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.
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…
Too late.
Congratulations for last night, Goldie. Ahem, Now back to work . Just kidding of course.
Do you think Dino has figured out yet the difference between a real estate agent and a real estate broker?
Hey do all you inbred right wing cowards know that Mike McGavick is PRO CHOICE! If you vote for a pro-choice candidate just because he’s a republican, you do NOT have the courage of your convictions now do you?
Fucking hypocrites!
There are millions of Pro Choice Republicans……. gimme a damn break!
I think this shows thay Sen Pflug is growing tired of the boys she has been shagging down in Olympia or in Fall City and perhaps that she is working on improving her chances with Dino.
Yep, its the same old Republican strategy: credit the Republicans for any good economic news, and blame the Democrats for any bad economic news, regardless of the facts. Economic cycles ebb and flow over periods of several years, so absent some major event or disasterous mistake, it’s pretty hard to measure it in terms of cause/effect, within a decade or so. This is especially true for a state Governor or, for heaven’s sake, a state Representative or Senator, who can have only a very limited impact on the economy in general.
Remember that when Boeing decided to re-locate its corporate headquarters to Seattle, it wasn’t because of Washington tax structure, because the corporate headquarters location didn’t really have much of an impact on its tax liabilities to the state. The main reason for the location was Stonecipher’s disdain for “provincial” Seattle, his stated desire to have a corporate headquarters away from the location of any of their major production facilities (this seems like a good idea?), and his argument that it was too difficult to fly in and out of Seattle with its limited airline connections. I never bought the later argument at all, as Stonecipher and the big-shots generally flew on Boeing corporate aircraft out of Boeing Field or Paine Field anyway, bypassing SeaTac completely. But there was little the governor or the state legislature could do to impact a company like Boeing from making a decision such as this based upon entirely personal reasons. In contrast, the package put together by then-Gov. Locke and the state legislature to keep Boeing 767 production in Washington state did have a long-term economic benefit to the state, but one which won’t really be felt until production begins on the jet – sometime next year.
There are some basic, long-term infrastructure needs which can improve our state’s economy in the long run. Improvements to the ports which increase security but lower costs to shipping companies and taxpayers is one step. Increasing the efficiency of our workman’s compensation system, as the legislature began to do in the 767 campaign, is another. Reducing traffic congestion so transport of goods and services are not delayed is another. Improving education of the state workforces needs to be a priority. Providing generally for a good quality of life int he state which will be attractive to corporate officers and their workers also has an impact. Programs which protect and encourage the growth of the middle class, rather than its reduction, have long-term benefits in social and economic stability.
Sorry, I couldn’t wait for an open thread. Horsey has a great cartoon in the P.I. today, which shows Rove’s 2006 campaign strategy in a nutshell.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/.....sp?id=1407
Helloooo, Gov. Rossi.
Btw, how about some commentary on how you thought the show went last night, Goldstein?
Republicans are shameless in their rush to claim credit when none is due and to deny fault when their hands are filthy. When will there be a bounty on the bastards?
“Yep, its the same old Republican strategy: credit the Republicans for any good economic news, and blame the Democrats for any bad economic news, regardless of the facts.”
From the DNC: “”Despite the President’s latest PR campaign, the Bush Economy is failing hard-working Americans and undermining our country’s economic security,” said Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton.””
So which is it? Is the economy doing good or bad? Or is all dependent on your political party and which party is running which branch?
No, it’s just that republican lie
Hey GOP…play “Misty for me”.
(Play her for a fool AGAIN in 2008)
Kyle at 11:
In all fairness, it’s a mixed bag.
(1) Everyone knew the economy was due for a downturn in 2000-2001, the super-heated stock market couldn’t continue indefinately. Greenspan’s “irrational exuberance” and all that. But the question is how long, and how deep, a downturn would be. It should have been over by late 2002, without any help or intereference. The stock market would settle at a somewhat lower level, but the rest of the economy would be fine.
(2) It’s generally true that Bush wasn’t responsible for the hit to the economy from the 9/11 attacks, and this prolonged the recession which was naturally occuring.
(3) But the economy was bound to bounce back by around 2004, from its own momentum. People can delay spending money on houses or cars, but they cannot indefinately postpone it.
(4) But the current “economic indicators” are pretty enemic, even in mid-2006. The job growth which Bush is trumpeting only looks good if you compare it with the depths of the recession in 2002, not if compared with long-term historical trends. In short, we are just catching back up to where we were before the 2000 election, after adjustments for inflation.
