Behind the Curtain

September 30, 2004

Debate, from the Middle English, to beat

Tonight's the night. It all comes down to this. Unless it doesn't. In which case it will come down to events "on the ground" in Iraq. Or maybe Kerry's ability to "define himself." Or right-track/wrong-track numbers. Or the economy. Or job creation. Or the Florida Secretary of State. In any case, tonight's the big debate, and we'll be watching every second, doing a shot of Jaegermeister every time the words "terror" and "terrorist" are used and doing some real time blogging, so tune into seattletimes.com. Then, be sure to check in our post-debate commentary, offered offline only at Murphy's in the U District. Hal Bernton and Craig Welch finish up our epic series on the environmental record. Today, they look at Sen. John Kerry's record, and specifically what he did with commercial fishing -- an all-important industry in his home state -- back in 1996 and thereafter. Farmed cod reached new lows then, which was about to spur the federal government into action. "Fishery science, Kerry wrote in a letter co-signed by two other senators, is not 'absolutely precise' and 'uncertainties remain.' It would be better, the letter continued, to hold off on drastic action until more studies could be completed." Snip. "In the decade-long struggle to help restore the New England fish stocks, Kerry faced one of the toughest conservation challenges of his career, walking a tightrope between saving fish, whose plight was championed by environmentalists, and saving fishermen, whose fiery independence and passion for the water help define New England. In the process, Kerry helped craft landmark legislation in 1996 to rebuild the fisheries. But later, on occasion, he urged a New England fishery council charged with drafting harvest policy to postpone tough harvest restrictions, according to a review of meeting minutes and correspondence obtained by The Seattle Times under the federal Freedom of Information Act." Debate? This ain't no debate. David Postman tracked down the moderator of the third Kennedy-Nixon debates. He lives in Renton. "Shadel turned 96 in July. He's seen a lot of presidential debates since the night in October 1960 when he was in Los Angeles to moderate the third meeting of Vice President Nixon, a Republican, and his Democratic opponent, Sen. Kennedy of Massachusetts. He says presidential debates today are too closely regulated to allow for real news to seep out. He knows he won't see true face-to-face debating with the candidates grilling each other or tough follow-up questions." Snip. "He derided the extensive rules that govern the debate and the bipartisan commission that drafts them." Speaking of extensive rules, Kerry wanted the room to be super air-conditioned, like David Letterman's studio. Bush's team said no. Kerry's a "sweater," as in, one who sweats, and women don't like "sweaters," somebody on the Bush team said, not for attribution. Darn. BtC's a sweater. No wonder... oh, nevermind. And, speaking of sweating and the 1960 debates, there's a legendary story about Richard Nixon refusing to wear makeup for the first debate and sweating his face off. He won on radio, but lost on TV. He learned from his errors and used TV masterfully in 1968, when Roger Ailes was his TV producer. Roger Ailes. Who's that? Oh, only the head of Fox News. See why we hate politics? Because these people never die! They just morph into something else! (And, don't worry, we can think of someone on the left, too, like, say, PBS guy Bill Moyers, who ran Lyndon Johnson's campaign in 1964 and ran the dirty "Daisy" ad, which presented a young girl picking daisies followed by the blast of a nuclear bomb.) Here's a debate prep. Some fact-checking. Jim Brunner reports on the Nethercutt ad we talked about yesterday, here.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 02:20 PM

September 29, 2004

Dino

One item worth reading in full, a second profile of Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi. Dino worked for a real estate firm that folded, its owner eventually serving jail time for fraud. What's worse, Rossi followed the owner, Melvin G. Heide, after the firm went bankrupt to a different firm, even as it was clear to just about everyone that a lot of innocent people had been bilked. Dino himself is not accused of any wrongdoing. Money line: "Former Capretto agent Goldberg, a Rossi supporter, said he understood why people stuck with Heide. 'We've all got to get paid,' he said. 'You gotta work and you gotta make money. We all take the path of least resistance.' " We continue our series on the Bush record on the environment. Today, Alex Fryer looks at the White House's regulation czar, who demands a cost-benefit analysis of new regulations. Fryer: "Through rigorous analysis, Graham wants to create 'smart' regulation that protects the environment at lower cost. But it is a process fraught with subjectivity. While it's relatively simple to document how environmental regulation hurts businesses, the value of pristine forests, clean lakes and species protection can't be expressed in dollars. As a result, the ratio between costs and benefits often appears skewed. And when it comes to actually writing regulations, OIRA (Office of Information and Regulatory Policy ) has a record of adopting language proposed by industry lobbyists, not environmentalists." If there's one thing that's going to take down Sen. Patty Murray, it may be this. (Click on "Different" to watch.) A new Nethercutt ad stings her with a tape of her touting everything Osama bin Laden once did in the developing Muslim world of South Asia. He built schools, hospitals and daycare centers and made their lives better, she's caught on tape saying. Her point was that the U.S. has to get more involved in the developing world and change ordinary people's lives there. But that point is lost in the ad, to be sure. We've all been waiting for this ad to appear, and here it is, Nethercutt's trump card.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 12:12 PM

September 28, 2004

It's the electoral college, stupid

The folks over at ABC's The Note have gone through all the possible combinations in the electoral college for us: "Assume the 2000 Electoral College tally in 2004 numbers, with the Census-adjusted state-by-state totals. Bush has 278 votes to start with; Kerry has 260. Assume Kerry loses Wisconsin - he has 250. Bush has 288. Based on where Kerry is sending resources and spend advertising dollars (and knowing that the national map could still shift in either direction) - the following combinations of states get Kerry to 270 (or not), assuming New Mexico and Iowa stay Democratic. (a) Kerry loses Wisconsin, wins Ohio and wins the election, 270 to 268. (b) Kerry loses Wisconsin, wins Florida and wins the election: 277 to 261. (c) Kerry loses Wisconsin, wins New Hampshire and West Virginia and no other Red states: he loses, 259 to 279. (d) Kerry loses Wisconsin and Maine and Iowa and New Mexico (10 + 4 + 7 + 5) and picks up Ohio and Florida (20 + 27): Kerry wins 281 to 257. (e) Kerry wins New Hampshire and West Virginia and no other Red states; he defends all his Blue states: It's a TIE: 269 to 269. Bush wins in Congress. Now imagine this scenario: What if Bush picks up Wisconsin, Iowa, and New Mexico? And Kerry picks up Ohio, New Hampshire, and West Virginia? The electoral vote total would be: Bush 271 vs. Kerry 267 BUT -- assuming passage of Colorado's ballot initiative that awards electoral votes in accordance with the statewide popular vote - Kerry actually wins 271 vs. 267 (inevitable court challenges notwithstanding). That Colorado ballot initiative is a free 4 electoral-vote bonus in KE04's pocket . . . Let us explicitly add the obvious - and most important - point: Without Ohio or Florida in Kerry's column, he will most likely not be taking the oath of office on the west steps of the Capitol next January. And holding all of the 2000 Blue states is not a given at this point."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 02:29 PM

The environmental record

Seattle Times staff reporter Craig Welch continues his close examination of the Bush environmental record. "Through a filament of haze they emerge: containerships long enough to ferry the Space Needle, some belching as much exhaust as 12,000 cars, cutting through the bay toward the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach." Snip. "During a decade in which scientists learned diesel pollution was even worse for our health than once thought, Murphy's agency made an astounding discovery: Ocean-going ships that cruised past Santa Barbara's coast each year emitted more smog-forming pollution than all vehicles on the county's roads combined. Yet the Bush administration derailed efforts to cut emissions from cargo carriers, tankers and cruise ships - a decision with great impact on the West Coast and the Puget Sound region. The lumbering ocean-going giants are now the country's least-controlled source of bad air. Bush's record on clean-air rules has won him praise and criticism. He was criticized for refusing to cap carbon-dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming but was lauded for his decision to slash diesel pollution from many types of engines. He changed power-plant rules affecting emissions, a move favored by industry, and has balked at forcing big ships to clean their smokestack pollutants." Staffer Hal Bernton looks at how the two candidates view global warming. "Bush opposes mandatory caps on greenhouse-gas emissions from industrial plants, while Kerry backed a failed Senate bill seeking such regulation and fought unsuccessfully to improve the gas efficiency of U.S. automobiles." The Times' Ralph Thomas reports that Dino Rossi's early tough upbringing led, in part, to his political development. A compelling story of alcoholism, mixed families and poverty. Mike Lindblom reports on what the monorail recall is all about. A profile of the Senate race in the 1st legislative district. And the House race there, which pits trooper vs. ex-cop. And, another House race there. Debate is Thursday. Here's what to look for. The pundits are saying this is make or break for Kerry, which seems a little ridiculous, considering they said the same thing about his convention speech, which they all lauded before saying it was a failure. To really know what's going on in this election, read this. Big new registration numbers. The polls, which have been widely divergent, may be missing these newly registered voters, who may be hard to find because they'll tend to be younger and more transient. Whether they're Republican or Democrat, we don't know for sure, but large turnouts almost always favor Democrats. Can the Democrats get these voters to the polls? It all comes down to that.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:40 AM

September 27, 2004

The environmental record

We continue our series on President Bush and Sen. John Kerry's environmental records. In today's installment, Craig Welch reports on how Bush has enforced the Endangered Species Act. He's put fewer species on the endangered list than any other President. Day one was about energy development in the Rockies. Jim Brunner looks at an ad for Sen. Patty Murray that says we ought to allow small businesses to form health insurance buying pools. Only problem, she's opposed legislation that would make it possible. Here's a profile of the Prohibition Party candidate for President, who lives on Vashon Island, from the News-Tribune. A statewide poll shows two-thirds of Washington voters want to get rid of the new primary system we have here, in which you can vote for one party or the other but not candidates for both, The Everett Herald reports. The presidential debate is Thursday. Time looks at strategies. And finally, the Huskies took on the chin from the Irish Saturday, 38-3.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:07 AM

