Republican split in the 18th over Herrera's appointment?

Jaime Herrera, our newest state representative, seems like a nice enough person, with a voice that cracks:

"Every step I have taken since high school has been preparing me for this," she said at Thursday's hearing, her voice cracking slightly. "There is not a job in the world I would rather have."

And limited life experience:

"I have a lot to learn in life as in the legislative process," Herrera said. "But I believe I am as well-prepared as anyone I know."

With limited local policy knowledge:

Several times during Thursday's interview, Herrera confessed ignorance of various issues, saying for example that she hadn't known that Cowlitz County is not subject to the state's Growth Management Act.

Who has some typical Republican policy positions:

She told commissioners that she opposes almost all abortion rights, that she preferred a 60-percent supermajority rule for school levies and would have opposed last year's law extending legal partnerships to some same-sex couples.

"Almost all" might not be good enough for the Clark County Taliban, ie. Life-Pac. And then we find out about some hurt feelings within the local Republican party:

Rivers said Thursday evening she hadn't ruled out running for Herrera's seat when Curtis' term expires in 2008.

That would be choice, as an 18th LD primary on the Republican side probably hasn't happened since uh, I don't know when, if ever. And there's this from local Republican gadfly Kelly Hinton, former WSRP executive director during Don Benton's tenure:

Kelly Hinton, 52, a Hockinson Republican, said he'd driven up to Kelso to oppose Herrera. He said she didn't seem to know much about local issues.

"She doesn't have an apartment," he said. "She doesn't have a house. What she has is a voter registration card."

That's so nice of Hinton, a 17th LD resident, to come into MY district and give his opinion. But I'm glad he did, as it opens the curtains up a bit on the dissension within the local ranks of the Republican party, and that Herrera's pick has a certain veneer of being imposed from above.

The fact remains though that Herrera is a very strong candidate for the Republicans, and I'm sure she has higher aspirations. She was parachuted into Clark County to shore up the defenses, as the GOP can ill afford to lose Clark County with an upcoming competitive gubernatorial race. Dino Rossi did very well here in '04, and as long as the GOP brand is given a makeover in time for '08, is poised to do just as well.

The Centralia Faction has essentially run the tables in Clark County, with the glaring exception of Jim Dunn, who remains the last fly in the ointment in the makeover process.

Correction: I'm informed that Hinton does indeed live in the 18th. Sorry for the incorrect info. So I guess that lends further credence to some pretty upset folks in the 18th regarding the appointment.

Shorter Herrington: We will bury you, Jim Dunn

Hoo boy, Herrington's column this morning is essentially a threat-by-proxy from House Republican leader Richard DeBolt (R-Centralia Faction):

Dunn appears to be threatening that this whole thing could end up in court, with a parade of his witnesses blowing the whistle on politically incorrect behavior by Republican politicians.

Forgetaboutit!

[...]

Second, if this nasty business should devolve into Dunn "exposing" politically incorrect behavior of politicians, he better be prepared to spend more time on the defensive than the offensive. Republican legislators and Olympia staffers, past and present, have plenty to tell.

Sheesh, Gregg, why don't you just go mix the concrete for Dunn's galoshes? And uh, Gregg, it's "fuhgeddaboutit" for that Sopranos style patois. And DeBolt has already issued threats to Dunn earlier:

Nov. 9, Newman to DeBolt: "I understand that you suggested that if Jim quietly resigned, his wife need not know why. I assume you know that Jim apologized shortly after making the comment and has since publicly apologized.

Fight Jim, Fight! Herrington may have the old traditional media of ink and paper, but you have the blogs to watch your back!

Postman nails it

David Postman just nails it in this interaction with former-Governor Chris Gregoire:

Gregoire: And my message to him is if he'd like to participate in the legislative process, run for office.

PoP: But why? It seems like he's doing pretty well without having to be governor or run for the Legislature. He passes an initiative, the court throws it out as unconstitutional and the Legislature rushes to put it into law. They did it with 695, too.

Gregoire ran an absolutely pathetic race down in Clark County in 2004, and I just don't see her doing any better in '08. The builders will come out in force for Rossi, and there's nothing to countervail that on the Democratic side in Clark County now that she's kicked the base in the shins.

Attending a local Democratic party meeting, one is sure to hear something in opposition to Governor Tim Eyman. Now that the putative head of the state Democrats has just caved in to Timmy Boy, there's repercussions for doing that. And passing the tax deferral piece isn't real reform, not compared to a homestead exemption for seniors.

Democrats have become the masters of having to have long explanations for their policy positions. Does anyone truly think you could campaign on the tax deferral legislation as a net positive?

It's Herrera after all

Vote was 4 votes for Jaime Herrera, 1 for Scott Higgins, and 1 for Ann Rivers.

More details to follow as they become known.

Update: Jeff Mize has some more information:

Clark and Cowlitz county commissioners, meeting for most of Thursday in Kelso, interviewed three finalists before four commissioners voted to appoint Herrera. She was immediately sworn into office by the Cowlitz County auditor.
[...]
“I have a lot to learn in life and in the legislative process,” Herrera said following her selection. “But I am as prepared as anyone I know.”
[...]
Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart cast the lone vote for Higgins, while Cowlitz County Commissioner Kathleen Johnson backed Rivers. Shortly after her selection, Herrera headed north to Olympia where lawmakers are meeting in special session.