(5) The overall economic growth is amazingly divided in its benefits. Although corporations are doing very well, as are the wealthy business and investment owners, the average worker is not seeing much of an improvement in their standard of living. More middle-class jobs are being outsourced than ever before, and many workers are seeing wage reductions, “give-backs”, and loss of insurance benefits. Every indictator shows that the middle-class is shrinking, and the “working poor” class is growing.
As an example, an article appearing today about insurance in Katrina-effected areas showed that despite the hurricanes, insurance company executives are making record profits, while bragging that 98% of all hurricane-related claims from 2005 have been paid. But what they don’t show is that many (if not most) of the insureds had to settle for pennies on the dollar in order to get any money at all. Unlike Republican Senator Trent Lott, who is suing his insurance company for the loss of his house, most could not afford the cost and delays of litigation (the insurance companies counted on this). Yet there is not effort by the Federal Government to become involved in this issue, in any way.
It appears that the tax reductions have not resulted in the businesses creating new jobs in America. Instead, the jobs are going overseas, as is the investment. And the jobs are not “dirty manufacturing” jobs American’s don’t want. They are high-skilled, high-paying jobs in America. (Example: Boeing investing in Russian aerospace engineering company to design its 747-8 aircraft).
(6) Long-term infrastucture problems do not look good, due to decisions being made at the federal and state level. On the federal level, the ongoing budget deficits threaten to increase the national debt to the point where the next four Presidents will be dealing with the problem. Budget deficits threaten as well as threatening the solvency of the Social Security and Medicare systems, which will rely upon taxes imposed upon the next generation to pay back the I.O.U.s the goverment is passing between the general budget and the Social Security Administration. We need a significant federal investment to repair the infrastructure (transportation, utilities, etc.) or we will pay the price in the long term. The budget deficits make such investments unlikely within the next decade.
(7) Job Loss – in the 1980’s, we saw a serious and apparantly permanant loss of heavy manufacturing industries in the U.S. Despite the so-called “Reagan Recovery”, U.S. steel and automotive manufacturing lost major market shares which have never been recovered. In the late 1980’s electronics manufacturing largely shifted overseas. In the 1990’s we were saved in large part by the explosion of wealth created by computers, software, and the internet, but now many of the jobs created in that industry are also being shifted overseas. Trade deficits appear to have become “structural”. If we don’t reverse those trends quickly, then the so-called “service economy” will be nothing more than the rapid consumption of our national wealth. Like the lazy heir who gradually loses his inheritance through deficit spending, we will soon find ourselves out of money and out of jobs.
Challenge: Can either party address these issues, other than giving lip service to them? The Republican strategy has always been to cut taxes on the wealthy, which I don’t believe has benefited anyone other than the wealthy. Do they have any more direct approaches to these problems? How about the Democrates? Solve these problems (and their ancillaries – employee health insurance, job security, etc.), and the middle class will be their supporters for the next fifty years.
It wasn’t all Rossi. Eyman had a big part in Locke’s decision to live within his means. Locke knew that if he tried to stick his greedy hand in the wallets of The Producers that Eyman would pull it back out and make him look like a fool.
Just one of the many things Tim did for us…
Thank you for pointing out Rossi’s lack of legislative accomplishment. I’ve followed Rossi’s career since his first failed attempts to get elected (he was a friend’s slumlord). I just couldn’t believe he got as far as he did without anyone from MSM pointing out that the emperor was wearing no clothes. He was never a moderate and he was a barely competent legislator. He record paled not just in comparison to Gregoire’s, but also to the other Democratic candidates- Sims and Talmadge.
Bill L,
Isn’t amazing how Republicans adulate mundane, average individuals like Rossi? He is truly nothing special. Gregoire has several times his brain power, and political skills as well. Moreover, she had significant accomplishments in her career. To make it to the top of the Republican heap, all that is necessary is the ability to pretend to be human, slap donors on the back, and pander to the base–and the successful Republican politician need not even have to be able to do those three things at the same time. And, of course, once in office, the successful Republican politician need not show any actual ability to govern. Because Republicans hate government, they most respect those who govern incompetently.
It doesn’t take great intellect to be a thief, or a lier. Even less to be a willing tool. Rossi fits the bill to a ‘T’. Toss in being ethically challenged and you approach the ideal Republican candidate.
proud commie;
same logic dumped patti dimbulb murray on our doorstep. her qualifications were Dem party/female/pulse.
How drenched in Kool-Aid do you have to be to still believe that the Republicans are the more fiscally responsible party? How much pork has to come out of a Republican-led Washington DC for people to finally realize that “small government” was never more than a slogan to any Republican?
