[NWPT48]Judge Bridges bitch-slapped Dino Rossi.
There’s really no other way to interpret the decision he issued today in the election contest lawsuit. Apart from a few lines at the start, criticizing the “culture” of King County Elections, about the only positive note Republicans can take out of the Judge’s ruling is that he didn’t impose Rule 11 sanctions on the Rossi camp for bringing a frivolous lawsuit. I’m guessing Timothy Borders et al were a bit nervous there for a few moments, waiting for Judge Bridges to order them to reimburse the Dems for legal costs.
“Dismissed with prejudice.”
No… the Democrats didn’t get off on some technicality. The Judge ruled that the Republicans resoundingly failed to prove their case. He ruled that there was no evidence ballots were changed or that ballot boxes were stuffed or that legal votes were removed from one candidate or the other. There was no evidence that Gregoire engaged in wrongdoing, or that election officials committed fraud… no evidence of intentional misconduct, partisan bias or an attempt to manipulate the election… and no evidence to question ballot security, or that reconciliation errors were anything more than just that. There was no evidence presented as to how felons and mishandled provisionals might have voted, or even if they had marked a ballot for governor at all. Indeed: “There is no evidence in this record that Ms. Gregoire received any illegal votes.”
And after rejecting the Republicans’ proposed “proportional deduction” methodology as “unscientific”, Judge Bridges twisted the knife:
“An election such as this should not be overturned because one judge picks a number and applies a proportional deduction analysis. To do so within the context of the facts of this case would constitute the ultimate act of judicial egotism and judicial activism.”
This was an elected judge from a heavily Republican county, speaking directly to Republicans in words he knew they would understand. “Judicial activism” is a phrase that resonates with conservative Republicans, and he made a point of explaining to voters that this was exactly what Rossi’s attorneys had asked him to exercise.
Judge Bridges had clearly laid down in pre-trial rulings the standard of evidence and burden of proof he would require, but for many of their claims, Rossi’s attorneys failed to even try to meet them. Thus no one should be surprised by the overwhelmingly one-sided nature of today’s decision.
No one except perhaps for the Rossi faithful who chose to get their “news” and “analysis” exclusively from right-wing talk radio and blogs like (un)Sound Politics. Oh, I don’t expect conservative Republicans to rely on an unabashedly liberal blog like HA for their election contest coverage (though I think it’s fair to immodestly point out that I was proven absolutely right on almost every single legal point.) But you would have had to have totally dismissed the extensive coverage in the MSM to go into this morning’s ruling with more than the tiniest shred of hope that Rossi might prevail in court. He had no case… and Judge Bridges wasn’t shy about pointing that out.
And that is why it is no surprise that Rossi has decided not to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court, for to do so would have invited a judicial smack down that would have made Judge Bridges’ legal kick-in-the-groin look like a tap on the tuchus from my 87-year-old bubbie. As I had previously predicted, the cherry-picked judge from conservative Chelan County was careful to structure his ruling to make it virtually appeal proof. He admitted nearly every piece of evidence proffered by either side, and then made his decision by applying established precedent to findings of fact. Appellate courts nearly always accept the lower courts’ evidentiary findings, and by limiting the universe of illegal votes to a number more or less split between the two sides, the Supremes would have been as hamstrung by the evidence as Judge Bridges’ was by the statute.
So Rossi has ended his dishonest contest, not out of some desire to heal the state or personally move on, or even out of grudging respect for the rule of law — he ended his contest because he had no choice. Given the magnitude of his legal loss, and the manner in which the ruling was structured, he not only had no hope of prevailing on appeal, he had no hope of convincing anybody but the most ardently blind true-believer that even he believed he had any hope of prevailing in court.
Shortly before I boarded my plane, I called Andrew at Northwest Progressive Institute, and asked him to post an update to HA if Rossi conceded. The Republicans had always promised to appeal, and I had no advance knowledge to the contrary, but the Rossi folk had always shown a knack for savvy PR moves, and it seemed clear to me that quickly ending this hopeless fight was the savvy move to make in light of their lopsided legal loss. But while I somewhat expected a concession, when I read the quotes from his news conference, I was disappointed.
Rossi said because the “political makeup of the Washington Supreme Court” makes it “almost impossible to overturn this ruling, I am ending this election contest.”
To blame his concession on a partisan court strikes me as both insolent and ungracious, at a time when a true statesman would have been more… well… statesmanlike (think Al Gore’s concession in 2000,) whatever the personal sacrifice and disappointment. I expect some of his faithful supporters to refuse to accept the facts — and perhaps Rossi himself really does believe that this was a stolen election — but a true leader must be bigger than partisan politics or personal ambition… and today, Rossi’s statements made him look very, very small indeed.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I empathize with the disappointment and frustration and cynicism many Rossi supporters must feel. If the shoe were on the other foot I might have been skeptical myself… although I hope that in the end I would have accepted that the facts of this case simply did not bear out the suspicions. But what really disturbs me about the angry rhetoric that continues to flow from the state GOP and its surrogates, is the complete and utter lack of empathy coming from their ranks.
As a Democrat, I am offended by the assumption that I am somehow less moral, less ethical, less honest and less capable than my Republican counterparts. I resent the oft-repeated notion that Democrats are more likely to cheat, and that we cannot win elections without doing so. I am in fact angry that Republicans would accuse Democrats in a court of law, of “stealing” an election… without even bothering to present any direct evidence to support their claim.
The contest statute is intended to remedy those rare elections where it is clear that the wrong candidate was declared the winner. It is not intended to be used merely as a vehicle for running a six-month PR campaign designed to extract a political price from the opposition for crimes they did not commit.
Yes, the Republicans had every right to pursue an election contest, but in dismissing their claims “with prejudice,” Judge Bridges made it clear that it was a right the Republicans cynically abused. Dino Rossi owes Christine Gregoire, Democratic voters, and the people of Washington an apology.
“Dismissed with prejudice” … as in “I don’t like you, you’re ugly, and your mother dresses you funny”.
Amen, brother.
Welcome back the conquering hero!
Judge Bridges bitch-slapped Dino Rossi.
Yep. Goldy’s back.
He had no case… and Judge Bridges wasn’t shy about pointing that out.
But that didn’t stop Rossi from costing the taxpayers millions of dollars for nothing.
Nice post Goldy, except you forgot to mention that the often quoted voter crediting theories and spreadsheets thrown around at Unsound for months and months were forever proven to have no validity whatsoever by the judge in an election contest.
Rossi’s departing false remark as he now perhaps leaves the political world forever was that the court never determined the number of votes for each candidate. To the contrary, Gregoire gained 4 votes by establishing 4 King County felon voters that voted for Rossi.