My inclination on Kathleen Johnson backing Rivers turned out to be correct. My hunch is that the executive sessions ran for so long as there must've been some sort of deadlock at a certain point.

Shorter Frank Chopp: The dog ate my homework

I hadn't used this excuse in ages:

A theme in the run-up to today's special session has been the Democratic left's unhappiness with the by the governor and Democratic legislative leaders shown for a Tim Eyman-crafted tax cap. At least it's been a theme here, so House Speaker Frank Chopp said he wasn't surprised when I asked him about it at a press conference this morning. He said he'd would vote proudly for the tax cap. And he is prepared to answer criticism from the progressive wing of his party.

"Now if you want a long list of all the progressive things we've done in the Legislature with our strong majorities and a great governor, I'd be more than happy to give it to you. I actually typed it. It's over 50 things that are very progressive, very positive for public schools, for health care - particularly for children -- job development, for higher education, for transportation. I can go on and on."

He said later that he compiled the list himself. Unfortunately it's on his home computer and he didn't have a copy here today.

Why is this buried on your home computer and not living on the House Dem's web site for all the world to see? Rather, the communications strategy is for the speaker to claim that he typed something up that only lives on his computer at home, like it's some big secret.

Could someone within the HDCC buy Frank a laptop so he'd have this stuff handy at the legislative session? Or perhaps get him a copy of Google Docs so he can save it and access it anywhere on the tubes of the internet? And we wonder why state Republicans are flying circles around us with their micro-minority?

What the f*@#% is the matter with these people?

Where's my new legislator?

What happened to this scenario:

Then, a fast drive to Olympia, where the new legislator will be introduced on the House floor and, barring a challenge, be seated among 97 fellow representatives and allowed to vote on two momentous measures in the first special session of the Legislature since 2001.

"It's our assumption that that is exactly what will happen," said Allen Hayward, senior legislative counsel for the House Republican Caucus. It's doable, he insisted: "We do not anticipate taking votes in the House of Representatives before 1 p.m."

Problem is, the vote for HR 2416, aka the Tim Eyman Rules Our World bill, has already been taken, and we still don't know who are new state representative is. So essentially, Mr. Hayward was just blowing smoke up on our collective asses.

You would think that in a representative democracy they could get this stuff straight. Alternatively, don't set the expectation that the new legislator will be available for the vote.

Further, why even have Governor Gregoire? Just go directly to the source, Governor Tim Eyman. She's not going to provide any leadership anyway, so just cut out the middle-woman, so to speak.

For those who went out and chased unsigned absentee ballots in the rain and the cold during the razor-thin election win of 2004, must be feeling like chumps now. Those Democratic partisan foot soldiers, the base of the base, didn't bargain for a governor who will do the Tim Eyman's work for him.

We elect our representatives to look at the issues carefully and with due consideration. By allowing only two minutes for public testimony during today's committee hearings, a lot of information was simply not heard. This is a travesty of the political process, and kudos are in order to the handful of Democrats who voted against HR 2416. There are moments to go along with your caucus, but this wasn't one of those times.

By using Republican frames for the debate, the Democrats have lost the initiative when it comes to establishing state spending priorities. Republicans will continue to hammer hard on requesting more tax cuts in a declining economy, claiming that only tax cuts will cushion the upcoming blows. Democrats, since they stand for nothing, are merely there to go along with the program.

The result is local governments will have a lot less flexibility in surviving the economic downturn. Is anyone asking what this potentially does to municipal bond ratings? Can we hear from some green eye shade folks before embarking on this disaster? Is it too much to ask this spineless Democratic caucus to at least have a sunset provision so that the facts can be gathered?

Update: This is infuriating:

Rep. Christopher Hurst is the sponsor of the bill. He's up urging members to vote yes, saying that his constituents worry about losing their homes, and echoing Gov. Chris Gregoire, in saying people see home ownership as the foundation of the American dream.

"This bill helps protect that dream and i think that's why we're here today," Hurst said.

Yah, like making sure my local fire district has enough resources to protect my house from burning down isn't supporting the American dream. Chumps.

Jim Dunn needs our help

I don't want to have to see Jim Dunn thumbing a ride up to Olympia for tomorrow's Tim Eyman Rules Our World legislative session, so please give generously via PayPal to JimDunnNeedsGasMoney@gmail.com.

Those bastards in the Centralia Faction of our party are withholding per diem from this outstanding public servant, who only wants to exercise his right to free speech. We will not be pushed around by this Quisling-led faction that seeks to destroy our rights to say what we want at after work functions. This Native American patriot deserves our fullest support at this time.

Again, I don't want to see our beloved Jim Dunn out on the streets of Vancouver, or the on-ramps of I-205 trying to thumb a ride. Have you no decency left, Centralia Faction?

Jim Dunn: Fighting for Free Speech!