Revanchism is a Republican virtue. . .I see Newtie is floating the possibility of a run for the roses. His PR flack machine is twisting it that he resigned from the House when the ReThugs lost some ground in ’98. . .never mind two-timing his third wife, who was his floozy while two timing his then wife dying of cancer. A real ‘Family Values’ kind of guy.
Stinky-RipeOne. . .tell that to Rod Chandler, who should be congratulated for launching her maiden voyage into politics.
19
You guys have always underestimated Patty Murray, and you always will because you don’t recognize what she’s got going for herself. She’s got considerable charisma and–I’m sure you won’t understand the significance of this–her heart is in the right place. She also has integrity and principles, which are attributes Republicans don’t understand. She’s usually on the right side of an issue–e.g., the Iraq War resolution. She’s also been a strong advocate for Washington’s interests despite being in the minority. We could do a whole lot worse than her.
Re. #7…Agreed, Stonecipher was no doubt behind Boeing’s HQ move to Chicago, but it probably had to do the anonymity afforded by a larger city to make use of some fancy downtown hotel suite on the company’s ticket for schtupping the help.
Members of the “Daddy Party” have to have Daddy’s to fawn over. (Reagan, Bush, Rossi, etc).
@24 That, and the fact that in Chi-toWn they really don’t care who’s schtupping whom. . .unless they’re a LOCAl POLITICIAN.
The truth is that Republicans have such a geat contempt for public office that they have a difficult time finding good qualified candidates. In general a Republican would rather make lots of money in business than serve in public office, so they tend to run candidates who aren’t successful in private life. That explains why they run candidates like Randy Tate and Rick White for Congress and Dino Rossi and John Carlson for Governor.
I wrote more about this phenomena in a blog from last year: homesteadbook.com » Blog Archive » What Can We Expect from Leaders Who Hate Government?
Goldy — it’s called “puffery,” is used by businesses all the time to drum up customer traffic, and Republicans tending to be businesspeople, “puffing” Rossi’s impact on the state’s economy (now that it’s doing well) comes naturally to them.
And no candidate ever need puffing more than Rossi. The WSRP has no other options, because the guy is a zilch, a nobody, a nothing. He has no significant accomplishments and no qualifications for the office of governor. It’s almost beyond belief that the WSRP couldn’t come up with a better qualified candidate for the state’s highest elective office than this guy. They have to puff him, because they sure as hell can’t run on his record — he has no record.
They faced him off against a candidate with a killer resume who is arguably the most qualified person ever to run for governor in our state. Gregoire’s personal history is the stuff from which movie scripts are written. The daughter of a single mom who worked as a fry cook, Gregoire put herself through college. She started her state career as a lowly DSHS caseworker — she knows what it’s like to work in a cubicle, pushing paperwork and working the phone. She made the jump from there to law school, and started her career in the attorney general’s office as an entry level assistant attorney general. She made the jump from there to agency head of one of the state’s largest and most politically sensitive agencies — an unheard-of promotion for a line-level employee in state goverment. She made the jump from there to the state’s elected attorney general. The voters sent her to that office three times, and during her 12-year tenure as AG, she was the lead negotiator for the largest legal settlement in human history, bringing in over $4 billion for our state’s taxpayers. But that amount is dwarfed by the $50 billion Hanford cleanup settlement Gregoire negotiated with the federal government, and subsequently, when both the Clinton and Bush administrations tried to renege that agreement, she followed up by holding their feet to the fire. Hanford is by far and away the nation’s biggest, most complicated, and most expensive toxic waste problem. But challenges of monumental complexity and gargantuan size don’t faze this woman; they invigorate her. As AG, she also built one of the nation’s strongest consumer protection programs. The voters then responded by promoting her to governor. As governor, she erased a 15-year-old logjam over transportation funding in five weeks. She kept her promises to restore health care funding for tens of thousands of poor children, invest more funds in K-12 education, and create more college spaces while writing a balanced budget without general tax increases.
It is astounding that our state’s voters chose Gregoire over Rossi by a measly 133 votes. It’s even more incredible that some polls say our state’s citizens have a negative opinion of her job performance and give Rossi a double-digit lead over Gregoire if an election were held today. Is it possible for that many people to be so stupid?
