There’s been a lot of speculation that if when Dino Rossi’s election contest lawsuit fails, he will become an immediate threat to Senator Maria Cantwell’s 2006 re-election bid. But I’ve never been so sure.
As I wrote a couple weeks ago, other prominent Republicans may have designs on the nomination, including the politically-challenged George Nethercutt and the factually-challenged Chris Vance. I also suggested that Rossi might think twice before moving his young family to the other Washington.
But writing for the Rothenberg Political Report, (“Don’t Call Rossi ‘Senator’ Just Yet“), Political Editor Nathan Gonzales questions whether Rossi would even be his party’s best candidate:
It’s important to remember that Rossi’s candidacy for governor was fueled by one essential ingredient: Change. Democrats have held the top post in the Evergreen State for 20 years and voters looked anxious to mix things up.
….
But against Cantwell, Rossi’s change message is rendered meaningless and could even work against him. His party controls the White House, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House. Any change message that might develop in the next two years will surely benefit Democrats nationwide, not Republicans. And Washington remains a blue state, going 53%-46% for John Kerry over George W. Bush last November.Rossi’s momentum is not necessarily transferable to a Senate race.
And that’s even assuming Rossi still has momentum coming out of an election contest where the legal evidence fails to live up to the hyperbole of his BIAW-backed PR campaign.
Gonzales concludes that Rossi’s best shot at high office may be to hold tight and run for governor again in 2008. Unfortunately for Rossi, a lot can happen in four years… for example, a successful Gregoire administration.
Let’s be clear — if Rossi doesn’t get a court to put him in office, his political career is done. Finished. In the last few weeks, he’s come across as a scared, spoiled child. He lied to military families to benefit himself, he attacked Republican auditors who worked so hard to do a fair election, and he generally behaved with all the class of a drunken frat boy who has his keg taken away.
In fact, he sounds increasingly like some of the crazies over at the right wing blogs. Would you vote for someone with such a borderline hysterical-paranoid view of the world?
…Would you vote for someone with such a borderline hysterical view of the world?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I wouldn’t, but believing is seeing, not the other way around, and there are apparently many who see through a different lenses of belief than mine. A good example of this is Timothy Goddard’s blog. On the suggestion of someone in an earlier thread, I visited his site and looked at his arguments about the election contest. Unless the Republicans come up with a last minute surprise, I don’t see how they can prevail in the contest. He (Goddard) looks at the same “facts” and concludes the opposite. We shouldn’t get complacent. Who, for instance, has a more borderline paranoid view of the world than the recently re-elected George W. Bush?
Another thing that will hurt Rossi in a Senate race is that he won’t be able to keep his positions on social issues in the background. For example, his “the governor can’t do anything about abortion rights” line isn’t going to cut it in a Senate race. My biggest concern in the Cantwell Senate race is that she has been absolutely invisible as a Senator. She needs to start her 2006 campaign NOW or she could be in trouble if the Rs can find someone reasonable (Jennifer Dunn, for example) to run against her.
I think Cantwell would be tougher to beat than Murray. She’s smarter and she seems to have learned a lot from Murray in addressing local issues like Boeing and Microsoft. Plus the issues are different in a Senate race. Do we really want to give Bush more support in the Senate? Nethercutt got swamped by Murray and I think any Republican, including Rossi, will be hard-pressed to beat her.
Cantwell is not Mike Lowry. She is pro-busines,s high tech and by gosh, she brought down Slade Gorton.
What makes Rossi think he polls better than Slade? Plus, she has a high IQ and good looking. On the other hand, there isn’t much for Rossi to do and he is the best candidate the GOP has.
where the legal evidence fails to live up to the hyperbole of his BIAW-backed PR campaign.
By the way, Rossi’s contest took two major blows today. The discrepency issue has been explained by KC and it is not significantl different than other years and certainly does not represent overvotes.
Secondly, it appears KC made all of the deadlines concerning sending out military ballots.
If Rossi is smart (he is I am certain) he will just bide his time till ’08, sweet Chrissy has used every bit of political collateral she has ever had and then some. She has esentially commited political suicide just to sit in that chair for 4 years (she hopes). If you ever wonder what suicide looks like this is it, the voters will look upon her like she has leprosy now. If Rossi doesnt get a revote he will win ’08 by a landslide. The voters have a memory and they will remember they desperatly wanted a revote…
KC made all of the deadlines concerning sending out military ballots.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If you call mailing the day before you get sued meeting the deadlines…try paying your bills that way!
