Behind the Curtain

August 31, 2004

Washington's snappiest dresser

Our man in NYC, David Postman, reports that Dino Rossi was the Washington state delegation breakfast speaker this morning. Rossi, who's running for governor, is hitting a lot of Republican Governor's Association events, meeting people, being shown off and talking to Republican governors about how they won. Rossi told the story of meeting Jerry Miller, former chair of King County Republicans as well as the Snohomish County Republicans. Miller, Postman reports, is the "snappiest dresser" of the Washington bunch, which, let's face it, is a matter of degree, like calling someone in the Texas Republican delegation the "most liberal." Today Miller's wearing a "refrigerator white" suit. "You're going to be governor," he told Rossi upon their third meeting some years ago, Rossi said. Today is "Compassion Day." The Washington delegation went to a senior citizens' home in Queens to do arts and crafts. A call to the Margaret Tietz Center for Nursing Care, originally created for Holocaust survivors in the early 70s, confirmed that about 50 delegates from the Washington and Wisconsin delegations showed up. Just checking.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 04:12 PM

The CV, and a skeptic

Before ye Republicans start dancin', dancin' in the streets, and ye Democrats start singing a sad song in a lonely place (name the bands and win a prize!), read this from Charlie Cook, pretty much one of the best prognosticators in the business of politics: Here's some of what he has to say, in his own words, emphasis is ours though: "Bush campaign operatives argue that one cause of this small shift from Kerry to Bush was Kerry's statement that he would have attacked Iraq. My own view is that Kerry has been dinged by the questions raised about his record in Vietnam. Plus, the swift-boat controversy dominated the political news coverage, suppressing other issues. A week when the focus is on the economy and jobs, or on Iraq and casualties, the management of the war, and weapons of mass destruction is a good week for Kerry and a bad week for Bush. When the focus is on almost anything else, it's very likely to be a good week for Bush and a bad week for Kerry. The point is that in the absence of some major external event or a monumental screw up by Bush or Kerry in this fall's presidential debates, neither candidate is likely to build a significant, sustainable lead. One can look at all the relevant factors in the race and shade it in one direction or the other. For example, I put great weight in the enormous levels of pessimism among undecided voters and their apparently low opinion of Bush. I think the president's climb is still a bit uphill. My experience tells me that undecided voters invariably break against well-known, well-defined incumbents. Bush strategists acknowledge that the undecided voters are a tough nut to crack. But they argue that the campaign can offset the undecided voters who will break for Kerry by turning out a pool of conservative and Republican-leaning infrequent voters. Given the experience of 2002, when Republicans were able to elevate voter turnout far above normal in their strong areas, this is a plausible tactic, although it's obviously harder to do in a presidential election when turnout is going to be higher anyway. The bottom line is that this election wasn't over three weeks ago when Kerry was ahead, albeit narrowly, and it isn't over now that President Bush is ahead by a comparable margin."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:40 AM

Republican National Convention

Republicans began their convention last night, and Behind the Curtain is telling you, President Bush will leave his convention with a lead in national polls, if not in all the important battleground states. The momentum has swung back to him, according to recent polls, and if last night is any indication, the convention will be a brilliantly produced affair. The Times’ David Postman reported on Sen. John McCain's speech, which was largely a defense of the Iraq War. Republicans are busy linking that war to the larger war on terror. Connecting the two justifies the former. Moreover, support for the Iraq War has fallen dramatically in the last year, and Bush partisans feel a need to offer a fresh defense of it. "'We must learn from our mistakes, improve on our successes and vanquish this unpardonable enemy,' the Arizona senator McCain, a one-time Bush rival, told a packed Madison Square Garden on the opening night of the four-day convention. The crowd-stopper in McCain's speech, though, was an attack on anti-Bush and anti-war filmmaker Michael Moore, who was in the arena on a media pass. Moore became the focus of a sustained uproar from the crowd. He then left the convention hall after the speech in the middle of a fast-moving scrum of security officers." Why was Moore there? He's writing a column for USA Today this week, and so was given a media pass. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the featured speaker, talked up Bush and knocked down Sen. John Kerry. "Recalling the World Trade Center attack, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani spoke about 'seeing the flames of hell and then realizing that I was actually seeing a man - a human being - jumping from the 101st or 102nd floor. Spontaneously, I grabbed the arm of then-Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and said to Bernie, 'Thank God, George Bush is our president.' And I say it again tonight, 'Thank God George Bush is our president.' " Giuliani, whose calming of a wounded city after the attacks three years ago won him almost heroic status, drew a blunt political line last night between Bush and Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee. His descriptions of the two men: 'President Bush, a leader who is willing to stick with difficult decisions even as public opinion shifts, and John Kerry, whose record in elected office suggests a man who changes his position often even on important issues.'" The only hitch in the day for President Bush was an interview in which he said America cannot win the war on terror, but only "create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world," an entirely reasonable idea, but one his opponents pounced on. The White House later clarified and said there was no change in policy, just a description of a war that is different in kind than other types. Republicans smartly realize that they have one way to win this election, to pound Kerry with body blows and drive up his negatives. That will keep swing voters and undecideds at home, and Bush will win on the strength of his Republican base. So expect plenty of negative campaigning in the coming weeks, just as you've seen in the past few weeks with the anti-Kerry swift boat group that called him a liar about his war record. Meanwhile, it's an open question as to whether such attacks would work if used on Bush. The public already knows what it knows about Bush and has formed opinions of him. This is why Kerry was reluctant to allow harsh attacks on Bush during his convention. But he may have no choice now. Convention schedule: Regional Jonathan Martin, who reports on social issues for The Seattle Times, has a profile of gubernatorial candidate Christine Gregoire and her record on child welfare. "In her first job out of law school, Christine Gregoire went to the grim front lines of child-abuse investigation, representing social workers across Eastern Washington. She pursued the job with such a passion that Gregoire remains a near legend among her former state co-workers from Spokane, Republican and Democrat alike. 'I've been in child welfare for 30 years, and I have never seen another attorney have anything like the influence she had on the agency at the time,' said Dee Wilson, a rookie investigator then, a senior child-welfare official now." As attorney general, Gregoire has had to defend the state in some difficult cases, including the O.K. Boys Ranch, a group home for troubled boys licensed by the state and riddled with abuse. The state settled for $22 million with 51 former residents, and the attorney general's office had to pay more than $400,000 in fines due to withheld documents.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 08:34 AM

August 30, 2004

Readers respond to our question

Here are some responses to last week's question of the week: Did gubernatorial candidate Christine Gregoire do the right thing by staying in an all white, all-Christian sorority while at the University of Washington? After she graduated, she went to two national conventions and spoke against the policy. Robert Godwin, Olympia: "Yes. Though on one level she should have refused, on another level, she joined, then attempted to change the system from within." Greg Sommers, Seattle: "Joining to change the policy is admirable, however, her actions during that time do not appear to reflect noble intentions. Her campaigning for change should have happened during her time in the sorority, especially when she was chapter president. If the sorority refused to change, she should have resigned from the house. By not doing so, she instead put her desire to be in a sorority over her 'disgust' at the sorority policy. The policy was wrong, and by living that policy she supported it, regardless if she believed it or not." Tanya Bryant, Seattle: "Ms. Gregoire participated in ... racist activity while chapter president. Whether she thought it right or wrong, she was still an active participant. It shows how willing she is to compromise her beliefs in order to avoid controversy. Like with the Capps incident, she avoids taking responsibility -- blaming her opponent for the story, instead of taking ownership of the content. I want a governor with strong convictions, who isn't afraid to be less popular by standing up for what is right and just, not for what is most convenient." More responses to come, as soon as we get the ok from respondents.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:08 PM

RNC

Back from K.C. Thanks to Jim Brunner for filling in. Lots of political news, as the Republican National Convention begins this week. David Postman reports that as the convention opens, a group of moderate Republicans, including former Washington Gov. Dan Evans, are urging party leaders to return the party to the "mainstream." "The effort to moderate the Republican Party and Bush's agenda shares professional help with one of the country's best financed and most active of anti-Bush committees. BacktotheMainstream.org uses the same Washington, D.C., public-relations firm and Web-development company as MoveOn.org. A news conference today by the group was organized by Fenton Communications, which does the same for MoveOn. The group's Web site was registered by AdvocacyInc.com, which lists MoveOn and a host of Democratic candidates among its clients." The effort is looking like the Democratic Leadership Council in the 80s, formed to move the Democratic Party to the right, and backed by corporate funders. The Times Susan Gilmore profiles Luke Esser, a Republican candidate for the 8th congressional district. Esser touts his legislative experience, as a 43-year-old Majority floor leader in the state Senate. "Esser has raised about $205,000 so far and hopes to raise $250,000 for the primary race. He said he hadn't decided whether he would buy TV time." He's lost 70 pounds in recent years, Gilmore reports, and he credits Atkins, even eulogizing the doctor on the floor of the state Senate when he died. He's real sporty, too. In that race, 8th congressional, ads are getting sharp, Warren Cornwall reports. "Republican Diane Tebelius this week mailed two ads to suburban voters targeting a Republican opponent, King County Sheriff Dave Reichert. The ad suggested Reichert is too cozy with Democrats and that his mismanagement has cost county taxpayers millions. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Alex Alben's campaign cried foul about opponent Dave Ross' new mailing that touts Ross' commitment to a clean, attack-free campaign." The Post-Intelligencer looks at the penny sales tax increase on the ballot this year. The money would go to education. "Part of that cash would create 25,000 additional slots for higher ed enrollment by 2008, easing -- but not eliminating -- the chronic shortage of space at state colleges and universities. Officials have offered free preschool programs to only 7,000 of the approximately 30,000 children most in need, OFM reports. Under I-884 the benefit could be extended to 10,000 more children, according to the initiative's sponsors. Teachers would not only receive cost of living increases under I-884 but would also be eligible for bonuses: $5,000 a year if they obtain certain training, and $10,000 a year if they volunteer to work in a troubled school." Also, the PI looks at Mark Sidran, candidate for attorney general. Here's the convention sked: The LA Times profiles President Bush, using his relationship with his father as a foundation. Worth a read. We'll be posting a lot this week, talking convention with reporters and delegates, so check in often.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:38 AM

August 27, 2004

Alben's treasure chest

Alex Alben, Democratic candidate for the 8th Congressional District, finds himself facing a heap of Enron-esque questions about how he and his wife got all that tech money that is funding his campaign. The Times' Warren Cornwall reports: "Congressional candidate Alex Alben's wife and his campaign treasurer made millions as executives of Bellevue-based InfoSpace selling the company's stock during its meteoric rise and fall earlier this decade. A shareholder lawsuit pending in state court accuses them and other former InfoSpace executives of selling shares without telling shareholders that much of the company's revenue was illusory." To be fair, Alben himself is not named in the lawsuit. However, Ellen Alben and campaign treasurer Tammy Halstead face serious accusations from shareholders. Cornwall writes: "Ellen Alben was InfoSpace's senior vice president of legal and business affairs until late 2000, and Tammy Halstead, Alben's campaign treasurer, was InfoSpace's chief financial officer before stepping down in 2003." "Ellen Alben sold $14 million worth of InfoSpace shares in 2000 - the year the company stock price collapsed from $277 to less than $9 per share during the dot-com crash." Further, "Alben and Halstead are accused of selling stock during a period in late 2000, when accounting rules allowed company executives to sell only a fraction of their holdings." Ellen Alben responds to the lawsuit by saying: "Number one, I'm not the candidate. Number two, I never did anything wrong. Anyone can bring a lawsuit." Alben faces two opponents - Dave Ross and Heidi Behrens-Benedict - in the Sept. 14 primary for the 8th District seat. Locke boosts Gregoire After a week of getting beat up over her stint as president of a whites-only sorority in the 1960s, Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire got a welcome Democratic primary endorsement from Gov. Gary Locke. Ron Sims, Gregoire's Democratic rival, dismissed the endorsement as "no surprise." And over in the U.S. Senate race, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray gets support from some former Coast Guard admirals who say Republican George Nethercutt's radio ads claiming she tried to cut the Coast Guard are totally false. Nethercutt claims Murray tried to cut the Coast Guard budget by $121 million in 2002. In fact, Murray's Coast Guard budgets proposals were $179 million more than the president or U.S. House had proposed. And finally, Times columnist Danny Westneat says the way our U.S. Senate candidates equate more money with being "better" on homeland security is just plain silly. "Nethercutt says Murray should spend more securing our ports. Murray says Nethercutt should spend more on local anti-terrorism grants. A vote by either against any security spending is jumped upon as a sign of weakness." "This is the tenor of the national debate, too. You're either for homeland security or you're for the terrorists." Westneat notes that piles of homeland security money is going to stuff like waterproof digital cameras for the Renton police department. If we can't stop the terrorists, at least we can snap some photos.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:59 AM