Nicely done, Goldy… I confess, the reason I hoped Judge Bridges wouldn’t rule for the Republicans in this case was because there are no guarantees that the same mess wouldn’t happen again. The glaring problems in this case haven’t been fixed. Sure another race that close is unlikely, I’m sure, but what if? The colossal waste of taxpayer dollars and campaign dollars that would have ensued would have been truly criminal. My plea now is for somebody to fix the election system in Washington. We don’t have a primary that the parties buy into and that’s going to court – AGAIN – and there are, as Judge Bridges went to lengths to point out, great shortcomings in the system right now.
PLEASE PLEASE lets get the system fixed before the Initiative king or Stefan or any of the folks bitter about the outcome of this case get another screwed up initiative passed that has far reaching implications beyond what is necessary!
I wonder whay John Carlsons plans are in 2008? chrissy couldnt win as dog catcher.
what instead of whay
Erik @ 4 “But that didn’t stop Rossi from costing the taxpayers millions of dollars for nothing.”
Well, you Dems should know all about costing taxpayers millions of dollars for nothing. For those who need it spelled out, it has nothing to do with court cases and everything to do with spending money like Paris Hilton on a Rodeo Drive bender.
Ill be signing on people for the anti gas tax initiative as soon as I get it…see you around Spanaway!
Darren @ 5
“My plea now is for somebody to fix the election system in Washington.”
In fact, 96% of the illegal votes would have been eliminated by
1. The statewide felon list
2. Identifiable provisional ballots.
These things have been fixed during the last legislative session. More work needs to be done, but we have already tackled the bulk of the problem.
dj
The “bulk of the problem” is cynicism and distrust of the Democrats running King County elections. In order to fix that a lot more has to be done.
Ok Bloggers, its time for a little blogging scorekeeping at the end of a 5 month election contest. It’s the closest thing to a blogg off that our two competitors Goldy and Stefan have had.
Here are the results
Unsound Politics: Election result
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m predicting that Judge Bridges will set aside the election.
Goldy:
We all know Dino Rossi is going to lose….
Result : Rossi loses Goldy prevails
Unsound Politics: Durkin is dumb and injured herself while arguing.
As promised, here’s a list of some of the “own goal”s that Democrat attorney Jenny Durkan scored in her closing argument.
Goldy: Attorney Durkan is good:
She was great in cross-exam, and she’s great in summation.
Result
Durkan slays republicans non-theories, Goldy prevails.
Unsound
Voter crediting is central to an election contest and determines if there was ballot stuffing(paraphrased)
Goldy:
3) voter crediting will not be accepted as evidence of illegal votes.
Result
(the judge) also rejected the notion that voter crediting could be used as evidence of illegal votes.
Goldy prevails.
Unsound : Fraud was prevalent in the election
Goldy : There was no evidence of fraud
Result:
Court ruling : there was no evidence that Gregoire engaged in wrongdoing, or that election officials committed fraud…
Nor did the republicans plead fraud in their petition or show any evidence of fraud at trial. Nor did GOP head Vance believe their was fraud:
Vance definitively denied that was fraud involved:
“I know that there is no fraud going on, nothing nefarious in Washington state. […] I’ve been as close to it as you can be, and there is no truth to it, at least not here.”
I don’t think its biased to say Goldy slayed each and every major false and derisive statement that Unsound posted.
This is your one day to bask in your rhetorical victories Goldy. Enjoy it. Maybe you will celebrate by getting a preview button for your blog. In a couple of days everyone will be making post on transportation and other boring issues.
Hey Cheesie Chuck,
I thought you were hanging around here because you wanted to see the orchestra play while the Titanic sunk.
Are you going to swim over to (u)SP and stay there for good now. I was just over there. Sheer lunacy. Your cup of tea.
Very nicely said – yet again.
I would add that often when a stateman makes a concession speech the opportunity is so well used that one is well and truly won over by the ex-candidate’s magnanimity. When Al Gore spoke to finally concede the Presidency to George Bush I came away wondering where that Al Gore had been during the campaign – someone human, accessible, compassionate and real. Today Rossi had the opportunity to do just the same (although doing so in December would have been the right time). Yet he flunked even this test, instead playing the victimized, angry politician who lost. Everything about his behavior begrudged Gregoire her victory, and set himself up as a victim. This was a pathetic display of dishonor. The man has no shame, and Washingtonians should not forget it.
zip @ 11,
I agree that there is a political issue in addition to a small number of problems in the election system. But, I blame the political issue largely on a fraudulent lawsuit filed by Vance et al.
This was a pretty sad example of “statesmanship” on the part of the GOP!
Chuck @ 9 wrote, “Ill be signing on people for the anti gas tax initiative as soon as I get it…see you around Spanaway!”
The Anti-Transportation Plan, Anti-Roads Initiative – brought to you by the same people that brought you the sham election contest fraud suit. They lied to you for the last 6 months, so are you going to listen to them now? I think not.
DJ @ 10
How about a little housecleaning at KCREALS? They had problems pointed out to them earlier and did nothing. They admitted to faking the paperwork. As Bridges clearly smacked KC, “It’s inertia, it’s selfishness, it’s taking our paycheck but not doing the work.” If nothing else, Logan & friends earn pink slips because they either hid the truth or weren’t on top of things enough to know the truth.
How about identifiable absentee ballots?
How about AT LEAST increasing the scrutiny at registration time?
How about formal standards for elections employees?
And if we can’t split shifts and 138-year-old grannies are working 14-hour shifts (I see union bosses salivating), there has to be some genius out there who has a better idea that doesn’t increase the complexity.
Daniel K@16
No brought to you by the people that think Seattle can buy their own roads (just ask Goldy) They pay more than they take! Lets let seattle keep that money for a year or 2 and fix their own viaduct!
Daniel @ 16
Yeah!! Maybe we can have even MORE empty trains running between Seattle and Everett!
Yeah, Goldy…what you said!
Mark @ 17
“How about a little housecleaning at KCREALS? They had problems pointed out to them earlier and did nothing.”
I agree with you on this. They can do better (as can many other counties–KC wasn’t the worse county by most measures of error in the 2004 general election).
“They admitted to faking the paperwork.”
No, Mark, they did not. During the trial, Judge Bridges asked Nichole Way directly if she though the number was right, and she said she did at the time. I think everyone agrees that she used bad judgment, but, frankly, a better number was not available.
“As Bridges clearly smacked KC, “It’s inertia, it’s selfishness, it’s taking our paycheck but not doing the work.” If nothing else, Logan & friends earn pink slips because they either hid the truth or weren’t on top of things enough to know the truth.”
Undertake a witch-hunt if you wish. I don’t really think blind witch-hunting genuinely solves problems. . . .
“How about identifiable absentee ballots?”
