The Stranger Department of Homeland Security ENDORSEMENTS
For September 14, 2004, Primary Election
Tools
Never mind the upcoming national elections, there's plenty of danger right here at home. Conservative charmers like anti-choice state senator Dino Rossi and orthodox Republican Rob McKenna have given the Republicans a real shot at taking the governor's mansion (for the first time in 20 years) and the attorney general's office (for the first time in 12 years). Meanwhile: There's a serious chance that despite its Democratic leanings, the 8th U.S. Congressional District will stay in anti-choice Republican hands thanks to a rock-star sheriff named Dave Reichert; and that Washington State Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders--anathema to gay rights leaders--will win another six-year term and rule against gay marriage in Anderson v. Sims. Basically, Bush threat aside, it's a Code Orange in Washington State.
But don't lock yourself in a bunker. The Stranger Department of Homeland Security is here to help. Sequestering all the candidates in our interrogation room (don't worry, we follow the Geneva Convention), we've figured out who's with you and who's against you.
Stranger Personals
We'd also like to allay your fears about this year's primary ballots. Here's how it works: You mark a party at the top of the ballot (Democratic, Republican, Libertarian), then proceed to the section of the ballot that corresponds with your party choice. Your votes in the primary contests for the party you've selected will be counted; any votes in other party's contests will not be counted. Then you move on to the nonpartisan section of the ballot to make choices in nonpartisan races like supreme court judges and local initiatives. If you don't pick a party at the top of the ballot, all your partisan picks will be void. If you mistakenly vote in a race that doesn't correspond to the party you picked at the top of the ballot--that vote will not count, but all your other votes will. Our new primary system sounds more confusing than it actually is--once you see your ballot, it's pretty self-explanatory.
A note for the election-challenged: This is the primary, which means your vote helps determine which candidates from your party will make it to the general election in the fall, where they will face the candidates chosen by the other parties' primary voters. You'll be seeing some of these same names, and voting in the same races, in the general election on November 2. If you're not registered to vote, it's too late for the primary. But you can still register to vote in the general election this November. For info go to www.vote.wa.gov.
Apologies to wonderful Rep. Ed Murray (D-43); The Stranger does not make endorsements in uncontested races.
The Stranger Department of Homeland Security is: Erica C. Barnett, Josh Feit, Amy Jenniges, Sandeep Kaushik, Tim Keck, Dan Savage, Annie Wagner, and Mason Bryant.
DEMOCRATIC RACES
FEDERAL
U.S. Senator
Patty Murray
Unlike many of her fellow Ds, Patty Murray was gutsy enough to vote against the Iraq war. She's also been a solid fighter for port security, holding up a Bush judicial nomination until the administration released $58 million that had been appropriated for Operation Safe Commerce, a port security program. For those reasons alone, she deserves your vote. Murray's opponents in the Democratic primary include Warren E. Hanson, a fisherman who recently switched parties, and Mohammad H. Said, a doctor who wonders why "so many would rather use food stamps than gather the fruit so freely available." We beg to differ--we often see some fruit-gathering going on in the park across the street from our office, Mo. Vote Murray.
U.S. Congress District No. 8
Alex Alben
In the 8th Congressional District, which covers the Eastside, Democrats have an opportunity to pick up a congressional seat in what used to be a safe Republican district. In recent years, the Eastside has supported Al Gore, Patty Murray, and Gary Locke but also routinely reelected anti-choice Republican Jennifer Dunn. With Dunn retiring, choosing the right Democratic candidate in this swing district is crucial. That's why we're endorsing retired RealNetworks executive Alex Alben over KIRO talker Dave Ross and fourth-time candidate Heidi Behrens-Benedict.
Alben, 45, is a brainy guy who speaks just as knowledgeably about what sorts of tax credits are likely to spur high-tech investment (one of his campaign priorities) as he does about the specifics of what's wrong about the PATRIOT Act. He's pro-business in a business-friendly district, pro-environment in an environmentally conscious region, and he is sharply critical of the Bush administration's foolish march to preemptive war. Some find him aloof, but he's the right fit for his district.
