Endorsements for the August 7 Primary Election (PLUS CHEAT SHEET!)
Vote Or We'll Kill You
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Any asshole can run for office.
In fact, your primary ballot is packed with assholes. Like the guy who wants to gut Obamacare by creating "looser rules" for the same health-insurance companies that routinely canceled policies when people had the nerve to go and get sick. Total asshole.
Stranger Personals
But you? You're not an asshole. And you don't want to vote for assholes. You want to vote for non-assholes who support the commie War on Cars and the entire tax-and-spend, pro-gay, pro-pot agenda embraced by all non-assholes everywhere.
This is your guide to asshole-free voting.
Yeah, we know: The primary election lacks the glamour of the general election—Obama! Gay marriage! Legal pot!—but primaries are important, too.
The state's future hangs in the balance of several upcoming cases before the state supreme court—and one of the supreme court races will be decided in this primary. And tons of races are jammed with challengers (mostly assholes), so if you don't want two assholes making it through to the general election, thereby guaranteeing that an asshole wins the seat, you have to vote for non-assholes in the primary.
And, yes, we know. It's fucking July. Summer started 12 minutes ago, so why the fuck are we voting already?
Here's why: The legislature moved the primary election to the first goddamn Tuesday of motherfucking August because Washington's all-absentee voting system needed more goddamn time to process fucking ballots from overseas voters in the fucking military. Long, stupid story short, that means all of our absentee ballots are being mailed this week, which means it's time to vote. In fucking July.
And remember: Vote or we'll kill you, assholes.
The Stranger Election Control Board is: Bethany Jean Clement, Paul Constant, Christopher Frizzelle, David “Goldy” Goldstein, Dominic Holden, Tim Keck, Cienna Madrid, Eli Sanders, Dan “Asshole” Savage, and Kathlyn Ehl. The SECB does not endorse in uncontested races or in districts that are too far away to walk to from our office.
Senator
Maria Cantwell
Maria Cantwell has made very few mistakes in her second term as our junior US senator. She supported health care reform (even the beloved-by-liberals public option, after some foot-dragging). She dove deep into the weeds of the Wall Street meltdown and came back with smart proposals for regulating financial transactions. Her primary challenger, Republican state senator Michael Baumgartner, has tried to cast Cantwell as anti-family for being—the horror!—unmarried. Christ, what an asshole. Vote Cantwell.
Congressional District 1
Laura Ruderman
The SECB loves a strong progressive woman, and this race features three of them—which made it hard to pick a favorite. Two-time loser Darcy Burner? We appreciate her impassioned populism, not to mention her determination. Suzan DelBene? Hey, if she can fund her own campaign, more power to her. But for us, Laura Ruderman's crisp talking points and clear positions proved compelling. She opposes a new coal port in the district, favors allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire, and supports throwing the Republicans' lack of a jobs bill in their face as often as possible.
Ruderman is also the only Democratic woman in the race with legislative experience. In 2000, she became the first Democrat ever to be reelected in the swingy 45th District—which lies within the newly redrawn 1st Congressional District—suggesting that her profile lines up well with the voters she's trying to court. In the legislature, Ruderman pushed for paid sick leave and collective bargaining rights for state employees.
And yes, we've reported that Ruderman's mom is funding a PAC to attack DelBene, but that doesn't scandalize us (and neither does DelBene pumping more than $1 million into her own campaign).
We're convinced that in Congress, Ruderman will continue doing good work. So vote Ruderman.
Congressional District 7
Jim McDermott
It's healthy for 89-term congressman Jim McDermott to finally have a challenger. He's been a reliable progressive over his 178 long years in office—taking a stand against the Iraq War, taking a stand for the Civil War, pushing for single-payer health care—but even a liberal lion needs a nudge now and then. And challenger Andrew Hughes, 30, has nudged McDermott to belatedly come out in favor of this year's marijuana-legalizing Initiative 502. Beyond that, however, Hughes has failed to articulate a convincing rationale for dropping McDermott, or even why Seattle voters should choose a guy with no track record in elected office—and little experience holding down a real job—to represent them in DC.
Congressional District 9
Adam Smith
Democrats fought hard last year to draw Washington's 1st District with a majority population of racial minorities. And then they inexplicably drew its borders around our delegation's least colorful congressman: Adam Smith (D). Go figure. Regardless, incumbent representative Smith promises to be a good fit. Marriage equality? Check. Don't ask, don't tell? He led the repeal efforts. Are taxes too high? "Heavens no," Smith told the SECB. Meanwhile, Smith's Republican opponent Jim Postma told us that he'd "never seen a tax cut I didn't like." And then he admitted that he had "worked on the government dole almost my entire life." Total asshole. Vote for Smith.
Governor
Jay Inslee
People bitch about how unexciting Jay Inslee is, but exciting governance and good governance aren't always the same thing. Inslee has tremendous political instincts, often putting him on the right side of crucial issues even when many Democrats are wrong.
Example: Inslee was an outspoken champion of green energy policies long before Al Gore uttered the phrase "an inconvenient truth." Inslee also broke with his party and his president to vote against 1999's disastrous repeal of the Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act, banking deregulation that arguably led to the Great Recession. He also helped tweak the Affordable Care Act so that it rewarded rather than punished Washington State for prior health-care reforms.
And unlike his opponent, Inslee is not a cowardly, pants-pissing, two-faced, union-hating, light-rail-killing, gay-marriage- opposing crappy lawyer whose staff posts racist tweets (#assholes) and who threatens to arrest a reporter who ask him follow-up questions.
Do we wish Inslee didn't make us yawn? Sure. We also wish he wasn't in favor of locking up pot smokers. But he'll make a much better governor than that puckered asshole Rob McKenna. Vote Inslee.
Lieutenant Governor
James Robert Deal
James Robert Deal warned the SECB that pro-fluoride "PR manipulators" have infiltrated every level of government to push their drug of choice and we, the sheeple, are chugging their fluoride-flavored lies. But hear this: Fluoride is poison, Deal says.
Deal's anti-fluoride agenda is batshit, sure, but it's better than the guano we've been getting from our current lieutenant governor. Longtime incumbent Brad Owen has done nothing to promote a progressive agenda. Instead, he's been touring the state with his crappy-ass rock band on a ceaseless crusade to lock up pot smokers. If we're going to have a pointless position like lieutenant governor, then that person should use it for something harmless, like waging war on fluoride, instead of spewing anti-pot talking points.
Secretary of State
Kathleen Drew
If Democrats actually want to beat Republican Kim Wyman in November, the three-way Democratic race for secretary of state is a no-brainer. State senator Jim Kastama pissed off the Democratic base with his turncoat role in the recent senate budget coup, while former Seattle mayor Greg Nickels alienates non-Seattle voters simply by virtue of being a former Seattle mayor. (No Democratic Seattle mayor has ever gone on to win statewide office.) That leaves Kathleen Drew, a former state senator and Governor Chris Gregoire policy aide, who impressed the SECB with her thorough knowledge of election procedures and who, like Wyman (outgoing secretary of state Sam Reed's handpicked successor), has a vagina. Non-crazy Republican women are hard to beat, so if Democrats want a shot at capturing this office for the first time since 1956, Drew is by far their best hope.