Apparently the answer is yes. I attribute that to three things:
a) The GOP’s vicious smear campaign against Gregoire in the aftermath of Rossi’s election defeat and failed election contest.
b) A general shift of voter sentiment toward the GOP that continues to have force despite the GOP’s incredibly inept and corrupt performance in national offices.
c) Although Gregoire is a brilliant lawyer and a wildly successful striver, she has relatively weak campaigning skills. In my opinion, she trusted her campaign manager too much, and her failure to mend fences with the black community was clumsy. Since being sworn in, she has not done enough to counter the GOP propaganda campaign against her, build public support for her agenda, and promote her accomplishments. She needs to get out of the office and out into the communities more than she does. She needs to get her face in the media more often. In short, she needs to do a better job of selling herself. Someone should remind her that you can invent the best mousetrap ever, but if you don’t advertise it, it will gather dust on store shelves.
If the polls are any reliable indication, if she doesn’t do these things she could get run over by a nobody in 2008. The snake oil peddlers might convince the people to buy Colonel Miracle’s Magical Elixir instead of penicillin. And that would be a terrible tragedy for our state.
5
“There are millions of Pro Choice Republicans”
Where?
7
I think the purpose of moving Boeing HQ to Chicago was to set up the state’s gullible political leaders for the $3.2 billion extortion scheme the corporate sharks pulled off a short time later. It also had the advantage of making it impossible for the production workers to picket the bosses’ offices during a strike or contract negotiations.
8
Pulitzer Prize material for sure.
10
“Republicans are shameless in their rush to claim credit when none is due and to deny fault when their hands are filthy. When will there be a bounty on the bastards?” Commentby proud leftist— 6/12/06@ 11:41 am
If they can post a $75 bounty on one rabbit, then we should take up a collection and pay at least 75 cents per dead Republican.
32
Just kidding. ha ha ha ha ha
32 (continued)
The market for Republican pelts sucks, anyway.
WOW! This thread is already up to 35 posts! That’s more than the pathetic little competing blog gets in a month.
In the eyes of the GOP true believers, Gregoire’s accomplishments, both personal and public, enumerated above all qualify her for the most vigorous condemnation.
11
Kyle, the bottom line is all of the growth in America’s GDP since 1970 has gone to the top income brackets, and workers and the middle class are no better off economically than they were 36 years ago.
The job market remains tepid, and the economy continues to bleed family wage jobs to overseas sweatshop economies, which are being replaced (if at all) by lower paying service jobs.
In addition, minimum wage workers, senior citizens, and others on fixed incomes are losing ground because of the inflation induced by Bush’s deficit spending policies.
The number of Americans without health insurance has grown from 43 million to 46 million on Bush’s watch, and continues climbing.
More Americans are living in poverty today than when Bush took office.
Overall, Bush’s economy is not a good deal for ordinary Americans.
36
What do you expect from the fucks who tried to burn Galileo at the stake.
I’m beginning to understand why monarchy as a form of government lasted so long.
In so many ways Rossi was the perfect Republican candidate. Sure he came from modest means blah blah blah but what I am talking about are the following characteristics:
1. He has always been willing to do anything, say anything and promise anything to get elected.
2. He had a proven history of taking his pay from a mentor who was defrauding people out of their money and could see no wrong in that.
3. He is entirely void of a core reason to be elected other than rolling back regulations so limited protections from people like his mentor would be removed in the name of free “enterprise”.
4. He could sell himself to an extent that issues faded and the press and voters were often left with a sense of “gee he is such a nice man”
5. In his short time on ways and means in the senate he never pushed for the funding of a thing for the random constituent and thus saved all his capacity for a few powerful friends who he was also in business with. This alone made him a good investment for big business as he raised money for the Gov race.
We are so lucky things worked out the way they did. As for the states economy, if the Gov gets the blame then the Gov gets the credit.
14(4)
The economy has to create 156,000 new jobs per month just to stay even with population growth and new entries into the job market, and Bush’s economy fails to even reach this threshold in most months.
Good morning, Roger. Glad to see the Animal Control people didn’t get you over night.
Good post on Gregoire. I’m told she started even lower, as a clerk-typist, but that may have been summer employment.
Anything below 156,000 jobs per month increases the unemployment rate. Of course, the official unemployment rate understates the unemployment problem, because it only measures the number of people receiving unemployment benefits. It does not count people whose benefits have run out or discouraged job seekers who have dropped out of the job market. And it does not count people who are working less than full time because their employers have reduced their hours or because they can’t find a full time job. And, of course, partisan officials manipulate the definition of “unemployment” and the way it’s measured in order to make the incumbent administration’s economic performance look better than it is.
42
Fuck the animal control fascist bastards! I invited them to meet me at my burrow after dark with guns, but they were no-shows.
Tree Frog Farmer, my department will pay you $75 for that damned rabbit’s pelt!
A friend of ours thinks that if owning a 31 unit apartment house qualifies Rossi for governor, then her 60 unit apartment house should qualify her to run for a larger State’s Governorship.
