It ain’t much fun being a Republican these days, which explains Republican KCPAO candidate Dan Satterberg’s attempt to shroud himself in non-partisanship. But in an electoral system where political money seems to gain more First Amendment protections than political speech, the money speaks loud and clear.
A quick peek at the latest PDC filings shows Satterberg the happy recipient of $10,742 of in-kind contributions from the Washington State Republican Party, and $23,400 from the King County Republican Central Committee — most of it in the last two weeks. If Satterberg isn’t a loyal Republican, he’s certainly fooled the GOP.
Satterberg also received (and then gave back) contributions totaling $770 from KCRCC vice-chair Lori Sotelo (she of bogus voter registration challenge fame,) whose short list of contributions this cycle consists entirely of fellow elephants: the WSRP, the KCRCC, Jane Hague, and nominally non-partisan but obviously-Republican Mercer Island city council candidates Steve Litzow and Mike Cero.
In fleeing his party identification, Satterberg has repeatedly said that he would push to make the Prosecutor’s office officially non-partisan, but that would be as big a lie as his current campaign. There are plenty of “non-partisan” races in the region, and in almost every case, we know exactly who the Democratic and Republican candidates are… indeed, the only races Republicans seem to be able to win these days are the “non-partisan” ones. That’s why in addition to giving to Satterberg, the WSRP has also given identical $10,742 contributions to Republicans Bill Bryant and Bob Edwards in their supposedly non-partisan Seattle Port Commission races, while Sotelo recently gave Bryant a $1000 last minute contribution.
State and local party organizations are not in the habit of giving money to non-partisans or independents or whatever it is Satterberg fancies himself these days. The Republican Party is investing tens of thousands of dollars in Dan Satterberg because they expect his election to pay off dividends down the road. And if elected, it will.
Hey, Goldy, did you receive that
EdwardsMichael Grossman hitpiece mailer?As Gael Tarleton noted the other day, the state Supreme Court did rule recently that it’s OK for campaigns to lie. When a Republican tries to tie a Democrat to Dubya, though, is lie a strong enough word?
Funny how all the Republicans want to run as ABRs.* Their brand name isn’t doing so well in the marketplace of ideas.
* Anything but Republican.
@1 Now THAT’S funny! The new GOP playbook is: Pretend to be a Democrat, and accuse your [Democratic] opponent of being a Republican! You gotta admit these guys have some humor (albeit in a sick, twisted way).
Wingnut Stalks Professor Running For Congress
“By DAVID EGGERT,AP
“MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (Oct. 25) – A politically conservative student armed with a video camera and a Web site is trying to force a Democratic congressional candidate out of his teaching job at Central Michigan University.
“Dennis Lennox, a 23-year-old junior, has posted videos on YouTube of himself questioning assistant professor Gary Peters about campaigning for office while holding a prestigious position at the university. ‘What I’m doing isn’t about getting media attention,’ said Lennox …. ‘I’m speaking for the hundreds of students, alumni, taxpayers and even legislators who have complained because Gary Peters won’t pick between Congress and campus.’ …
“Peters, 48, is seeking the Democratic nomination to face Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg in Oakland County, one of the top congressional targets for Democrats nationally in 2008. …
“Lennox … insists that he isn’t targeting Peters because he’s a Democrat. But some see it differently. ‘Basically, he’s just an extreme partisan. Anybody that’s a Democrat, he’s going to try to get at,’ said fellow political science major Eric Schulz.
“Lennox’s … tactics have generated complaints. Both Lennox and college Dean Pamela Gates filed police complaints against each other after Lennox requested Peters’ e-mails under the Freedom of Information Act. At one point … Gates it seen gesturing into the camera at close range, and … Lennox is heard saying, ‘Don’t touch my camera’ ….
“Lennox said he started videotaping Gates after she refused to take the request and ordered him out of her office. ‘She accosted, assaulted and battered me,’ Lennox said. ‘Whether you’re a liberal or conservative, we all have to live and play by the same rules. I seemed to learn something in first grade that you keep your hands to yourself.’ …
“[T]he university is investigating the incident. But spokesman Steve Smith said that ‘people get very uncomfortable when a camera is shoved in their face. Employees and students have a reasonable expectation to privacy.’
