this morning outvoted Republican Councilmen Gary Nelson and John Koster.
…
The council made the move to avoid a state mandate to purchase machines to provide a paper audit trail for those who voted at the polls. That would have cost $860,000, plus ongoing storage costs.

Like King County, Snohomish will set up regional dropoff points on election day where voters can deposit their ballots in person. 35 of the state’s 39 counties have either switched to all mail-in voting, or have announced plans to do so.

On a related note, King County Elections has posted a PDF of the Election Center Report evaluating their performance during the November, 2005 election. It’s really detailed, so I haven’t had time to more than skim it, but it’s certainly far from the “shoddy” effort alleged by some OCD bloggers on the right.

The West Virginia mine tragedy, in which 12 of 13 trapped miners are now confirmed dead, reminds us that throughout the nation, and throughout our history, it is an army of anonymous laborers — not highly paid and celebrated corporate executives — who daily put life and limb at risk to keep our economy running.

While much will be written (after the fact) about the long record of safety violations at the Sago Mine, workers at even the best run mines know that they put their health and safety at risk each time they descend the shaft. The same is true in dozens of other industries and professions, from police and firefighters to commercial fishing to the pesticide laden fields of America’s farm belt.

In recent years the right has stepped up its withering attacks on organized labor, even as the union movement has continued to decline in size and influence, but it should be remembered that workers are only as safe as they are today due to decades of management’s grudging concessions to union demands, and the state and federal regulation that has resulted from union lobbying. When Republicans attack organized labor they are attacking the welfare of workers like the 12 miners who died providing the fuel that runs our factories and power plants.

I don’t want to overly politicize this tragedy, but the next time the anti-union rhetoric flies I hope we all remember who these unions represent, and the sacrifices these workers make every day.

State Sen. Bill Finkbeiner’s reelection prospects just got tougher today, when software engineer and activist Eric Oemig declared his bid for the 45th District Senate seat. In announcing his candidacy Oemig hit on themes which should resonate well in the increasingly Democratic Eastside district.

“Our district needs a leader who focuses on the basics. We need to solve problems in education. We can improve the financial health of our families and our businesses by making health care affordable. Everyone saves money when we waste less time in traffic,” said Oemig. “Our tax dollars should be spent on programs that return more value to families and businesses than we pay in.”

I first met Eric as a fellow classmate in the candidate training track at last year’s Camp Wellstone… and Finkbeiner should be worried. Eric is everything you want in a candidate: he’s smart, passionate, energetic, and personable. And after a career solving problems and creating efficiencies for high-tech companies like Microsoft, he has the personal wealth and freedom to devote to full-time campaigning. This is one Democratic candidate who most definitely will not be outspent.

Eric is also unquestionably progressive, but with a real-world business perspective that 45th District voters should find appealing.

“Bill Finkbeiner has been in Olympia since he graduated from college. Our district wants new leadership. We have things that need to get done. Finkbeiner spends his time flip-flopping trying to appease the right wing of his party instead of addressing the needs of the district,” added Eric Oemig.

“I worked in the private sector to eliminate inefficiencies. I will work to bring that same attention to fiscal accountability to state government. More importantly, I have the integrity to make sure people know how I will vote on key issues,” said Oemig.

Finkbeiner, who recently resigned as Senate minority leader, is being stretched between a GOP leadership that’s moving ever further to the right and his own constituents who are growing ever more moderate. Last year he held party unity in defeating the anti-discrimination HB 1515 by a single vote. This year, all eyes will be on Finkbeiner to see if breaks rank with his party and votes for the bill… just as he did when he was a Democrat in the state House.

For his part, Eric is unequivocal:

“Let me be clear,” said Oemig, “I will be happy to cast the deciding vote to ban this discrimination.”

That’s the type of strong statement that will play well with voters, when compared to a flip-flopping career politician like Finkbeiner.

This is going to be one of the mostly hotly contested races in the state Senate this year… unless Finkbeiner, finally facing a well-financed, well-equipped challenger, decides to drop out.