The Democrats gained some ground in the standings this week, as the Seattle Times endorsed incumbent Rick Larsen over Republican challenger Rick Bart in Washington’s 2nd Congressional District. Using our NHL-style scoreboard (two points for a victory, one point for a tie), that brings our current standings to Republicans 11, Democrats 9.
No doubt some at the Times may find my scoring system arbitrary and unfair, but the scorecard would be tilted even further toward the Republican side if not for my decision to exclude local judicial and legislative races. For example, my standings don’t include the Times endorsement of Republican State Sen. Cheryl Pflug, who they glowingly describe in the lede as an “independent workhorse.” (Isn’t it at least ironic that the highest praise the Times can muster for a Republican these days is to describe them as not really being all that much of one?)
And then there are the Times’ superior court endorsements, where in Position 22 they dismiss the two candidates endorsed by the King County Democrats in favor of the one endorsed by the Republicans. Huh. I guess that’s probably just a coincidence.
In the end, I always expected the standings to be close, but there’s a point to be made in all this, and if you haven’t figured it out already, you’ll just have to wait for my end of endorsement season wrap up. In the meanwhile, here are the current standings:
| Seattle Times Endorsements | GP | W | L | T | Pts | |
| Republicans | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 11 | |
| Democrats | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 9 | |
| Third Parties | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Is the point that the Seattle Times is out of touch with its readers? That the people who run, and write for the Times are much more conservative than their readers?
No the point is that the Times is out of touch with Goldstein or hasn’t asked Goldstein for approval.
Based on his argumentation, Gregoire is a Republican too…just look at her latests ad. Even takes credit for the 1% property tax limit (an Eyman initiative). Quel Malheure.
Maybe he thinks that because “Seattle” is in the title, it is only delivered to, and read by, people who live within the Seattle city limits? But it’s not, and I would imagine the Seattle Times is subscribed to by more Republicans than Democrats.
@ 2
When are you bozo’s going to learn to read?
Oh, Don…not only can we read, we also read different sources, read further and….remember. Gregoire realized that if she didn’t follow up on the will of the voter approving I-747 she’d be toast earlier. Now I-747 was struck down “mostly on technical grounds”, but nevertheless, the voters wanted a cap. To her credit, she was smart enough to follow up (Same way Locke followed up on the 30Dollar License Tab Eyman initiative).
As Chopp said:
“Our intent is to go in there and reinstate it,” he said. “I believe the voters knew what they were doing. The voters were clear about their decision. We should respect that.”
More quotes:
Gregoire was under increasing pressure to call a special session since the high court ruled earlier this month that I-747 was unconstitutional, largely on technical grounds.
Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, noted that Republicans first called for a special session more than a year ago, after a King County judge first ruled the measure was unconstitutional.”
So Gregoire was taking the Eyman initative and then also agreed with the Republican Minority… making her a Republican in Goldsteins Book.
Goldy, you are considering Julia Garratt for King County Superior Court Position 22 to be a REPUBLICAN endorsement? You are saying that Garratt is such a strong Republican, that she was appointed and reappointed to the state Parole Board by Governors Lowry, Locke and Gregoire?
I would note that Garratt is also endorsed by the 11th and 34th District Democrats, in addition to the King County Republicans. I don’t see exactly what partisanship has to do with any of this.
And if we included local legislative races, the Seattle Times would likely become heavily Democratic in its overall endorsements. Only three out of the 16 legislative districts in King County have any Republican office holders at all, with over 85% of the incumbents being Democrats. Presumably, most of the incumbents will be endorsed for re-election by the Times, resulting in a helluva lot more Democratic marks on any objective scoresheet.
Of course, Goldy would probably call Chopp, Jarrett, Clibborn, Hunter, Eddy and Springer “BIAW Democrats” for opposing the housing warranty bill. (A term which I have also used as well.) But then Goldy would count the Times endorsements of these Democrats as actually being Republican endorsements, because they are “BIAW Democrats”.
And how will Goldy score the endorsements for Congress? I predict the Times will endorse the incumbents in all nine races — they do tend to endorse statewide. That will be 3 for the Republicans, and 6 for the Democrats (or 12 D to 6 R under NHL rules). If they omit the two races in eastern Washington, that will be 1 for the Republicans, and 6 for the Democrats (or 12 D to 2 R under NHL rules).