State Auditor
Craig Pridemore
All four candidates can reasonably claim that they're qualified, but only state senator Craig Pridemore has the character and demeanor to ensure that the auditor's office is as god-awful boring as it ought to be. The chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Review Committee, Pridemore promises strong management rather than a strong agenda and he recognizes that a performance audit of, say, a hospital versus a transit agency requires specialized auditors. Vote for Pridemore.
Attorney General
Bob Ferguson
If all it took to run the Attorney General's Office were good looks, a terrible work ethic, and a prominent mother, Reagan Dunn would have our endorsement. But since "showing up and doing the hard work" is part of Bob Ferguson's description for the job, he gets our vote.
Ferguson has one of the best voting and attendance records on the King County Council; Dunn has one of the worst. Ferguson saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars by forcing the council to buy secondhand furniture, while the self-proclaimed "fiscally conservative" Dunn spent almost $6,000 of taxpayer money on a junket to Australia. Ferguson has four and a half years of civil law experience at a top Seattle law firm, while Dunn is an asshole who claimed to have three and a half years of experience in a civil law practice when in fact he wasn't a lawyer for two of those years.
Dunn's already risen further than his natural abilities and work habits should allow. Vote for Ferguson.
Commissioner of Public Lands
Peter Goldmark
Incumbent Peter Goldmark is a genuine cowboy (with a PhD in molecular biology) who defied convention to become the first Eastern Washingtonian to win statewide executive office in forever, promising to protect public lands and end the office's too-cozy relationship with powerful timber, mining, and fishery companies. Goldmark delivered. Reelect Goldmark.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Randy Dorn
Since we endorsed him four years ago, state superintendent of public instruction Randy Dorn has followed through on his election promise: He significantly reformed WASL testing by replacing the huge test with two shorter tests. Meanwhile, he's been knee-deep in the depressing shitshow of fighting for public school funding in the midst of devastating cuts. Dorn has earned the endorsement of the state teachers' union and has no serious challengers. Vote Dorn.
Insurance Commissioner
Mike Kreidler
Since the US Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act, the state's insurance commissioner, who oversees the state's 48 insurance companies, must now oversee implementation of that health care law. The best choice is Mike Kreidler, a Democrat who's held the job since 2000, and is raring to shepherd in new health-care plans. Kreidler's challengers are John Adams (really his name), a crazy asshole who believes teabaggy myths that have been debunked by Snopes, and a former insurance-industry Republican named Scott Reilly, a craven asshole who says he wants, of all things, "a looser way" for insurance companies to do business here. The last thing we need is someone loosening the rules for the same insurance companies that fucked up our health-care system in the first place. Vote Kreidler.
State Senator
Bob Hasegawa
Bob Hasegawa is on a mission to create a state bank, which would reinvest state money back into the state's infrastructure, like education and public health. He also likes closing tax loopholes on private planes, he's for gay marriage, and he wants to require insurance companies to offer equal abortion and maternity coverage. His opponent is an anti-choice, anti-gay-marriage candy-haired clown who believes that slashing taxes will fix our billion-dollar budget problem. It's almost an insult to assholes—which have their uses—to call this lady an asshole. Vote for Hasegawa.
Representative Position 1
Zack Hudgins
Zack Hudgins is a good, solid Dem who supports a statewide income tax, backed a bill to allow 16-year-olds to preregister to vote (hell yes!), and supports a state bank. His opponent, Jim Flynn, appears to be basing his run on calls for a statewide income tax—which, as mentioned, Hudgins already supports. Vote Hudgins.
Representative Position 2
Rob Holland
Only one of the candidates in this race is an asshole—a teacher named Steve Bergquist, who claims to be a Democrat but drives a Hummer, is iffy on a state bank proposal, and can't wait to vote against an initiative to legalize pot. So, yeah, Bergquist is an asshole and a moron. On the other hand, Stephanie Bowman and fundraising pro Bobby Virk were strong progressives, but in the end, they didn't bring the experience of Rob Holland.
Holland has served on the Port of Seattle Commission since 2010 and he brings sterling politics to this racially diverse district. He's unequivocal about supporting a high-earners income tax, granting Seattle new taxing authority for mass transit, and legalizing pot. Plus, Holland is a gay black man, which is something our lily-white legislature has never seen. Holland isn't perfect; he sometimes struggles to articulate the nuances of policy. But we think he can polish up those skills in Olympia.
Representative Position 1
Eileen Cody
As a practicing nurse and chair of the house's health-care committee, Representative Eileen Cody sponsored legislation that successfully lowered prescription-drug costs and created a state program that allows people to compare insurance policies. While her opponent, William Giammarese, seems like a good-hearted liberal—he supports gay marriage and pledges to tithe 10 percent of his salary to the empty mothbag we call a treasury—he has no legislative experience and hasn't fundraised a cent.
Representative Position 1
Reuven Carlyle
Reuven Carlyle (D-Eltana Bagels) is finishing up his second term representing Northwest Seattle in the state house, and he's done a fine job. His best fight—to establish sunset dates for most of our state's stupidest tax loopholes—is one that he hasn't won yet. That's reason enough to send Carlyle back to keep trying.
One of Carlyle's challengers, Leslie Klein, informed the SECB: "I'm running to represent only people, not planets." Carlyle's other challenger is a sweet guy named Robert Canamar who looks like Abe Lincoln's grandpa and has $0 in his campaign fund. Vote Carlyle.
Representative Position 2
Noel Christina Frame
This might seem like a hard choice. Six people and a Republican are running to replace Mary Lou Dickerson, who is retiring at the end of the year, and all six of those people have very, very similar positions (they like gays, pot, transit, women's choice, funding education, creating jobs, etc.). But which one of them can capably turn those positions into effective policy?
Noel Frame.
She's zeroed in on the number-one issue our legislature needs to prioritize: fixing our state's tax structure.
In January, the state supreme court ruled that we're failing our constitutional duty to fund K–12 education, which will cost an additional $1 billion to $3 billion a year, and we'll have to solve that problem by 2018. That future budget shortfall will come on top of previous shortfalls that have already gutted college funding and social programs critical to ensuring that poor kids get a fair shot. And for the fucking record, it's not that the state has a spending problem, we just have a tax structure that falls disproportionately on the poor (relying heavily on sales tax instead of income tax) and simply can't meet the demands of our growing, aging, and schooling populations.
"I want to lead a statewide conversation about an income tax," Frame unabashedly said at a League of Women Voters forum on July 12. "I think it's time, and we have a window of opportunity because of the supreme court ruling." She also points out that investing in schools creates jobs—in the short term and long term.
Yes, every one of the other people in the race (Gael Tarleton, Sahar Fathi, Brett Phillips, and the rest) supports education funding and tax reform, too, but none is tackling this issue so aggressively.
As the Washington State director of Progressive Majority, which recruits progressive candidates for office, Frame is already a movement-builder. We believe that Frame can combine forces with tax-finance gurus (like Sarajane Siegfriedt, who we endorse in the 46th District) to develop strong policy and leverage pressure on the legislature to pass it. We want to see her in Olympia.