Dave Ross has high name recognition, and matches up well against prospective Republican opponent Dave Reichert, the King County sheriff who is treated as a hero for his slow-mo efforts to capture the Green River killer. But Ross is too vague about what he'd do if elected. We were also put off by his defense of abortion restrictions. Behrens-Benedict is a nice liberal, but she's proven three times already that she's not electable in her district. Vote for Alben.
STATE OF WASHINGTON
Governor
Ron Sims
The Stranger has had its differences with King County Executive Ron Sims, particularly when it came to light rail, which he championed and we considered (and still do) an outrageous boondoggle. We also disagree on the monorail, which The Stranger supports and Sims opposes, and Sims was AWOL when the gay marriage issue exploded this spring. So when he decided to run for governor, we were predisposed to piss all over him.
Instead, we're endorsing him. Sims has run a substantive, issues-oriented--and yes, liberal--campaign, and he deserves the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Sims' campaign is built around one bold, long-overdue idea: comprehensive tax reform in Washington State. Everyone who has looked at the issue knows our tax structure is a mess, but no politician has been willing to do something about it. Sims, trailing in the race against Attorney General Christine Gregoire, bucked the groupthink that characterizes our political establishment (and their editorial-board shills in the mainstream press) and put forward a detailed plan. Sims would do away with the state portion of the sales tax, eliminate the hated B&O business tax, and provide property-tax reform that will reduce the tax burden on homeowners with property valued at less than $600,000. It would all be replaced with a progressive income tax that asks the rich to pay their fair share. Sims' plan also accomplishes the neat trick by taking advantage of federal tax code provisions, of adding more money to state coffers without increasing the overall tax burden on the state's citizens.
Sims has also belatedly excelled on gay marriage. When the issue erupted this spring, The Stranger pressured Sims to issue marriage licenses in defiance of the state's Defense of Marriage Act. Rather than issuing licenses, Sims worked with gay-marriage advocates to craft a lawsuit challenging the DOMA. Given that lawsuit's initial success--and in light of the legal and electoral anti-marriage backlash that has emerged in California and Oregon--we've come to appreciate Sims' approach. He calls gay marriage "a civil rights issue, period." Gregoire has said the state is not ready for gay marriage.
As for Gregoire, given the lack of specificity that has characterized her campaign (not to mention the specificity of her claim to have been a civil rights champion back in her college days when she was president of a sorority that excluded blacks and Jews), the Stranger Department of Homeland Security feared she was just another tepid Gary Locke clone. She laid some of those concerns to rest over the course of our endorsement interview when she denounced the Locke-Rossi no-new-taxes budget and flatly rejected any constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. She's tough and forceful. If she bests Sims in the primary, we will have no qualms endorsing her. We appreciate her gumption, but Sims has won the battle of ideas.
Finally, you may notice a few other names on the ballot in the Democratic primary for governor. Mike the Mover, Eugen Buculei, Don Hansler, and Scott Headland would all make excellent drinking buddies, but lousy governors. Vote Sims.
Attorney General
Mark Sidran
Uh... you read that right.
The Stranger once called Mark Sidran the worst name we could think of--no, not "Satan." We called him a "Republican." And, yes, once we called Sidran, rather famously, the Devil himself ("Experts Agree: Sidran Is Satan.").
We stand by our condemnation of Sidran's Seattle record. As city attorney, Sidran attacked the homeless by pushing a package of laws that prohibited sitting on public sidewalks, increased the penalty for urinating in public, and gave cops the power to ban people from parks for up to a year. He also backed the infamous (and now overturned) impound ordinance, which allowed cops to tow away cars driven by people whose licenses were suspended for minor violations. And he was largely responsible for the hated poster ban, which prohibited posters on public utility poles. The first posters to appear on Seattle's utility poles when the ban was ruled unconstitutional read, "Fuck Sidran." We've still got one hanging in our office.
But, hey, we're not the kind of editorial board that holds grudges.