See what I mean? Those cowards want to send mercenaries after me because they’re chicken to do the job themselves. Fuck ’em!
Furthermore, they didn’t pay the $50 reward they offered for the location of my burrow. I’m still waiting for that payment. Like Redneck, they’re welshers, and their promises aren’t worth the paper I wipe my ass with.
21
“I see Newtie is floating the possibility of a run for the roses.” Commentby Tree Frog Farmer— 6/12/06@ 1:24 pm
Oh God, yes! Please God, let Gingrich be their 2008 presidential candidate! Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!
God, I’ve never asked for much before, but now I’m asking …
14(5)
“Yet there is not effort by the Federal Government to become involved in this issue, in any way.”
The insurance industry historically has been regulated by states without federal interference, and given the retrograde qualities of the current national government, I prefer to keep it that way.
Gingrich would be like “DeLay-Lite”.
15
“It wasn’t all Rossi. Eyman had a big part in Locke’s decision to live within his means. Locke knew that if he tried to stick his greedy hand in the wallets of The Producers that Eyman would pull it back out and make him look like a fool. Just one of the many things Tim did for us…” Commentby Mark The Redneck Kennedy— 6/12/06@ 12:37 pm
Haw! Haw! Haw! Of all the crap you’ve posted, this is one of the funniest! :D
52
Gingrich would be road kill.
RR – you contradict yourself. If medical insurance is the business of the state, and the number of uninsured keeps rising, doesn’t that make it the fault of the state?
Our state has thrown so much into what is required in the minimum insurance policy that it is too expensive. Toss in that there is no waiting period, and now you have a system that there is no reason to join, and too expensive unless it comes through someone else – an employer – paying the bill.
But that is what the dems want. Discourage the individual from taking responsibility for personal health care, and the next step is universal coverage.
If we can’t afford it individually, how do we afford it collectively?
RR @ 28 Nice post. I would have to agree that our Gov is the kind of politician who gets her energy from fixing things and she knows that more can often be achieved when she does not trumpet her achievements. Oh we hear about the big issues she stepped in and brokered good solutions to but what you don’t hear about are the many many one on one meetings that she called to get countless other bills moving. WE have not had a governor this engaged in making government due a better job at what it does for a long time.
Still, she is at great risk of not being reelected. Even without the solidarity in opposition caused by the very close race, our state is not red or blue and if she is to win another term she must get into gear soon, with an eye on building a majority who know going into the race why they want her at the helm.
In the end her opponent may not be the nice guy with the scar. But my bet is that he will run and win the primary and get another free ride from the press. Even now he continues to tour the state pushing his book as a way to get to the podium of every chamber and Rotary club and party convention. For the six months prior to announcing he will lay low in hopes that our Gov will not get into high gear in her role as Gov. Then he will announce and the press will right off her publicizing her many achievements as campaigning on the states dime.
The thing about Lock as Gov is not that he was stalled by Tim but that even when he had very high ratings, he would not spend any of that capitol to get done what needed to be done. In steed, he sat back and counted his chips while huge issues were put off or handed to the voters due to his lack of leadership.
Lowery by contrast was an activist governor. He would call a press confrence and throw out what was often a very good idea, and his staff along with the staff and electeds in both houses would go into reaction mode. As a result, he never developed the kind of report with the Legislature that Gov Chris has.
55
Janet, you are an idiot! I’m talking about regulating the business of collecting premiums and paying benefits promised to policyholders. This is called “casualty insurance.”
When I speak of 46 million “uninsured” Americans, what I’m referring to is citizens — nearly all of whom are employed — who don’t have access to health care because their employers don’t provide them with health coverage and they can’t afford to buy it themselves.
America’s traditional employer-based system of paying for health care is collapsing. Employers are either opting out of providing health coverage, or making their employees pay for it themselves. The mass withdrawal of employers from this system is, by itself, a compelling reason to redesign the way we provide health coverage to our citizens. But the problem goes way, way deeper than that. Our privatized health care is grossly inefficient, extremely expensive, and its quality is third-rate compared to other developed (and some developing) countries. The opportunity is there to cover more people and provide better care at less cost than our current system does. So, logically, we should scrap the employer and market based system and redesign our health care system from the ground up to serve all of our citizens and save money at the same time. It can be done, if we have the political willingness to do it.
But no, conservative obstructionists would rather preserve obscene profits and even more obscene CEO salaries than do anything for health care consumers. Another reason why ordinary Americans should vote right-wing Republicans out of office.
Tell me, Janet, what have Republicans done about health care since Bush took office, besides pick their noses and throw a bone to seniors that was designed to mostly benefit drug and insurance companies?