September 24, 2004

Rossi v Gregoire; That little thing; Armitage

The gubernatorial candidates had their first debate last night. Andrew Garber reports: "BLAINE - Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi wasted little time going after his Democratic opponent Christine Gregoire last night, portraying her as a career bureaucrat who helped make the state one of the most over-regulated in the country. Gregoire, the state attorney general, attacked Rossi's record in the Legislature, criticizing votes on health care and teacher pay. She told the audience of business people attending the Association of Washington Business (AWB) event she was proud of her government career. 'I chose public service, and I don't regret it.' " Gregoire tried to make Rossi's opposition to stem-cell research an issue. Rossi didn't back down. "One of the more heated exchanges came when Gregoire asked Rossi if he would support an effort to make Washington a leader in stem-cell research. Rossi responded that Washington's biotech strengths were in diagnostics and therapeutics and that it didn't make sense to use state money to try to compete with stem-cell research efforts in a state like California. 'We'd lose that battle,' he said, noting that he wasn't sure where Gregoire would come up with the money. 'You promise things to almost every group you go to.' " Here's another paper's coverage. And AP. Both nonpartisan groups and the parties and their independent arms are spending a fortune to get young voters out this year. The effort appears to be working, BTC reports this morning, as 2 million more 18-29-year-olds could come to the polls than in 2000. Kerry leads in a recent poll 46-40. The story has some useful charts. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, running for re-election against Tony Knowles, got in some trouble this week for calling the Exxon-Valdez oil spill "that little issue," and doing it at an Exxon-Mobil station as a backdrop. Oops. The Anchorage Daily News has it. National Here's an interesting look back at John Kerry's first campaign, a losing one for Congress. He's surrounded by many of the same loyalists, Todd Purdum reports in The New York Times. Interesting snippet about the man of the people: "Later that spring, he married Julia Stimson Thorne in a big Long Island ceremony. The bride wore a gown from a relative's 1786 wedding, at which Alexander Hamilton had been best man and George Washington a guest, and The New York Times's lengthy account declared, 'Whether today's wedding becomes a similar footnote to history may depend on the bridegroom.' " BTC expects much the same for himself, though he's not sure Hamilton or Washington were ever in Las Vegas. In The Washington Post, Dana Milbank runs down the recent instances of Republicans saying Kerry and the Democrats are helping the enemy or that the enemy wants them to get elected. This is lengthy, but worth reading. "Appearing in the Rose Garden yesterday with Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, Bush said Kerry's statements about Iraq 'can embolden an enemy.' ... It was the latest instance in which prominent Republicans have said that Democrats are helping the enemy or that al Qaeda, Iraqi insurgents and other enemies of the United States are backing Kerry and the Democrats. Such accusations are not new to American politics, but the GOP's line of attack this year has been pervasive and high-level. On Tuesday, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said terrorists 'are going to throw everything they can between now and the election to try and elect Kerry.' On Fox News, Hatch said Democrats are 'consistently saying things that I think undermine our young men and women who are serving over there.' On Sunday, GOP Senate candidate John Thune of South Dakota said of his opponent, Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle: 'His words embolden the enemy.' Thune, on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' declined to disavow a statement by the Republican Party chairman in his state saying Daschle had brought 'comfort to America's enemies.' On Saturday, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (Ill.) said at a GOP fundraiser: 'I don't have data or intelligence to tell me one thing or another, [but] I would think they would be more apt to go [for] somebody who would file a lawsuit with the World Court or something rather than respond with troops.' Asked whether he believed al Qaeda would be more successful under a Kerry presidency, Hastert said: 'That's my opinion, yes.' The previous day in Warsaw, Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage said terrorists in Iraq 'are trying to influence the election against President Bush.' Such accusations have been a component of American politics since the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 and surfaced in the modern era during the McCarthy communist hunt and the Vietnam War protests." An interesting footnote. Richard Armitage, who's mentioned above, seems to be trying to get a job as Secretary of State. It's well known Colin Powell is finished, and Armitage, always known as Powell's man, seems to be angling for his job. He was on Powell's side in his wars with the Pentagon and Vice President Cheney, but has become a media fixture of late, saying some pretty provocative things on behalf of President Bush. Just over 24 hours till kickoff.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 08:27 AM

September 23, 2004

This, that.

In the not counting chickens before their not hatched department: According to KIRO's Web site, Congressional candidate Dave Ross is on leave for "the rest of the summer and we look forward to his return." Our vote count software hasn't been reviewed or approved by the federal government, Keith Ervin reports. David Postman details how the parties lay political traps for one another in the Legislature. Dino Rossi is currently suffering the consequences, accused in Democratic mailers of being against breast and cervical cancer research, even though he lost his mom to the disease and has a sister fighting it. In truth, he's also been a supporter of research dollars. He was set up by Democrats in a legislative committee. This is the problem with being a legislator. Sen. John Kerry is facing the same problem, like when he voted against a huge Pentagon budget because he didn't like the priorities set forth, and now he gets accused of opposing weapons systems he never actually opposed (except when the Pentagon itself also opposed them.) Payback time for the unions. The Service Employees International Union and other unions that backed Alice Woldt against Helen "How could you?" Sommers, the powerful incumbent Democratic state legislator, could face some retribution in the coming legislative session, Andrew Garber reports. A new poll has Christine Gregoire beating Dino Rossi by a slim margin, 49-43. Some undecideds up for grabs there, and the poll had a fairly small sample. An Everett Herald poll also has Gregoire up 49-43, beating Rossi among women and independents. National The Bush campaign is using some Republican National Committee money to do advertising, as the law apparently allows. Kerry hasn't been doing this. Conclusion: Republicans are smarter? AP: "President Bush's political team is orchestrating a vastly larger advertising campaign than thought possible under federal law, taking control of millions in Republican Party funds simply by inserting the phrase 'our leaders in Congress' in some commercials. The GOP strategy had gone unnoticed for weeks by rival John Kerry and the Democrats. Ken Mehlman, Bush's campaign manager, said federal election law allows the campaign access to party money 'provided that your message is broader than the individual candidate and includes a discussion of the overall agenda and the message of the party.' The Republican National Committee (RNC) has $93 million on hand."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:17 AM

September 22, 2004

Stewart vs. O'Reilly

Here's Bill O'Reilly interviewing Jon Stewart, host of "The Daily Show." You'll laugh. A highlight: O'REILLY: Eighty-seven percent are intoxicated when they watch ("The Daily Show.") You didn't see that? STEWART: No, I didn't realize that. O'REILLY: Yeah, we have that there. STEWART: We come on right after, I believe, puppets that make crank calls... O'REILLY: Yeah. STEWART: ... so we are, I think, the appropriate follow up...

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:17 PM

Huge blog entry: Wash business is irked; the chief for Kerry; bear-baiting, women like Bush; at Lapham and Cat Stevens

The Weekly's, Phil Dawdy reports on Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske getting very involved in the presidential election: "...but just as unusual and possibly more significant has been Kerlikowske's recent and frequent national advocacy. Kerlikowske has emerged as a chief critic of the federal government and the Bush administration, even serving as a spokesperson for John Kerry's presidential bid. On ABC's Nightline, he dinged the feds for not compensating local law enforcement for the shift of personnel from the streets to fighting terrorism. His sharpest criticism has been for the GOP-controlled Congress, which last week allowed the 10-year-old federal assault weapons ban to lapse. Kerlikowske was one of the prime advocates for the 1994 ban, when he was police commissioner of Buffalo. He debated a National Rifle Association official last week on PBS's NewsHour. Perhaps no one should be surprised that the chief is critical of the Bushies; in the late 1990s, under the Clinton administration, Kerlikowske was deputy director of community policing programs at the Department of Justice. But some eyebrows rose when, on Sept. 13, the chief took part in a national conference call on behalf of Kerry's campaign 'to discuss George W. Bush's wrong choices on crime,' as a campaign statement put it. A spokesperson for the Bush campaign says that police chiefs, retired and active, have made campaign appearances for Dubya. But a spokesperson for the Kerry campaign couldn't name another instance of a top cop hitting the hustings for the senator. Kerlikowske did not respond to requests for comment." David Postman reports that Washington business groups have sent an angry letter to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, scolding the mega business lobby for sponsoring negative ads against Deborah Senn in last week's attorney general primary, and then trying to hide the fact that they sponsored the ads. People who followed the AG race seem to agree the ads backfired and worked in Senn's favor. The letter: "Washingtonians don't like surprises or what they perceive as outside interference." Oregon Republicans are again concerned about potential fraud with Oregon's mail-in ballots, The Oregonian reports. The Oregonian also reports on early voters, which both parties are trying to lock up now. Alaska Bear-baiting is the big issue in Alaska this morning, the Anchorage Daily News reports: "A group that wants to ban the controversial practice of bear baiting says the official state election pamphlet contains lies and misinformation about Ballot Measure 3 that were placed there by ban opponents, including U.S. Rep. Don Young." More: "Citizens United Against Bear Baiting says its opponents wrongly link it with radical Outside animal rights groups, overstate the penalties for breaking the proposed new law and inflate the law's effect on wildlife management. On Tuesday, the group asked the state to stop publication of the booklets. But while opponents of the ban stood behind the wording, it was a moot point -- more than 300,000 pamphlets had been printed, said Division of Elections director Laura Glaiser. They are to go in the mail Oct. 11. And even had there been time for changes, Glaiser said, her agency cannot be expected to fact-check the information provided by candidates and groups for dozens of political races and ballot measures. Whatever they deliver is what the election pamphlet contains, she said. 'I understand their concern,' Glaiser said. 'All I can say is, how many people do I hire to check and recheck every candidate's statement, every birth date, every address?' " You said it, sister. National The New York Times has two good stories. First, John Kerry is losing among women, according to some polls. That's really bad news for him, as Bill Clinton and Al Gore won their popular races by winning big margins among women. That's why Kerry was on Regis and not-Kathy Lee, trying to attract women now known as "security moms" -- soccer moms now terrified of terrorist attack. The Times reports that The Fear affects women who don't live in areas where terrorists are expected to attack. These women trust Bush more to protect them. The Times also reports that after his speech at NYU Monday, John Kerry has laid out a starkly contrasting view of the situation in Iraq as that painted by President Bush. Bush partisans had thought that every day the campaign narrative was about Iraq was a victory day for them, but after three Republican senators came out Sunday using words like "incompetence," and given all the bad headlines, they're no longer so sure. But the plan has risks for Kerry as well, because he has to explain his confusing votes and shifting statements about the war. He voted to authorize, but against the supplemental $87 billion in funding, and then said he'd still vote to authorize knowing what we know now: no weapons, etc. Also, The Times reports that CBS News says the producer on the fake Bush National Guard docs story broke policy by tipping off the Kerry campaign about the story and connecting the source of the docs with Joe Lockhart, Kerry's chief strategist. Lockhart says he took advice from the source, and nothing more. The Guard story is now totally neutralized. Advantage: Bush/Cheney. Yusuf Islam, the former Cat Stevens, born Stephen Georgiou, has been deported, for alleged terrorist associations. He once supported the fatwa against Salman Rushdie. Truly is a wild world these days. (Thanks to reader MJC for the tip.) And, finally, we nearly forgot, we went to maybe the bluest event you can possibly imagine last night: Harper's magazine editor Lewis Lapham speaking at Town Hall. Lapham thinks the country is going off the deep end, wealth taken from the "union of the poor" and given to the "confederacy of the rich," liberties eroded, fear exploited. And so on. The highlight must have been the woman standing outside with a sign that read "Need One Ticket." When a guy tried to unload a ticket on her, she said she needed a free ticket. What is this, a Dead show? we thought to ourselves. Hardly, though Jerry had a hacking smoker's cough not unlike Lapham's.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:27 AM