August 26, 2004

Readers hate the new primary

BTC is off to a wedding Friday in Kansas City, where he'll try to find the improvisational soul of Charlie Parker. Times reporter Jim Brunner has graciously agreed to fill in. The name's funnier than the content, but funny nevertheless. Here's some reader response to Washington's new primary system, in which you can only vote for candidates of one party or the other. Karen Fischer: "You bet we are angry. Our independence and liberty are at question here. As a voter, I look at the individual running for an office first, before the party is considered. It isn't the party I am voting for." Kathryn Ulland: "Imposing this new system at a time when this country desperately needs a change to restore our right to freedom and respectability in the world as we knew it prior to 2000 is certainly a disservice to the Washington voters and the candidates who are running for office."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 05:22 PM

Gregoire

This morning Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire is in a spot of trouble after admitting her UW sorority Kappa Delta, of which she was president, was all-white and all-Christian. She says she tried to change it from within, making a speech at a national convention after she graduated urging the national group to change its rule. It did, but not until many years later. At first, Gregoire welcomed the story, touting it as an example of leadership. Now she's changed her mind and accused her Democratic primary opponent, Ron Sims, of planting the story, Ralph Thomas reports in this morning's Seattle Times. Turns out, a Times editor is the tipster, not Sims. Meanwhile, Dino Rossi, the Republican, must be loving this, wondering to himself how on earth the Democrats are going to unite after this primary battle. Washington voters hate the new primary system, in which they can only vote for one party or another. Times reporter Susan Gilmore reports the response from Secretary of State Sam Reed: "He said that since last Wednesday night, when a state flier explaining the primary started showing up in 3 million mailboxes statewide, his office has received 6,546 phone calls. Only 5 percent were positive. He also received about 2,000 angry e-mails. In one 24-hour period Reed's office, which has hired a dozen temporary workers to help field the calls, received 2,000 calls and one e-mail every two minutes." More: "Voters on Nov. 2 will decide on Initiative 872, sponsored by the Washington State Grange, which would change the state primary to a top-two contest. Under that system, voters could cast ballots for any candidates, regardless of party. Reed expects the measure will pass easily." Times reporter Susan Gilmore says she's getting crazy response from her story this morning. We'll post some of them a little later. Isn't the purpose of a primary to allow the members of the parties to pick their candidates? If so, what's the big deal? Just pick a party and be done with it. Or don't pick a party, and forfeit your right to pick that party's candidates. Or make an angry call to the Secretary of State's office. The Seattle Weekly has a story predicting mass confusion and voter anger over the new primary system. Down in Oregon, The Oregonian reports that a group of Vietnam vets are rallying against a Clackamas county prosecutor who appeared in the anti-Kerry swift boat ad. He signed an affidavit attesting to the truth of his assertions, but it turns out he didn't actually serve with Kerry. Just has friends who did. The News Tribune in Tacoma has a profile of Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi. Pretty rosy. The Bremerton Sun has a cool voter's guide: It allows you to type in your address, if you live in the Bremerton area, and you get a sample ballot. And finally, The New York Times has a fun story about the coming clash between New York City and Washington, D.C. during the coming Republican National Convention: "Washington, seen from Manhattan, is drab and humid, a swamp-city populated by doughy people in brown suits and heinous ties that always seem to be askew. And many Washingtonians return the disregard by lampooning New York's pointless clatter, a big noisy town whose chief product seems to be some tawdry combination of smoke and mirrors." More: "In Washington fresh-faced interns, emboldened by the heady aroma of democracy in the making, brandish new ID tags and frolic amid the photocopying. In Manhattan interns sort mail for assistant fashion editors and end up dancing shirtless at raves with people they will never see again. In Washington inscrutable men in dark glasses with earpieces make sure that government and its leaders proceed unmolested. In New York County similar fellows defend the velvet rope at Bungalow 8." The editor of Details mag: "I don't want to see a lot of bad Men's Warehouse suits and a lot of badly parted hair walking around my neighborhood," he said. "All Republicans part their hair the same way." Matt Labash, of the conservative mag The Weekly Standard: "They can say that they won't even know we are here, but they will. We will plunk down our garment bags in their hopelessly trendy hotels, standing out like Good Humor men in our summer-weight khaki suits while all those hipster squirrels scramble for our tips." "They needn't worry," he added. "The contempt is mutual."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 12:13 PM

August 25, 2004

JibJab update, Westneat on McDermott

Has there been another reporter to cover JibJab so completely? From Wired: "Ludlow Music dropped its demands that JibJab, a small web animation site, stop using Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land' in a satirical Flash cartoon. It turned out Ludlow did not own the rights to the song as it claimed, a lawyer representing JibJab said on Tuesday. Turns out, it's in the public domain. Go to see the satirical song, which pokes fun at both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, at www.jibjab.com. Our original story is here: Also, we neglected to point you toward Danny Westneat's column this morning, in which he brings us up to date on the saga of Jim McDermott and the leaked tapes. In 1997, A Florida couple gave him a recorded conversation of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich plotting strategy with Republican allies on his ethics investigation, which he promised not to do. McDermott leaked the tape to three newspapers. He's now in trouble, pleading bad memory.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:13 PM

Again, a call for veterans, Bush and the anti-Kerry swift boaters share a lawyer, Gregoire gets hit by African American leaders, the Sheriff flexes his muscles, bunch of local races, and Cheney disagrees with his president

Any and all veterans, send us an email at behindthecurtain@seattletimes.com. We want to talk swift boats. Now, a very busy morning. The fallout for Christine Gregoire has begun. Janet Tu and Ralph Thomas report: "African-American leaders yesterday denounced Attorney General Christine Gregoire for the role she played more than 30 years ago in a college sorority that barred women who were not white. Gregoire, a Democratic candidate for governor, was a member of Kappa Delta sorority at the University of Washington in the late 1960s." "Gregoire's campaign responded yesterday by sending out a statement from two African-American supporters defending her actions at Kappa Delta and her record in fighting discrimination. The statement, from former state lottery directory Merritt Long and Walter Hubbard, chairman of the state personnel appeals board, painted Mack's remarks as divisive and inappropriate. 'Gregoire has opposed discrimination while standing up for civil rights and equal rights throughout her career,' they said." Warren Cornwall continues his profiles of candidates for the 8th congressional district, being vacated by the departing Jennifer Dunn. Today, it's Dave Reichert, the county sheriff who spent ten years on the Green River Killer investigation and was the public face of the department when Gary Ridgway was caught and convicted. "His religious faith is evident in campaign appearances, and it informs some of his positions on social issues: He is opposed to gay marriage and to abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or when the woman's health is at stake. 'All glory and honor to God. I am his servant, and so are all of you, and that's why we will win,' Reichert told the audience at his campaign kickoff." Yet another politician who thinks God's rooting for him in political race. When will one say, "God is not on my side, but I'm going to win anyway." More: "After graduating with an associate's degree in social work from Concordia College in Portland, the high-school football quarterback with modest academic achievements opted to strap on a gun and join the King County department. Twenty-five years later, King County Executive Ron Sims, a Democrat, chose Reichert to lead the department. 'Dave kept popping up as one of the candidates that other people respected and admired,' Sims recalled recently. 'I don't regret at all my appointment of Dave as sheriff.'" The National Sheriffs' Association recently named him sheriff of the year, though he was not endorsed by the state's police unions. He's clashed with the County Council. "In the most recent showdown, over a last-minute request for money to offset costs from the Ridgeway investigation, Reichert suggested that county leaders had put politics ahead of crime-fighting. 'For twenty years, there were some county officials who believed that these girls and young women did not deserve justice,' he wrote in a letter to County Councilman Larry Phillips, a Democrat. The letter drew an indignant response from Phillips, now the council chairman, who called Reichert's claims 'insulting.' The council didn't approve the additional money." "Phillips and Reichert also have sparred over whether the sheriff has kept his own financial house in order. The county in 2003 paid $7 million to settle a lawsuit by Sheriff's Office employees over delays in overtime pay." "Asked whether he was tough enough for Congress, Reichert pointed to the back cover of the recent book about his work on the Green River case. It shows him in a short-sleeve shirt, his biceps bulging and a slightly menacing look on his face. 'What do you think?' he asked." Doug Merlino reports on the library levy voters will decide on: "King County Library System officials, who saw voters reject a bond measure 1-1/2 years ago to fund maintenance and improvements, say they have learned from that failure and are making sure voters know exactly what's at stake with the new proposal on the Sept. 14 ballot. The $172 million measure would provide money for what officials call necessary maintenance and expansion of the busy library system." Rudy Giuliani was in town for a motivational speech with the likes of Dick Vitale, Goldie Hawn and Zig Ziglar (there's really a guy with such a name, and he's apparently quite a motivator.) While here, the mayor helped Rep. George Nethercutt, running for senate against Sen. Patty Murray, raise $100,000. Jim Brunner: "At the news conference, Giuliani did not go into detail about Nethercutt's record or that of his opponent, Murray, a Democrat. Instead, he praised Nethercutt's general support for President Bush and the war on terrorism. He noted that Nethercutt voted for the war in Iraq, which Murray opposed, and said the United States must be 'on offense' against terrorists around the world. 'That is really the best answer to security, to have both an offense and a defense, not just a defense. George Nethercutt understands that,' Giuliani said. The theme of the Giuliani appearance was in line with Nethercutt's recent efforts to portray Murray as soft on defense." "(Nethercutt radio) ads say Murray 'led the effort to cut the president's Coast Guard budget' in 2002. Nethercutt's campaign said Murray, as chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, pushed a budget that provided $121 million less than the president had requested. However, that claim left out $300 million from the Defense Department budget that Murray's committee also recommended go toward the Coast Guard. The total budget approved by the Senate committee for the Coast Guard was $179 million more than Bush had requested and $11 million more than the Republican-led House had requested." The image of the day was the mayor and his entourage (big entourage, including a 300-pound house who looked straightouta Brooklyn) walking through the hall of the Fairmont Hotel, and Nethercutt trailing about ten feet behind. Emily Hefter profiles the three Republicans running against Rick Larsen, D-Lake Stevens, none of whom is going to win, even though it's a fairly split district if you're counting D's and R's. "Glenn Coggeshell of Camano Island is running against Larsen in part because, according to his Web site, Larsen's votes reveal 'seeded hatred against Christians and religion.'" The most legitimate candidate is a county auditor. Up in Everett, Hefter profiles the race for the 38th Legislative District, position 1. The incumbent Dem, John McCoy, has a primary; the Republican has been endorsed by a Boeing union, which is a bit unusual. Hefter also profiles the 38th position 2 primary race. "Incumbent David Simpson and challenger Mike Sells are familiar with Everett. Simpson is a former city councilman and a Boeing customer engineer. Sells is a former U.S. history teacher and a labor leader who works for the Snohomish County Labor Council." Alaska As expected Sen. Lisa Murkowski and former Gov. Tony Knowles won the Alaska primary for the senate race there. Murkowski was appointed to the senate seat by her father, the governor. Alaska is heavily Republican, but Democrats think they can pick up a seat with the former governor going against a nepotism-tainted incumbent. National The swift boat business continues. Washington Post: The Bush campaign's chief outside counsel resigned after acknowledging he was providing legal advice to the anti-Kerry swift boat group. Whoops. The Bush campaign had denied connections between their campaigns and the anti-Kerry group. And, turns out, Vice President Cheney's a moderate! Washington Post: "Vice President Cheney spelled out his differences with President Bush on the volatile issue of gay marriage Tuesday while making his most revealing public comments so far about the sexual orientation of his gay daughter. Asked his position on the subject at a town hall meeting here, Cheney replied: 'Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it's an issue that our family is very familiar with. . . . With respect to the question of relationships, my general view is that freedom means freedom for everyone. People . . . ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to.' Cheney went on to reiterate the position he first outlined in the 2000 campaign -- that same-sex marriage should be left to the states to decide. He noted, however, that Bush has endorsed a constitutional amendment preventing the states from recognizing such marriages." Does this mean Bush has kissed off his base? Uh, no.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 12:57 PM