Jim Dunn is sticking it to the man:

An attorney for state Rep. Jim Dunn, R-Vancouver, says the lawmaker's inappropriate comment to a female legislative staffer was constitutionally protected speech. And the punishment handed down by fellow Republicans, he argues, is discrimination against Dunn because of his race and age.

You can read the details here of the ham-handed, barroom, come-on that Dunn says was a failed attempt at humor. Dunn has apologized for the comments. But he's fighting back against the loss of some of his pay and all of his committee assignments, as ordered by House Minority Leader Richard Debolt, R-Chehalis.

Dunn will lose per diem payments because of lost committee assignments. His attorney, Shawn Newman, says in a letter sent to the House counsel today that "a member's compensation can only be suspended if he or she is convicted and sentenced for a felony."

Jim Dunn was harassing someone outside of the workplace, so its protected speech:

The undisputed facts are that the isolated comment was not made in a "workplace" but in a bar after dinner to someone who does not report to or work for my client. Despite inferences to the contrary, there was nothing illegal about his sarcastic comment. What is illegal is the retaliation against my client for exercising his free speech rights.

Jim Dunn is a victim of discrimination:

Let me be perfectly clear. My client, who is both a Native American and over 40, has been the victim of disparate treatment based on what you confirm as a "single situation" while other House members who have engaged in illegal and/or unprofessional conduct have not been similarly treated.

Jim Dunn will keep fighting the devious Centralia Faction of the Republican party:

Dunn will keep fighting, though. Newman said in his letter that he is appealing Dunn's punishment to the Executive Rules Committee. He asked for a hearing within 10 days.

Jim Dunn, in the hallowed tradition of Mario Savio, is placing his body on the gears of the machine. Fight the power, Jim!

Reading the tea leaves

There's some fascinating cross currents in yesterday's Columbian report on tomorrow's selection of the new 18th Legislative District appointment:

GOP precinct officers from the two counties met Nov. 18 and narrowed the field of 11 candidates to three. In order of preference, they are Jaime Herrera of Ridgefield, a congressional aide to U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Colville; Scott Higgins of Camas, a member of the Camas City Council; and Ann Rivers, a La Center political consultant.

All three have spent the past week promoting their candidacies to an electorate of six.

Cowlitz County commissioners decided not to hold meetings with individual candidates in advance of the Nov. 29 session.

"We have been getting calls from all over the state," said Cowlitz County Commission Chairwoman Kathleen A. Johnson. "There are obviously political pundits who would like to see one candidate selected over another. We have asked them to give us the opportunity to interview the candidates. We would like to have our opinions unsullied."

Clark County commissioners have taken a different approach.

"I've heard from all of them," said Commission Chairman Steve Stuart. "We have received written materials from each one of the candidates and phone calls from their supporters. For them, this is a series of campaigns."

Stuart said that when he was nominated to fill a vacancy on the county commission, he found it valuable to meet with the two incumbents to learn more about the job.

"So I have had those conversations with Jaime Herrera and Scott Higgins already," he said.

Johnson, a first-term commissioner, is a veteran of two legislative appointment processes in the 19th District already. The 18th District is "a little difficult for Cowlitz County," she said, because it's dominated by Clark County candidates who don't necessarily understand the problems facing the county to the north, including inadequate rail capacity and methamphetamine trafficking through the county's ports.

"We don't know these people," Johnson said. "They've never checked in with us as a government."

Apparently, and this is completely through the grapevine, the central labor council (the exact "central labor council" organization is unknown) is lobbying hard for Ann Rivers, which is an exciting choice on many levels. My Machiavellian-3000 Political Detector rates this as a move of genius proportions, since a Rivers appointment would see the Cowlitz Tribe go absolutely insane, pulling out all the stops in defeating the lobbyist for the Grand Ronde tribal casino interest. My understanding, which may be outdated, was that labor was for the Cowlitz Casino project with its prospect for hundreds of construction jobs.

The true wild card here is the Cowlitz county commissioners, who tend to take labor considerations into account more so than their Clark county counterparts. And at least one Cowlitz commissioner is essentially on record saying that she has an open mind about all three candidates, with the undercurrent being that Ann Rivers would have a better understanding of Cowlitz county issues than the other contenders for the job.

From the outset, I had written that this was a Clark county decision, but the Cowlitz commissioners may have different thoughts on the matter when it comes to the Jaime Herrera Coronation Tour.

Finally, if you read through the lines of Steve Stuart's quote, you'll notice that he hasn't talked with Ann Rivers, and that's no surprise given the levels of animosity developed during the 2005 Stuart v. Mielke title bout.

Dennis Bassford approves this message

There's exciting business opportunities in Clark County for pay day loan lenders, and the Predatory Lending Association is here to help.

And there's opportunities for state legislators as well, in both parties, to receive campaign contributions (here's looking at you, Frank Chopp and Margarita Prentice). There's no need to impose a 36% interest rate cap on payday loans, as that underestimates the financial literacy of the working poor.

My local sushi joint will soon have a payday lender next door. So I can get my my cash fast and enjoy my sushi, all at a 400 bazillion percent interest rate that would make Tony Soprano proud. Alternatively, I can get quick cash next door to my dry cleaner. What convenience!