September 21, 2004

Gregoire cancels; Reader response

The Everett Herald reports Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christine Gregoire has canceled a forum with Republican Dino Rossi that was to be held in Everett tomorrow. One wonders if Gregoire got some good polling in the last week that gave her reason to avoid appearing with Rossi. They're scheduled to debate Thursday at 7:30 in Semiahmoo. Also, some reader response to last week's question: Does the military service record of George Bush and John Kerry matter to you? Thomas Hagadone, of Shoreline: As a Vietnam Veteran (1966-70)in the USN, I say absolutely not. If John Kerry hadn't returned to American and told the US Congress that we were all committing atrocities, etc. my answer could possibly be different. On the other hand, President Bush has proven he knows how to deal with terrorists. Dustin Asby, of Federal Way: How a candidate acted during war is a ridiculous thing to base everything on. We do not elect a Shogun, we elect a President. However, military record is one of many things someone could look at to see if a candidate did his or her duty. If one is going to inspect this though, I should think that one would look at the candidates employment record as well. Lance Bowman of Burien: Yes it does. I am a Vietnam era veteran. After drawing 52 or 53 in the draft lottery I volunteered for the US Army, unwillingly. This choice allowed me to pick a job and a duty station for one year. I picked Ft. Lewis. As it turned out I was fortunate that Nixon called the retreat while I was still in advanced training. I think the question of the candidates military service accurately portrays each man's basic character. Kerry volunteered and went to Vietnam, as we've all heard, even though he had the family connections to avoid that dangerous choice. Bush, on the other hand, used all the leverage his family connections offered him to avoid dangerous service. He leaned on these connections further to avoid full participation in his alternate form of duty. The difference is between a selfish lazy advantaged frat boy, or a selfless honorable advantaged hero. Seems pretty clear to me. Rebecca Ferrell of Kirkland: Whether President Bush served in the National Guard or Senator Kerry served in and then protested our involvement in Vietnam is irrelevant to me as a voter. It is not unpatriotic to protest a war nor is it uncommon for the son of a congressman to get certain favors. What really bothers me about both candidates or at least those groups who support them are the smear campaigns being launched, which further skirt the REAL "here and now" issues most Americans are dealing with: low paying or lack of jobs, no medical insurance, rising poverty levels, etc....

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 12:33 PM

Ali G, debates, Sommers is the winner, ND

Here's a record of Ali G's accomplishments in his second season on HBO: "Somehow, Sacha Baron Cohen, (Ali G) in the guise of a British would-be gangsta with a penchant for malapropisms and misunderstandings, managed to secure another passel of interviews with people like former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman (who conceded that, yes, whale feces 'have got to be massive') and archconservative Patrick Buchanan (who said that Saddam Hussein 'was using BLTs on the Kurds'). In one episode, Richard Kerr, a former deputy director of the CIA, found himself debating whether terrorists could drive a train into the White House." Slate explains how he does it. Locally, Helen "How could you?" Sommers has won a concession against union-backed Alice Woldt in the crazy state House primary race in the 36 legislative district, which seems to encompass all fashionable parts of Seattle. One thing that may have beaten Woldt: voter annoyance at the multiple mailings, telephone calls and such. Here's reader Connie Erickson: "As a long-time resident of the 36th district, I am VERY PLEASED to find out that the challenger was not able to BUY a seat in the legislature. I have never been so bombarded with literature, phone messages, door-bellers and yelling sign wavers as happened this year by the challenger. And the misuse of information by taking it out of context -- I thought the challenger was from the other party from the tactics she was using." Also, the rural library levy is still passing, Whitfield is beating Doud on the Eastside, Hasegawa over Quesenberry in the 11th, Possinger over Stark in the 45th and the ban on cardrooms in Kenmore continues to fail. Nothing is official in those races. National Here are the rules on the three presidential and one vice-presidential debates. Consensus is, Jimmy Baker, the Bush family fixer, won the negotiations, as the rules would seem to favor Bush. Dan Rather and CBS News have apologized for documents that have turned out to be fakes. Kerry and Bush got after each other, with Kerry making his toughest attack yet on the Iraq war. Top ten Bush tax proposals, as read by John Kerry on Letterman. And, finally, The News Tribune takes a stab at figuring out the mystique of Notre Dame, as UW football travels this weekend to the most legendary place in college football -- South Bend, or, as one UW player kept calling it "North Bend."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:38 AM

September 20, 2004

Ketchup.

Get yur W Ketchup, here. Jim Brunner leads us off with profiles of the two Senate candidates, Patty Murray and George Nethercutt. They both ran as outsiders -- Murray as the "mom in tennis shoes," Nethercutt as the guy who took on Tom Foley -- but have quickly become insiders, amassing fundraising cash from the usual suspects. On Bainbridge Island, the Bremerton Sun reports, some political signs are being vandalized. "One sign, however, demonstrates the polarity between the parties this year. Over a giant Bush-Cheney placard, the word 'liars' is painted in red graffiti. The sign's owner, Frederick Scheffler, left it there and stenciled an editorial comment of his own on a homemade sign above. 'Bainbridge tolerance,' it reads." Snip. "Channie Peters, office manager each Friday at the island's Democratic field office, said some residents who came in the office to pick up Kerry-Edwards yard signs have had to come back to replace signs that were stolen." Political warfare on Bainbridge! National CBS News says it can't authenticate documents it used two weeks ago to show President Bush was in trouble with his commanders at his Air National Guard unit in 1972. Why does this matter? It doesn't, except to convince people the "liberal media" has it in for President Bush and to keep the subject on 1972 and off Iraq and the economy. So, all in all, this episode hasn't hurt President Bush, and may have helped him.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:12 AM

September 17, 2004

The Sheriff catches a bad guy. Helpfully informs the public.

The local political story of the day involves supercop Dave Reichert, running for Congress in the 8th. Jessica Blanchard of The Times reports: "The King County Sheriff's Office issued a press release yesterday touting Sheriff Dave Reichert's role in the recovery of two stolen cars earlier this week. 'You can turn a cop into a politician, but apparently a cop is always a cop!!,' it read. The two-page news release, printed on Sheriff's Office letterhead and faxed and e-mailed to local media outlets, detailed how 'one day after his big win in the primaries,' Reichert pursued what turned out to be a stolen vehicle driven by a convicted felon." Two exclamation points. Because sometimes one doesn't show enough emphasis. The story is that he saw someone driving recklessly, tried to pull the suspect over, the suspect runs, the sheriff pursues for awhile, then stops the pursuit, they get the suspect and the stolen cars later. Reichert's campaign said they had nothing to do with what looks a lot like a political advertisement coming out of the sheriff's office: "We go out of our way to keep the Sheriff's Office and the campaign completely separate," said communications director Jennifer Scarlett. "We keep a very strong dividing line between (the two)." Right, and when Scott McClellan, White House press secretary, stands in front of the press gaggle, he has nothing to do with the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign. Right. Sure. Of course. Also, Andrew Garber and BTC bring you up to date on the close races. State Rep. Helen "How could you?" Sommers is probably going to beat back the challenge of Alice Woldt in a Democratic primary in the 36th. Woldt was backed by unions, who are really angry with Sommers, hence the "How could you?" ad campaign. On the Eastside, in the 48th Legislative district, James Whitfield, an executive of a nonprofit health-care organization, held a slim 115-vote lead over businessman David Doud. There's a Democratic primary House race in the 11th that had been separated by a single vote, but new returns last night widened the lead for Bob Hasegawa over Rosemary Quesenberry. Also, the rural library levy continues to look like it will pass; the Kenmore card room ban continues to look like it will fail. Dino Rossi, running for governor as a Republican, is tacking left, David Ammons of the AP reports: "Dino Rossi, the Republicans' newly minted nominee for governor, pledged yesterday to fight higher taxes, but said he'd protect the vulnerable, guarantee annual education increases and boost the state parks." Smart play, Dino, but look for Christine Gregoire to respond sharply; though, this is really weird: "Gregoire's campaign did not immediately return calls for comment." It's a political campaign. Return calls, especially when it's in your interest to do so. National In The Washington Post, Howie Kurtz looks at the wildly divergent poll numbers, some that show Bush with a big lead, others that show a dead heat. Al Hunt, in The Wall Street Journal, has a hunch that the wrong people are being sampled. Perhaps, hopefully, this will be the year when major news outlets lose confidence in polls. One thing to keep in mind: Democratic voters can be hard to find: They're often more transient or only have a cell phone. Pollsters have trouble catching up to such people. But then, so do Democratic candidates. Also, The Post reports on the new power center at the heart of Clinton, er, Kerry campaign. Joe Lockhart, Mike McCurry, Doug Sosnik, Carville-Begala. All Clinton vets. Unlike Bob Shrum, the 0-7 Kerry adviser, they've actually won campaigns. And note what they've been doing the last two weeks. No interviews, just attacks on the President's record. This way, reporters have to report on the attacks, and never get to change the subject, never get Kerry to meander on about this or that. Also, the attacks are a little different every day, so there's new news. The Bush/Cheney campaign knows this strategy and plays it brilliantly also. But the incumbent, ultimately, has to run on a record, a record the Kerry team has been attacking with some vigor the last two weeks.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:25 AM