Janet S how do you feel about the fact that you and I are paying for “universal” health care in Iraq?
Gasp! The thought of using our tax money to save lives rather than bomb the fuck out of people. What an evil use of tax money.
55
“Our state has thrown so much into what is required in the minimum insurance policy that it is too expensive.” Commentby Janet S— 6/12/06@ 3:22 pm
Tell me, Janet, what’s an insurance policy worth if the company refuses to pay benefits? If the state lets insurers write so many loopholes into contracts that they can collect premiums without paying claims, why should anybody buy insurance at all?
If you’re referring to auto insurance, you’re a fool to buy minimum coverage, unless you own nothing and are judgment proof. People who are broke don’t need insurance. Anyone with significant assets should be carrying 200-500 liability with a million dollar umbrella as a minimum. Even that amount of coverage is not enough to guarantee your assets are protected.
And don’t think you can vitiate the need for insurance by driving carefully. If you’re in an accident, a claim will be made against you, no matter whose fault it was. By the time the other guy’s lawyer gets done twisting your words and distorting what happened beyond recognition, it’s a crap shoot which driver’s going to pay. The legal system not only is imperfect, it’s almost a lottery. You can be completely free of fault and still end up owing a total jerk $1 million or more.
56, 57
You’ve called it correctly. I remember the enthusiasm that Locke’s election generated among Democrats. He proved a disappointment. He wasn’t a bad governor — he was a very able administrator and improved state government in many small ways — but you are right that he didn’t tackle the big issues or use his popularity to get things done.
Lowry had passion, but lacked executive ability, made some very poor appointments, and exercised little oversight over state agencies. He was more of a big-idea guy who lacked the skills to get legislation passed and put plans into execution. Consequently, he delivered very little.
Locke and Lowry both had to contend with a GOP-controlled state senate. Our GOP state legislators mirror the congressional Republicans: They’re obstructionists hell-bent on blocking anything Democrats want to do. They didn’t give a rap for the state’s needs or its citizens’ well-being. That has a lot to do with why, in an election year when Republicans generally swept the national offices, our voters decided to give their new governor a legislature with both houses controlled by her party. They understood that’s what it would take to get movement on virtually any issue.
59
“Janet S how do you feel about the fact that you and I are paying for “universal” health care in Iraq?” Commentby BushWentAWOL— 6/12/06@ 3:44 pm
I’m quite sure it never occurred to her.
Ideologues like Janet would rather shovel our tax money out of the backs of pickup trucks into duffel bags held open by greedy contractors than use it to benefit their fellow American citizens.
These people seem to harbor a hatred for their neighbors.
Now let’s take an issue like the tent camps for homeless people. I understand and share the concerns about sanitation, crime, safety of children in the neighborhood, permanency, etc. But what if the tent camps are run in such a way that those concerns are solved? Reasonable people would say, “Okay, if all those conditions are met, it works.” But no.
Watching some of the hearings on TV news and hearing what the anti’s wanted to say, I witnessed irrational hatred of homeless people. The comfortable suburbanites hated those people because they don’t own a house, wear nice clothes, or drive a new car like theirs. In other words, they hated them for being different. The opposition to the homeless camps was driven purely by irrational intolerance. It was pathetic.
We need more politicians like Mike Lowry. I remember him speaking to the state Democratic convention his last year as governor. He said, “I don’t know why more rich people aren’t standing up and demanding to pay more taxes. With all their money, the rich can’t buy clean air, clean water, an educated populace, safe streets, good roads, healthy parks–those things which contribute so much to a meaningful and happy existence. We can only buy such things with taxes. So, wouldn’t you think the rich would want to pay more in taxes?” Who talks like that now?
RR at # 43 said:
“And, of course, partisan officials manipulate the definition of “unemployment” and the way it’s measured in order to make the incumbent administration’s economic performance look better than it is.”
Very true – sometimes even the most persistent of recessions/depressions will post a blip (decrease) in unemployment claims because people drop off the system, and only when the economy improves do they start looking again. Also, I think the unemployment is higher than it appears, only because of the number of people who don’t qualify for unemeployment. A few years ago my wife was working two part-time jobs in order to equal one job’s pay (but no benefits). She lost one job due to a layoff, but was ineligible for unemployment benefits because she still had the other part-time job.