Representative Position 2
Eric Pettigrew
So the supreme court finally rules that the state is shorting its "paramount duty" to fund basic education by billions of dollars a year, and what does five-term Democratic incumbent Eric Pettigrew do? He squanders the opportunity by calling for charter schools. Charter fucking schools! Since his sole opponent is a nutty Ron Paul organizer, we're holding our nose and voting for Pettigrew anyway.
Representative Position 1
Jamie Pedersen
An articulate firebrand and economics instructor at Seattle University and Seattle Central Community College, Kshama Sawant understands exactly how the state's tax structure is failing its people and exactly what legislators must do to improve it. And hot damn would it be thrilling to send a brash, uncompromising socialist alternative legislator to Olympia to kick some majority-squandering, safety-net-degrading Democratic ass.
But if you're looking to send a message by running a referendum on do-nothing Democrats, three-term incumbent Jamie Pedersen is the last Democrat we'd pick. A lawyer, Pedersen is a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit to overturn Tim Eyman's initiative that requires an impossible two-thirds majority to raise any taxes and he's played a lead role in the fight to legalize gay marriage. Sawant had originally filed to run against house Speaker Frank Chopp. We wish she'd stuck with her instincts, because Pedersen isn't part of the Democratic problem.
Representative Position 2
Kshama Sawant
Representing the same district as Pedersen, house Speaker Frank Chopp has done a great job building and maintaining a Democratic majority, but he's done a crappy job using it, presiding over a decade of budget cuts while doing nothing to address our state's structural revenue deficit.
That's why we're writing in Kshama Sawant, who didn't file in this race, but should have.
Representative Position 1
Gerry Pollet
Gerry Pollet has a reputation for being an abrasive liberal dickhead, characteristics we here at the SECB normally embrace, but which many insiders worried would make him an ineffective legislator. Appointed last year to fill out David Frockt's house term, Pollet surprised even his harshest critics, earning high marks for his work within the Democratic caucus and even for reaching across the aisle (without a shiv). We like Pollet's smart, youngish opponent, Sylvester Cann. But Cann's lack of experience and his endorsement by charter-school advocates give us pause. Reelect Pollet.
Representative Position 2
Sarajane Siegfriedt
The SECB was torn between two sharp, accomplished women in this race (whose positions are nearly indistinguishable). On the one hand, Jessyn Farrell is totally fawn-worthy. The former director of transit-advocacy group Transportation Choices Coalition, Farrell could take her War on Cars to Olympia with the backing of nonprofit coalitions. She's also stunningly charismatic, and the legislature could be her launching pad for a career in national politics.
But we give our wholehearted endorsement, instead, to Sarajane Siegfriedt. Better versed in economics and business than any other candidate we encountered this year, Siegfriedt is focused on fixing a structural revenue deficit that is turning this state, one budget at a time, into a shithole. For instance, she's presenting a plan to eliminate the business and occupation tax (which hurts new, small companies) and replace it with a 1 percent corporate income tax. A former businesswoman with an MBA and a current member of the county property tax board, Siegfriedt has her eye on the house commerce committee, where we think she would educate her underinformed colleagues about the urgency of fixing the state tax code. Plus she's right on all the liberal issues—including transit and education—and those, too, rely on a better understanding of how to raise money. We think Siegfriedt is the woman who can do it. Vote for her.
Supreme Court Justice Position 2
Susan Owens
Justice Susan Owens is a seasoned badass who's been warming benches for so long in Washington that her ass is riddled with bedsores shaped like the state seal. Owens sided with the minority of pro-gay-marriage justices in 2006, she secured greater consumer protections against internet spammers, and she's endorsed by all eight of her colleagues.
One of her challengers, Scott Stafne, weakly insists, "I just think the supreme court needs a fresh voice." We disagree. Vote Owens.
Supreme Court Justice Position 8
Steve Gonzalez
Because of the weird rules for judicial contests, this race will be decided in the August primary. WE REPEAT: THIS SUPER- IMPORTANT RACE WILL BE DECIDED IN THE AUGUST PRIMARY, SO VOTE. OR WE'LL KILL YOU. State supreme court justice Steve Gonzalez is a highly qualified former terrorism prosecutor and former King County Superior Court judge who was appointed to the state supreme court in November of last year by Governor Gregoire. Gonzalez's challenger? A little-known Kitsap County lawyer who has lost three recent runs for local office and is totally unqualified for the high court—but who might actually win because of his amazingly Anglo-Saxon name: Bruce Danielson.
Matt Barreto, a pollster at the University of Washington, warns that "minority candidates, all other things being equal, are evaluated less favorably by the voters." And in judicial races that people don't follow, all things are equal, and many voters will just pick the guy with the white last name.
Sound far-fetched? It's happened before in these highly consequential, but little- noticed races. Vote Gonzalez.
Supreme Court Justice Position 9
Bruce Hilyer
This race features the return of disgraced former justice Richard B. Sanders, who voters booted off the high court in 2010 amid charges that Sanders made racist statements and showed unforgivable hypocrisy (he voted against same-sex marriage because he said gays have "more sexual partners," but it turned out that Sanders himself had multiple simultaneous girlfriends). Whatever you do, don't vote for that cherry-picking asshole.
The hard truth, however, is that Sanders will probably get through the primary. Who's best positioned to beat Sanders in the general? Not Sheryl McCloud, who misguidedly donated $700 to Sanders in 2010. No, the best shot at keeping Sanders off the bench is current King County Superior Court judge Bruce Hilyer, who was rated "exceptionally well qualified" by multiple groups and was named the 2010 Judge of the Year by the King County Bar Association. Vote Hilyer.
Positions 25, 29, 30, and 46
Elizabeth Berns, Sean O'Donnell, Doug North, and Judy Ramseyer
These are hugely important races that almost no one—except us! And the indispensable www.votingforjudges.org! Check it out!—pays attention to.
We recommend: lesbian litigator and pro-tem judge Elizabeth Berns for Position 25, prosecutor Sean O'Donnell for Position 29, incumbent King County Superior Court judge Doug North for Position 30, and civil rights champion Judy Ramseyer for Position 46.
Position 42
Sue Parisien
We're breaking out this endorsement from our other superior court races because it's different. King County Superior Court judge Christopher Washington, who's held this seat for eight years, came in dead last in every single category of a recent survey filled out by local attorneys. His lowest score was for legal decision-making (where he scored a 2.7 rating out of 5), according to the King County Bar Association. And that's not an anomaly: He was ninth from the bottom of all 53 justices on the King County Superior Court in 2007. Those ratings alone aren't enough to disqualify Judge Washington, but they sure give us pause.
Washington claims disgruntled prosecutors, who oppose his leniency to young offenders in juvenile court, tanked his ratings. But we don't quite buy that reasoning. Another judge in the same juvenile court, Michael Trickey, got the highest rating for legal decision-making of all 53 judges on the bench and has been plenty fair to young offenders. Instead it seems that Judge Washington has simply ignored the law in too many cases and legitimately upset attorneys—especially prosecutors—who expect judges to play by the rules.