Chuck – voters have short memories and more important things to worry about. More than 50% of the population voted against George Bush in 2000, and a significant percentage of them thought he “stole” the election, or at least that it was “tainted”. And yet Bush won in 2004.
Republicans aren’t going to get very far if they try and bring this argument up again, as their rhetoric in ’00 and ’04 to Dems nation-wide (get over it) can just be thrown back at them.
And KC and all the other counties save Island county met the deadlines. You can’t deny it and it’s a no argument in court. Buh-bye Rossi.
voters have short memories>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Not as short as you think, John Spellman got into office on a no new taxes platform and broke that promise upon getting in office…we remembered, that cost him a second term and the voters memory is
longer than you think. And she is finished, the question is if it will take all 4 years.
did you hear Rossi on Hannity today?He has gone coocoo. He just lies all the time. My God, did anyone really think he had it in him to run a state? I wouldn’t trust him to run a hose. He’s crazy. Rambling on about stuff that’s long since been shot down.
What did he say that has been shot down?
and he generally behaved with all the class of a drunken frat boy who has his keg taken away.
Indeed. Rossi could have placed himself in the cradle in the manger had he conceded graciously on Christmas eve. That was my fear.
Rossi insted let Chris Vance convince him to walk out on a limb, making wild-ass accusations. Those accustations played to the nutso R base, but cost Rossi his credibility. His conduct almost removes Rossi from the field to run against Cantwell, opening up more room for Vance.
As to the Governor’s race in 2008, Rossi neutered himself as a candidate for executive leadership by demonstrating:
*Rossi inability to see the forest from the trees,
*flip-flopping positions (e.g., from the start the recount to the contest),
*his lack of ability to think strategically about the end-game, both during the recount and now during the contest, and/or
his falling prey to the smoke being blown up his behind (by Chris Vance, Diane TooBelicose, etc.).
Chuck, Spellman campaigned on an issue and then did an about face so the voting public stuck it to him. Christine has 4 years to prove her worthiness and I feel confident that she will do a damn good job and thus win reelection if she wants it without any problems. She has done everything right so far and everything leagal also, not like some political hacks I know of
I have a subsidary blog on this: http://IBlog4SenatorCantwell.blogspot.com .
Here’s a quote from my first entry: Let me be crystalline clear: . . .I will not, help, support, or bless a Dino Rossi bid for U.S. Senator, period.
Right now, though – that blog’s in beta version. I want to add some greens and buttons to it, for one.
Comment by Erik— 1/13/05 @ 3:31 pm
I wouldn’t be too worried, either. Dino as US Senator? Well, I’d prefer US Senator Marummy instead. At least there’d be a spark and a heart (as far as brains – that’s debatable).
Okay, just so you know: http://IBlog4SenatorCantwell.blogspot.com has an entry tracking back here AND, AND my firm reassurance as to where I stand and why (I also take potshots at Gov’r-ELECT Rossi & my SecDef!).
Goldy, you have the makings here of a really important blog. Your analysis is first rate! I hope that over time the comments section will generate a critical mass of participants who aren’t into Jerry Springer-style arguments. Olympia has a substantial number of people working in and around state government who have been desperately seeking media that cultivate thoughtful dialogue about the many issues the mainstream press ignores or downplays.
As a former journalist, I agree with your commitment to not censor substantive debate. But don’t let the nastiness of a few of your posters poison the well; if they can’t keep it civil, be firm that they’ll need to take it outside. I also wouldn’t think twice about threatening to delete comments that are little more than shameless exercises in blog whoring. Let Josef buy an ad if he has nothing more to say than that he is the “FIRST Cantwellian Blogger.” Huh?
This comentary from a Rossi voter is too good not to link:
If there was any question whether the Washington GOP has moderated since Ellen Craswell and Carlson, Schram clears it up for us.
Ken Schram Commentary: They’re Eating Their Own
Fanatics within the state Republican party are targeting Secretary of State Sam Reed.
They want him gone and have started a recall effort to boot him out of office.
Why?