“When the school told Lennox he couldn’t record employees or students without their permission, he filed a censorship complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union, which is reviewing it.”
Quoted under fair use; for complete story and/or copyright info see http://news.aol.com/story/_a/s.....0000000001
Roger Rabbit Commentary: What a prick! If someone thrust a video camera in my face, I’d shove it up his ass too! The article states Peters’ teaching position is funded with private grants, so there’s no taxpayer money involved, but that’s irrelevant. JCH is a nazi. Lennox’s absurd idea that people who work for public institutions or agencies can’t run for public office would mean … well … it would mean that Bush couldn’t run for re-election in 2004 because he was on the public payroll. RThis kid is just another rightwing punk behaving like a Nazi. Someone should remove that chip from his shoulder and pick the lint out of his bellybutton with it!
Didja notice how, after the Dean kicked his ass out of her office, the wingnut punk went crying to the ACLU for FREE LEGAL HELP?
They hate the ACLU until they want a free lawyer … then, they’re first in line. Fucking hypocrites.
It’s a partisan race. You somehow expect Satterberg to accept nothing from his party while what’s-his-face gets all the help he can muster.
Distancing himself from the GOP isn’t a crime, it’s a good stategy in this yellow dog town. Y’all aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer and voting a straight D ticket is pretty easy for those with a room temperature IQ. (I’m sure it’s a lot harder for most of you to remember the alphabet clear down to R.)
I mean, if Ron and Dean were doing 5-10 in Walla Walla for vote fraud, you might have a cause to worry about a Republican in the PAO. Meleng put himself above the fray and Satterberg will likely follow. Secretly, I’m sure a lot of Democrats will vote for Satterberg just to keep the icky people away. You know…criminals.
@7 “It’s a partisan race.”
Bingo. Voters have a RIGHT to know Satterberg is a Republican — and a partisan one at that, who hasn’t hesitated in the past to use the PAO to further his party’s partisan goals. So why is he trying to hide his partisan agenda from the voters? It’s deceptive.
Interesting definition of “distancing” there, Delbert.
If $34K in late-in-the-campaign contributions is “distancing”, how many bucks would it take to “embrace”?
Where are OUR leading DEMOCRATIC officials in the high profile races this year? The REPUBLICANS are at least backing their own — Dan Satterberg for Prosecuting Attorney, Jane Hague for County Council, and Bob Edwards and Bill Bryant for Port of Seattle Commission.
What is DEMOCRATIC County Executive Ron Sims doing this year? He has stayed officially neutral in the Prosecuting Attorney race, but made sympathetic statements for Satterberg. Sims is actually endorsing Republican Bob Edwards. Sims doesn’t seem to have taken any position for the County Council race or the other Port of Seattle race, but he certainly isn’t endorsing the Democratic candidates in either of those two races.
What is DEMOCRATIC Governor Christine Gregoire doing this year? Gregoire isn’t backing the Democratic candidates in any of these four races. Her personal lawyer — Democratic bigwig Jenny Durkan — is endorsing Satterberg. Two years ago, Gregoire did back a Port of Seattle candidate — incumbent Pat Davis (who was also backed by Hague, Rob McKenna, and Slade Gorton, and who narrowly defeated Democrat Jack Jolley).
You can bet that Satterberg, Hague, Edwards and Bryant will be strongly supporting fellow REPUBLICAN Dino Rossi for Governor next year — especially if, as expected, they are elected or re-elected two weeks from now. And Rossi seems to be doing his part to promote these four Republicans in this November’s election.
Gregoire only won by 133 votes in the 2004 election, and polls have consistently shown her approval and re-elect numbers in the 50% range — give or take a few percent either way. Can Gregoire really afford to blow off the ENTIRE DEMOCRATIC TICKET this year in the state’s largest and most Democratic county? Was her margin of victory so overwhelming four years ago, that Gregoire can afford to allow Republicans to keep a 60 year stranglehold on the prosecutor’s office, obtain a solid GOP majority on the port commission, and even hold on to a solidly blue county council district?