His challengers are all capable, but Sue Parisien is the best. She's an advocate for treatment programs and diversion, Governor Gregoire has praised her, and the Municipal League gives her a "very good" rating. So do we. Vote Parisien.
King County Proposition No. 1
Approve
This $208 million levy would pay to rebuild our decrepit youth jail and courthouse. Located in the Central District, the 60-year-old courthouse is more dangerous than an electric-eel fishery: Plumbing and electrical is shot, drinking water is brown, and the whole place smells like someone took a shit in their hands and then clapped. Unlike a 2010 attempt to replace the center, which failed as a proposed increased sales tax, this proposition is a more equitable property tax. The nine-year levy would cost $25–$30 per median homeowner annually (7 cents per $1,000 of assessed property), beginning in 2013.
Critics say we should be more progressive by abolishing jails altogether. But (a) that's fucking ludicrous, and (b) our juvenile justice system is a nationwide model that diverts youth offenders into treatment programs, so this jail will have dozens fewer beds than the old jail. Approve this motherfucker already.
City of Seattle Proposition No. 1
Yes
The Seattle Public Library has lost the equivalent of four branch libraries' worth of funding in five years, resulting in slashed hours, furloughs, and fewer new books. If there are any more cuts, board member Marie McCaffrey warns, "We would have to start closing branches." This seven-year levy would raise $17.3 million annually via a property tax of roughly $52 per household, which would be used to beef up collections by 14 percent, e-book content by 45 percent, and restore 6,551 library hours annually. Critics say the city could siphon away the money for other purposes, but that's tinfoil-hat fearmongering. We'll admit, levies like this are an awful way to fund needed services, but thanks to a Tim Eyman initiative that caps the city's taxation authority, we have no other choice. 
This article has been updated since its original publication.
Thanks a lot SECB!
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Spell check: not a replacement for an editorial team.
Mostly agree, although I'll be voting for Kshama Sawant in 43-1 in the primary. Also, I encourage people to take a look at Bill Finkbeiner for Lt. Gov.; yes, Republican, but has served on 4Culture, is endorsed by NARAL, and has some good ideas on reform. Also, he's not a total nutjob who spent his voter guide space ranting against fluoridation.
Plus, even while serving a serious, admirable, public-service purpose, you wielded your rapier-like wit to slash through the fog and completely cracked me up time and again.
I've just barely stopped laughing at the image of the "empty mothbag," and probably shouldn't even mention, "smells like ... and clapped."
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Also, a Seattle Mayor has been elected to statewide office once before. Arthur B. Langlie, a Republican elected Governor in 1940.
A nice little jab at Hobbs, perhaps?
Here's why. Congress today is *totally different* from the Washington State Legislature of the early '00s. Night and day different. Going from a state legislature to Congress is like going from a local school board to the state legislature. Skills that worked at a lower level do not necessarily translate to the higher levels, where the rules of the game are simply different. The politics are different too. While there was contentiousness between right and left, D and R, in early '00s Olympia, it is nothing like what the WA-01 winner will face in Congress right now. If you're not prepared for or familiar with the partisan wars on Capitol Hill, you will quickly become ineffective and unable to represent your district or move your agenda.
More importantly, Ruderman - or any of the other Dems aside from Burner - will have very little power or influence in Congress. All of the current Northwestern Democrats are backbenchers and that's all they will ever be, especially with Norm Dicks retiring. The Democratic caucus in the House is run from California, with Chicago, Florida, and the NYC area playing key support roles. Unless one is independently wealthy, which Ruderman is not, any Democrat from any other place in the country will find themselves without power or influence, sitting outside the power structure of the House Democratic Caucus with a limited ability to drive their agenda.
How does an NW Democrat get around that? You find another power base. That is what Darcy Burner did with her work with the Congressional Progressive Caucus. They have 76 members and Darcy Burner was their executive director, leading their work on a range of policy issues in the 2009-10 era. She is seen by 76 members of Congress as a leader and that in turn would give her the ability to actually implement the things she is telling people on the campaign trail she wants to do. None of the other Democrats will have that ability.
Finally, because of her work at the CPC, she understands how Congress actually works. She knows the process, the politics, the system. Ruderman doesn't and will have a much steeper learning curve since she will not have the pre-existing connections Burner does.
There are many factors on which we can judge the candidates in the 1st, many arguments that can be made as to why one candidate or another is the best pick. But if the criteria is legislative experience and effectiveness, then the only candidate that fits that bill is Darcy Burner. No other candidate brings the experience and the connections needed to be effective in the House.
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If you think selling things at market rates is giving it away, I've got a bridge I'd love to give you.
APPROVE PROP 1!
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www.jamesbauckmanforspi.wordpress.com.
Please review my experience, policies and philosophy of education. Not raising money via corporate donations does not make one any less of a serious candidate. I have been touring this state speaking with people about what I intend to do and have received huge support. I am running what I call a "Pay It Forward", no corporate money campaign. If you enjoy my ideas, think my policies would help children achieve their full potential and improve the educational system in the state, you then vote for me and convince 3 other people to do the same. Then convince them to also pay it forward in the same manner. 30 days, over 10 billion exchanges of that information. I will not sell out our children to the highest bidder and this is why I am not raising money. It appears to the establishment that I am not serious, but trust me, I am. I have received many endorsements, including the Whatcom County Democrats by a margin of 67% to 26% over Mr. Dorn. You can see the list on my website. Let's please not continue to marginalize candidates who are trying to reform politics by not accepting big money. We should actually be propping these people up as true reformers and leaders who are not willing to sell YOU all out for money. That is why you should vote for James Bauckman as Superintendent of Public Instruction. Please Pay It Forward. Thank you.
https://www.facebook.com/JamesBauckmanFo…
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www.jamesbauckmanforspi.wordpress.com.
Please review my experience, policies and philosophy of education. Not raising money via corporate donations does not make one any less of a serious candidate. I have been touring this state speaking with people about what I intend to do and have received huge support. I am running what I call a "Pay It Forward", no corporate money campaign. If you enjoy my ideas, think my policies would help children achieve their full potential and improve the educational system in the state, you then vote for me and convince 3 other people to do the same. Then convince them to also pay it forward in the same manner. 30 days, over 10 billion exchanges of that information. I will not sell out our children to the highest bidder and this is why I am not raising money. It appears to the establishment that I am not serious, but trust me, I am. I have received many endorsements, including the Whatcom County Democrats by a margin of 67% to 26% over Mr. Dorn. You can see the list on my website. Let's please not continue to marginalize candidates who are trying to reform politics by not accepting big money. We should actually be propping these people up as true reformers and leaders who are not willing to sell YOU all out for money. That is why you should vote for James Bauckman as Superintendent of Public Instruction. Please Pay It Forward. Thank you.
https://www.facebook.com/JamesBauckmanFo…
We absolutely must stop voting for the weak dems because the republican challenger is "scary". A generation of voting for the weak dems has begat us nothing but another generation of weak dems. At some point we have to stop being afraid of the republican, and vote our conscience; DO NOT support Inslee just because McKenna is scary. It's the only way we're going to get politicians on the dem ticket who actually support our progressive values.