September 16, 2004

New Poll

New poll on the right-hand column of The Booth. If Washington, D.C. could no longer be our capitol city, what should replace it? Las Vegas New York City Seattle Muncie, Ind. Paris, France Key West, Fla. Melinda Gates narrowly beat Jennifer Simpson in our last poll, which asked you to decide on the best First Gentleman/First Lady. Bob Dole took up the rear.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:16 AM

A little tabasco

Here's a mondo preview of what's to come in state races. Rossi is the best Republican challenger to the governor's mansion in years, with $3.9 million in the bank. Outside groups have already started spending money and organizing against their foes: Biz groups against Gregoire; pro-choice groups against Rossi. The national parties will pour cash and surrogates into the 8th congressional race, where Sheriff Reichert has made it clear he'll be running on biography, saying that Dave Ross has done nothing more than talk about problems on the radio, while he's been a man of action. Ross responded that good votes in Congress don't require much athleticism. In Yakima County, turnout was down, the Herald reported. Officials blamed the new ballot. In The Stranger, Josh Feit reports on the arrest in New York City of the Infernal Noise Brigade, which we reported on when it happened. George Howland and Nina Shapiro report in The Weekly that the primary results show the new one-party-or-the-other primary didn't lead to far lefties or far righties winning primaries. as some predicted. Though, really, Sims was the only one who tacked well left. The Columbian of Vancouver has results from downstate. Scroll down. Nationally, Democrats want to know, where's John Edwards, the Veep nominee? The New York Times reports. We suspect his problem is that whenever Vice President Cheney says something, it gets covered because it's news because it's Cheney saying something so we all have to listen. This is the advantage of incumbency. Edwards is just some guy running for veep. But he's probably getting good local press. Donna Brazile, who ran the Gore campaign: "He needs to put a little Tabasco in his message." And, in case ya missed it, we're particularly proud of this post.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:08 AM

September 15, 2004

The sweepstakes you don't want to win

"Motorcycle Diaries" is a movie that comes out next week about Che Guevara's motorcycle trek through South America. All the pinko reviewers love it. (Late edition: We were kidding and meant only predictably liberal reviewers.) Check out the sweepstakes. If you win the "Let the World Change You" sweepstakes, you win a trip to the Andean Mountains in Bolivia, where you'll join a small group that will "build an orphanage, repair a school or organize a community center. These are just some of the possibilities that await you." This is "winning"? Well, not to worry. There's also the "Adventure of a Lifetime" grand prize winner, who will get airline tickets to Peru and five nights hotel accommodations. Now that's more like it! Our political calendar is up. Check it out, and submit items if you like.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 05:19 PM

Surprises: none

Surprises: None. Primary night brought no surprises, no drama and no humor. Why do we bother? Because there's always November. Chris Gregoire will face Dino Rossi in the gubernatorial race, as Gregoire trounced Ron Sims in the Democratic primary. BtC was at the Doubletree in Bellevue (yes, he crosses the lake, for you, his readers), shuttling back and forth between Gregoire and Reichert victory parties. Gregoire gave a well-crafted speech that went right after Dino Rossi, accusing him of being a right-wing extremist on a range of issues. It dovetailed well with Gov. Gary Locke's speech, which did the same. (Though Locke's attempt to get the crowd to scream "Gregoire" was made difficult by the Frenchness of the name.) Expect a lot of these sharp attacks on Rossi's state Senate record in the six weeks to come. Will Rossi's smile and suburban appeal make Gregoire come across as shrill and negative? Or, will the state's increasingly Democratic character reject Rossi's winger conservatism? We shall see. Rossi at the moment at the moment has $700k more than Gregoire. Kudos to Ron Sims, who ran a spirited campaign that explored issues few in Olympia seem willing to explore, namely, the tax system here. Over at the Reichert party, The Sheriff gave an almost mournful victory speech, the crowd in a kind of rapt silence as he talked about staring evil in the face and beating it. Reichert will take on Dave Ross, the radio personality, in the race for Congress. When we tried to ask Reichert about the budget deficit afterward, he declined to answer any questions about issues, saying last night was a night for celebration. (Sheriff: Still waiting for a call back on the assault weapons ban.) He promised no negative campaigning. The primary campaign, on both sides, was disappointing and weird, as the two celebs never looked all that excited about running, setting up a contest we described to a colleague as "Who doesn't want to win this the least?" As for the parties themselves, the Gregoire room smelled of red wine and CK1; the Reichert room smelled of bad men's cologne and hair gel. We saw no good drunken incidents. At a polling station in Bellevue yesterday, BtC got an inkling that Reichert was on his way to victory when a number of voters said he was their candidate. Their explanation was that they liked "his program," or thought he was "the best candidate." They could never elaborate, which meant they liked him personally, had seen him near tears on the day of the Green River killer conviction, etc. but knew nothing about his stance on issues. Here's a hint: He'll be a down-the-line conservative. Reichert won't be running on issues, however. He summed up the reason he's more qualified than Dave Ross: "Leadership and accomplishment; it all boils down to that," he said. Also last night. Helen "How could you, Helen?" Sommers, the state rep the unions so badly wanted to beat in the Democratic primary, was on her way to victory, as was Deborah Senn and Rob McKenna for the attorney general race. The education and family levy was on its way to passing narrowly in Seattle, the ban on cardrooms in Kenmore was on its way to failing, and the King County rural library levy was passing narrowly.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 12:38 PM

September 14, 2004

Gregoire

An early wrap-up of primary returns. Christine Gregoire, the Democrat, will face Dino Rossi in the gubernatorial race. Sheriff Reichert and Dave Ross have big leads in the 8th congressional district. This is an early wrap-up. In the mid-morning, we'll have more results, analysis, scuttlebutt and a report on who threw the better victory party in the same hotel: Chris Gregoire, or Dave Reichert.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:50 PM

Marion Barry's triumphant return

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of a crack pipe, Marion Barry, mayor of D.C. until he left in disgrace after being filmed sucking on a rock pipe in a hotel room, is on his way to being elected to the D.C. City Council, The Washington Post is reporting. "Barry, 68, who led the city for a dozen years before leaving office in disgrace in 1990, was nearly mobbed as he arrived late yesterday at his campaign headquarters near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard SE. As soon as he stepped out of his van, he began to dance to a jazz combo set up under a tent. As a throng of reporters converged upon him, Barry pointed a finger. 'I told you so,' he said."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 08:17 PM

Fired! Hired!

Bossman: You're fired! Kerry: You're hired! Slate's Timothy Noah has a fun story about a woman fired because of her John Kerry bumpersticker. It is legal, by the way, to fire someone for his or her political views, so beware. This what she told the Decatur Daily News, Noah reports: "We were going back to work from break, and my manager told me that Phil said to remove the sticker off my car or I was fired," she said. "I told him that Phil couldn't tell me who to vote for. He said, 'Go tell him.' " She went to [Geddes'] office, knocked on the door and entered on his orders. "Phil and another man who works there were there," she said. "I asked him if he said to remove the sticker and he said, 'Yes, I did.' I told him he couldn't tell me who to vote for. When I told him that, he told me, 'I own this place.' I told him he still couldn't tell me who to vote for." Gobbell said [Geddes] told her to "get out of here." "I asked him if I was fired and he told me he was thinking about it," she said. "I said, 'Well, am I fired?' He hollered and said, 'Get out of here and shut the door.' " She said her manager was standing in another room and she asked him if that meant for her to go back to work or go home. The manager told her to go back to work, but he came back a few minutes later and said, "I reckon you're fired. You could either work for him or John Kerry," Gobbell said. "I took off my gloves and threw them in the garbage and left," Gobbell said. Noah reports: The publicity started to get nasty for the Geddes fella, so he apologized and offered her job back through an intermediary. But when Kerry found out about all this, he called her and offered her a job. She's now about to be a Kerry staffer.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 05:27 PM

PARTAY!

Party! Here's the schedule for tonight's election parties. Look for Behind the Curtain. You can tell a lot about a candidate by where their victory/defeat party is. Noted: Luke Esser and Heidi Behrens-Benedict are having house parties. Not usually a sign of expecting victory. Michael Vaska has rented out part of Quest Field. The Sheriff is at the hotel that means two trees. Tebelius is at a sports bar. At most of these parties, both Democratic and Republican, you'll see people in dresses and blue suits (Dems slightly more casual), Heineken in hand, talking politics. Yeah, pretty dull, unless some young campaign staffers drink too much. Then it just gets ugly. Republicans first: Nethercutt for Senate: 7:00pm - Nethercutt Headquarters, 330 112th Ave. NE, Bellevue Rossi for Governor: 7:00pm – Rossi Headquarters, 222 112th Ave. NE., Bellevue ATTORNEY GENERAL McKenna: 7:00pm - ABC Building, 399 114th, Bellevue Vaska: 8:00pm - Club level lounge at Quest Field 8th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT RACES Esser 8:00pm - Esser Home, 404 158th Pl. SE, Bellevue Reichert 8:00pm - 11:00pm - Bellevue Doubletree Hotel Tebelius 7:30pm - 11:00pm - 8th Street Sports Bar, 10833 NE 8th St, Bellevue 509ers: Nethercutt for Senate 7:30pm - Victory 2004 Office, 201 W. Riverside, Spokane 5th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT RACES Cross for Congress 6:30 - American Legion Building, N 108 Washington, Spokane McMorris for Congress 8:00 - McMorris for Congress Campaign Office, 301 W. Main, Spokane Sheahan for Congress 7:30pm - Sheahan for Congress Campaign Office, 5122 North Division, Spokane Democrats: Candidates and party faithful are expected to gather to see who will be on the November ballot. WHAT: Primary Election Night Party WHERE: Seattle Westin 1900 5th Avenue, Seattle DATE: Tuesday, September 14th, 2004 TIME: 8:00 PM Candidate Election Night Parties GOVERNOR: Chris Gregoire Campaign: The Doubletree Hotel 7:30PM Fairweather Room 300 112th Ave. SE Bellevue, WA Ron Sims Sims Campaign: The Hilton 8:00PM 6th & University Seattle, WA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Mark Sidran Campaign: Triple Door (below Wild Ginger) 7:30PM 216 Union Street Seattle, WA Deborah Senn Campaign: Trattoria Michelli 84 Yesler Way Seattle, WA 8Th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Dave Ross Campaign: Sammamish Forest Manor Clubhouse 8:00PM NE 24th & 175th (2407 175th) Redmond, WA Alex Alben Campaign: Roanoke Inn 8:00PM 1825 72nd Ave. SE Mercer Island, WA Heidi Behrens-Benedict Campaign: Heidi’s Home 8:30PM 1844 140th Ave. SE Bellevue, WA (206) 321-8018 Jay 5th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Don Barbieri Campaign: Barbieri Campaign HQ 8:00PM 719 West Main Spokane, WA SECRETARY OF STATE: Laura Ruderman Campaign: Gregoire Victory Party 7:30PM The Doubletree Hotel Fairweather Room 300 112th Ave. SE Bellevue, WA COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC LANDS: Mike Cooper Campaign: State Democrats Party Seattle Westin 8:00 PM 1900 5th Ave. Seattle, WA