That's why we're endorsing Mark Sidran for the office of attorney general, where his ability to work both sides of the ideological table, and his long record of support for gay rights and gender equality, will allow Sidran to demonstrate that he is, as he's always claimed, a Democrat. His opponent, former insurance commissioner Deborah Senn, lacks Sidran's competence and experience, and we believe that she would be blown out of the water in the general election by Rob McKenna, the likely Republican nominee in the AG's race.
Sidran defends his Seattle record, insisting that his "civility" laws saved downtown. (The liberal Seattle City Council, by the way, has never overturned a single Sidran civility law.) But criminal justice will not be the sort of thing Sidran will be dealing with as Washington State's attorney general. The AG's office deals primarily with civil issues: things like Tim Eyman's initiative to expand gambling, which Sidran has vocally opposed, and gay rights, which he has long supported. We like Sidran's willingness to speak out on controversial issues. Although the AG isn't supposed to take a legal position on state laws, Sidran rightly points out that until an initiative or bill is passed, the attorney general has a right to express his or her political opinions. Contrast that with Senn, who says she would "never take a position" on any initiative. Judging from Senn's interview with the Stranger Department of Homeland Security, that includes gay marriage.
Other aspects of Sidran's local record will come as a shock to those who see Sidran as a Satanic Republican. As a deputy prosecutor, Sidran created the first sexual-assault unit in the juvenile division in the King County prosecutor's office. As city attorney, he formed the city's first domestic-violence unit. And diversity measures he put in place increased the percentage of women and minorities in the office to a level greater than in the population at large.
Moreover, in a huge law office like the attorney general's, competence matters. In that category, the race between Senn and Sidran is no contest. Sidran has 12 years' experience managing a staff of nearly 500 attorneys. When Sidran was elected city attorney in 1990, the office was a disorganized, chaotic mess. Sidran implemented reforms that his successor, Tom Carr, credits in part with reducing the city's criminal filings by nearly 50 percent.
Senn, in contrast, has never managed a legal office. And, in her time as insurance commissioner, she became notorious for her maladroit handling of staffing snafus, plowing through six assistants and incurring the wrath of Gov. Gary Locke. By insisting that the state's individual health insurance be the same price for everyone, Senn managed to drive three different insurance providers out of the state. Senn's simply too left-leaning--red meat for Republican Rob McKenna. The calmly combative Sidran, in contrast, is more than a match for the mudslinging McKenna. He's already proven himself to be a formidable campaigner, nearly defeating Greg Nickels--in liberal Seattle--in the closest mayoral race in 60 years.
In a state wide race, Sidran will appeal to Democrats, Republicans, and independent voters. That could be one reason he's been endorsed by an impressive array of Dems that includes liberals like former supreme court justice Phil Talmadge, El Centro de la Raza director Roberto Maestas, police accountability hawk Terrence Carroll, and liberal King County Council member Dow Constantine. The Stranger Department of Homeland Security concurs with our lefty cohorts. We support--believe it or not--Mark Sidran.
Legislative District No. 11 Representative Position No. 2
Bob Hasegawa
Four Democrats are running to fill the seat being vacated by Velma Veloria. Teamster leader Bob Hasegawa is the best of the bunch. Hasegawa's work as Local 174 secretary-treasurer, bargaining across the table from major corporations to win wage and health-care concessions on behalf of the lumpen proletariat, has forged his political skills and given him a gravitas his opponents in the primary lack. Hasegawa is a smart fit for the blue-collar district.
Legislative District No. 36 Representative Position No. 1
Helen Sommers
Thanks to her position as chair of the appropriations committee, veteran legislator Helen Sommers holds the unforgiving job of having to say "No" to a lot of Democratic interests--especially during the state's recent financial crunch. Thus this year's heated Democratic primary in Sommers' Seattle district (Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, Phinney Ridge, Greenwood, and Crown Hill), where social services lefty Alice Woldt is giving centrist Sommers a real challenge.