Oops. . . here is where that ugly voter crediting bullshit comes up, right? Well, hell, of the 808 “discrepancies” in KC, 320 are accounted for by federal write-ins and address confidentiality (agreed to by both parties), 292 ballots were rejected with challenge codes, and 96 were not counted because they were lost. So, sure! Let’s make sure KC double-check the absentee envelopes and resolve the 100 or so unresolved “discrepancies”. That fixes things by a little bit. While we are at it, fix the 190 “discrepancies” in Clark, 135 “discrepancies” in Pierce, 77 “discrepancies” in Spokane, 45 “discrepancies” in Stevens, etc. etc.
“How about AT LEAST increasing the scrutiny at registration time?”
The statewide felon list will take care of the bulk of the problem here. Or, did you have something else in mind?
”How about formal standards for elections employees?”
Conceptually, this seems good to me, if it reduces errors.
”And if we can’t split shifts and 138-year-old grannies are working 14-hour shifts (I see union bosses salivating), there has to be some genius out there who has a better idea that doesn’t increase the complexity.”
Then how about if you get you lazy ass out there so that granny doesn’t have to pull a 14 hour shift at the polling place, Mark? :-)
dj
“I think everyone agrees that she used bad judgment, but, frankly, a better number was not available”???
Your attitude towards Way illustrates the problem here: If a better number was not available she should not have been enabled by King County to write down the “not better” one. Writing down the “not better” number should not be an acceptable choice. People whose jobs and lack of criminal record depend on the truthfulness of the number should both write it down and check it.
We should at least be able to expect truthful reports to be filed by people whose entire career has been spent filling out such reports. And we should expect soem basic audit controls to be in place so a “not better” number is caught and corrected.
David Goldstein eloquently gives voice to what many of us are feeling about Rossi’s final flip of the finger to the people of Washington state.
DJ @ 21
You did your math wrong.
< <>>
1. Start out with 808 more absentee ballots than credited absentee voters. 808 extra ballots.
2. Subtract 251 federal write-in ballots cast by unregistered voters. (Military and overseas voters don’t have to be registered in order to vote under federal law, just eligible to vote.) 557 extra ballots.
3. Subtract 69 ballots cast by confidential address voters. 488 extra ballots.
4. ADD 292 absentee voters who were credited, but did not cast valid ballots. I.e. inner envelopes with no ballots, ballots from wrong election, etc. 780 extra ballots.
5. ADD 95 ballots that were never counted because election workers left them in the envelopes. 875 extra ballots.
The funny thing is that most of Rossi’s concession was reasonably gracious. That gratuitous dig he gave the Supreme Court, though, made me quite angry and I’m glad Goldy is high-lighting it. This is part of something I think we should start calling “the politics of civic destruction.” For the last 25 years at least, the Republicans have been out trying to tear down everything that makes us a society. Here’s what they rage against: government, the media, the judiciary, public schools, public broadcasting, even public libraries, and, when it suited their purposes, the presidency. This nihilism is grotesque and toxic. What is going to be left of the country when they’re satisfied that they’ve destroyed enough?
Word has it (for whatever that is worth) that Judge Bridges was “stunned” the R’s have dropped the case.
dj, Goldy et al are pretty funny in pretending there was ever even an ounce of hope the Judge would award the LEFTISTS legal fees.
I mean how dare the R’s be upset that King County cannot give us a list of voters names that match the number of votes!!!!!
That is totally “unreasonable” to expect!!!!
How dare the R’s demand that ILLEGAL VOTES by felons be removed!!
It is totally “unreasonable” to expect!!
Sometimes when you win guys, it’s better to just graciously move on to the next issue….especially when you control the Governor’s Office and Legislature. This is still a pretty hot issue as evidenced by various polls. Many thanks for keeping it alive just as long as possible….and writing as many inflammatory things as possible. Keep going!!
On a “positive” note, I only saw two or three comments on (U)SP advocating violence. On the other hand, a sizeable number of the comments advocate for Rs stuffing ballots next go ’round. They’ve been pumping themselves up so much over there on all this fraud nonsense that they think that would somehow be fair play. The rhetoric really has been out of control.
While I am not pleased with some of the obnoxious baiting and name-calling that comes from the HA commenters, I haven’t noticed a single call for anyone to break the law.
Goldy got this thread right. Rossi is a punk who quit because he was getting his ass beat. And rightly so. He never had a case and all the right wing freaks who thought he did ought to be men enough to admit they were beaten and move on. Or better, move OUT – of Washington that is.
Think of it like an Outer Limits promo.
“WE control the elections. WE control the Legislature. WE control the courts.”
Don’t like it? Move the hell out! I hear Texas is looking for idiots to staff their prisons and WalMarts!\
God Bless Seattle – King County And Western Washington!!!
This summarizes the goings on. I think the politics of animosity took a huge turn in 1994 with Gingrich and his “contract with America” which sought to divide — it has worked well.
The fact that other counties had very high proportions of “votes without voters” is lost with the constant, unsound drumming of King County being held as the single “fraud-ridden” organization “stealing elections”.
This has done in Washington what Gingrich set out to do nationally…it has further divided the state.
Facts, accuracy and the desire to work together take a back seat to “us vs. them.”. Here, it’s King County vs. the state (even though counties throughout the state did the same things). It’s Seattle vs. the state on transportation (even though Seattle pays more out to the rest of the state than they get back in).
Guys, the republicans are applying the divide and conquer strategy here. It’s scary and should be recognized and neutralized. Nationally, it worked wonders for them (11 years after Gingrich started his tirade, the three houses branches of national government are solidly in his camp and working across the aisle is at a long-time nadir).
Here, they do their “us vs. them” facing a democratic governor and house and senate. If they succeed…and they can succeed….we’ll see a major turn to the right with a lot less working together and a whole lot more of “red” Washington State imposing their will on “blue” Washington State.
Goldy – “As a Democrat, I am offended by the assumption that I am somehow less moral, less ethical, less honest and less capable than my Republican counterparts. I resent the oft-repeated notion that Democrats are more likely to cheat, and that we cannot win elections without doing so. I am in fact angry that Republicans would accuse Democrats in a court of law, of “stealing†an election… without even bothering to present any direct evidence to support their claim.”
As usual, dems can’t take what they dish out. Think back to Florida and Ohio. Any proof there? No. Same accusations though.
The Republican suit financed in large part by the BIAW – one long expensive PR stunt. The D’s 3 million dollars plus poorer.
Well at least the BIAW put on the brakes and stopped the appeal. An adequate amount of damage was done. A pox on your miserable house.
Well back to the good fight of correcting the disinformation of the winger noise machine.
The Judge would not impose CR 11 sanctions sua sponte, it would require a post-trial motion by the Democrats. And they have several grounds in addition to fiiling a frivilous suit. The Republicans referred to evidence in both opening and closing arguments that they did not produce and they signed pleadings that were not based on a good faith belief, AFTER a reasonable investigation into the underlying facts. This is all sanctionable conduct, but first we would have to find a Democrat with the balls to file the motion.