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 02:28 PM

Today's primary day. Polls close at 8. At Behind the Curtain's polling place in Ballard, there were far more poll workers than voters, though a decent number of voters for mid-morning. We'll be visiting polling places, and then later parties, and reporting back throughout the day. Let's start off with some outreach photos from the Republican Party. Look here and scroll down for an "outreach photo album." They even tell us how many of each special group we get to see: two Catholic, 12 Hispanic, 11 African-American and 10 'Racing to Victory' (?). Now that's outreach! The neverending saga of Deborah Senn. Beth Kaiman reports: "The $1.5 million contribution by the United States Chamber of Commerce to a TV ad campaign criticizing state attorney-general candidate Deborah Senn is part of an effort targeting supreme-court and attorney-general candidates in 25 races around the country." The chamber is spending about $15 million around the country on these campaigns, though no one's really sure, and they won't be specific. In Washington, D.C. it's also primary day, and former Mayor Marion Barry, once filmed by the feds smoking crack in a hotel room, is seeking yet another political comeback, this time as a city councilman in Ward 8. Turnout is low so far, The Post reports.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:22 AM

September 13, 2004

Batman. Fraud in absentee ballots. Wake up the echoes.

Check out Batman casually hanging out atop Buckingham Palace. Also, The New York Times reports that absentee balloting is creating ripe conditions for voter fraud. "As both major political parties intensify their efforts to promote absentee balloting as a way to lock up votes in the presidential race, election officials say they are struggling to cope with coercive tactics and fraudulent vote-gathering involving absentee ballots that have undermined local races across the country. Some of those officials say they are worried that the brashness of the schemes and the extent to which critical swing states have allowed party operatives to involve themselves in absentee voting - from handling ballot applications to helping voters fill out their ballots - could taint the general election in November." Snip. "...as many as one in four Americans are expected to vote by absentee ballot in the presidential race...." The problem is that too many party operatives are handling the ballots. No mention in the story of Washington state. Also, recall David Postman's story about lefty activists who will mobilize hundreds of thousands of people and get them on the streets if any weirdness is detected in this election and the counting of votes. And finally, we nearly forgot earlier today, to mention the most important event of the weekend: Notre Dame's big victory over the evil maize and blue of Michigan. Echoes were awakened. Behind the Curtain had a dream about posting the lyrics of a vulgar version of the Michigan fight song. Thankfully, he didn't, and thus preserved his employment.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 12:52 PM

Tomorrow's primary day. The anti-Senn cash. Going after Sommers.

The Washington state primary election is tomorrow. Predictions? Sent them to us. Behindthecurtain@seattletimes.com The U.S. Chamber of Commerce provided the cash used to fund ads attacking Deborah Senn's record as insurance commissioner, The Times' Beth Kaiman reports. Senn's now running for attorney general. The chamber gave $1.5 million to Bruce Boram, executive director and sole member of Voters Education Committee, which bought airtime for the ads. Boram was Sheriff Dave Reichert's campaign consultant until last week, when he resigned. Boram said he could not recall whether he approached the chamber about the money, or whether they approached him. As a colleague noted, "If I suddenly got $1.5 million, I think I'd remember whether I asked for the money, or someone asked me if I wanted the money." Boram also said he was trying to "grow" the Voters Education Committee since he founded it two years ago. Apparently he's had little luck on the membership side, as he's the sole member. Perhaps a free toaster might get them to sign up. No one from the chamber could be reached yesterday, and the Washington state affiliate of the chamber knew nothing about it. Local Muslim leaders are trying to get Muslims out to vote this fall, The Times' Jennifer Sullivan reports. They had 500 at Town Hall last night. There was a distinctly anti-Bush current, with Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott speaking. How could you Helen? If you've watched any cable TV lately (and, what with "Miami Slice" debuting, who hasn't?), then you've seen an ad campaign attacking Democratic state Rep. Helen Sommers that plaintively asks, "How could you Helen?" Sommers is the chairwoman of the powerful appropriations committee, which has the cash, and she's had to compromise with Republicans to balance the budget as of late. She's drawn a Democratic opponent, Alice Woldt, who has the backing of big labor, which is bankrolling her campaign. A colleague said every time she leaves home, she returns to find her answering machine filled with anti-Sommers phone calls. The Times' Andrew Garber: "State documents show Woldt and SEIU-backed groups have spent more than $200,000, with the bulk of that coming from the union." They're sending out almost daily direct mail attacks. More Garber: "Some predict a backlash against the union when the Legislature goes into session in January. 'I'm angry [at SEIU] for all the wasted energy on an incumbent who more than likely will win. What do they hope to gain from that?' said House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam." They seem to be pursuing the tactics of the right wing group Club for Growth, which earlier this year went after Republican Sen. Arlen Specter in his primary with a more conservative opponent. And finally, Sheriff Dave Reichert finds himself in a slightly awkward position as the assault weapons ban, enacted in 1994 to get military-style weapons and big ammo clips off the street, goes out of existence. It was passed in 1994 with a 10-year sunset provision. Even though just about every police organization in the country supports the ban and has been quixotically lobbying this Congress to re-up it, Reichert wanted the ban to sunset. He's said he'd support a ban on the big ammo clips, but has also said he won't actively try to bring about legislation to ban them. Reichert was supposed to call us back Friday but never did. So we'll just quote his Web site: "King County Sheriff Dave Reichert is determined to carry law and order principles to our nation’s capital...."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:46 AM

September 10, 2004

Anti-Senn, Reichert's man is out, Brock Adams RIP, OSPI

Former U.S. Sen. Brock Adams, who declined to seek re-election in the early 90s following a sexual harassment scandal, is dead at 77. The sponsor of the attack ads you've been seeing on Deborah Senn, who's running for state attorney general, won't disclose where the money is coming from, so the Washington Attorney General's office is taking the group to court today, Beth Kaiman reports. It's a $600,000 ad buy in the Seattle market alone. Some of the TV stations are pulling it. Stealing one from Ken Mehlman and Jon Stewart here, let's play the Kevin Bacon game: "Voters Education Committee was little known until its ad blitz began late last month. Its director, Bruce Boram, is also executive director of United for Washington, a group that represents state business interests. Valerie Huntsberry, record-keeper for Voters Education Committee, is associate director of United for Washington. The committee's lawyer, John White, is the attorney for the state GOP. Boram, Huntsberry and others associated with United for Washington have said there is no link between that group and Voters Education Committee. White and others have said there is no link to the Republican Party." Also, Boram quit as Sheriff Dave Reichert's campaign consultant, Warren Cornwall reports. Problem was, Reichert has made a showy thing about running a positive campaign, and here his chief campaign consultant is running a secretive attack campaign against Deborah Senn. Problem is, Reichert is left without a strategist on the final weekend before the primary. Perhaps this is why no one from Reichert's office called BTC back yesterday until nearly 7 p.m., despite three phone calls. Who's running the show there now? BTC's phone call was returned by Kevan Yalowitz, a college student (albeit, a very polished one) on leave. "The Reichert campaign plans to hire a new consultant, Minnesota-based Scott Cottington, who already is working on Republican Cathy McMorris' congressional campaign in Eastern Washington's 5th District." The state's been flooded with campaign pros from Minnesota this season. Keep your sticks on the ice everybody. Cornwall also reports that the Republican challengers in the 8th all lean to the right of Jennifer Dunn, the outgoing congresswoman. She's pro-choice, opposed arctic oil drilling and supports ending the restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research imposed by President Bush. The GOP hopefuls, meanwhile, are all solidly with the Bush administration on just about every issue. This could create problems for them in a district that is increasingly Democratic. Here's a look at the race to become superintendent of public instruction. Terry Bergeson seeks re-election against Juanita Doyon and Judith Billings. The big issue is the WASL. Bergeson's opponents want to change course on the WASL or abandon it altogether. Bergeson "sees progress where her opponents see problems," reports Linda Shaw. More in a bit.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:23 AM

September 09, 2004

Supremes; Alaska; National Guard

Maureen O'Hagan sets up the 14-candidate race for three seats on the state Supreme Court. They're all running because of a ruling they didn't like that struck down the state's felony-murder law, which has led to a bunch of re-trials. Read the story and learn about the candidates. Alaska The Senate race up north is going negative. Anchorage Daily News: "U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski unveiled a new commercial Wednesday attacking her Democratic opponent, former Gov. Tony Knowles, for his role in a commission to protect the oceans." A funny lead until you realize it's Alaska. "Murkowski, a Republican, said at a press conference here that the recommendations of the nonprofit Pew Oceans Commission would hobble Alaska's fisheries. Murkowski is hammering that theme with radio attack ads set to air in Alaska this week." National The presidential candidates are back to debating the issue that really matters: Vietnam. Yesterday, The Boston Globe reported on newly obtained documents that purport to show President Bush didn't show up for National Guard duty in Massachusetts when he went to Harvard Business School, as was required. And last night on "60 Minutes II" Dan Rather interviewed a former Texas House Speaker who said he used his connections to get Bush a coveted Guard spot. Dallas Morning News: "A Bush spokesman did not challenge the authenticity of the documents but dismissed the new information as 'dirty politics.' " Don't ask us what impact this will have on the campaign. It would seem totally irrelevant to how either man can or can't lead the country through these weird times, though it does puncture a bit the image Bush has cast of himself as a man called to duty. That's it for now.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:08 AM

September 08, 2004

Who would Jesus vote for?