Attention Veterans, Vietnam veterans especially

We're interested in your view of the recent controversy involving Sen. John Kerry's service record in Vietnam. As you might know, a group of veterans has questioned the medals and Purple Hearts Kerry earned in Vietnam. (Those on Kerry's swift boat, and Navy records, contradict anti-Kerry claims.) If you're a veteran, we're interested in talking to you about this and what feelings it may be dredging up 35 years later.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:59 AM

August 24, 2004

Kerry here; Slate: battleground? No, not really

Sen. John Kerry is coming to Washington state Friday and Saturday. Details to come on the Friday events in Seattle and Everett, the campaign says. Here's the dope on Saturday, event at the Tacoma Dome (RACING! RACING! RACING! MONSTER TRUCKS!!!!!!!!) Details for Saturday August 28th Tacoma Rally: WHEN: Gates open at 9:30 am WHERE: Parking lot B at the Tacoma Dome, 2727 East D Street, Tacoma Free and open to the public and will take place rain or shine. Slate, the online magazine, has been touring the so-called swing states and giving assessments of their electoral status. Chris Suellentrop, a pretty astute political reporter, writes about Washington state today. His assessment: We're not really a swing state at all. Kerry should win, perhaps by double digits. But both parties are treating it like a swing state, he reports, because there are so many other competitive races that truly could go either way: the 5th congressional race over in Spokane; the 8th congressional on the Eastside, Sen. Patty Murray's re-election bid against Rep. George Nethercutt and the governor's race, which will have Republican developer and former state senator Dino Rossi taking on either Christine Gregoire or Ron Sims. So for now, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are coming here and treating it like a battleground state because they want to help support (financially and electorally) their candidates down the ticket. But look for Bush to concede later in the campaign. That's Suellentrop's view, anyway.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:59 PM

Sen. Murray: No Rocket Scientist

As state Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance reminded us yesterday, every year Washingtonian magazine surveys Capitol Hill staffers and publishes an awards issue. Winner of the U.S. Senate, "No Rocket Scientist Award," in a tie with Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn., is Wash. Sen. Patty Murray, currently up for re-election against Rep. George Nethercutt. (Nethercutt won no awards.) Murray, a Democrat, is a repeat winner. Our fine state was also honored to have its other senator, Maria Cantwell, awarded a first-place for "Looks Good in a Bathing Suit." Given the field, hard to say whether congratulations are really in order, Sen. Cantwell. (See below.) Sen. Ted Kennedy won "Stay off the Beach" award for the third straight year. Especially after coming home from Au Bar -- never know what you'll find. (Quick, who knows their Kennedy trivia?) Rep. Catherine Harris, the former Florida Sec. of State who certified the last election for President Bush and is widely reviled by Democrats around the country, won "No Rocket Scientist" on the House side, as well as "Worst Newcomer." BTC's home state of Connecticut was represented by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, wife of Clinton pollster Stan Greenberg. She took home "Worst Dressed," and drew five times as many votes as her nearest challenger. We're off to see Rudy Giuliani at the Fairmont. He's raising money for Nethercutt. Dems will have a counter-demonstration. We'll report when we return.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 09:59 AM

August 23, 2004

Readers respond to our question

Turns out, few vote switchers among our readers. We asked if anyone who voted for Bush last time will vote for Kerry this time. Or if anyone who voted for Gore last time would vote for Bush this time. Janet Suppes of Bellevue: "I voted for GWB last time, and I intend to do so again. He speaks clearly about the terrorist threat. He knows they are dangerous and want us dead. Sensitivity isn't going to stop them. He also understands that letting people keep their money will lead to more growth than taking it away." Lucy Garrick of Seattle: "His leadership on the jobs and economy, education, taxes, healthcare has produced lower paying jobs, the greatest debt in history and, by accounts of public school employees, a continually declining public school system." Winston Rockwell of Kirkland: "I voted for Bush in 2000, and will vote for him again this time. John Kerry's voting record, which he carefully has downplayed during his campaign, shows him to be a liberal of the first order, who has consistently voted to reduce U.S. security and to expand the United Nations." Traci Mitchell of Snohomish: "President Bush and the Republicans are against "big government"? Has it ever been bigger? Lastly, my 57-year-old mother lost her manufacturing job when the market took a downturn caused by President Bush. In this economy no one seems to be hiring an MBA-educated 57-year old. She has been working temp jobs for almost 3 years now with no health insurance."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 02:41 PM

Gregoire and the all-white, all-Christian sorority

We begin today with a fascinating profile of Christine Gregoire, Washington attorney general and the favorite to win the Democratic nomination for governor. Just before she was to join the Kappa Delta sorority at the University of Washington in 1966, Ralph Thomas reports, she learned it was a white- and Christian-only sorority. She joined anyway. "Gregoire says she considered walking away, but as much as she disagreed with the policy, she decided she couldn't do anything about it by quitting. Instead, she dived into sorority life, became Kappa Delta president at UW, and after graduation tried to persuade the sorority's national conference to drop the rule. 'That was always her motto: 'If you see something wrong with the system, change it from within because you can always do more good that way,' ' said Annette (Faber) Slaybaugh, a sorority sister who remains a close friend." "King County Councilman Larry Gossett, who was president of UW's Black Student Union at the same time Gregoire was president of Kappa Delta, says Gregoire's brand of activism was a toothless response to racism. 'If we had listened to the kind of logic that Christine Gregoire was putting forth, it would've been another 20 years before we saw any significant gains,' said Gossett," who supports Gregoire's Democratic opponent Ron Sims. Aside from being all white and all Christian, this is what Kappa Delta was like, Thomas reports: "The sorority had a strict curfew, a drinking ban and a 'beau room' downstairs, the only place in the house where boys were allowed. At the time, members had to wear skirts or dresses on campus. Gregoire served as 'standards chairwoman,' helping enforce the house rules, moved up to secretary/treasurer, then president her senior year. As president, she oversaw day-to-day operations and had to play the dual role of personal counselor and chief enforcer to the sorority's 100 or so members." After she graduated, Gregoire offered a resolution at the sorority's national convention that would have ended discrimination. It didn't make the ballot, and the discrimination continued for many years, though, oddly, no one seems to know when it ended precisely. (This evasion by the national sorority people was particularly galling to this reader. They don't write these things down? Admit your shame and move on.) More pressing, however, is how this story, which is sure to get a ton of TV play today, will impact the race. Will it drive up African-American turnout for Ron Sims? If Gregoire wins the primary against Sims, will liberals, blacks and Sims supporters stay home, unexcited by a Gregoire candidacy? In other words, will Democrats be unexcited by Gregoire's brand of incremental, within-the-system leadership and change? And will a low Democratic turnout for the governor's race affect the senate, presidential, 8th and 5th Congressional and state house and senate races? Or, will moderates and conservatives like Gregoire's nonconfrontational leadership style, as evidenced by this episode from Kappa Delta? Stay tuned. Swift Boat Controversy The New York Times reports that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry is releasing an ad accusing President Bush of being behind the recent attacks on Kerry's Vietnam service record. Last week The New York Times documented ties between longtime Bush backers, Karl Rove -- his chief political adviser -- and the anti-Kerry swift boat group. The Bush campaign calls the charge libel and has sent a letter to local TV affiliates who are thinking of selling airtime for the ad. This campaign is getting very ugly, very quickly. Sen. Bob Dole got in the act, calling Kerry's Purple Heart wounds "superficial" and suggesting Kerry ought to apologize to Vietnam vets given his Senate testimony 30-some years ago, when he said war crimes were rampant there. Dole: "I mean, one day he's saying that we were shooting civilians, cutting off their ears, cutting off their heads, throwing away his medals or his ribbons. The next day he's standing there, 'I want to be president because I'm a Vietnam veteran.' '' Who sent out Dole (long known as a Republican hatchet man)? Who provided the talking points? Interesting questions, unasked by Wolf Blitzer on CNN last night. Dole went on to say he thinks Kerry is currently winning the race. Here's an unnamed Democratic strategist: "When you're basically running on your biography and there are ongoing attacks that are undermining the credibility of your biography, you have a really big problem."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:00 AM

August 22, 2004

Hempfest becomes Kerryfest; Republicans debate out east; Eyman nailed by state bean counters; The Stranger on Rossi