Re: 32
I guess no one’s crazy enough to put themselves at the mercy of the BIAW’s attack dogs. Who needs it?
And here’s another reason that the Republicans decided not to appeal: Right now, no other court is required to accept Judge Bridges’ ruling as a legal precedent (athough it might be persuasive to some other judge in the future). If the Repubs did appeal and lose, then Judge Bridges’ decision would likely become binding legal precedent on future court decisions and would probably be seen as persuasive in other states. The Republicans don’t want his decision to become a part of the case law because they might want to try this little trick again.
re: Mr. Irrelevant @ 26:
Word has it (for whatever that is worth) that Judge Bridges was “stunned” the R’s have dropped the case.
Is there any chance that the WA supremes will review the case anyway? It strikes me that their imprimatur on Bridges’ decision would be a good thing.
Rossi’s classless statement about the political makeup of our Supreme Court is plain language to the radical right, and we’d be fools to overlook it. These anti-American extremists will absolutely not rest until every level of power rests in their greedy hands. It will take equal vigilance by the rest of us to preserve our free, fair, and open democracy.
Next is gay mariage!! YES! Republicans can fuck off..
I cannot for the life of me understand how any human being with an ounce of integrity and intelligence could possibly be a Reublican.I agree with the rhetoric of Howard Dean and I do believe that senators like Biden and his ilk should become theReps in name that they are in fact.
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Richard Pope @ 24
“You did your math wrong.”
You are right (as usual)! I jotted these numbers down during Durkan’s closing statements, but misunderstood what she was saying. (Ref: 5:43:00 on TVW archive).
“4. ADD 292 absentee voters who were credited, but did not cast valid ballots. I.e. inner envelopes with no ballots, ballots from wrong election, etc. 780 extra ballots.
5. ADD 95 ballots that were never counted because election workers left them in the envelopes. 875 extra ballots.”
She was arguing that the 292 should not be added in based on a statement from pg. 197 of Fells deposition (which I have not read).
She says the 95 might need to be added in (although I don’t completely understand her reasoning).
So, if she is right on the 292, then the “discrepancy” for absentee ballots is 488 or 488 + 95.
Thanks for helping me through that. Of course, since the computer system does have a list of voters credited, and KC has both the ballots and envelopes, it is possible to get to the bottom of this discrepancy (as you pointed out long ago).
Thomas @ 41:
Hey, that was fun. Proves nothing, though. Or does it?
“George Bush” & “stupid” — 753,000 hits
“Iraq” & “failure” — 6,150,000
“weapons of mass destruction” & false — 579,000
“Thomas” & “wrong” — 10,900,000
As predicted, many Rs are assailing the judge. Judges that don’t agree with them are either activist or in the other side’s pocket. Rossi, himself, added to the nasty nature of things by calling his view of the supreme court as he sees it — all politics.
The Wrong-Wing radicals over at (un)SoundPolitics have made their intentions pretty clear, and they don’t intend on changing their game plan one bit…
If they lost an election, it must’ve been fraud. Yell “fraud” at the tope of your lungs, even though you’ve got no proof…
If they lost a lawsuit, there must be a problem with the system. Blame the judge, blame the inadequacy of the election contest laws, blame everything except the weakness of your own case and your baseless allegations…
If they know they can’t win an appeal, blame it on the “political makeup of the Washington Supreme Court…”
And soon – in the ultimate in disingenuous rhetoric – they’ll start with their “we could have won in the Supreme Court, but Rossi wanted to be gracious and not subject the people of Washington to unending litigation and uncertainty…”
Rossi did the right thing politically in not pushing it. If he were a bigger man, he could have been – or at least could have sounded – truely gracious and magnanamous in conceeding defeat. But he isn’t a big man, and was thus incapable of doing so…
But he – or rather his advisers – are politically savy…
By bowing out now, he leaves some doubt in the minds of not only his dillusional supporters, but also in the minds of many mainstream Washingtonians.
Doubt that maybe he could have won in the Supreme Court…
Doubt that maybe he really did somehow get more votes…
Democrats can’t sit by and grudgingly conceed that King County Elections needs fixing. Democrats need to take the lead in making sure that things get fixed – in King County and statewide. Democrats need a “Nixon goes to China” moment when they champion election reform.
They’ve already started, although quite timidly. Election reforms were undertaken during the most recent legislative session in Olympia – under Democratic leadership, and signed into law by a Democratic governor – though the public is largely unaware of it.
But Republicans will try as hard as they can to convince people that A) the little that was done wasn’t enough, B) what got done was only done because of their own prodding, and C) what got done was only done gruddingly by Democrats because a close election was in the spotlight.
Governor Gregoire should appoint a blue-panel commission with sweeping powers (or at least a strong political mandate) to reform King County Elections. Invite Dino Rossi to chair it – after all, he claims to know where all the problems are…
The mistakes made all over the state were troublesome – but Republicans scored major points in emphasizing the errors in King County.
No – the points they scored didn’t help them in court, nor should they have. But they will help them in the court of public opinion in coming elections unless Democrats wake up, and wake up fast!
Yeserday was a good day for democracy – and a very good day for Democrats.
Now let’s quit slapping ourselves on the back – roll up your sleeves and get back to work!
SPB
Gig Harbor
Did anybody happen to notice Howard Dean’s appearance in Seattle? Did anyone who’s criticizing Rossi today take a look at Dean’s comments and see some parallels????
Goldy said: “I expect some of his faithful supporters to refuse to accept the facts – and perhaps Rossi himself really does believe that this was a stolen election – but a true leader must be bigger than partisan politics or personal ambition…”
Dean said: “African Americans waited three times as long as whites to vote in Ohio,” declared Dean. He followed by describing the waits as part of a “deliberate — I don’t know whether it was deliberate” — bad distribution of voting machines.”
Goldy said: “But what really disturbs me about the angry rhetoric that continues to flow from the state GOP and its surrogates, is the complete and utter lack of empathy coming from their ranks.”
From the AP story yesterday: “Democrats Joseph R. Biden Jr. and John Edwards are criticizing party Chairman Howard Dean, saying his rhetorical attacks on Republicans have gone too far.
Dean has said Republicans never made an honest living in their lives and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay ought to go back to Houston, where he can serve his jail sentence. DeLay has not been accused of any crime.
Dean “doesn’t speak for me with that kind of rhetoric, and I don’t think he speaks for the majority of Democrats,” Biden, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
It takes a lot of gall to complain about being offended while AT THE SAME TIME your side is also charging that the R’s are “less moral, less ethical, less honest and less capable…”
I agree, Rossi’s comment about the Supreme Court was disappointing, but why not just leave it at that? Why go on a four paragraph rant about how offended you are and how you hate Republicans doing this when the top Democrat is being publicly reprimanded by other D’s for the same “small” behavior Rossi showed?