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Finkbeiner is big on the 2/3rds majority for tax increases.
But if you're looking to send a message by running a referendum on do-nothing Democrats, three-term incumbent Jamie Pedersen is the last Democrat we'd pick."
The Stranger's comments on this race are contradictory. Pedersen voted for all the budget cuts, so he is one of those "safety-net-degrading Democrats" whose ass needs to be kicked.
Furthermore, Pedersen was only able to get gay marriage passed because of the hard work of activists within the LGBT rights movement, including Kshama Sawant and Socialist Alternative, that worked to change public opinion. He basically rode the wave of support that Socialist Alternative and countless other LGBT activists created. The movement should be credited for this tremendous victory, not 1 congressman from 1 district in WA.
Voters in the 43rd should vote for Kshama Sawant to show Pedersen that we know what really "gets things done" for the people (mass movements), and we want to elect someone who understands that and will help build and give voice to the movements necessary to change our district, state, country, and world for the better. The worst thing that can happen is Pedersen will get a wake up call that the 43rd will not stand for any more budget cuts, which, hopefully will persuade him to vote differently in the next legislative session.
"I'd rather vote for something I want and not get it, than vote for something I don't want, and get it." - Eugene Debs
www.VoteSawant.org
But if you're looking to send a message by running a referendum on do-nothing Democrats, three-term incumbent Jamie Pedersen is the last Democrat we'd pick."
The Stranger's comments on this race are contradictory. Pedersen voted for all the budget cuts, so he is one of those "safety-net-degrading Democrats" whose ass needs to be kicked.
Furthermore, Pedersen was only able to get gay marriage passed because of the hard work of activists within the LGBT rights movement, including Kshama Sawant and Socialist Alternative, that worked to change public opinion. He basically rode the wave of support that Socialist Alternative and countless other LGBT activists created. The movement should be credited for this tremendous victory, not 1 congressman from 1 district in WA.
Voters in the 43rd should vote for Kshama Sawant to show Pedersen that we know what really "gets things done" for the people (mass movements), and we want to elect someone who understands that and will help build and give voice to the movements necessary to change our district, state, country, and world for the better. The worst thing that can happen is Pedersen will get a wake up call that the 43rd will not stand for any more budget cuts, which, hopefully will persuade him to vote differently in the next legislative session.
"I'd rather vote for something I want and not get it, than vote for something I don't want, and get it." - Eugene Debs
www.VoteSawant.org
But if you're looking to send a message by running a referendum on do-nothing Democrats, three-term incumbent Jamie Pedersen is the last Democrat we'd pick."
The Stranger's comments on this race are contradictory. Pedersen voted for all the budget cuts, so he is one of those "safety-net-degrading Democrats" whose ass needs to be kicked.
Furthermore, Pedersen was only able to get gay marriage passed because of the hard work of activists within the LGBT rights movement, including Kshama Sawant and Socialist Alternative, that worked to change public opinion. He basically rode the wave of support that Socialist Alternative and countless other LGBT activists created. The movement should be credited for this tremendous victory, not 1 congressman from 1 district in WA.
Voters in the 43rd should vote for Kshama Sawant to show Pedersen that we know what really "gets things done" for the people (mass movements), and we want to elect someone who understands that and will help build and give voice to the movements necessary to change our district, state, country, and world for the better. The worst thing that can happen is Pedersen will get a wake up call that the 43rd will not stand for any more budget cuts, which, hopefully will persuade him to vote differently in the next legislative session.
"I'd rather vote for something I want and not get it, than vote for something I don't want, and get it." - Eugene Debs
www.VoteSawant.org
The Stranger editorial board states about me:
"One of her [Owens'] challengers, Scott Stafne, weakly insists, "I just think the supreme court needs a fresh voice." We disagree. Vote Owens."
The Stranger prefers Owens. it says, "because her ass is riddled with bedsores shaped like the state seal."
I think the Stranger's editors need to do some better critical thinking. I am the only gay person running for a seat on the Supreme Court. We have four women judges. Isn't there room for gay judge who has far better academic credentials than Owens?
I am also the only candidate in all the judicial raises who is challenging the judicary as failing Washington's citizens. I am the only candidate that is talking about real changes for the court system and our government in general.
The fact that I am gay makes me a fresh voice. The fact that I am talking about issues affecting the 99% also makes me a fresh voice.
I am sorry Susan Owens butt has distracted the Stranger's editorial views.
Maybe you guys should think with your heads and stop looking for one liners by which to categorize our world.
Best Regards,
Scott Stafne
Candidate for Supreme Court, Pos. 2.
PS: I think your readers would be better served by reading my webpage, www.stafneforjustice.com and my blog, scottstafne.com , when deciding who to vote for in this race.
Information below:
The County is planning to spend $210 MILLION to "rehabilitate" the youth jail on 12th and Alder. The plan includes building commercial spaces that will further gentrify the Central District.
We say stop spending money to lock up youth of color! Our communities need health care, housing, jobs, childcare, income, and gardens, not more police violence, courts and cages!
On July 26, join us for a day-long Festival of Resistance at the youth jail! Help spread the message:
VOTE NO on the levy to raise money for the new youth jail on AUGUST 7!
STOP INVESTING IN CAGING YOUTH!
Come hang out and meet your neighbors! There will be food, music, workshops, activities for kids and more! Rally at 6pm!!
More info on why we oppose Proposition No. 1: http://nonewyouthjail.wordpress.com/why-…
36
So, is having a vagina the only criteria that matters?
Wasn't the support from Hobbs (whose current district is entirely in the 1st CD) for gay marriage at least worth a mention in a review of why you want people to vote in a discussion on why you support Ruderman?
It isn't like Hobbs has been your enemy. At least include him in the discussion of why you should vote for Ruderman. Otherwise your recommendations look like the Vagina Monologs 2.0.
39
> "people who work so hard to provide services outside of the prison industrial complex"
What about the people who work inside the building to ensure that our youth don't ever come back? Probation counselors, Step-Up, ROYAL, ART, the community Diversion program, the Drug Court program...? I could go on.
What about the non-criminal matters that the current YSC deals with? Child advocacy in custody or abuse matters? Why should they have to discuss their personal business with attorneys in the lobby because there's no private space for them to go?
> "twice as many beds as there are juveniles currently incarcerated?"
The word is detained. Most are just in overnight, and none are serving an extended sentence. This is a courthouse and detention facility, not a prison.
The proposed building may have twice the beds as detainees, but the old one has thrice. So, I guess the new construction brings you 1/3 of the way to eliminating the detention facility entirely.
> "It certainly won't benefit them"
It won't change their situation, no. But it will be a cleaner facility with drinkable water, a proper HVAC system and other improvements.
> "white kids up north...got a call to their parents...these kids have to face the criminal punishment system"
Racial disparity is absolutely a real problem in the US criminal justice system. It's getting better here in King County, but there's a long way to go. In the end, it's a fix that needs to start at the community and police levels. If the cop gives you a warning, the prosecutors can't go forward with charges. And if the PAO recieves a case, they have to at least review it.
None of that will be impacted one way or the other by modernizing a 60-year-old building.