Starbucks claims to want to make their retail locations no more than five minutes away from any potential customer. The way Clarktucky is headed, payday loan lenders will have the same market coverage:


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A real editorial

Here's how a real editorial board discusses reality, rather than cover for Republican malfeasance:

The reputation of House Republicans is severely tarnished as they prepare for the 2008 legislative session in Olympia. Republicans, who are already on the short end of a 62-36 minority in the state House of Representatives have been rocked by separate scandals involving two of their colleagues.

One problem, Rep. Richard Curtis, R-La Center, has gone away. He resigned his House seat in the midst of an embarrassing sex scandal in Spokane.

The other embarrassment, Rep. Jim Dunn, R-Vancouver, has stubbornly refused to resign despite the fact that he has been stripped of his committee assignments and his travel expenses have been taken away after an unprofessional comment made to a legislative staff member.

Dunn should do the honorable thing and resign.

The fact that both Republican lawmakers hail from Clark County should speak volumes about how The Columbian has covered up and excused their behavior for years. Admittedly, no one really knew the full story on Curtis, but to then label his actions as a "tryst" is journalistic malpractice. In the case of Jim Dunn, his notoriety of shameful behavior has been known about for years, but The Columbian sat on that story.

The Columbian should catch a clue and learn a thing or two from The Olympian's editorial writers, but don't hold your breath.

Globalization happens

Josh Marshall and I have been wondering the same thing: where do those manhole covers that dot the streets of urban America that say "Made In India" come from?

One day this year, while I was walking down 6th avenue, I noticed that the manholes said Made In India on them. I remember thinking that you really must have gotten to the point where transport costs are close to negligible when the cost of shipping an incredibly heavy manhole cover from India to New York City doesn't put a dent in the cheaper costs of production. Now a stringer photographer for the Times went to location ('factory' seems a questionable word choice) where they're made.

Workers going around barefoot and shirtless playing with molten steel, nice. Con Ed, for its part, says:

“We were disturbed by the photos,” said Michael S. Clendenin, director of media relations with Con Edison. “We take worker safety very seriously,” he said.

Far be it for Con Ed itself to actually tour the factory or check up on things, it takes the resources of the New York Times to track all this down. And the Indian manufacturer has a choice quote:

“We can’t maintain the luxury of Europe and the United States, with all the boots and all that,” said Sunil Modi, director of Shakti Industries. He said, however, that the foundry never had accidents. He was concerned about the attention, afraid that contracts would be pulled and jobs lost.

Sometimes I wonder if the progressive blogosphere spends way too much time discussing Republican sex scandals and not paying enough attention to issues of economic or environmental justice. It's just fine for those who rule to offshore jobs to countries that don't have labor or environmental regulations. It's also fine for our very own state government to offshore information technology projects to India as well.

Steelworkers and information technology workers should like get together and have coffee some time. Unfortunately, the state of discourse in our country between high tech workers and union folks goes something like this:

Union member: Unions built the middle class in this country, and it's important to have a level playing field globally to maintain that middle class.

High Tech Worker: Jimmy Hoffa! Mob ties!

The typical information technology worker was paid well during the boom times, and companies ensured this to keep unions out. Organized labor, to its discredit, didn't see the explosion coming back in the 80's with information technology, and made few moves into the industry.

Whether man hole covers or computer programming, its all part of the same continuum. It's time to back a presidential candidate that will work for a level playing field globally. And if you're a high tech worker, it's time to join a labor union, even as an affiliate member, if you're concerned with worker rights here and abroad.

We could even form our own bowling league, it'd be hoot.

Giving Thanks

Yada yada, light posting and all that. The truth is, I'll be too stuffed and in a "turkey coma" to even get off the couch to post.

So a big thank you to the following for keeping the lights on:

A. GOP'ers

Richard Curtis -- for the story that keeps on giving.

Jim Dunn -- you lovable old goof, keep on truckin' friend.

B. Media

The Columbian -- We don't have Dick Nixon to kick around any more, luckily we have the e-board at the Columbian.

Traditional media bloggers -- a trend to be encouraged.

C. Libruls

Frank Chopp -- I bow in your general direction, especially your ability to turn a Democratic super-majority into a muddling mush of non-progressiveness.

Brian Baird -- no longer such a librul these days, and it's not just the war that he's on the wrong side on.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Columbian never skips a beat

When it comes to criticizing local Democratic officials, The Columbian never skips a beat:

In replacing Curtis, GOP has done its part

The six combined commissioners of Clark and Cowlitz counties - politicians, all - should avoid partisan politics when they meet on Nov. 29 to select a new state representative for the 18th District.

Right, they should avoid partisan politics, since the appointment selection process was entirely partisan.

This decision, in this particular case, fundamentally belongs to the Republicans of District 18. They have a right to decide the temporary replacement for a GOP position.

Correct again! 26 precinct committee officers have the right to pick a replacement for everyone! That's democracy at work! Luckily, sanity prevails:

Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart, himself an appointee in 2004 who was returned by voters to the office in 2006, said on Tuesday that partisan politics will not play a part. "Some people might say that Democrats should select the worst Republican, but that theory is just stupid. It'll never happen. We'll ask tough questions, but we respect the process that's already occurred."