Don’t be so hypocritical when you’ve been proven so right!
quote
“Governor Gregoire should appoint a blue-panel commission with sweeping powers (or at least a strong political mandate) to reform King County Elections. Invite Dino Rossi to chair it – after all, he claims to know where all the problems are…”
Sure, right after Bush does the same thing for the USA.
As long as your guy wins, nothing else matters. The republifucks can go blow all their moral shit out their asses. As if Dinno would change a thing if he had won, give me a break.
Now go read your bibles and pray that you’ll win next time.
Also get ready for gay marriage, you bigot mother fuckers.
Jon @ 46
What is your point? It sounds like Dean is getting criticized by Dems for an “over the top” statement.
But, I sure would like to see Joseph Biden and John Edwards hit Rossi for his un-statesmanly statement about the WA Supreme Court. They are just hypocrites if they don’t . . . .
dj @ 48: My point is that Democrats are also engaged in “small” behavior and to criticize Rossi (and demand an apology) for doing the same is hypocritical. I’m sorry, I can’t make it any clearer than that.
Rossi may have to give up wearing spandex. Health experts say wearing spandex cuts off the blood supply to the penis. Could be the circulation to the brain is affected along with the voice box. Up-tight Rossi lays more blame. He won’t take his case to higher court, hinting due to the present seated judges. Maybe it is the spandex or just more falsetto sung by Rossi.
Biden voted for that godawful Rep bankruptcy bill. It may be politically smart for HIM to do that but I fail to see how that helps his supposed constituents. I can see how it helps the credit card industry that gives Biden large sums of money.How can Biden dun Tom Delay for ethics when his own are no better? Let Biden speak for himself or for the Rep party. We don’t need duplicitous assholes like him and Lieberman in the Dem Party.
You know what Rossi reminds me right now? The terrible acting of Hayden Christiansen in “Revenge of the Sith” Remember when he says, “How can I be on the Jedi Council but not be made a Jedi Master”? It’s like Rossi thinks everybody is against him. I fully expect him to jump to the dark side now. He’s going to become a Sith lord for sure. Darth Rossious, sounds good to me
headless lucy @ 51. I rather like Biden’s outspokenness and spunk, not to say I agree across the board with him or anyone else in entirety. But, least the poor can still file bankruptcy under Biden’s introduction; least that’s a credit to Biden. Lieberman leaves me cold, no comment there pro or con.
Anymore ego and your heads will explode. BTW, your pot is STILL illegal!
Ha ha ha.
Headless lucy: “We don’t need duplicitous assholes like him and Lieberman in the Dem Party.”
Well, you’re honest and consistent! I also agree on the bankruptcy bill, that was a horrible piece of legislation, and that will come back to haunt everybody who went along with it.
Rossi who?
9
“Ill be signing on people for the anti gas tax initiative as soon as I get it…see you around Spanaway!”
Only if I happen to set a world record for wrong turns.
Jon @ 49
Hmmm. . . let’s see. Dean criticizes his political opponents. This is typical. Dean makes an “over the top” statement and two prominent Dems criticize Dean. This doesn’t suggest a lack of integrity.
Rossi loses the election challenge. Rather than accept that he lost the election under the laws of the state, he bows out by insinuating a partisan Supreme Court is stacked against him. He was slammed, legally, for bogus claims of fraud and unsupported claims (that he actually won the election), but he cannot accept responsibility for his pathetically lame case. Instead he impugns the Supreme Court.
New bumper sticker: Rossi: What an asshole!
Making pot illegal never stopped me or anyone else from smoking it. You got your law, now try to enforce it. Do you think drug dealers want drugs to be legal? How naive can you be? How much would the street value be if it were legal? Now,let’s put on our thinking caps. Who made pot illegal? Let’s keep those caps on. The Taliban did more to stop the growing of poppies in Afghanistan than ANYONE before and certainly since. This is not an endorsment of the Taliban, but shows that you can get a handle on growing them. But, with the US in Afghanistan, there are bumper crops. Think…Think …..Think…It’s patriotic!
dj @ 58: Well, go back to what Goldy said: “I am in fact angry that Republicans would accuse Democrats in a court of law, of “stealing” an election… without even bothering to present any direct evidence to support their claim.”
Ok, that’s true, and I can agree with him and you on this point. So why I can’t be equally angry when Dean comes to Seattle and accuses Republicans of “stealing” the election in Ohio without any evidence? What’s worse, going to court with no evidence or trying to litigate in the ‘court of public opinion’ with no evidence? To me, they both waste time.
The statistical evidence says unequivically that there is no way those touch screen machines are not rigged in favor of Reps. It is so well known that it is easily googled on the first try, so I’m not going to waste my time trying to convince you. The neo-cons stole themselves two presidential elections. These criminals are in your party, so you better deal with them before Dems get a majority in the House and do it for you.
Jon, Dean is not a publicly elected official. He is the party chair, traditionally a highly partisan job. He is a spokesperson. There’s a big difference between him, and the supposed Governor of the state (at least in his eyes). Plus, we’re talking about a CONCESSION speech here. There is a very strong tradition that when you lose a race, you graciously concede. Your better comparisons here are with Kerry and Gore. When it came time to call off the dogs, they both did so with distinction. Rossi whined.
Further, Dean’s statements are overblown. He said “a lot of Republicans,” not all Republicans. His claims regarding Ohio are factually correct. And while DeLay is not currently under indictment, and it’s a pretty bold prediction, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with suggesting that he is headed for jail time. It’s only a matter of time before Earle gets around to him.
Steve Breaux suggests, “Governor Gregoire should appoint a blue-panel commission with sweeping powers (or at least a strong political mandate) to reform King County Elections. Invite Dino Rossi to chair it – after all, he claims to know where all the problems are…”
No, no, Ron Sims should do this. And Dino Rossi should be given no part in it—why give a whiny loser a new soapbox (from which he would unfairly bash King County)? No, this is an opportunity for the Democrats to shine in the spotlight. Hopefully they’ll grab that opportunity.
Jon @ 60
“So why I can’t be equally angry when Dean comes to Seattle and accuses Republicans of “stealing” the election in Ohio without any evidence? What’s worse, going to court with no evidence or trying to litigate in the ‘court of public opinion’ with no evidence? To me, they both waste time.”
I am one of those lefties who never got too excited about fraud in Ohio, precisely because there was no real evidence uncovered. (I have jokingly suggested that the GOP seeded the clouds with silver nitrate to induce rain on Nov 2—but that was only a joke). That said, there are some very real problems in parts of Ohio and elsewhere where voting is more difficult in minority precincts. I am unwilling to accuse any party unless there is specific evidence. I think almost everyone can agree that if we really believe in democracy, voting should not be more difficult for minorities.