Because Sam Reed had the audacity to operate within the guidelines of state law in dealing with the insanity of what we now simply call “The Election.”
. . .
http://www.komotv.com/stories/34790.htm
She has done everything right so far and everything leagal also, not like some political hacks I know of>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If shooting ones self in the foot is right as well as legal, she did an exelent job, she has completely been disowned by my Mother and brother…
Ah, Chuck. Your poor mother and brother. Brainwashed by the right-wing propoganda and noise machine. Thats sad.
I’m not particularly worried. One, this is the best state-wide showing for the GOP in what, 24 years? And you get there by having a milquetoast candidate who hides his true positions? Hardly a recipe for future success.
Secondly, plenty of people will turn on the GOP after this election as the fanatics complete their takeover of your party. Sam Reed is already being eviscerated for doing his job. I expect any other Republican who steps out of line with the wing-nuts will be next with Chris Vance in charge (and Karl Rove behind the scenes).
That’s already happening nationally – Joe Hoefly is kicked off of the House ethics committee because he does his job. Then there’s Arlen Specter, Christine Whitman, Colin Powell, etc. There’s no future for reasonable conservatives in the GOP anymore. Just like the Log Cabin Republicans are fooling themselves if they think the GOP has anything “for them”.
It took the Democrats nearly 40 years in charge before they had sunk to a level that allowed the GOP to take over as the “ethical” party. It’s taken the GOP less than a decade to sink to the same level (or below).
I’m not particularly worried. One, this is the best state-wide showing for the GOP in what, 24 years?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
You aint seen nothing yet! This election has cost you guys dearly.
Comment by Faceless Bureaucrat— 1/13/05 @ 9:06 pm
Just had to advertise http://IBlog4SenatorCantwell.blogspot.com and opine a bit.
Faceless… thanks for the kind words and the constructive criticism.
I think with a few notable exceptions, the regulars here usually do a pretty good job of keeping a substantive debate going, especially considering the high passions of current events. I’m willing to accept some nastiness as the price for touching sensitive issues. (Actually, I enjoy a little invective)
I am very reluctant to censor or delete comments, though I haven’t ruled it out. And as for Josef… yeah, he goes over the top sometimes, and his linking to himself borders on blog spamming occasionally… but we still welcome him as part of our dysfunctional family.
But please… tell your fellow faceless bureaucrats to bring their issues here. We really do prefer to focus on policy than on baseless rumor-mongering.
I don’t see how they can prevail in the contest. He (Goddard) looks at the same “facts” and concludes the opposite.
Comment by RDC— 1/13/05 @ 3:05 pm
RDC – I encourage you to us ehtis forum to convince me of your point of view. Analyze the law as Goddard did an dexplain what and how, in your opinion, he failed to understand correctly. Explain to us all what these laws really say and expose Goddard for the mistaken idiot you must presume him to be. Until you can explain, as he has, why your position and understanding of the laws is correct you have no credibility. To just sya you have looked at it and come up with an opposite opinion and not identify how you arrived at said opinion sounds a lot like; He’s right but you don’t like the fact he rigth so you opinion must be right. Disect it please, I anxiously await your profound presentation of facts. Here is your chance to convert a Re-Vote believer.
Chris – most of the case law and election law discussions happened here two weeks ago. Very well discussed, the best I have read any where, and accurate.
Check some of the archived blog topics from about 15 days ago.
R’s have no case. So some felons voted. No one likes that. Take the election from Gregoire? Why, she didn’t give them rides to the polls. Some small number of felons most likely always vote – very few out of 3 million ballots. PR stunt. Three or four old guys voted their dead wife. Send them a sympathy card and remove the names. Big fucking deal, for or five out of 3 million ballots. Another PR stunt.
Most of the lawsuit is just PR for the weak minded and unthinking. Rossi needs big time fraud. Did you read the Wall Street Journal editorial? The radical commie Wall Street Journal and the liberals that run it. How could they say no revote?
No case. Suit will fail. Gregoire will remain Gov. Onward.
No case. Suit will fail. Gregoire will remain Gov. Onward.