As I pointed out previously, the way these things work out is that the commissioners will honor the selection process. But the Columbian makes sure to paint Democrats as some sort of Rovian clique, ready to subvert the process. Look, unless Jaime Herrera has some sort of thing we all don't know about, she'll make a fine Republican legislator in the 18th. No one said that the Democratic county commissioners weren't going to honor that selection.

But leave it to The Columbian to make shit up out of thin air.

Idsinga said

This item in The Reflector reads like poetry:

Idsinga said the allegations of corruption, advanced in a Zandamela flyer and in the Vancouver Columbian newspaper, cost him votes.
Idsinga also blamed his loss in part to two items in The Reflector.
Idsinga said a story about the firing of city finance David Reeves that came out on election day cost him votes. The story gave Reeves’ theories as to why he was asked to leave although, said Reeves, the city gave him no explanation.
Idsinga also said a Reflector editorial about the city and county building one trail--not two--between the city and Battle Ground Lake also may have hurt his reelection bid.
Idsinga also said Reeves and Zandamela attend the same church.
Idsinga said he has worked hard for the betterment of the city.
“I have been a salesman for Battle Ground,” Idsinga said.
Idsinga said some of his accomplishments include helping to secure $265,000 in funding for the first study conducted on the I-5 interchange, which “people doubted would be built.” He said he oversaw eight years of planning in growth management and found funding for the widening of SR-502.
Idsinga said he helped implement the construction of a skate park this year as well as park improvements at Kiwanis Park, and he moved plans forward to construct a new police station and acquire a new city hall.

That's gotta be a record for starting just about every single sentence with a candidate's name.

Too bad there's no bloggers up in north Clarktucky. It would be hard to do worse in both writing style and formatting for the web.

Clark County Republicans being pushed around

First the Centralia Faction of the state Republican party demanded the resignation of Richard Curtis, even though he's not charged with anything and is a victim of extortion! By a gay prostitute! Then, they leaked bad news about Jim Dunn, even though he's not charged with anything other than bad behavior. Now we see youngster Jaime Herrera being imposed upon local Republicans to replace Richard Curtis.

Local grassroots Republicans must be tired of working so dang hard only to see the Centralia Faction call all the shots. Ann Rivers deserves better than this, she's worked so hard, whether it be for Tom Mielke in his razor thin loss to Steve Stuart, as a lobbyist for Storedahl, or her work on the behalf of the Grand Ronde tribe in opposition to the Cowlitz tribal casino. Dark forces were at work in ensuring that someone with Ms. Rivers' experience was not the overwhelming favorite of local Republican precinct committee officers.

Dr. Joseph Fuiten at the Faith and Freedom Network is probably in no mood to assist Clark County Republicans now that his Executive Director, Washougal City Councilman John Russell, didn't even get the courtesy of making the short list. Rev. Ken Hutcherson will probably not be back at the Lincoln Day Dinner due to this noticeable snub. And that's a shame, since he has an important message to deliver on the noticeable backsliding of Microsoft as they cave-in to the gay agenda.

I don't see where Ms. Herrera states her opinion on intelligent design. We know where her Democrat challenger, Ms. Duplessie stands, which is to teach both sides, so people of faith should give both candidates a fair shake. It's easy to say that you're pro 2nd Amendment, but until we see the campaign mailer where you're chambering the round, color me skeptical. Since no one locally seems to know anything about Ms. Herrera, she could be one of those elite DC stealth RINOs.

It is hoped that Ms. Herrera can come out with both guns blazing in the upcoming short legislative session with some concrete proposals requiring that gays serve mandatory minimums. With the heart ache that Richard Curtis brought to La Center's reputation, a leader is needed that will strengthen the bonds of marriage, even if Ms. Herrera herself is unmarried. That will do a lot to assuage the concerns of local Republicans.

Now the fun begins

The local 18th LD Republican PCOs ended up picking Herrera as the first of three names in the order of preference:

Republican precinct officers Sunday chose congressional aide Jaime Herrera, Camas City Councilman Scott Higgins and La Center consultant Ann Rivers, in that order of preference, as finalists to fill the 18th Legislative District seat vacated by Rep. Richard Curtis.

There was also time at the meeting yesterday to bash Jim Dunn:

Under questioning from Clark and Cowlitz county precinct officers, all the candidates except former legislative staffer Sandra White said they believed state Rep. Jim Dunn should resign his 17th District seat and let the party fill it through appointment. House GOP leaders stripped Dunn of his committee assignments and travel reimbursement privileges this month after they received several complaints about an offensive comment Dunn made to a female legislative staffer at a dinner in the Tri-Cities.

Five out of the six county commissioners in Clark and Cowlitz are Democrats. If they were in a Rovian mood, the person they select is Ann Rivers, for a myriad of reasons. Let's just say a certain casino project planner would be all over that race if the nod goes to Rivers.

The way these things usually work out though is the county commissioners will go along with the preferred pick, meaning Herrera is the one. In politics, contrast is always an important thing to bring to the table, and Herrera, a young woman, brings that in spades when compared to her predecessor. What's important to note here as well is that the GOP party establishment furnished the preferred candidate out of essentially nowhere. There was probably the realization among party leaders that it was time to wipe the slate clean and start anew with a fresh face.