President Bush's post-convention bump (he was up 11 in a Newsweek poll) has been overstated by the national media, says this Democratic pollster, Ruy Teixeira. "Prior to the Republican convention, Kerry had a one point lead among Registered Voters (47-46) in the battleground states. After the Republican convention, now that battleground voters have had a chance to take a closer look at what Bush and his party really stand for, Kerry leads by 5 in these same states (50-45)! Note that Kerry gained three points among battleground voters, while Bush actually got a negative one point bounce." More: "The Gallup poll's internals also show that Kerry continues to lead among independents (49-46) and that both parties' partisans are equally polarized for their respective candidates (90-7). Note that these findings directly contradict the results of the recent Newsweek poll, which showed Bush doing much better among Republican partisans than Kerry was doing among Democratic partisans. Note also that, given the equal polarization of partisans and Kerry's lead among independents, the only possible reason Bush has any lead at all among Gallup's Registered Voters must be because their sample has a Republican advantage on party ID (my guess is 5 points) that is inconsistent with almost all other polling data from this campaign season." More: "Indeed, if equal polarization of partisans continues and Kerry carries a 3 point lead on independents into the election, he'll win fairly easily, since the Democratic proportion of voters in presidential elections is always higher, not lower, than the Republican proportion. In 2000, after all, Bush carried independents by 2 points and received stronger support from his partisans than Gore did from his -- but still lost the popular vote by half a point." Also, we promised yesterday to tell you about Condi Rice. Here's the story. We were surprised by the rousing reception she received at the University of Washington last night. Unsure how tickets were procured, but would love to know if anyone can tell us. If she ever takes on electoral politics, she'll be very good. She writes a good speech, delivers it well and stays on message, even as events would seem to contradict the optimistic message on Iraq. And finally, it's been awhile since we checked in on the Illinois senate race, where Barack Obama is facing Republican Alan Keyes, who's prone to say some weird things. Last week, he said Dick Cheney's daughter, an out lesbian, is a "selfish hedonist" because that's inherent in the ... (here it comes!) ... homosexual lifestyle. This time, he says Jesus wouldn't vote for Obama if he were around today. Certainly not, certainly not.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:17 PM

Diss and deny

Dino Rossi, Republican candidate for governor, and Ron Sims, a Democrat, squared off in a debate last night. The other Democrat, Christine Gregoire, who will face Sims in Tuesday's primary, was absent. Rossi, a conservative Republican down the line, and Sims, a liberal Democrat down the line, had some fun with each other, and with Gregoire, Ralph Thomas reports. "Sims, the King County executive, and Rossi, a former state senator, met earlier in the day at a debate sponsored by the American Lung Association of Washington and other health-care groups. Gregoire declined an invitation to that event, as well. 'You again?' Rossi said to Sims when the two showed up last night at the TV studios." "Gregoire and her campaign gave a variety of reasons for skipping last night's debate - that she was too busy, that she didn't want to appear in a debate with Rossi until after the primary and that voters already have seen numerous exchanges between her and Sims. While Gregoire and Sims have crossed paths at numerous campaign forums, there has been little direct interaction between the two candidates. Often, they appeared at the same public event but at different times and did not share the stage together. The two campaigns in July agreed to meet for three debates. But the ensuing negotiations over the terms of those events were a debacle." "The only true debate between the two Democrats will be Friday - just four days before the election. That event, hosted by the Seattle City Club, will air statewide on TVW." If you've been watching cable TV the last week or so, you'd think some woman named Deborah Senn is a dirty, corrupt politician, even if you've never heard of her, and there's no reason you should have if you're not really into state politics. Senn's an attorney general candidate and the former elected insurance commissioner (we know the roots of such elected positions, but also just find the title funny. Like, how come no elected organic produce commissioner, or, shampoo-and-conditioner-in-one commissioner?). Anyway, here's The Seattle Times' Beth Kaiman: "The political group behind a television commercial attacking attorney-general candidate Deborah Senn should register with the state and disclose its financial backers by noon tomorrow, the staff for the state's Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) decided yesterday. The group, the little-known Seattle-based Voters Education Committee, is spending around $600,000 to run the ad in the Seattle market - about equal to the combined television budgets for Senn and her Democratic primary opponent, Mark Sidran." More: "The Voters Education Committee's director, Bruce Boram, has ties to Republican and business groups and works as a consultant to the congressional campaign of Sheriff Dave Reichert. The group's attorney is also the lawyer for the state GOP. The group did not report its financial supporters to the Public Disclosure Commission, arguing that its ad was an 'issue' ad that doesn't urge viewers to vote one way or another. Issue ads have less-stringent disclosure requirements than most political advertising. PDC spokesman Doug Ellis said the agency's staff, after viewing the commercial, concluded that it amounts to direct political advocacy." Last week Sheriff Reichert walked out of a candidate forum because he said his Republican opponents had unfairly attacked him. From down Vancouver way: State House candidate Jim Dunn of Vancouver complained yesterday that a flier mailed to voters by his Republican primary opponent, Paul Harris, distorts Dunn's positions and breaks a party-imposed rule not to attack each other. "I usually ignore things like this, but this is a Republican dissing a Republican," said Dunn, who represented east Vancouver in the House for six years before being unseated in 2002. "If you're going to put something out on somebody, don't take it out of context." A chat with 5th congressional district Republican candidate Cathy McMorris, from The Spokesman Review. The Spokesman Review is doing chats with the two other Republicans, one at noon today and other at 2 p.m. Friday. Winner faces Don Barbieri. National If Sen. John Kerry wins the presidency, we're going to be attacked, big time. You heard it first from Vice President Dick Cheney, who, as a colleague noted, was wearing a casual, open collared shirt and sport coat when he launched this red blooded attack. Like after any good attack, Cheney's people apologized for the remark, sort of. "Anne Womack, a spokeswoman for Mr. Cheney, said that the vice president's comment was taken out of context, and that he was addressing policy differences." As Lyndon Johnson once said about accusing his opponent of cavorting with the livestock, "I just want to hear the sumbitch deny it!"

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:27 AM

September 07, 2004

The race begins

Welcome back everybody. Summer's over, and like the baseball pennant race, the real campaign season begins. Who will define his or her race with a stupid misstatement? (Gerald Ford, 1976: The Eastern Bloc is not under Soviet control.) What ad will define the election? (Ronald Reagan, "Morning in America," 1984) Who will go negative? (George H.W. Bush, 1988) What revelations will knock a candidate flat? (Bill Clinton, 1992. Well, not quite.) Find out here. We begin with a profile of Mike the Mover, a guy who owns a moving company and changed his legal name to "Mike the Mover" and has run for office 14 times in 17 years, never with any hope of anything but free publicity for his moving company. (This time, he's running for governor as a Democrat.) The Seattle Times obliges. You're welcome, Mover, as most people know him. "When Mover started moving professionally in 1977, he couldn't get a state permit and operated illegally, eventually amassing 89 gross misdemeanors (he was convicted of two) and winding up in the King County Jail three times. In 1997, a King County Superior Court judge granted the state Utilities and Transportation Commission a restraining order against him. According to agency spokesman Tim Sweeney, Mover mailed 'some inappropriate items' to commissioners and staff members, including a Frankenstein mask and 'nearly nude photos' of himself at the hospital after an accident, with the caption: 'the Frankenmover: the monster from Harborview.' Mover says he meant it as a joke. Now he has to give 24 hours' notice before he can visit the commission offices." Here's a look at how the two Democrats are running their respective campaigns, with Ron Sims staking out positions that will please the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party," as Paul Wellstone might say, and Christine Gregoire being more cautious. " 'Gregoire is playing sit on the front porch and lead with your biography,' said Bryan Jones, a political science professor at the University of Washington. Sims, by contrast, has staked out positions that grab attention, especially with the left-leaning voters more likely to cast ballots in next week's Democratic primary." Here's a q and a on where they stand on the issues. Take this to vote next Tuesday. The Stranger's Josh Feit was in New York City last week with the protestors, and has a different take than the conventional wisdom: Kerry's problem isn't that he's associated with the protesters; his problem is that he wasn't dialed in with them. In fact, his whole campaign isn't dialed in. The News Tribune has a nice feature on what it's like voting on Anderson Island, which has no voting booths. They have to mail their ballots. "Every aspect of life is a little different on Anderson Island, including voting. There will be no polling places open on election day, nor do the politically active rely on the ferry to get to and from voting booths on the mainland. Although they can see the Town of Steilacoom from the shore, the island's 763 registered voters have to cast their votes by mail. But many residents say they love the system - and it even makes them more politically involved. 'I've been the best voter since I've gotten here,' said 65-year-old Fran Duma." The Times' Florangela Davila profiled two prominent Latino activists yesterday, one Republican, one Democratic. "Ginatta, 32, on leave from his position as executive director of the state Commission on Hispanic Affairs, directs the Washington Democrats' new Latino Vote Project. Celis, 45, is a software architect at Microsoft and founder of the state's Republican Hispanic National Assembly. Both are savvy, behind-the-scenes players trying to persuade Latinos to vote - as a group, they have one of the lowest turnout rates - and then, to vote accordingly." Latinos make up 6 percent of the Washington state electorate, though growing quickly. The Times' Warren Cornwall profiles the Legislative District 41 Democratic primary race over on the Eastside. Couple of political newcomers. Another interesting race over there is the state senate race, where the Dems are trying to knock off longtime incumbent Jim Horn. More on that later. Condi Rice is in town. We'll be there.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 09:55 AM