While the Stranger Department of Homeland Security likes Woldt's left-of-center stances more than we like Sommers' moderate bent, we also know that Sommers is an invaluable asset for the Democrats during budget time. For instance, while the Democratic leadership and caucus could only agree to $490 million in funding for various programs, Sommers battled her Republican counterparts for $730 million. She also locked down domestic-partner-benefits funding in an otherwise austere budget cycle. The Ds cannot afford to lose someone with this stature and influence.
And, for the record, the self-righteousness coming from the Service Employees International Union--who recruited Woldt to run against Sommers--rubs us the wrong way. SEIU's beef? Sommers had the chutzpah to delay unionized homecare workers their full 16 percent raise during 2003's budget crisis. However, thanks to Sommers, SEIU homecare workers got a partial raise when other workers, including teachers, didn't get any (and eventually, SEIU got the whole 16 percent raise). SEIU should be thanking Sommers, not hyping Woldt's progressive record while hypocritically endorsing Republican eyesores Sen. Don Benton (R-17) and Sen. Joe Zarelli (R-18)--and Christine "Civil Rights" Gregoire over Ron Sims. Stick with Sommers.
Legislative District No. 37 Representative Position No. 1
Sharon Tomiko-Santos
Three-term rep Sharon Tomiko Santos is a steadfast defender of the poor. One telling example: She refuses to toe the Democratic Party line on Initiative 884 (which would increase the sales tax to pay for schools). Santos told us she doesn't want to ding poor people for "schools that don't serve them." More importantly--and this is why we're thrilled to endorse Santos for a fourth term--we like her staunch pledge to fight for a progressive income tax. "To really do right by education and health care," she says, "we've got to increase the revenue pie by completely restructuring the tax system." Thanks to Ron Sims (whom Santos endorsed over Gregoire), we think tax reform actually has a prayer in Olympia next session. Santos, who's earned respect from Republicans, is perfect to lead the fight.
Another issue that's likely to hit Olympia next session is gay marriage, and Santos' position is righteous. "I support gay marriage. Without it gays and lesbians are second-class citizens."
Her opponent, substitute teacher John Stafford, is back for a second try. Stafford is well intentioned, but uninformed. Vote Tomiko-Santos.
Legislative District No. 37 Representative Position No. 2
Eric Pettigrew
The Stranger Department of Homeland Security reluctantly endorsed Eric Pettigrew in the 2002 election. At the time, we feared Pettigrew might be "little more than a party hack."
Congratulations, Eric, you proved us wrong. Pettigrew was a workhorse during his freshman term, shepherding through a package of bills to help poor families and small businesses. Pettigrew is also a welcome iconoclast in the D Party--bucking the teachers' union by supporting charter schools and challenging his knee-jerk colleagues to use a controversial tool known as tax increment financing to help revive blighted neighborhoods. We like Pettigrew's instinct to see beyond standard D prescriptions when it comes to aiding low-income neighborhoods.
Pettigrew's opponent, Jeremy Daniels, a nonprofit consultant who seems inordinately proud of the work he once did mentoring inner-city teens in South Central L.A., failed to make a compelling case for himself.
REPUBLICAN RACES
Editor's Note: The number of Stranger readers who are actually Republicans could probably fit in Jenna Bush's uterus. So it goes without saying that the endorsements we're making in Republican races are not sincere. Far from the best or strongest Republican candidates, the Republicans endorsed below are certain to lose if they make it through to the general election in November. This is the Craswell Ticket--a handy list of lame Republicans for any lefties who want to cross party lines and cast monkey-wrenching votes. (The ticket is named in honor of Ellen Craswell, a bat-shit-crazy conservative who won the Republican nomination for governor in 1996 with the support of other bat-shit-crazy conservatives and thousands of lefties who knew she would lose--and she lost big--in the general election.) Because of our new primary system, if you want your Craswell Ticket votes counted, you have to indicate on your ballot that you're a Republican, which means you won't be able to vote in any of the Democratic races.
FEDERAL
U.S. Senator
Reed Davis
Conservative loudmouth Reed Davis took a gutsy stand against the USA PATRIOT Act, which his frontrunning opponent, Bush-party-line Republican George Nethercutt, supported. But the real reason we like Davis? Unlike the pencil-dicked Nethercutt, Davis doesn't stand a chance against Patty Murray. Vote Davis!