Herrera now gets a chance to establish some legislative cred in preparation for next November's election. The Democrats will run their "Dinosaur bones were planted by Satan" candidate, and lose.

Update: There's quite a bit more info in The Daily News article:

Herrera, a graduate of Prairie High School in Ridgefield, earned a bachelor's in communication and political science from the University of Washington. She has worked as an intern producer of Kirby Wilbur's conservative political radio show and as an intern for state Sen. Joe Zarelli (R-Ridgefield). She is currently a senior aide for U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who represents Eastern Washington's fifth district.

During her five-minute speech, Herrera said she wanted to create a joint health care plan for small businesses and focus on giving children better math and science skills. She said she also would advocate protection of the Second Amendment right to bear arms and oppose abortion and same-sex marriages.

[...]

All three candidates oppose extending Portland's light rail system into Vancouver and say that more must be done to attract businesses to Cowlitz and Clark counties.

It's fascinating the details The Columbian chooses to omit, like, positions that Herrera actually holds. I'm also really tired of their use of the word "tryst" to describe Curtis' activities in Spokane. Lovers tryst. Johns and prostitutes, not so much.

Messy

Kathie Durbin gives a pretty full explanation of the selection process to replace Richard Curtis and then thumbnail sketches on the candidates. With Boger out, and with a dozen candidates to choose from, this thing looks wide open.

I'm seeing a bit of internet buzz from a certain local GOP activist that indicates that no one locally knows Jaime Herrera, that she has no chance, but there's phone calls being made on her behalf by folks in DC. This specific GOP activist is usually wrong about just about everything, so I think Herrera moves to the top tier. Her background on paper looks solid. What remains to be seen is if her connection to Zarelli helps, or if Zarelli is staying out of this (which I highly doubt).

We also learn that the BIA endorsed Liz Pike (she did a press release on that), Ann Rivers, and Jaime Herrera.

Will the forces of Faith and Freedom (Russell) prevail? Will the BIA ne'er do wells run the tables here? Stay tuned as boy wonder and the caped crusader head to the Red Lion to see justice prevail. Same blog channel, same blog time.

Playa's Holiday

Mama used to put my clothes on layaway
Now I'm dibbed everyday
And every casino got big thangs
Holler at me man
Used to rock the back of the bus
Now I'm spinnin V-12's
Though the times is rough
In god we trust
Hater u can only hate us but you can't front
Cause u knew we were bound to blow up

"Playa's Holiday" - T.W.D.Y.

I bring you Richard Curtis, Republican Playa:

Curtis’ travel records, obtained Thursday by The Spokesman-Review through a public records request, show that Curtis’ three-day trip to Spokane cost taxpayers nearly $800.

They also show that during his three years as a legislator, Curtis was a prolific traveler, racking up more than $18,000 in expenses in 37 overnight trips around the state, as well as to New York City, San Francisco and Boston. Several of those overnight stays were in Spokane.

New York? Boston? San Francisco? Oh my, someone was having fun hanging out in librul towns on the public purse.

And we get confirmation that he was reimbursed for the mid-October Spokane trip as well:

Curtis’ travel receipts also show that he was in Spokane two weeks earlier as a member of the state gambling commission. A Hollywood Erotic Boutique employee told police in late October that a cross-dressing Curtis had been in the shop three times in the past month. All told, Curtis made five state-paid trips to Spokane since 2005.

And Curtis was livin' especially large on the June Spokane trip:

The biggest bill of Curtis’ legislative career, in fact, stemmed from a June visit to the city. Over the course of six days, taxpayers picked up a $2,876 tab for Curtis, including a $332-a-night room at the Davenport Hotel, airfare, and $443 to rent a black Chrysler convertible. For five nights, his hotel bill alone – including several in-room movies and room-service meals – was $1,937. The state didn’t reimburse Curtis for the movies.

Well, that's great, no reimbursement for the *cough* "movies" *cough*. Glad to see the public purse so vigilantly guarded. When you've had a rough night at the tribal casino, it's important that you can travel back to your hotel room with the top down in your Chrysler convertible on those sweltering June nights. The Eagles CD is playing "Hotel California" and the good times are flowing.

Thankfully, the Spokesman-Review, even after a round of layoffs, is covering the story. Too bad our local GOP newspaper sees fit to only publish unverified statements from Richard Curtis given straight to editor Lou Brancaccio, rather than do real reporting. The SR is so close to connecting the dots on the trips to Spokane, the tribal casino visits, and the fact that he was a gambling commission member with voting rights on tribal compacts. Hopefully, they're still digging up more details on the story.

Jane, you ignorant slut

Elizabeth Hovde does an excellent turn on the old question "why did you murder your wife?":

I am thrilled Skelton was re-elected to her school board position and in no way meant to suggest otherwise. But because I mentioned her name and situation along with politicians recently caught behaving badly, some felt I was actually smearing, rather than clearing, her name. I hope this column erases any cloud I have put above her.

Yes, Elizabeth, you had the old shit bucket out on that one, didn't ya? And yet you keep up the smearing with your weekly mentions of this "story".