I don’t know if Dean’ “three times longer” is accurate or not (I suspect this may only be true for a few precincts in urban areas). Without evidence that Republicans were deliberately attempting to disenfranchise minorities (as looks pretty likely in Florida in 2000), Dean was probably wrong to insinuate that it was deliberate—even if he corrected himself.
I thought he bitch slapped the King County Elections Dept.
torridjoe @ 62:“Jon, Dean is not a publicly elected official. He is the party chair, traditionally a highly partisan job. He is a spokesperson. There’s a big difference between him, and the supposed Governor of the state (at least in his eyes).”
Then who is the ‘leader’ of the Democratic Party? Also, unproven allegations that undermine the public trust in the election system are harmful from any prominent political leader, wouldn’t you say?
“His claims regarding Ohio are factually correct.”
So were the Republicans claims about illegal voting happening here, but that didn’t prove that Rossi won or fraud occured.
I also find it telling that as Kerry too has engaged in these anecdotal stories, if all this ‘fraud’ in Ohio happened, then why didn’t he and the party challenge it?
dj @ 64:“I am one of those lefties who never got too excited about fraud in Ohio, precisely because there was no real evidence uncovered.”
…and I was one of those rightes who didn’t get too excited about the governor’s election for the same reason, so we can agree on that! My main criticism was for both sides: I don’t see how anybody could get so worked up about Ohio or Washington. You can’t point to one and yell “FRAUD” and not the other.
Jon,
First of all, the Republican attorney’s direct claims of fraud and stuffing of ballot boxes were not factually true. That you should even compare them to Dean’s comments on the length of waiting times at polling places in Ohio demonstrates an incredibly high degree of partisan blindness.
Second, I’m getting really tired of the stock Replican BTDIT (but they did it too) response. Your party claims to be the party of morality, but there is absolutely no way you can reconcile the concept high moral ground with the BTDIT response.
Lastly, while I’m not a member of any political party, and have been critical of Democrats in the past, the conduct of Replicans during this election campaign has been wholly repugnant. Forget the BTDIT response, and clean your own house, or this will come back and bite you people on the back side. Quite seriously. At this point every independent voter now knows that the Republicans were just blowin’ smoke on this election fraud thing. How do you think they are going to vote in the next election?
Jon, the Democrats have no ‘leader.’ That often happens when you’re the minority party. What unproven allegations? That people had to wait in line? That’s true.
Rick covered the deficiency in your claim about the GOP and fraud in WA.
At least in OH there is scientific analysis that makes the outcome there highly improbable. The GOP in WA had nothing.
What part of ‘frivilous’ incorporates 1,678 illegal votes?
Last time I checked 1,678 exceeded 129 by a LONG shot!!! That many illegal votes should scare the hell out of you–regardless of what side of the aisle you’re on–as it most certainly could have swayed the results of this election either way!!!
Consider your own individual vote diluted by a fraction thanks to these illegal votes (how many more were there that didn’t get discovered??? how many legal votes that weren’t included went undiscovered–military overseas ballots, etc?). Nice when you’re on the winning team. Damn frustrating when you aren’t.
I presume in your own world the end justifies the means. Great if you’re Machiavelli or the Medicis. Not so cool for citizens in a democratic society.
One day, if/when justice prevails, may you suffer the wrath of your own perverted ‘system’. Might occur on judgement day, but for my own entertainment sake, hopefully sooner. :)
Hmmm…if Kerry won WA by approx 206,000 votes over Bush, Ms Gregoire should not have won the Governorship by a mere 129 votes over her GOP candidate but rather by at least a 200,000+ vote landslide. Take great pride in that!!! She’s a flawed candidate in whom many of your own ‘kind’ even didn’t have faith! Can’t wait until the next gubernatorial race!!!
Consider your ‘opponents’ knocked down but angrier than ever!!! Just wait until the floodgates open up! Watch out next election!!!
Rick @ 67: “First of all, the Republican attorney’s direct claims of fraud and stuffing of ballot boxes were not factually true. That you should even compare them to Dean’s comments on the length of waiting times at polling places in Ohio demonstrates an incredibly high degree of partisan blindness.”
Excuse me, I wasn’t talking about unproven claims. There were a number of illegal votes made in this election (99 felons in King County, for example). That’s what I meant about facts, and as the article said: “…the challengers to an election need to show that any illegal votes they cite changed the outcome of the election.”, which didn’t happen.
Also, Dean wasn’t just talking about long lines, he was alleging a ‘definite’ conspiracy to disenfranchise voters. He said: ““African Americans waited three times as long as whites to vote in Ohio,” declared Dean. He followed by describing the waits as part of a “deliberate – I don’t know whether it was deliberate” – bad distribution of voting machines.” (emphasis mine). He thinly veils a very serious allegation that machines were deliberately distributed to disenfranchise voters. Read the quote, and tell me how it is different from some of the claims that the R’s have made.
You said: “Second, I’m getting really tired of the stock Replican BTDIT (but they did it too) response. Your party claims to be the party of morality, but there is absolutely no way you can reconcile the concept high moral ground with the BTDIT response.”
When have done that? I have criticized Rossi for his comments, I have always thought the R’s had no case, and am always willing to yell at my own side where it’s screwing up (the Schiavo case, the bankruptcy bill, DeLay, etc.). Further, this is a lefty blog, so if I’m critical of the author’s (Goldy) posts, who’s side am I most likely to pick on? Duh.
You said:“Quite seriously. At this point every independent voter now knows that the Republicans were just blowin’ smoke on this election fraud thing. How do you think they are going to vote in the next election?”
I agree, and that’s why I thought this case shouldn’t have gone forward after some investigation. Why do I think that? Seeing how much success some Democrats have had bringing up Florida (and now Ohio) as a way to convince those same independent voters to vote Democratic instead of moving on and coming up with alternate visions and plans.
Jon, I stated earlier this year on HA that the problems with Ohio Presidential 2004 longer voting lines was in the inner cities? Why is that? Has anyone asked the liberal mayors, aldermen/women, city councilpeople, democratic leaders etc. why didn’t they have the machines there? Why is it Ken Blackwell’s problem? In Columbus (my best man lives there), Dayton (my best military friend lives there), Cleveland (college buddies live there), no speculation facts, they are run by left side of the aisle. If they didn’t anticipate their voter load it’s Blackwell’s problem? Well according to Al Franken[stein] it is. Well Dean Logan ran out of some type of ballot at certain polling places per his testimony. Is that Ron Sims problem? This is what Judge Bridges talked about. Assigning blame to others but no personal responsibility is the trademark of the left side of the aisle. Yes we do it somewhat, but all I read is Ohio 2004 and Florida 2000. I already proved to you lefties that Al Gore made the mistake of not counting the whole state and that’s a reason the US Supremes stopped the count. If he wasnt’ so trying to get Tampa Hillsborough), Palm Beach (Palm), Ft. Lauderdale (Broward) and Miami (Dade) counties to only do a recount, he could have been president (gaaaaaggggggg). He would have been president if he won Tennessee. There were enough electoral college votes for him in Tennessee (18 if I remember). But you all don’t focus on the fact he lost his own state. Nuff SAID there!