September 03, 2004

Local and regional update

Here's an update on local and regional politics, of which we've been totally remiss this week due to the Republican National Convention. The Everett Herald has the story of the three Republicans trying to beat Democratic Congressman Rick Larsen. This guy is cool: "(Glenn) Coggeshell is a musician, artist, maker of Ten Commandments' tablets and exporter of marble and granite monuments to Russia. He ran unsuccessfully for Everett mayor in 2001 and for the state Senate in 2002. He lost that race to Aaron Reardon. Despite the past campaigns, he's not been anointed by party leaders. To win the primary, he'll need the votes of conservative Republicans. 'The Republican Party really wants people who are middle-of-the-road. I'm a hard-line conservative,' he said. 'I'm a bona fide Republican.' " Check out his Web site Scroll down and you'll see this dude in armor and carrying a sword. Very busy but very cool Web site. Tax subsidies for all Dungeon & Dragons Dungeonmasters if he wins. Sheriff Dave Reichert continued his bad political week, showing up at a candidate forum with Republican opponents Luke Esser and Diane Tebelius, after stomping out of a Rotary Club forum with the other two and vowing not to appear with them until they stopped sending out negative ad mailers, which, in truth, were quite tame. Times columnist Danny Westneat advised him to toughen up, lest he be accused of not being able to take the "Rotary Club heat." The Tri-City Herald has this story on Chris Gregoire's plans to improve health care in the state: "If Washington joined with five other states that have formed a pool for volume discount purchasing of pharmaceuticals, there could be a 20 percent savings, Gregoire said. And that savings would create enough money to pay for putting almost 7,000 children back on the state's health care programs, she said. Gregoire is also willing to help make it easier for Washingtonians to go to Canada to purchase prescription drugs. That offers a potential additional 30 percent savings, she said. Gregoire said her plan for improving health care focuses on saving money and reinvesting those dollars into the health care system so people are better served." The powerful drug lobby will likely get in the way. Here's The Times' Beth Kaiman, with a profile of the Democratic attorney general candidates. Yesterday, we ran profiles of the Republicans. The Democrats are more interesting, as Mark Sidran, once Seattle's enforcer of civility laws, takes on Deborah Senn, the very activist liberal former insurance commissioner. The Times' Keith Ervin profiles Ron Sims' performance as King County executive. He's a bold risk taker and, some contend, a sloppy manager. "But while Sims receives kudos, even from some Republicans, for his passion, two big snafus have prompted some observers to question his effectiveness in managing the county's $3 billion, 13,000-employee bureaucracy. In 2000, Sims halted a project to replace the county's financial computer systems after the entire $38 million budget was spent but only a fraction of the job completed. Four years after the debacle, the County Council is waiting for a proposal from Sims for restarting the project. The county's elections office ran into trouble when tens of thousands of absentee ballots were mailed late to voters before the November 2002 general election. An administrator was fired, and her boss later resigned over continuing problems. In both cases, Sims had appointed political allies who lacked the skills to get the job done, contends County Councilman Rob McKenna, a Republican candidate for attorney general who has opposed Sims on many issues." Here are the 14 candidates for state supreme court. Why, again, are they elected? Democrats hope to pick up a state House seat in the 2nd L.D. Tacoma News-Tribune: "With four candidates in the Sept. 14 primary, Democrats have their best chance in a decade of winning a state House seat in the 2nd Legislative District since there is no incumbent Republican. But first, the Democrats have to duke it out against each other. Larry Nelson and Dennis Townsend, who have won their party's nomination before but lost in the general election, join newcomers Cindy Poysnick and Ron Springer in the four-way primary battle. Each hopes to succeed Rep. Roger Bush, a Spanaway Republican who's giving up his seat so he can run for Pierce County Council." Take the gloves off, duke it out, pull no clichés. Over in the Kennewick area, there's an open seat. Tri-City Herald: "The Republican primary in the race to fill the vacancy created when former state Rep. Jerome Delvin was named to the Senate pits four candidates who are trying to convince voters they are the most business-friendly. That ought to set up a stark contrast in the Nov. 2 general election, where the winner will square off against labor booster Jared Koepp of Richland." Tight race in the 48th over on the Eastside, where the Republicans can pick up a seat.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:34 PM

Check out our new poll

Who is angrier? Your choices: Zell Miller, Howard Dean, Bobby Knight, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth Righthand side of The Booth.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 02:46 PM

Bashing our readers

Never fails. We asked you, our readers, a question meant to challenge your sense of intellectual independence. And you failed miserably, crashing on the rocks of sneering ideology and sarcasm. People not voting for Bush were particularly shameless in refusing to examine the record without prejudice. The question: If you're voting for Bush, tell us his biggest mistake so far. If you're not, tell us his biggest success. Your responses: "Since you are asking those of us who are not voting for him to offer our opinion as to his greatest success in our eyes, I would have to say, overwhelmingly, his greatest success to date is having fooled half the American public into thinking he has our interests foremost in his mind." "Biggest success was 'choking' on a pretzel." "Bush's biggest success has been in making Americans fear for their lives." "Convincing the American people the existence of WMD." "Winning the election in 2000 even though he was not the choice of the majority of voters." We have one reader who was honest with himself and the rest of us. Cheers to Bush voter, Guy Fisher, of Yelm: "His biggest failure was attacking Iraq on the WMD premise. Saddam needed to go, as do all evil dictators. We can't stop them all at once but if we do it slowly, the rest get the hint (i.e., Libya). It's sad that some of our 'friends' didn't help, especially the ones that will benefit the most from freedom in that part of the world. We should have done better to convince the world and the American people that it was the right thing to do regardless of the presence of WMD."

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 01:46 PM

President Bush makes his case

The Republican National Convention climaxed with President Bush's speech last night, which set out a second term agenda of freedom abroad, freedom at home. He offered a defense of his conduct of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq and called for a bunch of domestic proposals that are standard Republican ideas: privatizing Social Security, medical savings accounts as a replacement for the current health insurance system, simplifying the tax system and giving money to religious charities. He was light on specifics and didn't say how he'd pay for anything. Neither, for the most part, has Kerry. Toward the end of the speech, Bush returned to the soaring rhetoric his speechwriter Michael Gerson writes so well for him, infused with scripture and American exceptionalism. At one point, his eyes glistened as he spoke about American soldiers abroad, but he remained in control. He couldn't have planned it better. His convention did what it set out to do: It contrasted him favorably with his opponent, who took a beating all week. Although Zell Miller's angry shouting continues to bolster Bush with his base, it also helps the Democrats with theirs. His flailing and yelling seems to be reverberating into the pop culture, with Jon Stewart really going to town on it last night on "The Daily Show." That seems to be the only misstep of the convention. But here's President Bush: "To everything we know there is a season - a time for sadness, a time for struggle, a time for rebuilding. And now we have reached a time for hope. This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting liberty abroad, we will build a safer world. By encouraging liberty at home, we will build a more hopeful America. Like generations before us, we have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom." Text of the speech Photo gallery On our main page, you can watch video. Meanwhile, former president Bill Clinton complained of chest pains and was rushed to the hospital. He'll undergo bypass surgery tomorrow. Perhaps Vice President Dick Cheney, an old pro at this, can offer tips. You can hear the talk radioheads: "He's faking it! He's taking headlines from Bush!" For whatever you think of Clinton or his politics, he's a huge American personality. Speedy recovery Mr. Clinton. Sen. John Kerry needs Clinton to campaign for him in the fall, so he's hoping for a full recovery. In an unusual move, Kerry held a rally at midnight in Ohio, responding with some sharp rhetoric to Republican attacks. By attacking Cheney's Vietnam deferments (five of them to avoid service), he may be hoping Republicans will get the hint and call for a truce on the issue of Vietnam, though don't count on it. Our own Alex Fryer reports that Republican cash is fueling a huge grassroots effort here. They think they lost in 2000 because they were beaten on the ground in the last few days. " 'Go home and recruit friends. I'm telling people in churches, call peer-to-peer,' said Drew Ryan, deputy director of grassroots for the Republican National Committee. 'The wind is at our backs, but don't rest on your laurels.' Party officials in Washington state say they have never seen such an emphasis on the personal touch." We missed a great story by our David Postman yesterday on how some tech savvy people organized the protests in New York City, outwitting the police. They're WTO grads, and if the election is at all in dispute, they'll be organizing hundreds of thousands to take to the streets. "In a Chinatown loft a group of left-wing activists is manning a high-tech communications center to help coordinate and monitor protests against the Republican National Convention, talking with other organizers through encrypted chat rooms and sending text messages to thousands of cell phones to keep marchers apprised of where the police are. It's designed, say the young technology whizzes behind the effort, to keep protesters safe. But it's also a test drive for what veteran protest organizers say is their next target: Election Day. They want to monitor the polls Nov. 2, then quickly mobilize tens of thousands of people for street protests in case of a disputed election along the lines of 2000's presidential ballot count. 'How fast can we mobilize 50,000 really angry people and let them know that something bad has happened?' said John Sellers, director of the Ruckus Society, a California-based group that trains protesters and helps coordinate some of the country's largest demonstrations." Cool story, and important, worth reading all of it. That's it for now, but in a little while, we'll have a really big local update, plus more thoughts on the convention.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:23 AM

September 02, 2004

Compassion night gives way to angry attack night

After a night of compassion, the Republicans went on the offensive, verbally knifing Sen. John Kerry, first with a yelling, angry speech by Zell Miller, followed by a more subdued, but no less lethal serving from Vice President Cheney. It was like fiery hot wings as an appetizer, followed by a Ritz cracker with a thick spread of wasabi. Miller is a Democrat who gave the keynote address at Bill Clinton's 1992 convention. Since then, however, he's swung way to the right. He's a Democrat in name only. When asked why he's a Democrat, he replied, "Because I was born a Democrat." "Miller painted the Democratic presidential nominee as a waffler who would put the nation's security at risk. 'For more than 20 years, on every one of the great issues of freedom and security, John Kerry has been more wrong, more weak and more wobbly than any other national figure.'" After the speech, facing some tough questions from Chris Matthews on MSNBC following tough questions on CNN, Miller got so flustered he said he wished we were living in the times when you challenged a man to a duel, because he'd challenge Chris Matthews to a duel. Yeah, who doesn't wish we were living in those times? Among a group of undecided voters interviewed by Republican pollster Frank Luntz, Miller's was an effective performance. They said he has credibility because he's a "Democrat." Cheney: " 'Time and again Senator Kerry has made the wrong call on national security,' Cheney said, citing Kerry's opposition to weapons programs under Reagan and his vote to oppose the Persian Gulf War. Cheney cited an assortment of Kerry's other votes - on the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Patriot Act and the president's No Child Left Behind education legislation - and accused him of taking both sides at various times. Kerry has said he supported the broad principles of each but differs with the way those laws have been implemented by Bush. That distinction was ignored, however, as Cheney claimed the Democrat had 'a habit of indecision. Sen. Kerry says he sees two Americas,' Cheney taunted, referring to a campaign line the Democrat uses to describe the perceived inequality between America's rich and poor, blacks and whites. 'It makes the whole thing mutual - America sees two John Kerrys.' " Here's a photo gallery. Here's a profile of the Republicans in the Washington's attorney general race. Rob McKenna's been on the King County Council for some years and has bigger aspirations. Michael Vaska is a career attorney who calls himself a Dan Evans Republican, meaning a moderate. Here's another profile from the 8th congressional district. Today it's Conrad Lee. Good read. Bunch more later.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:43 AM

Updates coming soon.