STATE OF WASHINGTON Governor
Javier Lopez
We urge you to vote for Javier Lopez despite the fact that he dropped out of the race. Why? Because at a PTA gubernatorial forum earlier this year, Lopez spoke movingly about his sexual escapades with a teacher in high school. Lopez has endorsed Dino Rossi, the likely Republican nominee. Write in his name anyway. Not only would it help the Dem candidate if Lopez made it through, his success would also serve as an inspiration for all the schoolchildren in Washington State who have been or are currently being raped by their teachers.
Lieutenant Governor
Jim Nobles
Does anyone know who the current lieutenant governor is? Does anyone give a flying fuck? No and no. Nevertheless, three Republicans are competing to take on Democrat Brad Owen this fall. There's Scott Bonifield, who calls himself a "true Washingtonian, both heart and mind," in sharp contrast to the two ersatz Washingtonians in this race: Jim Nobles, an environmental construction consultant who sounds like he's running for high-school guidance counselor ("If people are encouraged, regardless of the obstacles, they will succeed"); and a guy named Jim Wiest who supports Dino Rossi. Don't vote for Bonifield, as that "true Washingtonian" shit is sooooo annoying. And don't vote for Wiest, because Dino's got all the support he needs. That leaves Nobles.
Attorney General
Mike Vaska
On top of opposing gay rights and a woman's right to choose, King County Council Member Rob McKenna is a female-to-male transsexual--something his Republican buddies keep hushed up. Nevertheless, McKenna is the most formidable, if gender-non-conforming, Republican in this race. His opponent, Mike Vaska, is a nondescript lawyer with a Michael Bolton pompadour and no scars from sex-reassignment surgery. Vote Vaska.
Insurance Commissioner
John Adams
As far as we can tell, all three Republican candidates for insurance commissioner are saggy-assed old men who work as insurance agents and want to deregulate their industry before their testicles finally droop past their knees. Our endorsement goes to John Adams, who shares a name with one of America's founding fathers and, from the look of him, is the least likely to trip over his own balls getting out of the bathtub.
Legislative District No. 11 Representative Position No. 2
John Potter Ruth Gibbs, the likely Republican nominee in this race, is a brainless suburban Republican who hates taxes and poor people and believes that "if life hands you lemons, you make lemonade." We'll be sure to mention that to the next homeless mom we see on the street, Ruthie. But while Ruth's an asshole, in this district she's a viable asshole. So vote for her lightweight opponent, John Potter, who boasts about having graduated from Chief Sealth High School in 1980. It seems to be his only real accomplishment.
LIBERTARIAN RACES
STATE OF WASHINGTON
Governor Ruth Bennett
Just to prove that The Stranger isn't a wholly owned subsidiary of the Democratic Party, we offer this sincere--no, really!--endorsement of Ruth Bennett: Back in 2002, we called Libertarian Ruth Bennett, who ran against Democratic candidate (and now incumbent state rep.) Eric Pettigrew, a "thoughtful, informed" candidate who wanted "to deploy Libertarian precepts in the service of social-justice goals." (In 2000, she was also the most successful Libertarian candidate in the state, winning 7 percent in her race for lieutenant governor and snagging her party a spot on future state ballots.) Bennett's a better choice than her opponent, frequent candidate Michael Nelson, who opposes "onerous" regulations--like that onerous minimum wage. Libs should back Bennett.
NON-PARTISAN
In the nonpartisan races, the top two move on to the general election. However, if one candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the race is decided in the primary.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Judith Billings
This race is one big soap opera. First, there's the requisite loony--this year, it's David Blomstrom, who runs an anti-Microsoft (he hates Bill Gates), anti-media (he hates every Seattle newspaper) website. Then there's a disgruntled parent, Juanita Doyon, an anti-WASL activist. And there's the incumbent, Teresa Bergeson, who's been the SPI since 1997, after former SPI Judith Billings--who served eight years herself--stepped down for health reasons. (Billings has HIV.) But Billings is back! (Are you still with us?) And she's racking up endorsements, mostly for her smart views on things like the soon-to-be-a-graduation-requirement WASL (Billings favors dropping the single-test gauge in favor of a broader measure of education). The Stranger Department of Homeland Security likes Billings, thanks to her mix of experience and fresh ideas. And the HIV, of course. We love HIV. What? You gonna vote against the HIV-positive lady? You some sort of monster?
