The 31st officially became the stupidest, most pathetic and most completely dysfunctional legislative district in Washington state yesterday, as three “prominent” Democrats (you know, about as prominent as a Democrat can be in cousin-marryin’ country) issued a press release announcing their endorsement of too-crazy-even-for-the-Republican-caucus state Sen. Pam Roach. Really.
So what prompted Yvonne Ward, Karen Willard and state Rep. Chris Hurst to make such a “painful and necessary” decision? Well, Sen. Roach may in fact be a gun-toting, mouth-foaming, flower-avenging wingnut, but unlike her general election challenger, fellow Republican Matt Richardson, at least she doesn’t, um, “sexually assault” young girls.
You know… allegedly. The Tacoma News Tribune felt too “uncomfortable” to repeat the Democrats’ charges, but lacking an attorney on retainer to advise me otherwise, I have no qualms about reporting the public statement of an elected official:
After carefully reviewing the extensive documentation relating to the criminal behavior of Matt Richardson extending back many years, we conclude that if he were elected to the Washington State Senate, the safety of children would be at risk. Matt Richardson was charged with sexually assaulting two young girls over multiple years. He pled guilty to the charges. He then engaged in a pattern of seeking positions in schools with young children while hiding his history.
According to a criminal Affidavit of Probable Cause, Matt Richardson engaged in a persistent, ongoing sexual assault of two young girls. After this incident, he engaged in inappropriate behavior in public school classrooms. That pattern should stop at the steps of our Capitol.
Um… ya think? Finally, an issue on which Rep. Hurst and I can wholeheartedly agree.
Democratic State Representative Christopher Hurst, when faced with the prospect of a child molester in the State Capitol stated: “Spirited political debate is a healthy process in our system of self-government. However, there are times when a moral imperative becomes so great that it is necessary to set aside partisan differences in the interest of public safety. This is one of those times.”
It certainly is. Though it’s a kinda ironic sentiment coming from a self-proclaimed “Independent Democrat” who tends to side more with Republican legislators than with his own caucus. Still, I think we can all join Rep. Hurst in his bold stance against electing child molesters to the Legislature.
As for Ward, who has long opposed Sen. Roach, and whose campaign for Roach’s seat I aggressively plugged here on HA in 2006, well, it’s hard to argue with her logic:
“I disagree with her on so many policy issues. But given the choice between a conservative Republican, and a conservative Republican with a history of sexual assaults against children, Pam Roach gets my vote.”
Hmm. Perhaps that should be Roach’s new campaign slogan. I can see the yard signs now.
Via email, Ward added that “painful” is too much of an understatement to describe her decision to endorse Roach; “torturous” would be more apt.
“Roach is like a cat with nine lives. Just when the stars seem to align so she can be ousted, her opponent turns out to be a child molester. Amazing.”
Yeah, I guess. But Richardson’s sexual assault conviction and classroom firing were public records, both of which have been previously reported in the press (so I’m not sure what’s provoked the TNT’s sudden disquietude), thus the bigger question here is… could the 31st LD Dems be any more incompetent?
I mean, when the Republicans put up a child molester and Pam Fucking Roach for chrisakes, the Dems might want to look at this as an opportunity to lock themselves in a room until they can agree to unite around a single Democrat, instead of suicidally splitting themselves between Ron Weigelt and Raymond Bunk the way they did. And then, once you settle on a Democratic challenger, you do a little goddamn opposition research and get this treasure trove of Richardson related muck to nasty-ass partisan bloggers like me weeks before the August top-two primary, instead of emailing me a press release weeks after.
Sen. Roach may be a shooting rampage waiting to happen, but at least she knows how to win a fucking election by cutting her opponents legs off at the knees and then sucking the marrow from his bloody stumps. Um, metaphorically.
And that’s a lesson the 31st LD Dems might want to learn if they ever want to send another Democrat to Olympia.
Oh man, that’s funny.
What would be the process for initiating a recall campaign against whichever of these wingnuts gets elected?
Wow nice people who feel “called to serve” as Republicans.
Too fucking painful. Pam Fucking Roach is the best candidate for the position. Unbelievable.
Enthusiasm gap explained.
Another wingnut sociopath? Yawn!
heh- The “Kitty, Kitty” page is a laugh riot!
http://electmattrichardson.com/Kitty_Kitty.html
If we’re going to have wingnuts in the Legislature, better to have them in the Republican caucus than the Democratic.
Wow, the Republicans in eastern Pierce Couny are really putting their best foot foreward this year.
You can oppose the molester w/o endorsing teh crzy lady.
The Trib probably thinks he’s a thoughtful young man…
Duh, okay Goldy, you want me to look over here at the 31st legislative district, a nothing district that is mostly forestland, and not pay attention to how the politicians you told me to vote for are doing … duh, okay, I’ll let you distract me from how your party is fucking up.
Sad thing is, Matt’s just another Republican perv destined for the wingnut Hall of Shame,
http://www.republicanoffenders.com/Pedophiles.html
I’m only surprised now when a wingnut hasn’t been outed as a perv. And in those few remaining cases I figure that they just haven’t been caught yet.
On a serious note, a prayer for his victims. I pray that what appears now to be lasting damage to them someday heals and that they can live normal lives again.
Has Herr Zeiger, in the next-door 25th, endorsed a 31st-Senate candidate?
The old strategy used to be that if you had damaging info on someone from the opposing party, you held it until after the primary. Why do the other party any favors – if you are really lucky, they will get the party nomination and THEN you can unload the info to the press, pretty much insuring that you can win the election.