Also, as soon as a Republican comes into office, they start playing around with the Consumer Price Index. I think Bush wanted it to take into account the “decrease” in computer prices. Now computer prices really haven’t decreased that much, its just that for the same amount of money you get a faster computer. He wanted that to be worked into the equation – how much less would it have cost to buy a new computer at the first of the year, compared with the SAME (one year old) computer at the end of the year? Its an incredibly stupid argument, a fairly flagrant attempt to offset the CPI (which controls tax rates, social security benefits, union wages, etc.). The CPI was designed to measure housing, food, fuel, etc., not computers. By playing with the numbers, the result of Bush’s manipulation would be to decrease the buying power of retirees and the poor, use that money to fund more tax breaks for the rich, and – get this – actually increase tax rates on the middle class in a subtle fashion, by “indexing” them at a lower rate than actual rate of inflation. All the while he would take credit for keeping inflation low, despite record-busting deficits.
Last year they said inflation was about 5-1/2 percent nationally. I know that’s not right, I’m clearly spending at least 25% more for food and fuel than I was a year ago. It would be worse if I was renting or buying my first house, but since I already own a hope I was already locked into the inflationary housing system.
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As I’ve posted several times on HA, I think there’s double-digit inflation in grocery stores, where it matters most.
And there absolutely, positively, indisputably is double-digit inflation in housing costs if you’re shopping for a home in Seattle.
RR Gov Mike had a majority in both House for his first two years and Senate all four years. Remember health care reform, merging Fish and Wildlife, ethics reform, the creation of Sound Transit.
And Leftist @ 67, Mike Lowry was a great public servant and I was proud to have him as my gov, but while Chris is less of an icon she is a stronger governor.
Come January the democrats will have a firm grip on both houses for the first time since 92-94. You will recall that our largest employer gaimed the political landscape in 92 by announcing 70,000 intended layoffs between the election and session, causing the prediction of the largest deficit in our states history. The D’s made huge cuts across the board and raised taxes so schools, prisons and basic services would not be slashed. Two years later after less than 15,000 jobs were lost in the aerospace industry, 601 was passed, the R’s took over the house and the surplus taxes were given to business while healthcare reform was systematically taken apart.
The goal in Olympia from 2007-2008 must be to not do too much too fast or the majorities will be crushed as they were in 94 and 96.
14
Good and informative reply. I would like to here the answers you asked for….
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Have you been fermenting your carrots again? There should have been a run off election since a 133 vote lead means nothing. Would you vote an amendment that we should have run off elections if the vote is within a predetermined range?
71 – I should run a spell checker here so I can ‘hear’ the return replies.
Woger
I must admit to being mystified by the glorification of Gregoire. As a democrat I would like to support her, but I just dom’t see all this skill and leadership you describe.
Some good tests:
1. Her stance on illegal immigrants. errr uhhh does she have one?
2. Her stance on higher ed. She seems to support downgrading the UW by increasing the role of community colleges while increasing the cost of tuiition.
3. Her stance on public schools … as the Seattle schools burn, the Guv fiddles.
4. Her stance on teh viaduct … what stance?
5. Her stance on our fucked up tax system … did dhe even comment on the Congrss taking away the sales tax credit?
Oh well, she is one of the trinity of females we elected, whoopie!
Seriously … some folks I respect, Goldy for one, seem impressed with the Guv, but why?
Where the hell’s Hobart?
Pflug lives way out a gravel road east of the Hobart store which is a mile or so south of HWY 18. Front street at I90 in Issaquah becomes Issaquah-Hobart road at the south end of town. Hobart is about 10 miles south.
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“Have you been fermenting your carrots again? There should have been a run off election since a 133 vote lead means nothing.”
Commentby sillyguy— 6/12/06@ 8:23 pm
You’re the one who is getting into the fermented stuff! We have laws on the books that say what happens if someone disputes a close electon. Nothing in there about a revote. Your side pulled that out of thin air. Your side wanted to ignore the laws and do something the law does not authorize. Unless ordered by a court, a revote would have been an illegal election, and its results would have been null and void. You guys went to court and lost. It’s over.
Would a support a revote amendment? No. Our democracy isn’t based on winning elections by a margin greater than the margin of error. It’s based on getting a plurality of votes, i.e., at least 1 more vote than any other candidate got. The solution to your complaint is competent election administration and accurate vote counting, not redoing elections every time some sore loser demands a revote.
Know what happens when two candidates tie? The law provides for choosing a winner by lot. This can be done by drawing straws or flipping a coin. Unfair? Not really. If it’s good enough for deciding which football team gets to start the game by kicking off or receiving (its choice), then it’s good enough for deciding who is going to be mayor or city council person or dogcatcher or whatever when both candidates received exactly the same number of votes. This is not a perfect world. We do practical, field-expedient, work-arounds to deal with its imperfections. Redoing elections is not the answer; no election will ever be perfect or free of flaws or controversy, and no office would ever be occupied if we hold revotes every time somebody disputes a result.