> "SCHOOLS NOT JAILS."
It's not an either-or. Go yell at the governor for the cuts-only budgets, and yell at the people for voting down school levys. I will support that movement 100%.
But the question isn't "fix the courthouse or fix the schools"--it's "fix the courthouse or...don't."
> "plan includes building commercial spaces"
No. The plan involves selling currently unused, valuable property to private developers in order to offset the taxpayer burden of the construction.
And since when did making an area less shitty suddenly become synonymous with gentrification. It's not like poor people live in shitty areas because they PREFER SHITTY!? As a current resident of the CD, I welcome more development. This isn't tearing down a ghetto to put in high-rises. It's about improving a community that deserves some improvement.
> "Our communities need health care, housing, jobs, childcare, income, and gardens"
I agree. How about you stop wasting your time fighting against improving the area, and start spending it on making the above things happen?
42
www.tomcramer.org
43
50
52
Sarajane and Gerry have worked for over 20 years in the interest of ALL of the people in the district (not to mention the City of Seattle, King County and the State of Washington), whatever their orientation or political preference. Maybe the Stranger recognizes that and endorses if them because of it.
@51: And, per usual, I will vote opposite you, because you and @21 are obviously totally clueless!
“Maybe if voters educated themselves a little more, we wouldn’t have such a regressive political system.”
A few pages prior, in The Stranger’s endorsement of Maria Cantwell for reelection to the Senate, they claim:
“She supported health care reform (even the beloved-by-liberals public option, after some foot-dragging).”
You mean Cantwell supported it by voting it down?????
The closest thing to the public option was Sen. Byron Dorgan’s amendment, which both Cantwell and Murray voted against!
Evidently, Constant is referring to The Stranger staff in his book review?
Also, from that Cantwell endorsement: “She dove deep into the weeds of the Wall Street meltdown and came back with smart proposals for regulating financial transactions.”
What complete bullcrap! She put on a bunch of dog-and-pony shows, wasting precious taxpayers’ time and funds, being derelict in her duties.
In one of those eye candy moments, Prof. Greenberger, formerly with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and who --- like Brooksley Born --- pushed for credit derivatives oversight, was questioned by Cantwell in her nonsensical fashion.
Greenberger tactfully rebuked Cantwell, pointing out to the dissembling senator that the US Senate had plenty of powers and rules still at its disposal to have reined in those financial transactions, but chose to do otherwise.
And please remember, Sen. Cantwell is a financial super-genius. After all, when she was voted out of office the first time, she spent only several years in the private sector, easily amassing a fortune as an incompetent Human Resources VP, then returning to politics as a multi-millionaire many times over! (Or would that have been considered a political payoff?)
Cantwell’s voting record has consistently been anti-American worker and pro-war.
Maybe if voters educated themselves a little more . . . . . .
When Stafne says that the court system is not working, he refers in part to selective judicial review of lower court practices in land use law that missed - either through inadequate statutory interpretation or unpublished opinion - mortgage fraud on a massive scale (cough cough WAMU).
The Supreme Court is the regulatory body of the judicial system. Oliver Wendell Holmes' shorthand: the legislative body looks to laws of the future while the judicial deals with laws (infringed upon) in the past.
The problem is that the common law lags behind the financial services industry by decades. Wall Street is nimble and over-financed. The Supreme Court is glacial, a self-enamored edifice preoccupied with it's own lofty status. It does not do trials. It does review of the appeals and lower courts, determining jurisdictional questions and reviewing conflicts not resolvable elsewhere. Marbury v Madison articulates the courts mandate to 'determine what the law is.' This is not legislation. It's written on the building.
Steven Gonzales says that he wants his judicial legacy to be rulings that are fearless and fair. This is what the people want - for white collar criminals who commit banking and securities fraud to be held as accountable for their crimes as any other criminal. And then for the crimes to cease.
The 'why' of how that doesn't happen might be the legion of lawyers working of behalf of banks and the paltry few who'd even agree to take a foreclosure case. The legal precedent created by lower court cases fails to come into existence if the proceedings go unpublished. Our courts reliance upon unpublished opinion to squelch foreclosure defense is a F*ING OUTRAGE.
Susan Owens is a wonderful justice. But while cheerleading the judiciary (running around the state promoting the law as a career in public schools) she missed out on the chance to file against WAMU.
Who employs the courts, the people, or the corporations? If you say corporations, then vote for Susan Owens. Stafne is for the people.
His sexual orientation has nothing to do with the economics of it. I just think it's kind of odd how selectively The Stranger plays the sexuality card. No openly gay man has ever run for this elected position. History or not, you decide.
The Supreme Court is the regulatory body of the judicial system. Oliver Wendell Holmes' shorthand: the legislative body looks to laws of the future while the judicial deals with laws (infringed upon) in the past.
The problem is that the common law lags behind the financial services industry by decades. Wall Street is nimble and over-financed. The Supreme Court is glacial, a self-enamored edifice preoccupied with it's own lofty status. It does not do trials. It does review of the appeals and lower courts, determining jurisdictional questions and reviewing conflicts not resolvable elsewhere. Marbury v Madison articulates the courts mandate to 'determine what the law is.' This is not legislation. It's written on the building.
Steven Gonzales says that he wants his judicial legacy to be rulings that are fearless and fair. This is what the people want - for white collar criminals who commit banking and securities fraud to be held as accountable for their crimes as any other criminal. And then for the crimes to cease.
The 'why' of how that doesn't happen might be the legion of lawyers working of behalf of banks vs the paltry few who'd even agree to take a foreclosure case. The legal precedent created by lower court cases fails to come into existence if the proceedings go unpublished. Our courts reliance upon unpublished opinion to squelch foreclosure defense is a F*ING OUTRAGE.
Susan Owens is a wonderful justice. But while cheerleading the judiciary (running around the state promoting the law as a career in public schools) she missed out on the chance to file against WAMU.
Who employs the courts, the people, or the corporations? If you say corporations, then vote for Susan Owens. Stafne is for the people.
His sexual orientation has nothing to do with the economics of it. I just think it's kind of odd how selectively The Stranger plays the sexuality card. No openly gay man has ever run for this elected position. History or not, you decide.
61
But, you want to have a conversation, so let's rewind to your points in 55. Yes, I have ties to the juvenile system. I work in it, and have for 6 years. I have daily conversations with the very attorneys and probation counselors you brag about meeting, as well as support staff, security and facilities people. You say that you understand what this entails, but you don't say that any of the judges, JPCS and attorneys you spoke with OPPOSE the reconstruction of the building. Because there's pretty much universal support for the project within the building.
I spent 4.5 years with the community diversion program--a program that removes more than half of the criminal referrals that come into the courthouse *before* they are ever charged in court. Our kids met with community volunteers, were assigned consequences, and if they complied with the terms of their agreements, they were never charged. No criminal record.
During my time there, I wrote an analysis report on racial bias in the diversion program, and we used the data I had collected to address those issues, in particular non-English-speaking families not understanding our letter, and the difficulty of locating and communicating with transient families. During my time there, we had increased participation rates year over year as a direct result of my work.