I’m sure the Democratic candidates figured that incumbent Pam Roach would probably win the primary anyway, and one of the Democratic candidates would come in second. They apparantly just didn’t anticipate that two Republicans would come in the top two spots.
The top-two system, along with all-mail balloting, is really causing the old-timers some headaches. It changes all the rules which they thought were established dogma. In this case, if they had unloaded the damaging info on Matt Richardson prior to the primary, they had a better shot that at least one Democrat would make it to the general election.
But it’s not only the Democrat’s fault. Where was the Tacoma News-Tribune, and for that matter the Seattle Times (which proclaims to be THE regional news source), before the primary? If it’s part of an easily collectable public records, not to mention published articles, you would have thought that at least one reporter would have noticed this by virtue of a court records check (easily available via the internet), or simply a Google search?
It just goes to show how little local reporting is really done anymore. If it’s not already on the AP wire, or in a news release by an affected party, the print media usually doesn’t bother to investigate or report it.
Kinda makes me want to listen to Aqua Lung again.
This says a lot about the lunacy of the “top two” primary system, the voters in the 31st, and the real lack of even a glimmer of political savvy of the local dems…I mean really, you’re in an uphill battle anyway and you STILL divide your forces? Sheer ‘effing genius.
Another bitter fruit of the alleged “advantages” of “non-partisanship”. Wake up peoples.
Perhaps drinking all that septic tainted water from lake tapps does queer things to the brain.
no coke. pepsi.
“….I mean really, you’re in an uphill battle anyway and you STILL divide your forces?”
Well, it worked for Lee at Chancellorsville. He divided his understrength force TWICE, and still won the battle rather convincingly.
But nobody said that the local Democrats have the strategic genious of Robert E. Lee. For that matter, very few military men in history were possessed with his talents – before, during, or after the Civil War.
Who put a gun to the heads of these three and forced them to endorse anybody?
As for Pam Roach, she’s almost as bad as her opponent. She knew Jim West was a pervert years before he was accused of molesting teenage boys. Roach said that he had made rude sexual comments about her son on the floor of the House but never told anyone until West was publicly accused years later.
How about, you know, NOT endorsing any of the candidates? Did the geniuses down in the 31st ever think of that?
If ever there was a time for a write-in campaign to elect “Nobody”. Having nobody at all in the position is better than either of those clowns. Or maybe subsitute that answers the floor roll call and say.
“The 31st District passes. Catch us in 4 years after we’ve gotten a clue and a real legislator.”
The intesting point is that they continue to get Chris Hurst elected in an area the elects Dave Reichert, Pam Roach and however runs for the other Leg spot.
“Pam Roach — at least she’s better than the child molester!”
Heck, I’ll say it–Dave Reichert is better than a child molester too! Barely.
I have to say- Pam roach may be different, and yes there are many beliefs of hers I don’t share, but name any other Republicans- besides Tom Campbell- who have ever cast a vote for working families and labor? Pam has done that,including the 25th vote on big issues against her caucus, more than once. The comment about Jum West is a cheap shot- she was the one voice trying to get information about him to the public. Its one of the reasons her caucus hates her so much.
Politics sure makes strange bedfellows- but I would say that Pam is an easy choice in this race this year.
I’m just happy that the 41st is no longer “the stupidest, most pathetic and most completely dysfunctional legislative district”
I guess I am supposed to assume Pam Roach isn’t a child molester.
I like watching tvw when Pam Roach speaks in a group or on the floor, and the still air, frozen with anticipation that she is going to be a complete bitch, they just don’t know about what.
too funny…goldy talks about “cousin-marryin country”
hey goldfarb, have you looked around that shithole you call home- the rainier valley?
talk about a giant puss-filled POS area – hell, I wont even drive through that gang infested dung heap…but hey, its “diverse”..LMFAO..that seems to be a codeword for “shitty area ahead, keep driving”.
you gonna send your kid to Rainier Beach? HAHAHHAHAH..sure you are…
JHC on a pogo-stick, that’s some serious stoopid.
I’d like to think that the 31st D’s aren’t actually D’s at all but some Repub mole operation, but that’s wishful thinking.
That or Pam Roach really does have a pact with the Lords of Darkness.
“She knows how to win an election by cutting her opponents legs off at the knees and then sucking the marrow from his bloody stumps.”
I may put this on the back of my card!
One comment though. I certainly did try to draw my “leadership’s” attention to West in the case of his comment to me about the page….right after it happened! They decide who they will protect. And, they decide who they will vilify without cause. There is no “meet your accusors” going on in the caucus.
They protected West on many occasions.
Roach @ # 31:
Will you also put in the quote about having “a pact with the Lords of Darkness”????
Actually, the funnest thing about any of this is that people would rather vote for a child molesting Republican then a democrat.
What’s that say about how bad the leftist suck these days, and how much of a train wreck democrats are generally?
Roach POWNS you people. A little introspection might be useful if you ever want to climb out of the leftist political cess pool…. like, gee… I wonder why the majority of people despise us?
You can blame “Independent Democrat” Chris Hurst for screwing this one up. Ron Weigelt had been campaigning for months until Chris decided to flex his (barely visible) muscles and try to get his cop buddy elected. Nice job Chris. Why didn’t the 3 amigo’s of the 31st just not endorse anyone? Apparently a crazy, mean, selfish, sociopath, who loves to abuse staff is a-ok in their book. Anyone is luckier than those of us who live in the 31st.