Meanwhile, Clark County's version of David Broder, Herrington touches the third rail of politics by mentioning he's for privatization of Social Security:

Like roadside litter and soup in a restaurant that’s served lukewarm, the Social Security mess is something we seem to begrudgingly accept rather than raise holy hell about. By most projections, the Social Security system will go broke by about 2040 if we don’t substantially increase the money going into it or reduce the outgo, or some of each.

[...]


The same goes for W., who pretty much gave up on fixing Social Security when his privatization plan — which for my money has definite appeal — didn’t fly in Congress.

Yes, Gregg, for your money, and your tax bracket, I'm sure it has definite appeal. You and your sellout media buddies who argued for the blue ribbon commission back in the 80's to raise payroll taxes, only to then argue for the Bush tax cuts that nuked the surplus created by that very same increase in payroll taxes, and now you argue that we need a "fix".

Herrington conveniently forgets recent history here. It was the unified forces of the Democratic coalition that fought with everything they had to prevent Bush's privatization plan, a plan which was actively lobbied for by the likes of Charles Schwab and friends to increase brokerage firm profits. Bush had all but declared that he was emperor for life in early 2005 after his razor thin victory of 60,000 votes in Ohio, and that he had political capital to spend. Luckily, the labor side of the Democratic coalition dug deep, and delivered a rare political defeat for Bush. That defeat was really the start of a Democratic resurgence, with the realization that a unified coalition that fought hard could roll back some of the worst excesses of the Bush regime.

So great, the spectrum of The Columbian's op-ed page is a smearing mini-Ann Coulter on one side, and the great "moderate" Gregg Herrington on the other.

Update: I should always read Krugman first:

But Social Security isn’t a big problem that demands a solution; it’s a small problem, way down the list of major issues facing America, that has nonetheless become an obsession of Beltway insiders. And on Social Security, as on many other issues, what Washington means by bipartisanship is mainly that everyone should come together to give conservatives what they want.

Cunningham thrown in to the hole?

In doing some searching last night I got ahold of the Wikipedia entry for former congressman Duke Cunningham (R-Bribery), which indicated that he was serving time in a federal prison camp in Tucson, Arizona. Conveniently, his Bureau of Prisons identifier (inmate register number 94405-198) was included, so I decided to search on the Dukestir to see where he's currently residing, and sure enough, he's now serving time at the US Penitentiary in Victorville (indicated as VICTORVILLE USP), California. What's interesting here is that there are four components to the Victorville Federal Correctional Complex (population included):

VICTORVILLE MED I FCI 1,529
VICTORVILLE MED II FCI 979
VICTORVILLE MED II-CAMP 245
VICTORVILLE USP 1,447

The MED II-CAMP is the lowest security portion of Victorville, with much less restrictions on visits. One would think that if Cunningham had fully cooperated, he'd be listed at the Camp, not the full on penitentiary. So I think there's a legitimate story here if Cunningham is doing hard time, because the last report was that he was cooperating. Alternatively, this could be the government's way of getting him to shut up, as we're seeing in the Kontogiannis situation, where plea agreements are sealed, US Attorneys handling the case are fired, etc.

What needs further investigation is how the Bureau of Prisons reports on this stuff, as maybe everyone in the four facilities is all rolled up to "USP". I don't normally call federal penitentiaries, but I did place a call in only to get cut off as they're probably on their lunch hour (west coast time).

I'm not seeing any media outlet report on this (North County Times, San Diego Union), but it was pretty late, so I may have missed this.

Polish Ambassador to Canada: Don't tase my bros

The raw video showing the last moments of Robert Dziekanski's life in the Vancouver BC International airport has been released, and Poland's ambassador is not happy:

Poland's ambassador to Canada said Thursday the conduct of the four Mounties who tasered a Polish immigrant was out of line and called for immediate measures to prevent anyone else from suffering the same fate.

Tens of thousands of people around the world saw a troubling record of Robert Dziekanski's final moments in a bystander's 10-minute video, which media outlets ranging from CNN to the BBC picked up the day after it was released in Canada.

There's another thread to this story where the Canadian citizen had to essentially sue to get his own video back from the Mounties.

After watching the raw video, I'm struck with how casually the state is resorting to "non-lethal" force these days, from pepper spraying protesters rather than simple arrests to the "don't tase me, bro!" incident in Florida. As Goldy says:

But as has been repeatedly demonstrated during the anti-war protests at the Port of Olympia, “nonlethal violence” has apparently become the preferred response to disobedience of any kind, no matter how peaceful. Tear gas and pepper spray are routinely used to disperse and subdue the crowd; unarmed civilians are methodically lined up and maced.

I don't know where I came across the line "nothing creates a radical quicker than tear gas", but I think it's appropriate here. Whatever happened to being simply arrested and hauled off? It's as if police are using canisters of pepper spray like landscaping crews use leaf blowers in autumn.

Any communications pros looking for work?

This tiny mention in an AP article yesterday mainly discussing the work of the governor's daughters has this aside:

Michelle Gregoire answers phones and sorts mail, among other administrative tasks, said Baird's spokeswoman, Ciaran Clayton.