Republicans took joy in this story by The Seattle Times' Tan Vinh, who reported that the Seattle Hempfest turned into a bit of a Kerry rally. "Amid the bong sales, the drug-reform speeches and a certain aroma that permeated the annual pro-marijuana festival yesterday, Hempfest was also a venue for another cause: getting John Kerry to the White House. Regulars who attend the two-day festival to hear the usual cry of 'legalize marijuana' also found organizers campaigning to get pot users to vote for Kerry. About 100 Democratic activists passed out Kerry/Edwards buttons and stickers and tried to register voters yesterday at the 13th annual gathering at Myrtle Edwards Park along Seattle's waterfront. With an expected 150,000 visitors over two days, Hempfest is billed as one of the world's largest pro-marijuana rallies. As organizers see it, that's a gold mine for Kerry, since the crowd is largely anti-President Bush." Chris Vance, state Republican Party Chair, quickly sent out a press release. “Seattle’s annual celebration of loony left counter-culture shows how out-of-step John Kerry is with average American voters,” said Vance. “There was already ample evidence that John Kerry’s attitudes on marijuana are out-of-step with mainstream America.” The only substantive charge Vance makes with respect to Kerry and marijuana is this: "Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry wrote a letter to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration urging approval of an application by the University of Massachusetts to grow high-quality marijuana for medicinal research. ('Senators back UM medical marijuana' Daily Hampshire Gazette, 10/28/03)" In fact, however, most polls show that 70 percent of Americans favor the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, (most recently for example, three-fourths of residents of Alabama (!) said they favored legalization for medicinal purposes) and a substantial amount favor de-criminalizing marijuana (which, in any case, Kerry doesn't support.) Kerry advisers, like Rand Beers for instance, include a number of prominent drug warriors. The reason we bring all this up is because the public is way out in front of the politicians on the drug issue (Ralph Nader, Howard Dean, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tx, and a few others aside), and we'd like to see an actual honest debate about it, rather than Republicans labeling Democrats potheads and Democrats, uhh, tripping over themselves to seem tough on drugs. Once again, there will be no debate on the war on drugs during this election. The Fifth Congressional District Kevin Graman of the Spokesman-Review in Spokane reports on a debate among the three Republicans vying for Rep. George Nethercutt's seat in Congress. They agree on just about everything: "At the end of a recent debate, the three Republican candidates for the 5th Congressional District found themselves at a loss. They'd just been asked what, besides their experience, distinguished them from each other. From the occupation of Iraq to stem cell research, they had just spent an hour agreeing with one another and the Bush administration on nearly every major issue of our time." The winner of the primary will take on Democrat Don Barbieri, a well funded challenger. The seat was once held by former Speaker of the House Tom Foley, and Dems hope for a pickup there. "This primary campaign season, state Sen. Larry Sheahan, state Rep. Cathy McMorris and Spokane lawyer Shaun Cross have been running on their resumes. McMorris, who grew up working for her family's Kettle Falls orchard and fruit stand and became the first in her family to graduate from college, has represented the 7th Legislative District since she was appointed to fill the seat in 1994. She was the first woman to become state House minority leader in 2002. Backed by former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, her base is in the northeastern Washington counties she has represented. She was recently endorsed by the Washington Farm Bureau." "Cross, born into a prominent Ritzville family, first pursued a career in physics and engineering, but for 25 years has been an attorney, the last six years as head of the largest law firm in the region. He insists his lack of political experience should make as little difference to voters as it did when Nethercutt or Foley were elected. He has served as chairman of Spokane's Public Facilities District and was instrumental in securing the Spokane Convention Center expansion. If not for his decision to run for Congress, he would be president of the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce now." "Sheahan can claim both legislative and business experience, having represented the 9th Legislative District since 1992 and working as a partner in his family's Rosalia law firm since 1986. He was appointed in 1999 to fill a vacancy in the state Senate, where he was elected majority floor leader last year. He also points out that he is the only one of the three candidates to have represented any part of Spokane Valley. He has been endorsed by many local politicians and the state's most prominent law enforcement unions." Tim Eyman and the tax burden Tim Eyman's anti-tax crusade received a blow from the state Dept. of Revenue last week, when it released a report showing that the tax burden on Washington residents is lower than at any time since the early 80s. This from AP: "A new state report contends that the state and local tax burden for Washington residents is at its lowest level since 1981. Tim Eyman, who has made a career out of pushing tax-cutting initiatives, denounced the report by the state Department of Revenue as an election year tactic to reduce support for his measures. 'A government agency can say that the tax burden isn't that bad, but anybody reading their tax bill will quickly dismiss that notion,' Eyman told The Spokesman-Review newspaper for an article Friday. 'In particular, property taxes are obscene and unsustainable.' Using information from the U.S. Census, the state Department of Revenue found that state and local taxes in Washington reached a peak of $123 per $1,000 of personal income in 1995. The tax burden dropped to about $101 per $1,000 in 2002, the most recent year for which data was available. Washington's tax burden hasn't been that low since 1981, when the state was struggling with a severe recession. 'It's one of the lowest ratios of taxes to income that we've got on record' since 1960, said Mike Gowrylow, a spokesman for the agency. On a per-capita basis, the report said, Washington's state and local taxes are 15th highest in the nation." The Stranger on Rossi Finally, The Stranger's Sandeep Kaushik profiles Dino Rossi, concluding he's a great salesman with a great personal story, and a very conservative agenda. "But if you do happen to check out the engine -- and it's not so easy, given all the glare coming off the chassis -- you'll find that Rossi is really a rather conventional apostle of Bush-style conservatism: Government exists to enable business, not to curb the social dislocations caused by the hard realities of capitalism, and to promote 'traditional' (read: conservative Catholic) values. Rossi's dog, aptly enough, is named Dubya. Big tax breaks for business subsidized by cuts to social programs? Sure. Rolling back important regulations? Gotta get rid of all of that damn red tape that's stifling our economy. Law and order, deference to authority, black-and-white delineations of right and wrong...." Sorry, Sandeep, but we have no choice but to cut you off there.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:23 PM

August 20, 2004

Kerry's Vietnam service record

A group of Vietnam veterans has formed a group attacking Sen. John Kerry's Vietnam service record, accusing him of lying about his service. Now, those veterans are under increasing scrutiny themselves. The New York Times this morning has found their accounts riddled with inconsistencies. The Times also found close ties between the group's financial backers and the Bush family and Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser. "But on close examination, the accounts of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth' prove to be riddled with inconsistencies. In many cases, material offered as proof by these veterans is undercut by official Navy records and the men's own statements. Several of those now declaring Mr. Kerry 'unfit' had lavished praise on him, some as recently as last year." "Records show that the group received the bulk of its initial financing from two men with ties to the president and his family - one a longtime political associate of Mr. Rove's, the other a trustee of the foundation for Mr. Bush's father's presidential library. A Texas publicist who once helped prepare Mr. Bush's father for his debate when he was running for vice president provided them with strategic advice. And the group's television commercial was produced by the same team that made the devastating ad mocking Michael S. Dukakis in an oversized tank helmet when he and Mr. Bush's father faced off in the 1988 presidential election." This is an exhaustive account and worth reading in full. Relatedly, Sen. Kerry hit back yesterday, calling the group a front for the president's campaign. One wonders why he took so long to strike back, although he may have bolstered his case by waiting for these newspaper investigations. The Oregonian got in the act this morning. They looked into the service record of a Clackamas County prosecutor who appears in the attack ad. He now admits "he did not witness the events in question and is relying on the accounts of his friends who served with the senator." Oh. That's how it works. In the ad, Alfred French, 58, says: "I served with John Kerry. . . . He is lying about his record." The Washington Post examined the service record of one Larry Thurlow yesterday, and found his claims are contradicted by military records: "In newspaper interviews and a best-selling book, Larry Thurlow, who commanded a Navy Swift boat alongside Kerry in Vietnam, has strongly disputed Kerry's claim that the Massachusetts Democrat's boat came under fire during a mission in Viet Cong-controlled territory on March 13, 1969. Kerry won a Bronze Star for his actions that day. But Thurlow's military records, portions of which were released yesterday to The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act, contain several references to 'enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire' directed at 'all units' of the five-boat flotilla. Thurlow won his own Bronze Star that day, and the citation praises him for providing assistance to a damaged Swift boat 'despite enemy bullets flying about him.' Thurlow claims some of the language came from Kerry himself. But he won't release all his records. Jim Rassmann, an Oregon Republican campaigning for Kerry, says there was enemy fire incoming when Kerry pulled him from the water and saved him.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:14 AM

The Times Jim Brunner reports that Gen. Wesley Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, toured Washington with Sen. Patty Murray, touting her veterans and defense bona fides. Clark credited her with helping to save three VA hospitals the administration had wanted to shut down. Her opponent, Rep. George Nethercutt, also claims credit for saving them, and spent the day flying around the state attacking Murray's record on defense. "TACOMA - Flanked by retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray yesterday campaigned for the votes of one of this year's most coveted blocs - medal-draped and flag-waving military veterans. At a sweltering Veterans of Foreign Wars hall, Murray and veteran supporters touted her role in averting the proposed closure of three Veterans Affairs hospitals earlier this year." Clark, who ran in the Democratic primaries unsuccessfully, is flying around the country to support Democratic candidates, which should help him with any future political plans. Our favorite Clark story involves the war in Bosnia, when then SecDef Cohen sent a message to Clark, according to David Halberstam's account: "Get your (expletive) face off the television." Also, Matt Rodriquez reports that Sen. John Kerry's brother, Cameron, was in Seattle yesterday campaigning for his brother. He's said to be Kerry's most important adviser. Alaska In the Senate race there, Lisa Murkowski faces an ethics complaint from a man who says his name was forwarded to her campaign after he sent a letter to her Senate office. Murkowski's people denied the charge. And finally, our sincerest apologies to Conant, Alex and Glass, Alex, for that unnecessary attack on them yesterday. They're the official spokespeople of the senate candidates; they're working their tails off and the last thing they need is to get attacked on some foolish blog by the likes of BTC. So sorry guys. Try to make it up to you. Coming up in a minute: All the allegations against Sen. John Kerry's service record in Vietnam, and the all the recent rebuttals.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:53 AM

August 19, 2004

Eyman

Just got out of a meeting with Tim Eyman and The Times editorial board (which operates independently of us, but graciously allowed us in). Eyman, who's become a professional initiative guy, is very sharp. His latest initiative, on the Nov. 2 ballot, would allow non-tribal gambling casinos, like cardrooms and pull tab bars, to have electronic slot machines. The tax revenue gained would be used to reduce property taxes. The initiative is funded, largely, by non tribal casinos and pull tab establishments. (And yes, they are establishments.) Eyman, once a watch salesman before he took on politics, has sponsored a bunch of initiatives, most aimed at reducing the size and scope of government and taxes. Eyman had fun pointing to the hypocrisy of some of the opponents of the initiative, especially those in state government: "The sin of gambling is so awful, but make sure to play the lottery," he said. He said he was paid $46,500 to get the signatures together for this initiative. He demurred when asked whether he'd want to live in Kenmore, which is chock full of pull tab bars and has the Kenmore Lanes cardroom on Bothell Way. Here's a story from last week on the opponents, from The Seattle Times Beth Kaiman: "A coalition of religious leaders, government officials and others predicted yesterday that expanding slot machines beyond tribal casinos would increase crime, fail to cut taxes and hurt the state's poorest residents by making gambling more available." Eyman calls that sky-is-falling nonsense. Expect legal challenges from local communities who will want to ban gambling.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:12 PM

Alex, meet Alex

BTC is back from his working vacation, back to serving you, his committed reader(s). His Irish visitor is gone (stay gone you!) and he's back from Phish ("This has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way...") There seems to be a bit of reprieve of political news during the Olympics, with candidates struggling to make news (though, Alan Keyes is saying all kinds of ridiculous things in Illinois, and we'll bring you them all in good time.) So in the interim, we have some poor soul threatening Dr. Seuss's wife. Oh my. AP: "A man convicted of extortion threats against the widow of Dr. Seuss has been ordered to serve three years on probation and undergo anger management counseling. Charles Steen, 33, of Portland, had sent e-mails to Audrey Geisel in San Diego demanding '$2.5 million after taxes' or 'I’ll do something you’ll regret,' according to police. If Geisel refused, Steen said he would 'go public' with a painting depicting Dr. Seuss characters engaged in sexual acts, and he sent a digital copy to Geisel’s attorneys to prove the painting existed. Portland fraud detectives say the extortion attempt was among the most bizarre cases they have investigated. 'Let me put it this way,' said Sgt. Judy Brumfield, 'after I handcuffed Mr. Steen, he asked me to make him a cup of tea. That’s when I said, ’Whoa! Something’s not right in Who-ville.''" There's so much here that keeping one's mouth shut is the way to go, but "after taxes"? Does this mean the culprit is a Republican? BTC calls it the tale of the two Alexes. Alex Glass. Alex Conant. Alex Glass works for Sen. Patty Murray. Alex Conant works for Rep. George Nethercutt. They apparently get paid by the word. Here are some (just some) of the emails BTC received while away: Clark to Join Murray on Campaign Trail -- TODAY Nethercutt says Murray’s anti-defense votes jeopardize jobs in Washington Nethercutt scrambling...again Murray attack machine ignores Senator’s record REALITY CHECK: Nethercutt Not Being Straight with Voters on Homeland Security Record Veterans: Murray must explain why she put Welfare first Clearly George Nethercutt is once again misrepresenting his position National Review: Likely Democratic Retention in WA Nethercutt Calls for New Tax Increase Nethercutt, Dino Touchdown at King County Picnic Nonpartisan Report: Nethercutt Tax Plan Hurts the Middle Class BUSH APPLAUDS MURRAY’S WORK ON COLUMBIA RIVER CHANNEL DEEPENING Because BTC is such a diligent, hard working Timesman, he reads all of these. He considers them. He researches them. He then deposits them in his digital dumpster and saves his loyal reader(s) the trouble. But keep sending them Alex! They're mighty informative!

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:49 AM

August 18, 2004

From a New York City apartment, 5:38 a.m. EDT...