“in an electoral system where political money seems to gain more First Amendment protections than political speech, the money speaks loud and clear”
As the saying goes, money doesn’t talk, it screams obscenities.
N @1, I’m sure you are aware, Edwards’ mailer is typical of the type of work Michael Grossman does for candidates(always negative). Just look the smarmy mailers Grossman did for Della. Check out this article about Grossman http://www.hartwilliams.com/ava/ava0106.htm
Hey Goldy–maybe you can ask Della why he is the only Seattle City Council candidate who accepted a campaign contribution from Lori Sotelo.
Although this is a partisan race, Satterberg is the only candidate that is supporting the change from partisan to non-partisan if elected. Most people that work in the public sector criminal/civil world agree that the Prosecutor should NOT be partisan. Goldy has stated that Satterberg’s non-partisan meme is bullshit, but he is really clueless about the PAO. If only he would listen to the many prosecutors that have posted on this blog, but it’s clear that when he sees an R nothing else matters.
If Sherman is elected, you may see some changes but they won’t be for the good of King County. He is full of good sound bites, but most don’t mean anything. With limited resources in government these days, the PAO already invests where it should – in the most vulnerable. Sure, Sherman’s quest for an environmental unit sounds good, but in reality it’s a waste of resources. PAO does not investigate environmental crimes, so who will? Most environmental crimes are out of the PAO’s jursidiction. I personally would rather my KC tax $$ go to prosecuting violent crimes and let the Feds or State attorney’s deal with the environment.
Oh yes, Alcina, I know that’s a portion of the Grossman oeuvre. He’s a real piece of
shitwork, isn’t he?I’m sure Rove or Luntz or whoever is the monster mastermind of GOP hate-advertising has their eye on the schmuck. He’d fit right in.
Obviously there are a few people in high places in our state that do not understand Republiconvicts, crime, or insanity.
Any Democrat that does not endorse ALL Democrats belongs out in the cold without a penny from me, or my party.
Christine, fire your fuc*ing lawyer. If she can’t see how much damage the Republicon Crime Family has done to our country, she doesn’t belong on your payroll, but rather in a straight jacket. Unless of course she supports more, and more, and more political prosecutions by Republiconvict Prosecutors. Is she an idiot? Retarded? A traitor?
Christine, fire that witch. Now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ron, I never thought you were that stupid. Until the Republiconvicts stop supporting their NAZI agenda, they are to be viewed as America’s enemy #1. Wake up Sims. Smell the fuc*ing corpses. Count the fuc*ing corpses.
Any Republiconvict not speaking out, trying to change their party is truly evil to the core, and belongs in the private sector, not in government.
To even call yourself a Republicon these days is grounds for insanity. To endorse one is and act of insanity. If you don’t believe me, see Alberto Gonzales, Scooter Libby, and Dick Cheney. Don’t even think about the lying chimp.
The word Republican makes any “Real” American sick to their stomach. Their drive to turn America into a NAZI state, with a fuhrer Bush almost succeeded. Luckily a few real Americans figured it out right before the ’06 elections.
Remember, Al Queda is not in Iran either………. Bastards.
Creating corpses is the only thing Republiconvicts do well.
Alcina @12,
Different Lori Sotelo.
Goldy @ 17
Same Lori Sotelo. That is the business address for Lori Sotelo and Mike Sotelo at 130 Nickerson Street, # 305, Seattle:
http://www.approachms.com/default.asp
David Della probably used the business address for Mike & Lori, instead of the Mercer Island residence address used for all the other Lori Sotelo contributions. Obviously, Della wanted to hide that he was getting money from a fairly detested Republican.
I agree with Richard @18. Further, I just checked SP’s on-line voter file and there appears to only be one “Lori Sotelo” registered to vote in Washington.
I’m sick of Hague AND Pope. Here’s my proposal: http://noneforsix.blogspot.com. Let’s see how many District 6 voters feel the same.