So, assuming my bona fides meet with your approval, and you can stop talking down to me, perhaps you'd like to actually address the points I brought up.
I stand by my statement that no youth are serving extended sentences in our facility. Sometimes kids end up here for quite a while as resolving a criminal case (or more often several) drags on and on. Also, understand that "a few months" is not an extended sentence.
> "children don't deserve or need to be put in prison."
Yeah. Sometimes they do. Sometimes a 15-year-old rapes his 6-year-old cousin. Sometimes a 12-year-old is picked up for the 6th time for giving his caregiver grandmother a black eye. And sometimes drug addics and prostitutes need intervention services that this facility provides that don't involve "prison."
The system is far from perfect. There is no question about that. But there should also be no question about the fact that our youth, their families, and the employees who spend every day trying to help them, deserve better than this facility.
@52 is absolutely accurate on all counts here. I attend regularly, and I have no doubt those 46th ld Dems meetings average 200 people over the course of the year.
Congratulations to Gerry and Sarajane!
I'm one of those 1,000 46th District members and I think the endorsement process is a joke. The 46th District endorsement isn't about who is more qualified but simply rewards those who have "paid their dues" to the party - which, by the way, isn't the same thing as serving your community.
It's less about rewarding than supporting people we have come to know and respect. Being active in the party hasn't been an automatic ticket to endorsement.
In the case of Sarajane and Gerry, no one can dispute that they have been hard at work in the community as well.
69
McKenna is clearly superior in all ways to Inslee.
Other than that, uh. Nothing.
It is strange to see a publication who claims to champion the cause of oppressed people, turn right around and disregard blatant oppression against others as if those people don't matter. I don't get it.
I am voting for Tim Wilson ("Peace and Prosperity instead of War and Austerity! www.TimWilsonforSenate.org) because there is no reason why we can't have ALL the good things we want. A democrat like Maria Cantwell (and Patty Murray!) who shits on our civil liberties the way she did by voting for the NDAA, IS SHIT!
76
Why does such a liberal, left leaning publication like the Stranger not even mention the candidate with the best and most ideas, that happen to appease both the far left and tea party alike on many of them?
I sure hope you aren't bought out like most of the media.
People, please check out his ideas at http://www.darshanforcongress.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/darshan.rauniyar
Did you actualy get to speak with him in person?
He's not been able to actually work as a judge for about seven months, and still doesn't appear to be able to physically make endorsement interviews.
But hey, ability to actually carry out the functin of an office is apparently not a concern of the SECB! That would also explain the endorsement for the Paranoia Party candidate for LtGov.
I asked him what he thought of the Senate rules on cloture.
He asked me what that was.
Sorry, Tim, but next time I advise you to know something about the position you're running for.
82
First, you declare that "In fact, your primary ballot is packed with assholes."
Example:
"Smith's Republican opponent Jim Postma told us that he'd 'never seen a tax cut I didn't like.' And then he admitted that he had 'worked on the government dole almost my entire life.' Total asshole. Vote for Smith."
In a political environment trolled by many people of highly-questionable judgment, dubious (at best) psychological stability, and possible inclination to take armed action against political figures, you dumb fucks publish something so incredibly ill-advised and incendiary as:
"And remember: Vote or we'll kill you, assholes."
All for a cheap laugh. Was it worth the pointless risk?
What a bunch of assholes.
"I got the chance to sit and speak with Tim Wilson.
I asked him what he thought of the Senate rules on cloture.
He asked me what that was.
Sorry, Tim, but next time I advise you to know something about the position you're running for."
I've asked politicians questions that they had no answer for or didn't have a clue as to what I was talking about. I bet there are issues that each person running for office has at least one thing that they aren't familiar with.
Have you checked out http://timwilsonforsenate.org/
?
Because what he does know is pretty impressive!
Here's a short List of things he supports.~
Wall Street reform; cutting spending on endless wars; a woman's choice to do what she feels is right for her own body (if it's a sin in your eyes, let God judge that. We are not the judge!); Fair Trade (not free trade that ships jobs overseas); Protecting our First Amendment rights; Ending Citizens United (if corporations are people, then should they also be put to death when they kill or should they have the right to marry? What if they are two male corporations? LOL!);
There's more just check it out!
I didn't know a thing about him until our ballot came in the mail, so we've been doing our research and he is by far the best candidate. He may not have the experience or money that Cantwell has, but maybe it's time to stop voting for career polititans. You would think that after all that time in office they would start doing the right thing.
Thanks Stranger, for not even a peep about this impressive candidate.
When we saw union members in Wisconsin, prior to their recall election debacle, cheer Bill Clinton, the former governor of Arkansas, who did to that state what Gov. Walker is doing to Wisconsin, we saw revisionism in its purest form!
Just as so much fictitious revisionism has spewed forth after the murders of President Kennedy, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Sen. Bobby Kennedy, so does positive revisionism spew forth on those who wage economic warfare against us.
We believe President Kennedy was the first president to both broke diplomatic relations and halt foreign aid to a country where a democratically-elected government was overthrown in a military junta. (Compare that against the Obama Administration’s financing of the coup of the democratically-elected President Zelaya of Honduras.)
There were many brave and progressive “firsts” from the Kennedy administration, yet few are aware of them today; fewer still recall that Kennedy announced the withdrawal of 1,000 Marines from Vietnam by the end of 1963, with the remaining US military to be withdrawn sometime before or by the end of 1964.
Instead, we have Exhibit A: Bill (and Hillary) Clinton --- that fellow who did so much to lay the groundwork for the coming global meltdown brought about by massive financial fraud (continued on by the legislation of the Bush administration, naturally).
Many claim that Clinton was responsible for the surging stock market during his administrations, but lest we forget, his program was based on the bond market, which performed poorly to mediocre in comparison to the stock market back then.
It was Clinton who signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, allowing for the final consolidation of by the corporate media and the recombining of AT&T (to lead the attack on network neutrality).
It was Clinton who signed the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, permitting the final dissolution of Glass-Steagall.
It was Clinton who signed the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, denying oversight of credit derivatives and their underlying securitizations, as well as promoting insurance fraud with credit default swaps (naked swaps).
It was Clinton who appointed an array of suspicious and anti-democratic types: such as Warren Christopher (as his secretary of state) who was once the deputy attorney general involved with the FBI’s COINTELPRO operation (we think he may have also been the liaison between that program and the Army’s illegal domestic surveillance program also).
It was Clinton who appointed David Rockefeller’s man and protégé, Peter G. Peterson, to his commission to “… end welfare as we know it.”
Not surprisingly, shortly before exiting the White House, Clinton signed the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001, containing Section 308, which grants complete immunity and legal exemption from the US Constitution to intelligence personnel.
Now why do so few recall what Clinton actually did, yet believe the fiction surrounding John F. Kennedy and his administration?
Sources:
Battling Wall Street: The Kennedy presidency, by Donald Gibson
Thy Will Be Done, by Gerard Colby with Charlotte Dennett
Into the Buzzsaw, edited by Kristina Borjesson
John Kenneth Galbraith, by Richard Parker
Congressional Record, years 1992 – 2000
Just another day at the office for those savage wits at The Stranger.