Not to fear loyal reader(s), we're headed back to Seattle. Nothing like cross-country air travel and a two-day music festival in the rain to clear one's head and rejuvenate in time for the sprint to the election. The Times' Jim Brunner reports that Sen. Patty Murray has gone negative on opponent Rep. George Nethercutt in a radio ad, accusing him of always being gone from his district in Spokane and breaking his term-limits pledge. "The ads feature a deliveryman knocking on the door at Nethercutt's house in Spokane. A neighbor replies that Nethercutt has moved to Bellevue, prompting a speech from the deliveryman accusing Nethercutt of betraying his constituents. The ads also remind voters of Nethercutt's broken term-limits vow of 1994. " 'So we pay him to represent Spokane but he doesn't live here anymore, and he lied to us about term limits to get elected in the first place?' says the ad's fictional deliveryman. "The 60-second spots are airing in Nethercutt's back yard — the 5th Congressional District — which he has represented since defeating then-House Speaker Tom Foley in 1994. At the time, Nethercutt promised to serve only three terms. He broke the pledge in 2000, saying he'd made a mistake, and he was easily re-elected." Nethercutt spokesman Alex Conant called the ads "outrageous," Brunner reports. C'mon Conant, Willie Horton was outrageous; that doesn't sound outrageous. Lame, a tad desperate, sure, but outrage? Remember when "outrage" had meaning? Also this morning, The Seattle Times' Eric Pryne advises that Ron Sims, candidate for governor, is linked to Sound Transit, like it or not. So he's running with it, even though the light rail line is still years away from being built: "Sound Transit broke ground on the line last fall after badly needed federal funding was restored. Backers and detractors of the project agree that if Sims hadn't exerted his considerable influence, that might not have happened. Sims says his leadership of Sound Transit shows he's willing to take chances and take charge, someone who knows how to get things done." One wonders, however, if people in the region don't just have a general idea that the various train schemes to try to improve transit have been duds all around, true or not. When we return, some original reporting (imagine!), an update on the Alaska senate race, a look at where we stand going into the Republican National Convention, reader feedback, a look back at campaigns past, candidate comparisons, door prizes and so much much more!

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:29 AM

August 17, 2004

From a home computer ...

in East Hampton, Conn., on a bucolic lake that Thoreau wouldn't mind a bit. (Not the snobby East Hampton you're all thinking of. That's in New York.) Yours truly reports this morning on Internet dating services that cater to the political: "If you want to date Kelly Larson, you should like cooking, wine and travel. And you'd better be a Republican who believes in small government and a strong national defense. 'I won't date a Democrat. My parents have been married 43 years, and I want that someday. The liberals are a little bit more of the 'Whatever. Who cares about morals? Let's get stoned' attitude,' she said." It's a fun story, worth reading, but, um, whatever, dude .... Also, we thought this New York Times story was worth mentioning: Becky Klein is running for Congress in a heavily Democratic district, facing a five-term incumbent in Texas. She is expected to lose. And yet, she's getting all kinds of great financial backing from telecom execs and lawyers because word is out that if/when she loses, she'll become the next head of the Federal Communications Commission. Anyone following our Senate race here, where Rep. George Nethercutt faces an uphill battle against Sen. Patty Murray, may find this story interesting. The White House was a strong advocate for Nethercutt getting in the Senate race. If Nethercutt loses and President Bush wins, what's next for Nethercutt?

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 09:09 AM

August 16, 2004

From a Kinko's in Burlington, Vt.

Catching us up from the end of last week, at least 40,000 showed up for a rally for Sen. John Kerry Friday, Hal Bernton of The Seattle Times reports. At least 65,000 showed up for the final Phish concert near here, in Coventry, Vt. Does that mean Phish is the frontrunner in the presidential election? Probably not. Kerry is now the favorite in Oregon, a state Al Gore won by a slim margin four years ago. "Earlier this summer, national polls showed Kerry and Bush locked in a tight race, dead even or separated by a few percentage points. But eight polls taken in Oregon since June indicate that Kerry has pulled ahead in the state race by anywhere from 4 to 9 points. 'Oregon is a battleground state, but it is not a toss-up state,' said Portland pollster Tim Hibbitts, who did not conduct any of the eight tracking polls but said his own unpublished polling data show the same trend." Also Friday, President Bush called for an end to European government subsidies of Airbus, Boeing's rival. Seattle Times reporters David Bowermaster and Nick Perry report: "Following a private meeting with Boeing executives and workers in Seattle, Bush weighed in for the first time on the Airbus subsidy issue, saying he had instructed U.S. Trade Representative Bob Zoellick to take the matter up with the Europeans. Bush was in town for a fund-raiser last night at a business leader's home in Medina, raising an estimated $2.4 million for the Republican National Committee. Earlier in the day, Bush visited a small business conference in Oregon and defended his administration's economic and environmental policies." "Under a 1992 bilateral agreement between the United States and the European Union, Airbus is permitted to receive government loans worth up to one-third of the cost to develop a new jet. Bush's comments signaled that the U.S. may unilaterally abandon the agreement." The two Democrats running for governor have put TV ads on the air, Ralph Thomas reports in The Seattle Times: "Gregoire appears to be going for a wide appeal with a country-girl-makes-good message. Her minute-long ad opens with a shot of her leaning against a horse corral, wearing a jean jacket. The ad then cuts to a black-and-white picture of Gregoire as a girl, sitting atop a pony, wearing a cowgirl hat and bandana. 'I grew up on a small farm in Auburn,' Gregoire says." You've won our vote Christine! Because everyone knows people who grow up on small farms in Auburn are better qualified to run the state's government than anyone else. Ron Sims uses his ads to excoriate the Washington tax system: "'It's no secret that Washington has the worst tax system in the country, with working families paying three to five times more of their income in taxes than the wealthy,'" he says. Sims then talks about his plan, which he says would provide tax relief to 78 percent of families. He mentions two of the key elements of his proposal: getting ride of business taxes and the state portion of the sales tax." BTC returns to Seattle this week, as his scheme to see Phish and go to the Republican convention turned out to have a significant flaw: the convention is in two weeks, not one, so he'll have to return home. More on the festival later this week, when we'll be publishing our report on it.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 09:55 AM

August 13, 2004

Bush wants state swinging

David Postman reports in The Seattle Times this morning that President Bush sure is treating Washington state like a battleground state, even if history suggests it shouldn't be: "President Bush lands in Seattle this afternoon to continue his fight against John Kerry, the polls, pundits and 20 years of history. A Republican hasn't won the presidential vote in Washington since 1984. Most GOP candidates since then hardly could be bothered to try. But Bush is running as if voters here swing like Count Basie. It's not just optimism. The president is following a carefully crafted plan to turn this piece of traditionally Democratic territory in the left-hand corner of the nation into one of the year's 17 or so swing states." Bush is in Portland campaigning today, as is John Kerry. Times reporters Hal Bernton and Nick Perry will be tailing them for us, and we'll post their dispatches as soon as we have them. National New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey resigned yesterday because he said he committed adultery by having an affair with another man. The other man threatened a lawsuit. Separately, there are all kinds of very Jerseyish allegations surrounding his administration and financial backers. As a friend asked, would he have to resign if it were an affair with a woman?

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 07:01 PM

August 12, 2004

No more Mickey Mouse for mayor

Seattle Times reporter Susan Gilmore tells us this about the new primary system: "Among all the changes to this year's primary-election ballot that may catch voters by surprise, there's one that involves write-in candidates. In the past, voters could write in their pick for an office on a line below the candidates named on the ballot. Voters still can write in candidates, but the only votes that will be counted are those for candidates who have filed declarations of write-in candidacy with the state or county." No write-in candidates. That's it for regional politics today. BTC is off to catch a plane, hoping to make a ridiculous scheme work. He'll go to the final Phish concert in Vermont this weekend, file from the East Coast remotely for a week and then cover the Republican National Convention from New York City. It was hatched at 3 a.m. this morning, as all finely laid plans are. There might be a Kansas City Wedding in there somewhere, too. And BTC's doing it -- some of it anyway -- on his own dime! The cheapest political coverage around! Anyway, posts will be a bit sporadic, and at times complete gibberish. Enjoy. Thanks R.M.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:56 AM

August 11, 2004

President Bush's uneviable choice

From Mike Allen and Jonathan Weisman, in The Washington Post: "Now, after three successive tax cuts, and after a record budget surplus has turned to a record deficit, the president faces an unenviable choice. He can either concede that his $1.7 trillion tonic has not worked as advertised, or he can insist that the economy is strong despite the slowdown in growth and job creation." As his supporters point out, after having invested so much political capital in the tax cuts, President Bush must defend them. One argument he'll make is that things would have been much worse without them, citing the tech implosion, the terror attacks, the run of corporate malfeasance and the uncertainty caused by the war in Iraq and rising oil prices.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 04:46 PM

Good news for one George, bad news for another

Charlie Cook is a nonpartisan analyst with a very good track record of figuring out where races are headed. Here's his analysis of the presidential race, from National Journal. (Subscription required.) "President Bush must have a change in the dynamics and the fundamentals of this race if he is to win a second term. The sluggishly recovering economy and renewed violence in Iraq don't seem likely to positively affect this race, but something needs to happen. It is extremely unlikely that President Bush will get much more than one-fourth of the undecided vote, and if that is the case, he will need to be walking into Election Day with a clear lead of perhaps three percentage points." "This election is certainly not over, but for me, it will be a matter of watching for events or circumstances that will fundamentally change the existing equation - one that for now favors a challenger over an incumbent." Cook's people are also calling Sen. Patty Murray, Democrat, "vulnerable" in her race against Rep. George Nethercutt. NJ reporter Chuck Todd notes how often Murray has engaged Nethercutt. Incumbents like Murray don't usually engage their opponent this soon. The Washington Senate race is considered the 12th most likely to change hands. Alaska, controlled by the Republicans, is ranked seventh, noting the huge advantage, however, in registered Republicans vs. registered Democrats. Tony Knowles, former Democratic governor, is ranking against incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Also, The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) has an interactive map tracking the swing states. The poll, conducted by Zogby International during the Democratic National Convention, has Mass. Sen. John Kerry leading 13 of the 16 battlegrounds they're tracking, including a fairly robust 7.5 percentage point lead here in Washington. Many of the other leads are within the margin of error. President Bush leads in Ohio, which no successful Republican nominee has ever lost. Like the Newsweek poll, it was done during the convention week, and not after, which means it doesn't really measure how people felt about Kerry's performance.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:13 PM

Two housekeeping matters

Our question of the day bombed. So we're offering a new one, although, when we think about it, we figure we won't get any response to this one either, though that will help prove a point: Anyone out there who voted Gore, Nader or Bush last time switching their vote? Tell us, and tell us why. Write to behindthecurtain@seattletimes.com Also, BTC grew up in a family of constant political argument over dinner (and, usually, vodka.) We're hoping to find some families like that for a piece on dinner-table politics. (Any rival regional reporters who steal this idea haven't a shred of dignity.) We don't want a family where dad pronounces from on high the outrages of the unions, or the corporations, and everyone is expected to nod in silent agreement. We want families where there's real conflict, so we can eat dinner at their homes and listen in. Write to behindthecurtain@seattletimes.com if you know of any.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 12:34 PM