How does Goldy sanitize and rationalize what will appear to be an overwhelming tide of Democratic endorsements by the Times? Let’s see about this:
1. Jim McDermott doesn’t count, since there is no realistic chance of the G.0.P. Party winning that district.
2. Norm Dicks actually counts as a Republican endorsement, since so many Republicans support him, and he is generally supportive of defense spending and the Iraq war.
3. Brian Baird is a tie, because his opponents are weak, and Baird has been fairly supportive of defense spending and the Iraq war.
4. Adam Smith doesn’t count, because his G.0.P. Party opposition is pretty weak.
5. Jay Inslee does not count, since his Republican opponent actually calls himself G.0.P. Party.
6. Dave Reichert will of course count as a Republican victory.
7. Rick Larsen has already been counted as a Democratic victory.
So instead of scoring the expected western Washington congressional endorsements as 12 to 2 Democratic victory under the NHL hockey rules, Goldy will instead score this as a 5 to 3 Republican victory.
From experience I can tell you that the Seattle Times and P.I. newspapers have not been fair in their coverage of the State House Rep., Position #1 race.
They have written many paragraph articles on my opponents and have given me two lines. When I questioned the reporter she said “I can understand your frustration. But when deciding which candidates to cover, we do usually tend to rely heavily on contributions, campaign visibility and party support to determine who is likely to be a serious contender.”
I feel it is really a disservice to the public to decide which candidate’s messages should “get out.” My opponents may have raised large amounts of money but it doesn’t mean that they are necessarily correct on the issues.
Every person needs to know that my opponents are big spenders and want to have a state income tax to fund their ideas. They need to know that one of my opponents wants to have a surface street solution to our viaduct issue–which is a very poor idea. I want us to have a viaduct–four years ago the State itself stated that the viaduct was very important to Seattle–nothing has changed! It is still a life-line for the more than 100,000 vehicles that use it daily. We need to keep the same capacity and at the same rate of speed for a solution.
Regarding visibility–I have over 300 yard signs in my car because many people are afraid of placing them in their yards.
I do have the endorsement of my party along with other great endorsements.
http://www.blossforthe36th.com
“And then there are the Times’ superior court endorsements, where in Position 22 they dismiss the two candidates endorsed by the King County Democrats in favor of the one endorsed by the Republicans.”
Frank is probably hoping his lawyers can find a judge who will rule against the inheritance tax.
Roger Rabbit @ 10
If you were running for Superior Court judge, and the King County Republicans happened to endorse you, and the King County Democrats happened to endorse your opponent(s), that would not necessarily make you a Republican.
The King County Republicans have endorsed six King County Superior Court judicial candidates. Four of these candidates have also been endorsed by the King County Democrats.
There are two superior court candidates endorsed by the King County Republicans, who are not endorsed by the King County Democrats — Les Ponomarchuk and Julia Garratt.
However, both Ponomarchuk and Garratt have been endorsed by some Democratic district organizations, and some Democratic elected officials.
Ponomarchuk has been a superior court commissioner for 10 years — serving at the pleasure of the King County Superior Court judges (almost all of whom were either appointed by a Democratic governor, or elected with the support of most Democrats).
Garratt has served several terms on the state Parole Board, being appointed or reappointed by several Democratic governors — Lowry, Locke and Gregoire.
Leslie Bloss @ 9
Don’t you think you would have a better chance of winning votes in the 36th LD (located entirely in the City of SEATTLE), if you used a SEATTLE address for filing and the voter’s pamphlet, instead of a BELLEVUE address?
Leslie Bloss
(Prefers G 0 P Party)
Friends for Leslie Bloss
PO Box 50135
Bellevue, WA 98015-0135
(206) 235-5689
leslie@blossforthe36th.com
http://www.blossforthe36th.com
(taken from Secretary of State on-line voters pamphlet)
If you still have 300 yard signs in your car, and can’t find enough supporters with yards to put them in, you should do what most politicians do — PUT THEM IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS!
Given that the 36th LD is fairly heavy for the Democrats, you stand an excellent chance of finishing third behind the two avowed Democrats. Those 300 yard signs are likely to be useless come August 19, so get them out now.
Perhaps next time, you should run under the “Republican Party”, instead of the “G 0 P Party”. This “G 0 P Party” (or “G.0.P. Party” as the case may be) trick may work for well-known folks like Dino Rossi. But in a top two primary in a weak Republican district, the choice of an obscure and confusing party label may work to leave you even further behind the two avowed Democrats, than would otherwise be the case.