Can't take a joke? Move to Aurora, Colorado, duche stupid credulous dickwad asshole etc.
Fairly major piece--for a 13-year-old.
Rap 2 yr posse, laff 2 yr own jokes...'n influence zero "straight" people who might wander onto yr website, er pick up yr paper, lookin fer some left-o-center advice.
The person possessed of positive information, but who fails to effectively share it with mature and thoughtful others, is living in a wrong and autistic world.
Laff that. N take yer Deal and shove it.
Other than your pea brian, uh, nothing.
93
Bergquist has always had the same name (unlike one of his opponents). Bergquist has NOT been convicted of United States Labor Law violations (unlike one of his opponenets). Bergquist has not been denied to participate in the H1M immigration program (unlike one of his opponents)
Bergquist is a high school teacher, coach and small business owner. He has spent hundreds of hours working with Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army to help members of our community.
Oh yes, Bergquist also did not just move to the area 5 years ago (unlike one of his opponents).
I have already cast my ballot FOR Steve Bergquist. ... Now I do hope that the stranger goes the way of publicola....out of business
O'Donnell is the real deal: comitted to public service, bi-partisan support; demonstrated success on tough issues and cases; enthusiastic and idealistic with the depth of experience we need. Sean could continue to prosecute significant cases for a number of years, but the time is right for Sean to make this next step, The prosecutor's loss will be the bench's gain.
Not so with two contenders in other superior court races who are currently employed by the King County Prosecutor: 1. Roger Davidheiser's write-up in the voter's pamphlet inflates his actual experience and contributions to his office and to justice. Voters should view appellate cases to find instances of prosecutorial misconduct that demonstrate Davidheiser's poor Judgment. They also may want to take a long hard look at the miminal contributions he has made to the prosecutor's office over the years: "just what does Roger do?" has been a question that arises often throughout his career. In recent years, it has seemed the office just did not know where to put him or what to do with him, and this was not short-sightedness on the part of the office. Now, as he keeps running into dead ends in the office, he's decided he might as well run for judge. Not a real ringing endorsement for his abilities on the bench.
2. Latecomer Gary Ernsdorff is also a Senior Prosecutor who has worn out his usefulness in the office and is having a hard time finding that "special" job that might be created for him. When it all becomes too stressful to see what the prosecutor's office will do to you now that you've been demoted from your job as felony trial supervisor, then just chuck it all and run for judge. But just how good of a judge would you be when you as a prosecutor lack the trial skills to convict a police officer who was on video engaging in improper assaultive behavior by repeatedly assaulting an obnoxious teenage girl in a holding cell. Though Gary's career as it was was focused more on administration and advising other deputies, his advice often missed the mark and demonstrated his lack of depth and experience. Senior trial attorneys within the office did not respect his abilities to try cases or to manage the deputies he was charged to supervise.
O'Donnell - YES
Davidheiser -- No
Ernsdorff -- N0
Http://AngryRobotCoffee.com
"Imprisonment has become the first resort to far too many of our social problems." --Angela Davis
I can't take your recommendations seriously, if you don't take the people on your election board seriously.
102
"I have always been... east coaster"
Yes, east coaster, I clearly understand that the Stranger trades greatly on parody, humor, sarcasm, and the like. MY point is that many dumbfucks (including yourself, apparently) are not inclined to consider the danger, and the historic consequences, of those who are unable to differentiate between "humor" and incitable admonitions. Are there no libraries, newspapers, magazines, TV news programs, NPR, or Internet connections in your part of the "east coast"? We certainly have those media amenities in the Boston area. But thanks to you, for contributing to the stereotype of ignorant New England folk. Really, that's just wicked great.
What a yutz.
103
Thank you for endorsing me as candidate for Lieutenant Governor. I stress progressive values. See www.JamesRobertDeal.org.
On the other hand, your dismissal of so-called fluoridation as a “batshit” issue shows you did not read the detailed information I provided you. See: www.fluoride-class-action.com/hempfest-2…. This elixer added to our water is not naturally occurring calcium fluoride. It is industrial grade fluorosilicic acid, straight out of the wet scrubbers in the smokestacks of the phosphate fertilizer industry in Florida, Mexico, and China. It contains hydrogen fluoride, one of the most toxic and penetrating of all substances. It contains lead, and arsenic and leaches lead out of pipes. It is filth masquerading as medicine for our teeth. It is medication forced on everyone without our informed consent.
Fetuses and infants are most sensitive because their cells are still dividing. Others who are highly sensitive are diabetics, arthritics, and those with kidney and thyroid disease and chemical sensitivities. So-called fluoridation makes a lot of people a little sick and a few people very sick.
Fluoride, lead, and arsenic accumulate lifetime, and the body has a hard time excreting them. These toxins can shorten our lives and make our old age a demented experience. Everett wastes $300,000 per year on this vice. See www.Fluoride-Class-Action.com/Sham.
The Stranger shows great sensitivity to other minorities. It should show sensitivity to those who are harmed by this fraud – some of us right away, all of us eventually.
James@JamesRobertDeal.org
In my opinion she is a closet republican with an ax to grind.
Any suggestions or should I just write Goldy in?
In the voters guide. It talks about her successful law practice. Please give me an idea of success because she seems to be everywhere but at the office.
At least Ms Berns is letting the people decide on her and not getting appointed by politicians like Norm Rice who originally gave us Jean Reitschel, probably for no other reason than getting the LGBT vote.
Then there is Mary Yu who is rumored to have gotten her job because Gary Locke wanted a person who he could call on form court favors.
So I say we have enough ball busting lesbians on the courts.
Vote against Berns
Why? Isn't Steve Pool available?
http://www.spokesman.com/elections/2010/…
We obviously need a modern-day Robin Hood. There are waaaaaaaaaay
too many "Sherriffs of Nottingham" paying off lawyers and lobbyists!
Scary is the morons and illegals that have voted
in our democratic senators and govenor who give
your US social security and entitlements to illegal immigrants......thats what is really
scary.....stupid voters. However the DOJ is removing all the illegal voters. The Dems can no longer trade US tax payers dollars for votes.
sam reed legacy will be corrupt elections and
fraudulent illegal voters.
Yeah I know the dems love sam. No wonder
There are eight people running for United States Senator in this race. Couldnt' The Stranger have published profiles on each one of them?!
Football builds up strength and endurance in every part of your body. It increases your cardiovasular muscles and deacreases your resting heart rate. You also become more balnced by learning diffrent technices and increases the dexterity in your big stinky feet. compare and contrast essay format
People like this make me sick. I just moved to Washington, even suggesting this character named Inslee has a remote clue about how to be a reasonable leader is a joke.
What's ever worse is there isn't but maybe one person in all of the ad's I have seen who didn't wreak of corruption and career politician filth.
I swear the US is going down and as it moves along this disastrous path it seem to be accelerating the speed at which it implodes.
Also by Stranger Election Control Board
All The Other Shit
Ballot Measures, State Races, and There’s a New Sheriff in Town
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The Biggest Winners and Losers
Who Really Kicked Ass and Who Really Got Their Ass Kicked
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