President Bush in Medina

Seattle Times reporter Warren Cornwall informs that after campaigning in Portland Friday, President Bush will be at a $1.75 million fundraiser at the home of Gary Reed, former CEO of a family timber business who now sits on the boards of The Seattle Times, Microsoft, Paccar and Washington Mutual. Here's a profile of Reed, a corporate fixer in the mold of political fixer Jimmy Baker. And a timeline: Two groups have concerns: protestors, who won't get anywhere near the Medina event, and the local government. These things cost local police departments thousands of dollars because they have to help the Secret Service secure the area, and they almost certainly won't get reimbursed. That could mean higher taxes next year for the beleaguered residents of Medina. "Medina officials, meanwhile, are hoping the presidential appearance doesn't prove too rich for them. Neighboring Hunts Point wound up with a $23,634 bill for police security surrounding Bush's fund-raising visit last August to the home of wireless-phone mogul Craig McCaw." Oh the agony! The Seattle Weekly's George Howland breaks down the politics of gay marriage in the gubernatorial race. State Attorney General Christine Gregoire is her usual self, declining to state a position on the recent Superior Court ruling legalizing it, because she'll likely have to defend the state's anti-gay marriage law before the state Supreme Court. Back in the spring, she said she opposes gay marriage because "Washington state isn't ready" for it, surely one of the most craven political statements of the year, meaning, in effect, I'm not willing to take the political heat for coming out for or against gay marriage. (And no, BTC isn't advocating a position one way or the other -- just have some conviction and state it.) Ron Sims, the King County Executive, has swung left, welcoming the lawsuit and saying he favors gay marriage. Former state senator Dino Rossi opposes it, but his spokeswoman Mary Lane changes the subject quickly and even says Rossi isn't "running on it." A Seattle Times poll says a majority of Washington residents oppose gay marriage, though not by much, while a majority oppose President Bush's position: a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The Spokane Spokesman-Review reports that Democrat Don Barbieri, a well-financed candidate to fill Rep. George Nethercutt's vacant seat, released a "detailed plan that he said would make health care more accessible to the 96,000 people in the 5th District without health insurance." 96,000 people without health care. The district only has a population of a bit more than 600,000. Count on Barbieri, a hotel magnate, to run on this issue. "Among the steps Barbieri said he would take to make health care more affordable are reining in prescription drug costs by cutting administrative overhead, allowing Medicare to leverage its buying power and permitting the safe importation of drugs from Canada. Barbieri also called for stopping frivolous lawsuits, which is contributing to the increasing cost of medical malpractice insurance. This latter issue is a favorite of Republican candidates for Congress, including Cathy McMorris, who on Tuesday said medical liability was 'a higher cost-driver than prescription drugs.' GOP candidates Shaun Cross and Larry Sheahan have also made tort reform a centerpiece of their health care policies." Barbieri managed to steal the Republican issue (frivolous lawsuits) without calling for a cap on lawsuit jury awards, saying the caps hadn't been shown to be effective. What this means in practice? The story says nothing but that he'd demand the highest ethical standards among doctors and lawyers. That's hardly courageous, but very smart politics, Don. High ethical standards are as controversial as motherhood, maybe less so. Alaska The primary for the Alaska Senate race is two weeks away, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, appointed by her dad to fill the seat he vacated when he became Gov. Murkowski (got that? Pretty funky, eh?) is leading heavily in a recent poll against Republican challenger Mike Miller. Remember Miller? He's the one who was mistakenly sending his Web site visitors to another Mike Miller's email address; the other Mike Miller, in Chicago, was none too pleased. Anyway, the winner will likely face Tony Knowles, former governor, in what should be a real tough battle.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:35 AM

August 10, 2004

A close call for Nethercutt

One item we forgot to mention this morning. Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, flew around the state yesterday accusing his opponent Sen. Patty Murray of voting to raise taxes a bunch of times. But what's interesting is this buried nugget from Jim Brunner: "Nethercutt's plane had a near-collision with another aircraft while flying into the Vancouver, Wash., airport yesterday, his staff said. The congressman and three aides were flying in a Cessna 441 when a smaller plane zoomed by and nearly hit them. The Cessna pilot swerved to avoid the oncoming aircraft. Nethercutt's aides said the planes were close enough that they could see that the other aircraft's pilot had sandy blond hair and wore a black shirt. 'It was pretty scary,' said Josh Holmes, a Nethercutt policy adviser on the trip." Brunner had this to add: "There is some irony here -- Tom Mason, Nethercutt's campaign manager, had managed Norm Coleman's Senate bid in Minnesota in 2002. Coleman, you may recall, is the Republican who won after Sen. Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash. As for Patty Murray -- she doesn't do charter flights, said her campaign spokeswoman Alex Glass. 'She flies commercial. She’s very strict about that,' Glass said. Noting the death of Wellstone and former Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan, who died in a plane crash as he ran against John Ashcroft for the Senate in 2000, Glass said: 'It seems to be a Democratic trend.'"

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 02:37 PM

Alan Keyes sweat is worth hundreds

From The Chicago Tribune: "Gerry McGlothlin, 50, who voted for Keyes for president in 1996, said that although he was outside the banquet hall where Keyes made his announcement, Keyes stepped out to meet supporters, and McGlothlin said he wiped the sweat from Keyes' brow with a napkin so he would look better for TV news cameras. (Emphasis ours.) Later Sunday, McGlothlin listed the napkin on eBay, saying he would donate any proceeds from the auction to the Keyes campaign. By late Monday, 68 people had bid on the napkin, and its price had risen from 8 cents to more than $242." If his sweat is worth $242, imagine...oh, nevermind.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:44 AM

Shameless self-promotion tour

BTC was on CNN International yesterday, interviewed about Pacific Northwest politics by Richard Quest, a British anchor with a huge telegenic personality, a bronze hue and typically bad British teeth. It was like being interviewed by Austin Powers. BTC came across as meek and boring. We'll be better next time. The President is here Friday for a fundraiser in Medina. No more details because of security. He'll also be in Portland Friday; Sen. John Kerry is expected to be there as well. We'll be there with them. Seattle Times reporter Nick Perry continues our series on candidates in the 8th Congressional District, which is becoming Gibbon-ish in length, if not in effect, though that's not knocking the reporters; they're working with a crowded field. Today we get Diane Tebelius, a former prosecutor who's also one of the Eastside's leading Republican activists. She's a hard worker, a trait learned on her family's wheat farm in North Dakota (or "Dakota," as a small but growing movement is hoping it will be called someday.) "Her husband of 19 years, Rob McCallum, also her professional and political ally, said she often rises at 5 a.m. and urges him to join her water-skiing in the pre-dawn calm on Lake Sammamish." Why isn't that our photo? "Tebelius, a retired federal prosecutor and for many years one of the GOP's top organizers on the Eastside, is making her first run for Congress. As of June 30, she had raised $328,000 and knocked on 3,000 doors." Given his name recognition, one would think the Republican primary race would be Sheriff Dave Reichert's to lose. But Tebelius has raised more money, according to the June 30 filing, and is working full time on getting the nomination, whereas Reichert continues his work as Sheriff/book salesman. The Democrats have a similar situation, with Seattle celebrity candidate Dave Ross going against Alex Alben, who's been meticulously running for a long time. This is a fun race. National Cindy Adams has some advice for all ye headed to the Republican National Convention in two weeks in New York City. You Republicans may think the New York Post is your friend, but Cindy is not. She's quite vicious, in fact. "It is not necessary to place your generally voluptuous-sized backsides in bright-orange shorts or hot-pink culottes. Despite being summertime, calmer, cooler colors are appreciated on city streets. We realize that pink is the black of Iowa, still it is not a fashion statement in New York City. Try gray, white, tan, black, navy. Try shrinking your behinds before coming here altogether." And finally, a word about Edgar Martinez and his retirement, which garnered Page One news in both the emerald city's major papers. BTC hails from a small town equidistant from New York City and Boston, and when at the age of six went to his first baseball game and watched Reggie Jackson hit a towering home run into the monuments, he made the smartest decision he would ever make: He became a Yankees fan. There have been four World Series rings since then and a number of future Hall of Famers to grace the pinstripes. So, excuse us if we have to chuckle about the panting celebration of a fairly good designated hitter and his one double that sent the Yanks packing and led the Mariners all the way to...nowhere. So yeah, get your tickets now so you can go to Safeco and eat your sushi and drink your white wine and watch the poor man try to go from first to third on a single one more time.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 09:08 AM

August 09, 2004

BTC spent the weekend with a visitor from Ireland, and so is way behind, way late, and also feeling the effects of too much drink, as they'd say. Washington has a new primary system that forces you to vote for one party or the other. Here are the answers to your many questions. Summary: Pick a party, and be done with it. Seattle Times reporter Jim Brunner reported yesterday on Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, who's challenging Sen. Patty Murray this year. Nethercutt has backed the Bush administration on 90 percent of his votes, living up to the charge of "rubber stamper" leveled at him by Murray and her supporters. On one issue, however, he's been defiant: trade with Cuba. "In 2000, over the objections of top Republicans, Nethercutt shepherded through Congress a historic loosening of the Cuba embargo that has allowed U.S. farmers to sell more than $565 million worth of food to the island nation, including peas and apples from Washington state. Along the way, Nethercutt allied himself with liberal Democrats, scrapped with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and dined with Fidel Castro in Havana. 'I'd come to Congress with the impression that the only way to change Castro was to freeze him out,' Nethercutt says. 'But I came to the realization that unilateral sanctions only hurt America.'" David Postman, also of The Times, reported Saturday on egg now oozing down state Republican face, as their candidate for state Auditor, Will Baker, has a bit of a criminal history. The News Tribune in Tacoma, his local paper, calls him a "a roadside flower salesman with a history of annoying elected officials." Here, Postman gets a description about Baker from Tacoma City Councilman Kevin Phelps: "Baker is a former exotic dancer, an ardent conspiracy theorist and an intelligent person 'who has the ability to put a train of thoughts together - they're just not real factual.'" "Baker could not be reached yesterday, but his Web site says he is a follower of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi and 'an international man of diplomacy.'" Yeah Baby! State Attorney General Christine Gregoire, a candidate for governor, went east of the Cascades to campaign. The Times Ralph Thomas paints a fairly grim picture for Democrats hoping to grab votes yonder way: "RITZVILLE, Adams County - Terry Grimmesey Janzen, head of the Adams County Democratic Party, seemed almost apologetic as Christine Gregoire stepped off her bus for a brief campaign appearance at the city park. 'We don't have too many Democrats here,' Janzen said to Gregoire, gesturing toward 20 or so supporters mingling about the picnic tables. John Mellencamp's 'Small Town' blared over the loudspeaker." 'Small Town' is Sen. John Edwards' song, and, frankly, one wonders if it really works for Gregoire. Candidates in the 8th Congressional District debated Friday. BTC wasn't there, but Warren Cornwall was: He offers a good summary of the candidates and their priorities. Noted: "King County Sheriff Dave Reichert focused on homeland security. Reichert said he wanted local agencies to get the money, training and equipment they need. Reichert, who recently returned from New York City, said he saw police officers on virtually every corner. 'Those are cities that understand where this country is right now,' he said, referring to New York and Washington, D.C. 'This country is at war.'" And finally, Alan Keyes will take on Barack Obama for the Illinois Senate seat. BTC has a thing for Keyes, like some people have a thing for gardening, so you'll be hearing a blow-by-blow of this race. Here's Keyes, who lives in Maryland but is running in Illinois, in 2000: "I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent people there. So I certainly wouldn't imitate it." Ouch.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 01:03 PM

August 06, 2004

President Bush opposes legacy admissions; Behind the Curtain is speechless

The President made news this morning at the Unity convention of journalists of color when he said off-the-cuff that colleges shouldn't award applicants special points just because they have relatives who went to the school. These are called "legacy admissions." Bush was almost certainly a legacy admission at Yale (and, one might add, in his various careers after Yale.) "President Bush said Friday he opposes the use of a family history at colleges or universities as a factor in determining admission. Bush stated his position to what's known as "legacy" in response to a question during a Washington forum for minority journalists called Unity 2004. He was asked, 'Colleges should get rid of legacy?' Bush responded, 'Well I think so, yes. I think it ought to be based upon merit.' Under legacy programs, applicants are given an advantage if their parents or grandparents attended the school. Bush, a third-generation graduate of Yale University, joked about his own legacy. 'Well, in my case, I had to knock on a lot of doors to follow the old man's footsteps,' he said to laughter."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 01:32 PM