Comment by Bob from Boeing— 1/14/05 @ 1:17 pm
We’ll all see when the process finally reaches conclusion, until then it is purely speculation by all parties. Most people thought OJ would be convivted and fried – Did not happen did it. That was a case where the public viewed the information and thought the case was rock solid and the result was the opposite. Here we have a case where the public (only on this website) view the evidence, discredit it and laugh at those who don’t agree. Only time will tell if the result will be the one you expect… you may be surprised.
Regarding; “Some small number of felons most likely always vote – very few out of 3 million ballots.”
a 129 vote lead out of 3 million ballots is a “Small Number” and “Very Few” so the fact it always happens as you suggest does not have any bearing on this situation, previous elections were not this close. The fact it did happen when a lead is only 129 makes it very relevent.
Comment by Bob from Boeing— 1/14/05 @ 1:17 pm
Would you feel the same if Rossi won by 129 votes and these problems existed?
Chris – most of the case law and election law discussions happened here two weeks ago. Very well discussed, the best I have read any where, and accurate.
No case. Suit will fail. Gregoire will remain Gov. Onward
This is opinion and not fact. You have not supported any of your opinions with any facts. Just because you say No Case, Suit will fail, does not make it so.
Would you feel the same if Rossi won by 129 votes and these problems existed?
Chris UB, you.just.dont.get.it.
It doesn’t matter what any of us feel!
Gregoire said she would concede if she didn’t win the hand recount!
Your candidate didn’t get enough support when it counted. Thousands of R’s stayed home on election day. You guys blew it. Your GOTV stunk. Now you have to live with it! Those are the rules.
The R’s don’t deserve a second chance! If a batter swung and missed at a ball on a 3 and 0 count would you support the crybaby hitter if the pitcher went on to throw him out?
Comment by John— 1/14/05 @ 10:15 pm
Your right it does not matter what any of us feel! So the fact you feel the case is without merit DOES NOT MATTER. Pull your head out of your ass! Let’s assume this election was clean as could be and every vote counted was a legal legitimate vote. Your canidate won by 129 votes. I have posted about a week or so ago the total and comparisons of 2000 vs 2004. The R’s % and total vote increase over 2000 was huge and your canidate was quite successful in losing 10 percentage points. the net gain in votes for the Republican canidate for Governor in 2004 vs. 2000 was well over 500,000 votes. The R’s gained over half a million more votes this time around then the Democrats did and again you lost 10 percentage points. hundreds of thousand voters tht historically would vote Lib and did so for President (KERRY) crossed over and voted for the Republican (Rossi).If you really need me to I can go back and find my previous post. Both Parties had a increase in voter turnout (# of voters) but the R’s kicked the libs ass in they net vote gain. John Kerry carried this state, you know how long the dems have run Washigton, and your canidate won by 129 votes against a, as you would describe, piece of shit like Dino Rossi. Seems to me you are not seeing the big picture here and the reality about your cherished canidate.
but the R’s kicked the libs ass in they net vote gain.
So freaking what!!! It still wasn’t enough for your candidate to prevail! You guys want another shot at the plate when you don’t deserve one. If you really want to win then win by 3 to 5 thousand votes which you could have done if you went the extra mile in GOTV in just King County alone. You didn’t so you deserve to lose!
The thing that really pisses me off is that you think the 1.4 million who voted for my candidate don’t matter at all. They don’t exist to you. All you want is your revote. Oh, you’ll get it right this time. Only you don’t deserve it. You didn’t earn the governorship when it counted.
I have no problems with D’s who voted for Rossi. No one is saying Gregoire is perfect and in my opinion they were probably ignorant of Rossi’s ties to the despicable BIAW and all the crooked things he did to rise to the top. Read about it here and be proud.
as you would describe, piece of shit like Dino Rossi.
I never said that. You’re putting words in my mouth. Get a life.
Comment by John— 1/15/05 @ 2:32 am
First off, kiss my ass.
Second, you don’t think the 1.4 million that voted for Rossi matter. Here is what matters. The law says the trailing party can contest it it court. So until the election contest is over your canidate has really hasn’t “won” anything. You really think Gregoire “earned the governorship when it counted”? According to the law Rossi “deserves” the ability to continue this election process. Based upon the opinions you have stated, is it not fair to say you would describe Rossi as a piece of shit, whether you used those exact words or not?