We're showing some Bosnian journalists around our newsroom. Updates on the Republican National Convention coming soon, so check back in an hour or two.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 09:49 AM

September 01, 2004

The Bush daughters bomb

The reviews are in on the Bush daughters' performance Tuesday night, and, well, have a look: From the right, William Kristol of The Weekly Standard magazine, a conservative weekly: "The last half hour did not help, as far as I can tell, Bush's campaign for reelection." Fred Barnes, of same said publication: "I think she [Laura] had no place up there or the daughters either....Their mother said they'll be pursuing their own careers. I would advise them to look in some field other than comedy." Julia Turner in Slate: "But if the twins were aware that they'd been saddled with a horrific clunker of a speech, they didn't let on. They were too busy basking in the glory of themselves. While the mystified audience obediently clapped after each putative punch line, the girls let out appreciative giggles, smiled, and tilted their heads this way and that. (Barbara, in particular, seems to have been studying the Campaign Head Tilt at her mother's knee; when Jenna was speaking, Barbara often gave a knockout impression of Laura, who frequently appears as though she's had a run-in with a zealous taxidermist.)" More: "Plenty of college kids, given the opportunity to party with Ashton Kutcher, would seize it. Candidates' children don't ask for the spotlight, and in general, we should give them room to make mistakes. But when Jenna and Barbara decided to throw their coming out party at the convention, they invited us to draw conclusions about what they're like and about what their parents value. In this case, the sense of entitlement in Jenna's joke was unmistakable: We will do whatever we want. You will love us anyway." From the left, Charles Pierce: "As the sun deeply sets on the public careers of daughters Jenna and The One That Isn't Jenna, it profits us not to speculate what would be fouling the airwaves had Chelsea Clinton ever turned up on national TV so clearly in the throes of Manolo Blahnik withdrawal. Instead, let's turn to the vaunted White House political apparatus and muse on that perennial question: 'Who vetted this mess?' Look, First Kids are off-limits, but these are two grown women who apparently can't go 35 seconds without reverting into full Bushian incoherence and unappealing adolescent smugness. The apple somehow fell inside the tree. They are manifestly and intrinsically incapable of being good on television. Assuming they rehearsed that god awful routine, where were the grown-ups who were empowered to prevent the humiliation? How about, 'Thank you all for being here, and now, to introduce our mother, our Dad, the president of the United States.' And then off the stage and away into the night. Whatever you may think of the First Spalpeens, they didn't deserve what happened to them last night. Not that it will matter in the long run (right, Chris? Tim? Wolf?), but if people ever got fired for anything in this White House, somebody would lose their job over this." Behind the Curtain isn't commenting at this time.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 04:51 PM

New question

Our question of the week got exactly one response, and not a very good one, so we've posted a new one: If you're voting for Bush, tell us what you think his biggest failure has been. If you're not, tell us what you think his biggest success has been. Submit your response here.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 04:23 PM

Giuliani

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani made some tough attacks on Sen. John Kerry Monday night. This Washington Post piece gives some context; Giuliani was playing some tricks. Which reminds us, The Mayor was in town last week stumping for George Nethercutt, who's running for senate, and Dino Rossi, who's running for governor. He's been doing this everywhere, and tacking right. He's prepping for 2008 -- a possible presidential bid. One thing worth noting, he touted Nethercutt's commitment to "fiscal responsibility." Behind the Curtain asked if the Republicans really had any credibility on the issue, given the massive budget deficit of the current White House and the record deficits Giuliani left in his wake in New York City. His spokesman blamed those deficits on the terrorist attacks. We put in a call to the New York City Independent Budget Office. Ronnie Lowenstein, the director: "It would be extraordinary to blame all the city's fiscal problems on the attacks. What happened was, when the music stopped, we ... faced a gap of $6 billion (on $46 billion total budget) just after Mayor Giuliani." During his second term, city spending, excluding state and federal grants, increased 5.3 percent a year, or more than twice inflation (though inflation in NYC may have been higher.) As David Brooks wrote in the Sunday Times Magazine, however, conservatives and Republicans are lurching around for a new governing philosophy, given a bunch of new realities, so maybe fiscal responsibility is just a word to throw around.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 03:13 PM

Inside the outside of the convention

Here's a view from outside the convention hall, where some marchers were ensnared by a massive orange net and arrested by police. Times reporter Leslie Fulbright, who profiled the Infernal Noise Brigade recently, sent us this dispatch. "Among those netted were Seattle's Infernal Noise Brigade, a marching band formed during the WTO in 1999. In an e-mail to The Seattle Times, Andrea Fredricks reported that INB members were arrested last night around 8 p.m. One INB member, John Nash, told Fredricks the group was pinned with nets and told to leave, but couldn't because the street had been blocked. They were pushed into nets and told to sit down. Nash reports some members were hit with batons before being arrested near the New York Public Library. The group is currently being held in a warehouse in holding pens, with no access to attorneys, according to the e-mail." Then there is this dispatch from a Slate reporter. It gives a flavor of the chaos of New York yesterday. Here's a different view, from Aaron Schwitters, a delegate to the RNC, who sent along this note yesterday: "It's been crazy. Late nights, early mornings. (Monday) night was awesome. The whole fiasco when Michael Moore was mentioned was the high point of the evening. Booing for a good two minutes straight -- cathartic. We went to a party Saturday that had the Bush twins, but they were fairly well cordoned off. Saw Bo Derek and Don King, though. We got pictures with "The Daily Show" reporters too. Saw (Sen.) Arlen Specter at a Log Cabin (Republican) event Sunday evening and ran into (Sen. Rick) Santorum in the hall last night. Got pictures with both. We're in a hotel with the Wisconsin and West Virginia people. Rumor is that (presidential adviser Karl) Rove will be speaking at breakfasts. Makes sense cuz we're all swing states." There's an odd juxtaposition in there, what with Log Cabin mentioned in one breath, Santorum in the next. Google and see.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 11:10 AM

RNC Day Two; protests and arrests; Zell Miller; Reichert

The Republican National Convention continued last night, with the star of such cinematic classics as "Conan the Barbarian" and "Twins" taking the stage to salute President Bush. The Dallas Morning News reports: "'If you believe your family knows how to spend your money better than the government does, then you are a Republican,' he said. The Austrian native who came to America and became a multi-millionaire action star also devoted his speech to the immigrant experience, saying, 'George W. Bush has worked hard to protect and preserve the American dream for all of us.' " Laura Bush, the first lady, also spoke, as did the Bush twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, in a performance The New York Times called "madcap." Go here and you can watch video of "Ahnold" and the first lady: The point of last night was to soften the image of the president, emphasizing the compassionate as much as the conservative. It was a change from Monday, when Rudy Giuliani delivered some tough blows against Sen. John Kerry, the challenger. David Postman, one of our reporters who's in New York City, writes that we should expect more tough attacks on Kerry, despite last night. "But the hard shots at John Kerry aren't finished at the convention. Republican organizers want to make use of the nation's attention by drawing sharp contrasts between the president and his Democratic challenger. 'There will be a discussion of the choice,' said Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the Bush campaign. 'There are some important issues where these candidates differ greatly. Americans expect that. They expect us to draw the differences, because they ultimately have to choose between these two men.'" Postman also chatted with Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and a champion of attack politics. " No less an expert in hardball politics than former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said yesterday the contrast between Kerry and Bush should be made daily 'as vivid, clear and definitive as you can.' Gingrich, serving as a pundit, making speeches and observing, said Republicans should hit on Kerry every day. 'I wouldn't say be nasty or negative in a vicious way, but make sure everyone understands there are two choices, and they really are that big.' " Meanwhile, outside the convention, more than 1,400 protestors have now been arrested. AP: "Police wrapped demonstrators and an entire midtown Manhattan block in orange netting yesterday to control anti-GOP protests, arresting more than 900 people across the city as activists massed in the streets for a march to Madison Square Garden, the site of the Republican convention. Organizers expected thousands of protesters through the evening, but there were no immediate reports of violence. On the New York Public Library's stone steps, hundreds of protesters gathered for the march. Verbal confrontations erupted as police moved them away and wrapped the block in orange netting. About 75 people were taken into custody. More than 1,400 people have been arrested in convention-related protest activity since late last week, but the demonstrations have been largely peaceful. One of those arrested late yesterday at a demonstration was a 19-year-old man seen on a videotape assaulting a detective a day earlier, police said." Here's a profile of tonight's keynote speaker, Zell Miller, the retiring senator from Georgia. What's interesting about him is that he gave the keynote for Bill Clinton in 1992. He's a Democrat. But on just about every issue, he's moved way to the right and for the most part agrees with the Republican platform. As someone noted recently, if he merely switched parties, he'd be entirely uninteresting, just another Southern Republican. No matter, the GOP loves him. Here's the convention schedule. And, we just saw John Kerry address the American Legion convention. Unusual for a candidate to make an appearance while his opponent is having his convention, though this was apparently long planned before the GOP announced their convention date. Kerry didn't address the accusations made by some other veterans that he's lying about his service record. He used the address to accuse Bush of failing to secure a plan for peace in Iraq before the war started. An effective, cogent address, though he looked dispirited and the crowd gave him a chilly reception. Regional Sheriff Dave Reichert lost his cool a bit and walked out of a Republican candidate forum at the Rotary Club in Mercer Island, Warren Cornwall reports. Both his Republican opponents for the primary in the 8th congressional district -- Diane Tebelius and Luke Esser -- have sent out mailers questioning his Republican bona fides as well as his stand on gun control. "I want to run a clean campaign, I want to talk about the issues," he said. "Today I'm making a statement. And I think that the only way for this to stop is someone has to stand up and say it's wrong, it's absolutely wrong." Tebelius responded: "Campaigns are tough, and often people disagree on the issues, and that's the reality," she told the audience, which one person estimated at 100 to 150 people. "If you're going to run a campaign you need to have a backbone to stand up to people who might disagree with you." One wonders what exactly Sheriff Reichert thought he was getting himself into when he decided to join the race. This "high road" business, as Kerry is, um, swiftly learning, rarely wins elections.

Posted by J. Patrick Coolican at 10:13 AM