Murry kick off, the President at Unity

Sen. Patty Murray "officially" kicked off her campaign for a third-term, approximately five and a half years after she unofficially kicked off her campaign. Oh, so cynical! The Times' Jim Brunner: "Democrat Sen. Patty Murray officially kicked off her campaign for a third term yesterday, boasting of her record in bringing federal money to Washington and vowing to 'stand up for our values and fight for our state.' At a breakfast at a Qwest Field convention hall, Murray rallied more than 1,000 supporters with a 30-minute speech that meandered through dozens of topics, from port security to the war in Iraq to her efforts to ban asbestos." Meanwhile, her opponent was over at the other overpriced stadium that also houses a mediocre franchise: "Seizing on an opportunity for some publicity of his own, Murray's chief rival, Republican George Nethercutt, held a news conference nearby at the Seattle Mariners offices in Safeco Field to 'welcome' Murray to the Senate race. Nethercutt urged her to debate him on issues such as taxes, medical-liability reform and national defense. 'I would welcome 39 debates with Sen. Murray,' said Nethercutt, who has said he'd like to debate the incumbent in every county." Brunner's all over those 39 debates. Lincoln-Douglas all over again, except, a kind of low-rent version. Also, the candidates for state Attorney General clarified where they are on gay marriage, which a King County judge said should be legal in Washington, though the decision has been stayed until the state Supremes make a decision. The problem for the Democrats here is that they support gay marriage, but as AG, they'd be charged with defending in court the state law barring gay marriage. The Times' Beth Kaiman reports: "The Republicans running for Washington state attorney general oppose same-sex marriage. The Democrats support it. All say their personal opinions shouldn't matter much to voters. As the issue of gay marriage heads to the Washington State Supreme Court, either the current attorney general, Christine Gregoire, or the next attorney general, scheduled to take office Jan. 12, will be charged with defending the state's ban before the state Supreme Court. Though the attorney general is elected, the fundamentals of being a lawyer apply to the job: Private views must be set aside for the good of the client. 'I support gay marriage,' said Democratic candidate Mark Sidran, 'but as attorney general, my job would be to defend state law to the best of my ability. ... I think people understand the role of a lawyer.'" National We reported yesterday on Sen. John Kerry's speech at the Unity convention of journalists of color, and were so miffed about our colleagues' behavior -- giving Kerry a standing o -- that we forgot to mention this Kerry line: "Had I been reading to children and had my top aide whispered in my ear, 'America is under attack,' I would have told those kids very politely and nicely that the president of the United States had something that he needed to attend to," Kerry said, referring to President Bush's decision to sit in his chair for seven minutes, doing nothing, after his Chief of Staff Andy Card told him we were under attack on Sept. 11. This morning, President Bush spoke at Unity and answered questions. No word on what reception he received from the journalists, but Times reporter Leslie Fulbright sent along some of his responses. (This is not a Bush strong suit, as everyone -- left and right and center -- concedes.) On literacy and journalism: "You cant read a newspaper if you can't read." On buying a first home: "If you look at the fine print in some of those contracts, it looks pretty small." On diversity in his cabinet: "The people who walk into the Oval Office and say 'Mr. President, you aren't looking so good today,' -- they're diverse." On Michelle Malkin's new book, "In Defense of Internment," which suggests interning the Japanese during WWII was a defensible idea, and says doing the same to Muslims would be defensible now (haven't read it, so the summary comes only from the title): "We don't need intern camps. Forget it." On Muslim profiling: "I knew that was going to be a problem. That's why I went to a mosque." Tribal sovereignty: "Tribal sovereignty means just that -- sovereignty." On voting problems in Florida: "Just don't focus on Florida. I'll talk to the governor down there to make sure it works." On immigration reform: "This is an election year, not much gets done except for elbowing and yelling." On whether he supports affirmative action: "I support colleges affirmatively taking action on diversity."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:03 AM

August 05, 2004

Journalists applaud Kerry; conservatives: "I told ya so."

Fodder for righties who believe in the "librul media" Just off the phone with Seattle Times reporter Florangela Davila, who's at the Unity convention in Washington D.C. Unity is a conference of 7,000 journalists of color. She reports that more than half the journalists gave Sen. John Kerry, who spoke to at least 2,000, a standing ovation. If you ever see us at campaign events or reporting on someone making a speech, you'll note we don't applaud or heckle, because it's unprofessional. Giving a presidential candidate a standing ovation during the height of the campaign is as unprofessional as it gets. "It was so offensive and awful, and I hated it. It was clearly inappropriate. It was ridiculous," an exasperated Flor said. As for the speech, Flor says it was Kerry's typical stump: criticism of President Bush for giving tax cuts to the wealthy and mismanaging the war in Iraq, as well as promises to roll back tax cuts and to bring the international community together to fight terror and clean up Iraq. He also offered a little something for everyone: legalize illegal immigrants, increase sovereignty of Native American tribes, give more money to inner city schools. And he used Barack Obama's line that there's no red states or blue states, only a United States of America. And he's against media consolidation. The standing ovation at the end of the speech was less robust, Flor reports. What will the reception be for President Bush tomorrow at Unity? Flor promises to call to let us know.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 04:58 PM

Gay marriage turnout

The Missouri primary, which also featured a vote on an amendment to the state consitution to ban gay marriage, should worry Sen. John Kerry and the Democrats. The amendment passed with 70 percent approval. Polls before primary day had it passing by 60 percent. From The New York Times: "With at least nine other states expected to vote on similar amendments this fall, including four swing states in the presidential race, leaders on each side of the issue viewed Missouri's 70 percent approval of the amendment on Tuesday as a glimpse of what might lie ahead." One of those states is Ohio. What is crucial is turnout. Republicans have been saying they'll turn out their voters like never before. BTC is skeptical of the claim, because Republican-leaners usually turn out anyway. But there's this: "Supporters of amendments to ban gay marriage in states like Ohio pointed to Missouri's record election turnout - 41 percent in a primary election that in most years draws 15 percent to 25 percent - as a clear and exhilarating sign that the issue will lure their voters to the polls." If people who don't usually vote turn out in droves to ban gay marriage in Ohio, expect them to vote for President Bush, and expect him to get re-elected. Still, those Missourians who turned out might be voters who don't usually vote in primaries but do typically vote on election day. If so, Republican hopes for a bigger than usual Republican turnout on election day are unfounded. Supporters of gay marriage spent $450,000 to fight the measure with television advertising and polling, compared with $19,000 spent by opponents. The amendment won everywhere except the City of St. Louis, where it narrowly failed. Missourians really don't want gay people marrying. There's no comparable amendment on the Washington ballot this year, but look for one in the future. The Washington Post has more on the issue: "Eight states -- Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah -- have placed marriage amendments on the November ballot. Petitions on ballot initiatives are awaiting certification in Michigan, North Dakota and Ohio. Four states -- Alaska, Hawaii, Nebraska and Nevada -- have enacted constitutional amendments in previous years." More from The Post: "Conventional wisdom holds that the issue can only hurt Democrats. But in Colorado's 7th Congressional District -- a moderate, blue-collar area where a third of the registered voters are Democrats, a third are Republicans and a third are independents -- opposition to the federal amendment appears to be galvanizing liberal support for Dave Thomas, the Democratic challenger to freshman Rep. Bob Beauprez, a conservative Republican who is a co-sponsor of the amendment in the House. A spokeswoman for Thomas said his support for civil unions and opposition to the proposed amendment has been 'a very big issue' in the race. Beauprez's campaign manager, Jack Stansbery, said that it 'really hasn't been' much of an issue and that Beauprez 'tries to focus more on things like the economy and homeland security, although he's never shied away from where he stands on social issues.'"

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 02:52 PM

Shouting distance in Iowa, robbers rob banks.

Nonfiction: Reminder: Dennis Kucinich meetup: Thursday, Aug 5 @ 7PM. What: National Kucinich in 2004 Meetup Day When: Thursday, Aug 5 @ 7PM Who: Kucinich Supporters and friends Where: Ravenna Third Place Books 6504 20th Ave. NE Seattle, WA 98115 206-525-2347 When you get there, look for the Kucinich Supporter(s) near: Entrance Last-minute tips: 1) Visit the Seattle, WA Kucinich Supporters message board to see last-minute messages from attendee(s): http://kucinich2004.meetup.com/boards/ 2) Remember, you're welcome to bring friend(s) 3) It's not too late to print out a sign for the Meetup: http://kucinich2004.meetup.com/sign/ 4) If you can't find your group (!) straight away, ask staff at the venue. "I'm here for the Meetup," is usually all it takes. Enjoy your Meetup! The news of the day is that a King County judge said gay marriage is legal, or should be, or something, though they can't actually get married until the state Supreme Court decides. This has big political ramifications, we think, because it will force candidates to state their position on the issue. It will work as a "wedge" for both sides. Or maybe not. Maybe people don't care who can marry who(m). We don't know. A Seattle ethics panel said a proposed settlement against a strip club owner, accused of campaign law violations, was too lenient: "A Seattle ethics panel yesterday rejected a proposed $12,500 settlement that would have ended an investigation into campaign contributions tied to strip-club magnate Frank Colacurcio Jr. and one of his employees. Calling the settlement a 'slap on the wrist,' the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission said it was not in the public interest because it failed to resolve lingering questions surrounding thousands of dollars in contributions during last year's City Council elections. In the settlement, Colacurcio would have admitted only to inadvertently making improper cash donations to a council campaign. He would have paid the city $7,500 in exchange for an agreement by the commission to end its yearlong investigation." The man made campaign favors and allegedly expected favorable treatment in return. He must be punished! Ron Sims unveiled his tax plan yesterday, Ralph Thomas reports in The Times: "SPOKANE - Ron Sims, a Democratic candidate for governor, wants to make Washington the only place in the nation where businesses pay nothing in state taxes. He also wants to eliminate the state sales tax and give homeowners a big break on their property taxes. What's the catch? Sims, the King County executive, is also calling for a personal income tax that would hit the rich harder than in any other state, with the top rate at 10 percent on incomes exceeding $100,000. After months of behind-the-scenes number crunching and sending up occasional trial balloons, Sims yesterday unveiled his 23-page plan for overhauling the state's much-maligned tax system. 'We just need to blow the whole thing up,' Sims told a group of Spokane business leaders during a breakfast meeting before flying to Seattle for a news conference." To do this, he'll need to amend the state constitution. Vegas odds makers are not taking bets. But they weren't on James "Buster" Douglas either. National See President Bush eat an ear of raw corn. The two major candidates were within spitting distance yesterday campaigning in Davenport, Iowa, a lovely city on the Mississippi River where BTC once went bowling. Nothing of significance happened, other than three bank robberies. That is all.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 01:16 PM

August 04, 2004

ACT Tour

Some of America's coolest rock acts visit some of America's most boring cities. America Coming Together, a liberal interest group committed to defeating President Bush, has enlisted some A-list rock stars, to include Bruce, Dave Matthews, the Dixie Chicks and Jurassic 5. They'll try to raise money and get young voters out. Only about one-third of 18-24 year olds vote; not much better among 25-34. Those voters are often Democratic, especially the ones who don't vote; hence, the pop stars, though some of them -- Bruce, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne -- will probably appeal more to Boomers, but whatever. Here's the lineup: Hand it to the stars for accepting these dates, which are in some pretty lamo cities, but in important states: Michigan, Florida, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa. Pearl Jam and Death Cab for Cutie play Reading, Penn., Toledo, Ohio, Grand Rapids, Mich. We're pretty sure "Real World Grand Rapids" got cancelled after the pilot. Bruce and REM are treated to bigger cities, capitols of the rapidly deteriorating steel kingdom -- Philly and Cleveland. They also play St. Paul, Minn., Orlando and Ann Arbor, Mich., a legitimately cool town that plays host to Hash Bash every April. Other acts include Keb Mo and John Mellencamp, in places like Kalamazoo, Mich., Des Moines, Iowa, Wilkes-Barre, Penn., Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, and some place called Kissimmee, Fla. "Hello Kissimmee! Are you ready to rock?!" BTC has actually spent a lot of time in these places, or driving through them, and has a special place in his heart for them, so take no offense, Grand Rapids reader(s).