Better yet, move to Bellevue. Republicans are still fairly competitive out here, and your resume’ could actually stand a decent chance of winning an open seat if and when one comes up. Even if you don’t win (or don’t run), think of all the gasoline and time you will be saving by living closer to work and closer to your post office box.
Leslie Bloss @ 9
Don’t you think you would have a better chance of winning votes in the 36th LD (located entirely in the City of SEATTLE), if you used a SEATTLE address for filing and the voter’s pamphlet, instead of a BELLEVUE address?
Leslie Bloss
(Prefers G 0 P Party)
Friends for Leslie Bloss
PO Box 50135
Bellevue, WA 98015-0135
(206) 235-5689
(e-mail and website omitted to avoid spam filter)
(taken from Secretary of State on-line voters pamphlet)
If you still have 300 yard signs in your car, and can’t find enough supporters with yards to put them in, you should do what most politicians do — PUT THEM IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS!
Given that the 36th LD is fairly heavy for the Democrats, you stand an excellent chance of finishing third behind the two avowed Democrats. Those 300 yard signs are likely to be useless come August 19, so get them out now.
Perhaps next time, you should run under the “Republican Party”, instead of the “G 0 P Party”. This “G 0 P Party” (or “G.0.P. Party” as the case may be) trick may work for well-known folks like Dino Rossi. But in a top two primary in a weak Republican district, the choice of an obscure and confusing party label may work to leave you even further behind the two avowed Democrats, than would otherwise be the case.
Better yet, move to Bellevue. Republicans are still fairly competitive out here, and your resume’ could actually stand a decent chance of winning an open seat if and when one comes up. Even if you don’t win (or don’t run), think of all the gasoline and time you will be saving by living closer to work and closer to your post office box.
9/12 Actually, the 36th has not historically been a Democratic stronghold–I grew up on Magnolia, and we used to joke that the most common religion there was Republican. Granted, the demographic is changing, particularly in Ballard. It’s anybody’s guess how the occupants of those bazillions of new condos are going to vote.
It’s also worth pointing out that about a thousand years ago when Helen Sommmers first got elected, she did so the hard way–by personally knocking on just about every door in the district. She made a lot of friendships, and maintained them for a long time from then onward. It’s just that kind of place–people make decisions based on what they really know about someone.
Leslie, from looking at your Web page, I’m pleased to see that you have a professional background that would serve you well dealing with the workings of government. I also get the impression that while I may not agree with you on a lot of things, you’re something other than a hard-core idealogue. Unlike some progressives, I think we need a re-born Republican Party with people running it who seek to repair the damage from the excesses of neoconservatism. If you agree with that sentiment, I certainly wish you the best of luck.
Oh, yeah…I wouldn’t worry about a state income tax all that much. A lot of politicians talk about it, but nobody has the guts to actually attempt to implement one. Everyone knows that to do so would be political suicide.
12/13 Richard, it would appear that Ms. Bloss lives in Seattle, but works in Bellevue. Other than being a little surprised at her not expressing more interest in 520 as a transportation priority rather than the Viaduct, I would surmise that she’s chosen to have her campaign mailing address at the Bellevue post office, because it’s easier for her (or an associate) to pick up mail there during work hours.
Still, you have a point. It ends up looking kinda weird.
My campaign mgr/treasurer lives in Bellevue. When I wanted a post office box right away Ballard didn’t have one open.
I work out of my home most of the time which is in the 36th district (it is the home from which I walked a mile to West Woodland Elementary School for all 6 years. I took dancing lessons at Marie Miller Dance Studio—I have root. I love it here! And, Dear Richard, I am not moving to Bellevue–I belong in this area!
I like the diversity of our district. My dad worked for 35 years (as a union employee) for the U.S. Plywood. I respect both union employees and business owners–we need both.
Yes, we are in a district that is loaded with Democrats–but my stance on the issues serves them well. Many people want to keep the viaduct, think education is a top priority and feel they have tax fatigue. They also want someone that will actually listen to them for a change–that has their best interests at heart and is ready and willing to “stand up” for our people and to “take a stand” when we are being pushed, and maneuvered by elected officials.
In this election voters can vote for which ever person they feel will do the best job for them. I believe in fiscal responsibility, effective education and solving transportation problems. I am the fiscally responsible one in this race. I truly believe I can represent all people to this end. I will be an effective Legislator.