Washington State Supreme Court Justice Positions 1, 5, 6
Robert H. Alsdorf, Terry Lukens, James White
In an open race for a seat on the Washington State Supreme Court--Position 1, vacated by retiring Justice Fart Scotland--the Stranger Department of Homeland Security picks Robert H. Alsdorf, a 14-year veteran King County Superior Court judge. Alsdorf earned the highest rating from the King County Bar Association (KCBA), and has gotten the thumbs-up from most local Democrat and labor groups. One Alsdorf opponent is a definite threat to homeland security: Tim Eyman's attorney, Jim Johnson. Vote Alsdorf.
In the race for Position 5, ditch incumbent Barbara Madsen in favor of King County Superior Court Judge Terry Lukens. Smart attorneys we checked with called Lukens "brighter and better" than Madsen, and Lukens also earned a higher rating from the KCBA than the incumbent. Madsen, on the other hand, has garnered criticism for frequently siding with business and insurance interests over victims (indeed, she's been endorsed by the Washington State Republican Party and a tort reform group).
Incumbent Richard Sanders, fighting to retain his Position 6 seat, is facing five challengers--likely because he's a pro-life, anti-gay conservative. (He also says his judicial philosophy is in line with firebrand right-wing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Scary.) Despite all that, we endorsed him in 1998, citing a series of "smart, scathing" opinions he wrote in defense of prisoners. But with the gay marriage case, Anderson v. Sims, heading to Sanders' court this year, allowing Sanders to return to the bench is risky. Send James White instead. White, a municipal court judge in Snohomish County, has a long history of defending domestic violence victims and AIDS patients--he also boasts representing one of the first successful gay adoption bids in King County, back in 1985--and he's got experience as a prosecutor and Edmonds City Council member.
Court of Appeals Judge Division No. 1, District No. 1, Position No. 1 C. Kenneth Grosse
The incumbent, C. Kenneth Grosse, is a 20-year veteran court of appeals judge, and comes highly rated from every bar association that's sat down with him. His opponent, William Fosbre, the Snohomish County district courts coordinator, is a joke. Vote Grosse.
King County Superior Court Judge Positions No. 13, 23, 42, 45
Theresa Doyle, Andrea Darvas, Mark Mestel Jim Rogers
These are the judges you'll run into if you get into big trouble in Seattle. Clearly, picking the right people is a serious job. So we relied on a complex equation of comments from lawyers we like, bar-association ratings, and candidate photos. The Stranger Department of Homeland Security supercomputer spit out the following results. Vote for: Theresa Doyle (some say she's Supreme Court material), Andrea Darvas (highly rated, a winning smile), Mark Mestel (he's a "Law and Politics Super Lawyer"), and Jim Rogers (piles of endorsements, great hair).
City of Seattle Proposition No. 1 Families and Educatoin Levy
VOTE NO
This is a $116.8 million property tax levy that, its supporters claim, will fund programs that "support academic achievement." In other words it's a huge package that will pay for shitloads of small-bore measures. Amazingly enough, the levy's price tag is just under the max voters told pollsters they would likely approve.
The Stranger Department of Homeland Security is urging a "no" vote because we hate children. They run around in restaurants and their diapers clog landfills.
Actually, we don't hate children. We love the little shits. Which is why we're annoyed by the latest levy from the Good Intentions Brigade. The problem with our schools are large class sizes and low teacher salaries. Sinking tens of millions of dollars into the kind of small, feel-good crappola this levy funds prevents us from spending this kind of money--big money--where it really matters and could make a difference. Vote "no."
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