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:10 PM

Congressional races and body temperature

The Seattle Times' Jim Brunner leads us off explaining why we're paying so much attention to the Congressional seats being vacated by Jennifer Dunn, R-Mercer Island, and George Netherucutt, R-Spokane, and so little attention to every other race: They're the only real contests around here. It's no local trend, however. It's true everywhere; in fact, more true elsewhere, because most states have even more aggressive redistricting patterns that lock in incumbents. The practice is a variant of gerrymandering (named after Elbridge Gerry): You draw the Congressional map so that there are way more registered Republicans than Democrats in the district, or vice versa, to protect incumbents to the advantage of the ruling party. In most states, the state legislature redraws the map after every Census (or, in Texas or Colorado, whenever they feel like it.) This politicizes the process. Here, a commission does it, so it's usually more fair. But no matter. Brian Baird in the third, despite being in a Bush district, Norm Dicks, Jay Inslee and Adam Smith -- all Democrats -- face only nominal challengers. Same with Doc Hastings, Republican from out Yakima way, though his challenger has raised a bit more money. Nationally, re-election rates have been steadily rising the past century, as the advantages of incumbency have taken firm root: more money, free mailings, more pork to send home. Plus the whole idea of politics as career vs. politics as short term service, is now prevalent. Re-election rates are actually near body temperature (for most people, though BTC's rarely rises above the mid-90s.) Republicans led the term limits movement back in the late 80s and early 90s. Term limits would say three terms and you're out. George Will, the conservative commentator, was the philosophical leader of this movement to end permanent incumbency. The Republicans have lost all enthusiasm for it, which is to be expected, given their control of Congress. Will has largely gone silent on a subject he once wrote about more frequently than baseball. BTC would like to give a plug for his dad, a Republican who still calls for term limits about every Thanksgiving. Another quixotic arrow for his bulging quiver. BTC has his own idea: determine our representatives by lot. A big lottery, with the balls that dance around like the Lotto drawing. Aristotle considered it as well. President Bush will be here next week. This much we know: "Bush is scheduled to visit the area for a $2,500-per-person fund-raiser Aug. 13, Bob Strauss, president of the Eastside Republican Club, announced at a club function last night." Sen. John Kerry, who had planned to be here, will not be. He'll be in Portland to end a nationwide bus tour. Presumably, his people see better numbers here than in Oregon, so they'll concentrate resources there. As soon as we have schedules, we'll pass them along. Brunner also reports on the yearlong investigation into illegal fundraising of city races: "A yearlong probe into alleged campaign-law violations during last year's Seattle City Council elections could end today as a city ethics panel considers settlements with strip-club magnate Frank Colacurcio Jr. and one of his longtime employees. In a proposed settlement, Colacurcio employee Marsha Furfaro would pay $5,000 and admit she reimbursed her two daughters in cash for contributions they made to the re-election campaign of former City Councilwoman Judy Nicastro, according to Furfaro's attorney." Seattle's lame excuse for corruption.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:11 AM

August 03, 2004

Likely voters

When you see polls, there'll often be very different numbers for "registered voters" vs. "likely voters." Polls measuring likely voters usually favor Republicans, because Republicans are more likely to vote because they're usually better informed about the mechanics of voting -- when, where, how -- and less likely to have obstacles to prevent them from voting -- infirmity, age, language, criminal record, childcare issues. So for instance, as Brendan Koerner points out in Slate today, "Though the Democratic duo leads President Bush and Vice President Cheney by three percentage points among registered voters, it trails by three points among likely voters." Koerner goes on to explain how pollsters figure out likely voters, usually by deft means of asking questions: "The most thorough polls ask whether respondents know where their polling places are and how they plan to travel there on Election Day. Another tactic is to couch the questions about past voting habits in soothing language, so the respondents don't feel as if an 'I didn't vote last election" reply is equivalent to confessing that they're bad Americans. A popular way to phrase the voting-history question, for example, is along the lines of: 'In the last election, did something come up that prevented you from voting?' In 1999, the Pew Research Center ... followed up with respondents after the election and concluded that it had correctly predicted the voting behavior of 73 percent of those surveyed. In the more-art-than-science world of polling, that's considered a pretty good result." This seems significant, that 73 percent is considered good for determining likely voters. That's a gentleman "C" in most academic venues, isn't it? We've already wasted a lot of space talking about polls, but to complete the discussion: Ruy Teixeira, a Democratic pollster, likes LV polls, but not this far away from the election: "At this point, most polls are surveying only (registered voters) and I believe that's appropriate and, in fact, preferable. It is way too early to put much faith in likely voter screens/models as representing very accurately the voters who will actually show up on election day. There is reasonable evidence that careful likely voter methodologies work well close to the election and do fairly accurately capture that pool of voters. But there is no such evidence for LV samples drawn this far out." All this talk about polls leads us to another point: Too much national campaign coverage rests with this kind of coverage: polls, message, symbolism, image, bounce -- stuff a lot of stuff political reporters, like BTC, can speak about with some authority, though, really, anyone who watches TV and reads the paper can do it. The entire discussion then creates a kind of McLuhanesque media meta-narrative (he's off message; that's a terrible image; she's trailing in the polls) that then serves to give the political insiders and media types even more authority. Will there be stories on the candidates' records on the economy, defense, social issues, the environment? Stories about the validity and feasibility of their plans for the future? The Seattle Times has some planned for the fall. Let's hope the national media does as well.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 04:21 PM

Readers answer our question

We asked you to name someone not in politics who should be. Here are some of the responses. Troy S. says James Woods, the actor who played H.R. Haldeman in the Oliver Stone film, "Nixon" among dozens of other film credits. Glenda T. of Mill Creek says Ben Affleck, the reclusive actor. Kristina M. says Michael McGavick, president of Safeco Insurance. Matt N. says Jay Buhner, former Mariners outfielder with the scary shaved head. Greg S. says Kevin Spacey, aka Kaiser Sose.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 12:11 PM

No bounce, no surprise

A light day for regional politics. The Seattle Times reports (scroll down) political consultant and former watch salesman Tim Eyman and Fay Pullen, the widow of the late King County councilman, "filed suit yesterday against the Metropolitan King County Council, alleging that changes made to Initiative 18 last month undermined the measure, which would reduce the council size from 13 members to nine. The lawsuit was filed in Snohomish County because King County is the target of the suit. I-18 will appear on the ballot this fall and was adjusted by the County Council to make the earliest possible nine-member election in 2007 rather than 2005." The Everett Herald reports Democrats will face no challenger in a house and a senate race in Everett, and a house race in Edmonds, unless the GOP can find candidates by Friday. As Andrew Garber and Ralph Thomas reported last weekend, there are fewer of these uncontested races than in the past. Former Spokane Mayor Neal Fosseen, veteran, business executive, civic activist, is dead at 95. National The big story is that Kerry didn't get much boost from the convention. More on that in a minute. Leave that aside for now, however. The fun story , for BTC anyway, is Illinois Republicans, desperate to find a challenger to Senate candidate/rising star Barack Obama, are turning to professional presidential candidate, former ambassador Alan Keyes. He paid himself to run for president in 2000. Check out his Web site. BTC once covered Keyes at a "rally" for his campaign in South Carolina, which was outdrawn, easily, by a jazz concert across the hall. The jazz fans and players hadn't a clue who Keyes was. "President? President of what?" was the response when we asked them about him. He's a principled conservative. He has absolutely no chance of winning, which will make the campaign even more entertaining than it's already been. Back to the bounce/bump/boost. All the hype about the lack of bounce isn't all that useful. Public opinion always lags behind polls a bit, and this electorate has shown itself to have its mind made up more than previous electorates. Kerry also gained on key categories like qualifications, terrorism and the economy. His problem now is cash, as the Bush campaign has pledged to spend $30 million on an ad campaign this month going into the Republican convention, which will glide right into 9/11 anniversary events. Kerry can only spend $75 million -- his federally provided funds -- between now and election day. President Bush's problem is his approval ratings, which are still in the 40s, their lowest of his presidency, and right track/wrong track numbers, which show more than half of all Americans think we're on the wrong track and need a change. As the LA Times Ron Brownstein has said, the president must make an argument for continuity. There's a chart with the story that shows the polls. Check back later.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:39 AM

August 02, 2004

Candidate list

A list of candidates in King and Snohomish counties.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:59 PM

Monday morning wrap, second try

Colleague Warren Cornwall has his third of eight profiles on candidates in the 8th Congressional District, this one on radio personality and Democratic hopeful Dave Ross. Some lines worth noting: "Skaggs (an adviser to the campaign) predicted that if elected, Ross would likely become one of the maverick members of Congress, more likely to break from the party on a matter of conscience. 'I think it will be a strength, but I think it will also be a weakness. Because I think it will cost him clout and committee assignments,' Skaggs said. 'I think he is going to be more of a reporter in Congress, somebody who is going to be more of an investigator.'" Just what the region needs: another cloutless Congressman! Cornwall also reports that the Ross radio technique doesn't always translate well into political campaigning. Ross faces a number of challengers, including Alex Alben, a former RealNetworks executive who's raised a lot of money and has been campaigning a long time; and, Sheriff Dave Reichert. Should be a great race, with both parties likely pouring money in. To judge how this race is going to go, look at Issaquah, as Seattle Weekly does this week. Issaquah always seems to go with the winner, no matter D or R, the Weekly reports. Friday was filing day for candidates, and The Seattle Times' own Andrew Garber and Ralph Thomas report more competitive races than any time in recent memory. The parties are fielding candidates even in places where they'll likely lose, if for no other reason than to drain resources from the other party, like proxy wars in the Cold War. Yesterday's read of the day was written by The Times' Beth Kaiman, who explores why politicians here in the Northwest don't seem to have the it factor -- charisma. "And not to be hurtful, but do any politicians in Washington state have it? Can they get it? Uh, no, says local Democratic political consultant Blair Butterworth, who has worked with bunches of the charisma-challenged, including Gov. Gary Locke, long known to enjoy a warm chat on home repair. Butterworth described Locke as much improved. 'It's not our style,' Butterworth said of charisma. 'We wear sensible shoes, and we're a little suspicious of anyone who seems to be too charming or who stands out too much or sells too hard. In Washington, you start holding onto your wallet when that happens.'" Why don't we have it? Sensible footwear, fleece, Scandinavian reserve and that annoying penchant for consensus are some possibilities. If you have other ideas, write to behindthecurtain@seattletimes.com Saturday BTC profiled a young political junkie. Gives you a taste of what it's like to be 21 years old and obsessed with politics. National The Washington Post's David Broder and Dan Balz have a look at the state of the race, region by region. In the only available post-convention poll, Kerry leads Bush 49-42 with Ralph Nader in the race, 52-44 without him. That's only a two point post-convention bump from early July, but polls often lag behind actual public opinion. The New York Times has a similar story, reporting that the Republicans plan on attacking Sen. John Kerry through August. There's an element of fear in these planted stories, a recognition that the Dems did what they wanted to do at their convention. The president's chief political adviser Karl Rove even went on the record, something he almost never does.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 02:40 PM

Racicot is French!

BTC reader and close personal friend Kelly Sweetman offers this explanation of the weird pronunciation of Bush campaign Chair Marc Racicot's last name: "Rosco." Says Sweetman: "My belief is that this is a French name. In French it would be pronounced 'RAH-see-coe,' emphasis on RAH. So i assume that as it gets said faster and faster, the 'see' gets lost, resulting in 'Rosco.'" You won't hear this explanation from the Bush people, BTC assures you. Here's the family crest.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 12:24 PM

Monday morning wrapup....

Coming very soon.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 09:51 AM