Maybe Al can help Chrissy with hers…ial Report
Touring the Al Gore Presidential Library and Museum
By Leonard Albin
Published 1/13/2005 12:08:26 AM
Almost obscured by the climbing pink orchids and dense sub-tropical foliage in Boca Raton, Florida, a one-story, somber post-modern building of concrete and glass rises from the landscape. Though locals just refer to it affectionately as “that ugly damn place,” the newly completed Al Gore Presidential Library and Museum is an important cultural site that should be part of everyone’s Florida vacation — even during the off-season. Just off I-95 in Palm Beach County, and convenient to the Pompano Beach Motel 6, this new historical and educational landmark is simply as magical as Disneyworld. Much more than a civic building, the Al Gore Library is a testament to one Tennessee man’s heroic stand against adversity, who dared challenge the status quo with courage, resolve, and above all, a team of ferocious lawyers.
As my wife and I entered the soaring 20-foot-high sun-filled atrium and lobby, one nagging thought did keep coming to mind: Al Gore was never President. That much, of course, is true. However, the Al Gore Library’s founding charter (signed by 162 nations) clearly states that it should be the popular vote, not the Electoral College, which elects presidents. Since this conflicts with certain language in The United States Constitution, the Library is not recognized as an official landmark by the Federal government and no public money was used in its construction. Instead, the Library was funded in large part by a generous grant from a mysterious “Warren,” and has also received millions of dollars in contributions from donors who either believe that Al Gore really is president, or really was elected president, or was president for a month until the Supreme Court threw him out of office — and from a much larger group of people who realize that Gore was not elected president but should have been, although he probably was elected after all, if all the votes were actually counted.
Soon, we were greeted by our docent, a retired high school shop teacher originally from Kew Gardens, Queens. “We got over ten thousand books here,” he said, as he started the tour. Yet it wasn’t books that first piqued our interest, but the question of whether it was appropriate to charge $15 for adults (and $7.50 for children under 12) for admission to a presidential library that had no president. But our docent wasn’t bothered by that. “Al Gore won the popular vote,” he said. “And he did seem to be president there for a while, at least on a couple of networks.”
That philosophical matter solved, we turned our attention to the main feature of the airy lobby: a mural that stretched across the entire back wall. Here, enlarged to about 1,000 times actual size, was a print of a Mapquest map of Massachusetts Avenue in Washington D.C. — the street where Al Gore spent much of his life. First, we saw the blue “X” marking his boyhood home at the posh Fairfax Hotel in the 2000 block, back when Al’s Dad was a United States Senator. Then, we noticed another blue “X” marking the young Albert’s prep school, the swank St. Alban’s School, near the 3700 block. Nearby, there was another blue “X” at 3450 Massachusetts Avenue — the former Naval Observatory that serves as the Vice President’s official residence. Towards the eastern end of the Avenue, there was another blue “X” signifying Al Gore’s 16 years’ employment as a Congressman and Senator at the United States Capitol, conveniently located just two blocks from Massachusetts Avenue. (The huge Mapquest map was generated on a NASA Supercomputer and superprinter, by clicking repeatedly on maximum Zoom In.)
There was no blue “X” at the White House, of course, since there was no Gore presidency. Nevertheless, the Al Gore Library and Museum’s curators have carefully considered what a Gore presidency would have been like, if he had actually won. As a result, the place proudly displays several fascinating exhibits portraying the projected great moments and achievements of a Gore Administration, as if they had already happened.
To combat global warming, there was Gore’s ambitious National Central Air Conditioning, mandating that cool air be pumped into every building with four walls and a roof in America retrofitted with the proper ducts — at no charge. This Act is commemorated at the Library and Museum with an original Jimmy Carter oil painting depicting the sun, with a red circle around it and a red slash through it. For consumer safety, there was the Mandatory Airbags for Bicycles Act, and in education, the No School Lunch Left Behind program, designed to help public school children learn the basic skills and fundamentals necessary for finishing Lunch. Yet the Gore Administration’s finest achievement would have been The Beverly Hills Peace Accords — a unilateral “statement of purpose” drafted by major film stars, directors, and producers calling on all the Nations of the World, large or small, or rich or poor, to stop fighting. As the Accords’ Article I eloquently puts it: “Dude, can’t we all just get along?” Yes, these are words to live by. The Accords exhibit was aptly dignified and austere, too: an original Jimmy Carter oil painting of George W. Bush, with a red circle around it and a red slash through it.