If your revote amendment was on the books, and Rossi had gotten his revote, there probably would have been another result within the margin of error — another “tie,” if you will. Then Gregoire would have been entitled to a revote. And if the result of that one was within the margin of error, Rossi would be entitled to another revote. Potentially, this impasse might never have been broken, and the governor’s office might never have been filled.
No, our current system — a plurality of 1 vote, and flip a coin to break a numerical tie — is the way to go. Your revote scheme is a flying machine that won’t fly.
Click here for photo of sillyguy’s revote amendment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I.....hopter.JPG
Geez Smoke, cut the Guv some slack. Let’s take your issues: 1. The guv made it clear she does not support Bush’s plan to use the national guard for border patrol. It was pretty widely quoted. She has also repeatedly sought more funds for security on the Canadian border.
2. Your view is fiction. She is certainly not downgrading the UW in favor of community colleges, but she has supported a long overlooked need to build facilities at the cc’s.
3. She is Guv of the whole state, not just Seattle. It seems to this non-Seattleite that you guys should fix your problems and if you can’t, maybe the state will bail you out again. But at least try, will you?
4. The viaduct! Again, acting as the leader of the entire state, she told your city to make up its damn mind about what it wants.
5. The tax system is fucked up. She didn’t create it and I am sure she’d like to “fix” it. We all know that means a state income tax. I don’t blame her for not wasting political capital on that non-starter of an issue. She has led the way for the Legislature to fix basic problems with the sales tax (the so called steamlining initiative) and the business and occupations tax. I don’t know if she commented on the loss of the FEDERAL sales tax deduction. She doesn’t have a vote on the issue.
I’ve wowrked in Oly for 20 plus years and Guv Gregoire is more engaged and more willing to work hard than any of the other Guv’s I’ve been around. She is doing a damn good job.
Randall, “and Guv Gregoire is more engaged and more willing to work hard than any of the other Guv’s I’ve been around. She is doing a damn good job.”
This is a fact.
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Roger you have the brain of a rabbit
78
Please pay attention to your jpg file that you posted as it represents the current situation and your opinion. Rrevotes to determine who actually won are a necessary process since our voting process is error prone. Also transparent tabulation of the voting process is essential so the margin of error is as close zero as possible.
Rossi Files Unprecedented 8th Run for Governor
By DJ Savage
THE SEATTLE DAILY STRANGER
May 12, 2032
Failed slumlord Dino Rossi filed today for an unprecedented eighth consecutive run for governor of Washington State. Rossi will run for the first time on the Independent-Oddfellow ticket. Rossi has run in every gubernatorial election in Washington since 2004, failing to advance beyond the primary in the last six tries.
Rossi gained national attention in the 2004 election when, running as a Republican, he lost to Democrat Christine Gregoire by just 129 votes, a margin of 0.0045%. His subsequent legal challenges to the result were unsuccessful. Rossi has also named part-time net-journalist and long time political ally Stefan Sharkansky as his campaign manager.
The once successful real estate investor fell on hard times after it was discovered that a Renton apartment building that he purchased and renovated in 2009 had been insulated with shredded voter registrations and asbestos waste. The resulting litigation proved financially devastating to Rossi, and he filed bankruptcy in 2012. Since 2015 he has shared a trailer in Algona with Sharkansky.
Rossi Files Unprecedented 8th Run for Governor
By DJ Savage
THE SEATTLE DAILY STRANGER
May 12, 2032
Failed slumlord Dino Rossi filed today for an unprecedented eighth consecutive run for governor of Washington State. Rossi will run for the first time on the Independent-Oddfellow ticket. Rossi has run in every gubernatorial election in Washington since 2004, failing to advance beyond the primary in the last six tries.
Rossi gained national attention in the 2004 election when, running as a Republican, he lost to Democrat Christine Gregoire by just 129 votes, a margin of 0.0045%. His subsequent legal challenges to the result were unsuccessful. Rossi has also named part-time net-journalist and long time political ally Stefan Sharkansky as his campaign manager.
Rossi joins a crowded field led by Republican Reagan Dunn hoping to unseat first term Democratic Governor Dean Logan.
The once successful real estate investor fell on hard times after it was discovered that a Renton apartment building that he purchased and renovated in 2009 had been insulated with shredded voter registrations and asbestos waste. The resulting litigation proved financially devastating to Rossi, and he filed bankruptcy in 2012. Since 2015 he has shared a trailer in Algona with Sharkansky.