I commend Jenny Durkan on getting 4 felons to state their vote. Too bad our side didn’t get 140 felons to admit their vote for Gregore. But dems de apples, and we have to move on guys/gals on the right. Swallow your pride and take a deep breath.
Pudster
Also, I forgot to state this as I was driving this afternoon. I apologize for breaking my single post rule. Can you imagine a performance audit of the Seattle School District? Brian Sonntag outs headless lucy for not being efficient on her job. Now that would be sweet. So I ask you lefties, only two of you wrote you were appalled at the muslim beheadings, so I know most of your takes on that. What about performance audits in the state and cities? Seattle Schools are losing money and children every year. What say you?
Pudster
Puddybud: Good points on both Ohio and Florida.
However….you said “What about performance audits in the state and cities? Seattle Schools are losing money and children every year. What say you?”
I can understand the desire to audit cities and districts like the size of Seattle, but why extend that audit down to the small cities/districts in the state, which I-900 will do? Where are they supposed to get the money, and don’t you think small towns are already more accountable?
I do support I-900. Maybe the real cause is that in the time of tight monies, taxes have to be implemented stridently. If everyone has the real threat of a performance audit, won’t they strive to perform their best in cost control, contract awarding, and services provided? First, by looking at state agencies you perform the Pareto principle. Once we get the 80% taken care of, we will see the hue and cry on pet pork getting identified.
I support the same thing in the US Congress. I hate the pork outlays. Until millions of us complain on the pork nothing will get done on the state or federal level. But don’t fret, we saw it in Canada during the Memorial weekend. 1 or 2 work while 4-5 watch.
Pudster
#59 Headless, what is your source for that stoopid poppy comment? The issue many muslims had with the Taliban was the fact they were growing poppy plants against the teachings of the Koran for cash. Why do you think many Muslims abstain form drugs and alcohol? The places where the crop is still grown are mostly the Taliban areas of Afghanistan. But you read the Slimes and the Puke-Indigestioner, your favorite papers of record. Troll the Internet and see what certain overseas newspapers say differently.
Do you know what the penalty of getting caught with drugs in most Muslim countries? Death. I was in Singapore when a husband and wife, 25 years old each, were caught smuggling drugs. My Singaporean host told me they’ll get one last conjugal visit, say goodbye to each other and would be hanged. Why hanged? Public spectacle. Muslims say it’s a deterrent. the ACLU would be suing, but they would be bitch-slapped silly.
Pudster
Longer lines in the inner cities? Maybe because they are
democrats who cant read the ballots. Each vote takes a little
longer. Remember how much trouble the democrats had with
punching out the right chads. Unfuckingbelievable.
Pud @ 75,
Singapore is a Chinese city, not a muslim one.
(* OK. The People’s Action Party will tell you that Singapore is multicultural, which is true in the strictest sense of the word. over 70% of the population is of Chinese descent, the remainder being largely Malays, Indians and ang mor, as we Caucasians are known. Make what you will of that.)
I am sorry to report that Singapore does not have public hangings. Singaporeans are boring, and that would not be boring. Your host was resorting to a bit of hyperbole there.
About the only piece that was factual in your little screed is that they kill people for bringing in drugs. Why anyone bothers to do this is a bit of a mystery to me. Singapore is physically about as big as Seattle. There are plenty of countries nearby where dope is plentiful, acessible, and the officials are easier to buy off. Malaysia is a bus trip away, and Thailand and Indonesia are short plane trips.
Anyhow, maybe you should spend more time there. It’s a single-party state with a high standard of living, and a no-nonsense law-and-order government. Taxes are low, and ang mor with computer skills are generally in high demand. There are no problems with balance in media. The press prints what the People’s Action Party tells them to. There are no homeless, no demonstrations, very little public disorder of any sort. Most importantly, there are no liberals. They all emigrated years ago.
pud, sorry–you’re wrong. The Taliban had effectively curtailed poppy agriculture by the time they were overthrown. Since then, production has returned essentially to pre-Taliban levels. 80% of the world’s heroin comes from Afghanistan.
#77 Indeed Singapore is a single party (run by a multi-family group who control just about everything. There is a high Muslim content there. Been there many times and seen that. So I’ll concede the Muslim control. It was on the English news, no hyperbole. Showed their pictures and described the method of death. Maybe you should go there. My host said the hanged them privately.
http://www.singapore-window.org/1020naus.htm: FRIDAYS, just before dawn, are hanging days in Singapore. Navarat Maykha, a Thai mother of two small children, awaited her turn as she prayed in her jail cell with her attorney, Peter Fernando, just a few days before her execution. An impoverished and uneducated woman, and also deeply religious, she swore until her death that she was unaware of the heroin that was hidden in the lining of a suitcase given to her by a Nigerian friend.
Singapore – a tiny island nation of 3 million perched at the southern tip of the Asian continent – prides itself on its strict drug laws, which include a mandatory death sentence for anyone caught with as little as half an ounce of heroin.
CANBERRA, Oct 22 (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister John Howard will support a bid for clemency by an Australian man sentenced to death by hanging in Singapore for smuggling heroin through the city- state’s Changi airport.
Nguyen Tuong Van, arrested at Changi airport in December 2002 while travelling from Cambodia to Melbourne, on Wednesday lost an appeal against a conviction for smuggling 400 grammes (14 ounces) of heroin and now relies on being granted clemency.
Last but not least, you should travel to Amnesty International’s web page. I bet you lefties didn’t think I was well read. You will see many reports on hangings in Singapore as an execution method! Sorry about your thoughts my friend but you just don’t see it.
#78 Correct to a point. The Taliban shipped 45000 tons of opium in 1999 and it dropped to less than 200 tons in 2000. The mullahs issued a fatwa on growing it because Pakistan and Iran complained about it. That was because the other Muslim countries asked why are you doing this. However, the fatwa did only applied to the planting of opium, not its trade. So what did the Taliban do, they raised the taxes on that they caught and what trafficked through Afghanistan. They saw how much money they lost.
Tony Blair said in September 2001 to the Labour party conference: “The arms the Taliban are buying today are paid for with the lives of young British people buying their drugs on British streets. That is another part of their regime that we should seek to destroy.”