After we spent fifteen minutes marveling at these exhibits, and a half-hour enjoying Kosher hamburgers at the adjacent Joe Lieberman Delicatessen & Lounge, our docent led us down the hall and asked us to give our serious and undivided attention to the Library and Museum’s principal attraction.
“Come here,” he said, beckoning with a finger. “You gotta see this.”
Inside a special, large acoustically-dampened room, seven cheerful uniformed Library employees were sitting at a long, low folding table, piled high with papers and cards. Behind them, a blackboard was covered with numbers and check marks and unfamiliar names like “Volusia” and “Osceola,” and now and then somebody would yell out a number — like “62” or “73.” For a moment, we were drawn in by everyone’s visible enthusiasm, and we almost called out, “Bingo!” But then we realized what this room was for. This was The Vote Counting Room. They were counting the Florida ballots from the 2000 Presidential Election again. Nearby, supervising the tally, was an Ernst & Young senior accountant and two heavily armed Florida State Troopers, who gathered the ballots each day at closing time and deposited them overnight in the largest, most secure vault in Palm Beach County — the one at the Limbaugh estate.
“Who’s winning?” I finally asked.
Our docent grinned and said, “It’s still too close to call.”
The Al Gore Presidential Library and Museum, located near N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton, Florida, is open daily (except holidays) from 5 to 4, in observance of the Supreme Court decision that gave George W. Bush the presidency.
Leonard Albin is a writer in San Francisco.
First off, kiss my ass.
Oh Chris I’m so hurt. I’ll take a pass on that if you don’t mind.
Second, you don’t think the 1.4 million that voted for Rossi matter.
Yes I do. They are old enough to vote so they should understand and respect the law. I understand hurt feelings and if Gregoire is smart she will reach out to them in a effective manner. She will govern in a way that will respect their interests and if they still don’t like it, well, there’s always 2008.
The law says the trailing party can contest it it court.
I never said otherwise. Rossi is entitled to his day in court if he believes he has a case. I don’t think he has one. IANAL so we’ll see.
So until the election contest is over your canidate has really hasn’t “won” anything.
Bullshit. The election and the counting of votes is over. The election has been cerified by the SecState and the legislature. The loser is contesting the election in court – that is different
You really think Gregoire “earned the governorship when it counted”?
Absolutely. You guys were screaming at her to concede at the first count. The felons didn’t matter then. The dead people didn’t matter then. The military vote didn’t matter then. She hung in there by taking the options allowed to her by the law! She stayed true to her supporters, the 1.4 million voters that seem invisible to you. She earned her victory.
And she did us all a favor! We all know a lot more about how imperfect elections are and why it’s important to be involved, GOTV and make sure your candidate has enough support.
Rossi would have done the same thing if the tables were turned. He’d truly be unworthy if he didn’t.
According to the law Rossi “deserves” the ability to continue this election process.
Nice try but not quite. He is entitled to contest the certified election.
Based upon the opinions you have stated, is it not fair to say you would describe Rossi as a piece of shit, whether you used those exact words or not?
Absolutely not fair. I’ll be kind and just say you are really reaching in order to deduce that. That I don’t like your candidate because of his friends and his crooked tactics is a fair deduction but I haven’t stooped to what you’re saying in the least. Go back and read my words, Chris, the worst thing I did was compare Rossi to crybaby batter – light-years away from calling him a piece of excrement.
By the way I’ll commend you for not calling me names despite your request for what I should do with my lips and stuffing words into my mouth.
Now remember you started all this by asking “what if the tables were turned?”
Again I repeat, if the tables were turned – Rossi would be in the Governor’s mansion.
Why?
Because Gregoire pledged to concede the election if the hand recount didn’t come out her way!
Needless to say Rossi did not make this pledge!
So it doesn’t matter how I’d feel if the tables were turned. Maybe I’d feel hurt but in the absence of obvious fraud I don’t think I’d have a case to drag out into the courts and alienate the public.
Is there room for improvement in elections? You bet. Sam Reed has reasonable proposals on the boards. I don’t know if they go far enough but it’s a start. Are you behind him? Nobody anywhere I know of is opposed to the cleanest elections possible.