The UN in February 2001 said: Last year, Afghanistan produced nearly 4,000 tons of opium (while the Taliban said they only shipped 185 tons), about 75 percent of the world’s supply, U.N. officials said. The 1999 (Taliban controlled) output was a world record for opium production, the United Nations said — more than all other countries combined, including the “Golden Triangle,” where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. But the U.S. government and others have alleged the Taliban were profiting from sales of stockpiled opium, perhaps by up to $30 million a year.
A diplomatic source in Pakistan said: “The drugs trade continues to finance not only the Taliban, but the terrorism their friend Osama bin Laden carries out around the world. If we had spent more on drugs intelligence, we would have known more about terrorism as well, and that would have enabled us to put greater pressure on the Taliban and Mr bin Laden.”
You said it is about 80% of what it was. Is that less than the high level under the Taliban, .8 * 45 = 36,000 Tons. Still less than the Taliban did. So I’ll concede part of your point to you.
Pudster
Pud @ 79:
I will concede that you did not say they would be publicly hanged. It was inferred by your mention of “public spectacle” which it most certainly is not.
We hang people in Washington too. It just doesn’t happen as often.
Yes, Amnesty International writes about Singapore. Their objection is that Singapore has a death penalty, and to a lesser extent, how frequently the excercise that penalty. In their eyes, hanging is no different than any other form of execution.
You’re an educated man Pud. Nobody accused you of not being well read. HOW you read things and process them is a bit curious though.
Cheesy Chuckie @ 6
I certainly hope Carlson does run in 2008, but I doubt Gregoire will be so lucky, or the Republicans so stupid. The last time Carlson ran, we kicked his ass. He got, what, 36% of the vote?
Cheesy Chuckie @ 9
Spanaway. Oh. That explains a lot of things.
Reply to 11
No, the bulk of the problem is the cynicism and distrust whipped up by right-wing liars like John Carlson, who tell the gullible sheeple crap like Carlson’s diatribe yesterday that Rossi and Gorton were robbed by illegal alien voting in Arizona.
Cheesy Chuckie @ 18
Since rural Washington gets 7 times as much road money as they pay in road taxes, if this initiative passes, the clear message to Seattle is to keep their gas tax money in Seattle to solve Seattle’s traffic problems, and let the rest of the state drive on dirt roads and cow paths.
Soooooo … if the initiative passes … I think the lege should eliminate state gas taxes altogether, and let counties charge gas taxes for their own transportation needs.
Then all you rural Republicans can drive on dirt roads and walk on cowpaths. You’ve got it coming.
Reply to 25
A flat smoking plain.
Back in the 60s there was a cartoonist named Gahan Wilson, or Greene, or something like that who did terrific cartoons for Playboy Magazine. His very best was a cartoon of a guy in a gas mask and chemical warfare suit cradling an M-16 under his arm gazing at the lifeless smoking ruins around him without another human being in sight — the aftermath of World War 3. The punch line goes: “I think I won.”
Comment on 26
Bridges DID remove illegal votes — 5 of them. 4 for Rossi, 1 for Bennett.
An example of how libs budget their money so effectively…
Why the h’eyll is $3 million of state gas-tax revenue money going to the Sculpture Park in downtown Seattle? Shouldn’t it be going to roads instead?
******************************
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....re07m.html
Tuesday, June 7, 2005 – Page updated at 09:59 a.m.
Sculpture park hailed as beautiful future for site once polluted, neglected
By Stuart Eskenazi
Seattle Times staff reporter
…”State gas-tax revenue is contributing an additional $3 million, above the $85 million project cost, to pay for rebuilding the crumbling Elliott Bay seawall and creating new salmon habitat.”
*************************
What part of improving highways and reducing congestion does that accomplish???
That’s just one example of millions of dollars wasted daily in this state! I could give a rat’s behind what downtown Seattle looks like. I would rather they rebuild/eliminate the viaduct–“death trap via earthquake just waiting to happen” anybody remember Oakland in 1989???/pave any/all of I-5 in King County and modify HOV lanes to congestion hours only.
Instead we’re working on non-traffic related projects with state gas-tax revenue! How’s that for priorities? Makes me want to fill my gas tank up in Idaho instead.
Don’t want to even bring up the multi-million dollar tobacco settlement this state received that was earmarked for health care for smokers. Instead, it went to reducing the budget deficit.
TWO SMALL EXAMPLES WHY I DON’T TRUST WASHINGTON’S LIBERAL DEMOCRATS AT ALL!!!
Jon @ 70
You said, “Excuse me, I wasn’t talking about unproven claims.”
But unproven claims, indeed unproven claims of a very serious nature, are precisely why Goldy has, quite rightfully so, demanded an apology. Your shift of subject, coming this late in the game, is nothing short of equivocation.
JSA, thanks for the “compliment”. Regarding my informational processing abilities, I like to look at things from another perspective. I don’t like the status quo on a lot of things. Regarding Amnesty Int., it likes to pick on the US but overlook other countries people problems and that’s what disgusts me at times. If they applied their energies evenly, I’d have no beef with them.
My only beef is with Lucy who feels it’s her right to waste my tax dollars blogging on school time. When a school district is losing money, and the employees feel that they can do what they please is (use your Robert KKK Byrd voice impression) wrong, wrong. For those who blog on their company time, I have no issues, because I don’t pay for them. Blog on.
Pudster
Rick @ 89: “Your shift of subject, coming this late in the game, is nothing short of equivocation.”
What shift of subject????
Let’s review:
I said: “So were the Republicans claims about illegal voting happening here, but that didn’t prove that Rossi won or fraud occurred.”
Later, I said:”Excuse me, I wasn’t talking about unproven claims. There were a number of illegal votes made in this election (99 felons in King County, for example).”
Are you saying there weren’t illegal votes? Nobody is, was, or will be contesting that fact. The contention was whether or not it made a difference. I am, was, and will be saying, like the Democrats, it didn’t in this election.
Furthermore, I was responding to torridjoe’s claim that long lines in Ohio were a fact, and I said yes, that may be true, but so were illegal votes in this state BUT that doesn’t prove that there was fraud here or in Ohio and/or would have made the difference in the election in either Ohio or here.
If you want to argue the point, fine, but don’t put words into my mouth. Go back and reread the posts, and tell me where this “shift” occurred.
Mark @ 8: Actually, Paris Hilton is a Republican. Is that what you meant? Like a Republican on a Rodeo Drive bender?
Stefan Sharkansky apparently hasn’t noticed that the federal government also watches out for overseas and military ballots, and will threaten your state/county with enormous lawsuits for failing to mail them out on time. Also, people who are supposed …
Just a note to tell you your site is good, keep up the good work. – just a wrning though, Mike Brown is on live tv bitching about us bloggers though. They are all just scared. We are steppin on the toes…
True hores ass editor’s run this web page. From the US Troops.