Clayton is leaving Baird's office later this month. She starts Nov. 26 as Cantwell's communications director.

The salary is not bad, although compared to a private sector PR shop, probably peanuts.

I wouldn't wish that job on anyone going into an election year. Unless they're completely cynical at this point, the talent pool of young Democrats looking for work in DC isn't going to want to touch this job with a ten-foot pole.

Could this also be an indication of more Baird staff upheaval in the upcoming months? The typical Baird staffer is probably tired of being in bunker mode having to field angry calls from constituents. Since the pay is the same, working for a less unpopular congressperson who actually votes with the caucus is a fantastic career move at this point. Like it or not, staffers get associated with who they work for, so what would've looked like a good resume builder at one time, is now less valuable.

That's a shame that our congressman is ruining the careers of such hard working and idealistic staffers. They deserve better than this.

Baird votes against caucus on Iraq War funding

It what must be a first, The Hill refers to Brian Baird as a conservative in a article discussing the passage of the Iraq War funding bill that establishes a non-binding timeline on getting out:

Staring down the threat of a White House veto and some internal opposition, House Democrats Wednesday night passed legislation linking $50 billion in funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to a withdrawal date.

The spending bill, which requires Bush to begin bringing troops home from Iraq within 30 days and to complete that withdrawal by Dec. 15, 2008, passed 218-203. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who had said he was undecided earlier in the day, voted present.

Republican Reps. Phil English (Pa.), Walter Jones (N.C.), Christopher Shays (Conn.) and James Walsh (N.Y.) supported the bill. English and Walsh had never sided with Democrats on war-related funding measures.

Fifteen Democrats voted against the bill, including conservative Democratic Reps. John Tanner (Tenn.), Brian Baird (Wash.), Dan Boren (Okla.), Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Gene Taylor (Miss.), John Barrow (Ga.), Jim Marshall (Ga.), Jim Matheson (Utah), Nick Lampson (Texas) and Vic Snyder (Ark.) voted against the bill.

The vote from Baird BFF Chris Shays (R-CT) is significant, as Baird kept referring to the Iraq trip with Shays and how he had repositioned himself on the surge. Also, those are some mighty Red states those other Democrats are from that voted against the bill. Is the political dynamic of the 3rd Congressional District a match for Texas, Mississippi, or Arkansas? Admittedly, it's a somewhat conservative district, or as I'd rather put it, a pragmatic district, not looking to swing either to far left or right.

We have a congressman who's not only willing to not carry out the will of his constituents, but will now vote against his caucus on the most pressing issue of our time. The "surge" is "working" since there's no traditional media actually reporting from Iraq these days. Silence is truly golden.

I'd have to go dig it up, but any hope that Baird will somehow modify his position come spring time is wishful thinking. Buried in an article in The Columbian when his about face first took place ("I was against the war before I was for it"), was a quote essentially saying that he would not be opposed to extending the 15-month rotation period for the troops, so the Pentagon could extend the surge indefinitely.

As observed by the recent election, three long time local incumbents were tossed out of office, and the voters are in a volatile mood. Baird's always been perceived as a pretty moderate guy, but expect for mass defections among the Democratic base given his sharp tack to the right. Does it mean that he loses in a primary? No, but I'd expect someone credible to step forward who will gain quite a bit of support and attention.

No one in the base is really in the mood to have the spectrum of discussion be about supporting the surge or attacking Iran.

Shorter Rev. Hutcherson: I watched a lot 70's TV crime shows

The Stranger's SLOG informs us of the latest from Rev. Ken Hutcherson, last year's Clark County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner keynote speaker:

Thank you so much, Prayer Warriors, for praying for the meeting, which went well.

Bill Gates, Chairman; Steve Ballmer, CEO; Brad Smith, Executive Vice President of Legal; and Chris Liddell, CFO, were present in today’s meeting.

I addressed the meeting, letting them know I would love to work with them. However, if they refuse, I am putting together the largest contingency of Evangelicals, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims to challenge Microsoft’s support of people and policies that challenge America’s moral beliefs since its inception.

My final comment was, “I could work with you, or I could be your worst nightmare, because I am a black man with a righteous cause, with a host of powerful white people behind me. I hope to hear from you and if not, you will hear from me.”

Pray God will take this to their hearts and minds and that they will respond to me.

Pastor Hutch

I swear that "worst nightmare" line has been used on a Spenser: For Hire or A Man Called Hawk episode with Avery Brooks threatening "I'm about to become your worst nightmare" while chambering a 12-gauge round. It's also been used in "Rambo: III".

Ballmer's a pretty big GOP contributor, I'm sure he doesn't appreciate threats coming from the holy roller section of the tent. If a boycott comes to pass, I'm unclear on who that helps, since Apple Computer has had domestic partnership benefits since February of 1993.

What's disturbing here is that Hutcherson does have enough pull to get the chairman, CEO, CFO and legal to meet with him. Microsoft is screwed either way here, since caving in to Hutcherson means losing a lot of developer talent (yes, teh ghey's know how to code), while keeping the status quo ensures mouth breathers protesting outside the Redmond campus.

Perhaps Hutcherson should just roll his own Dominionist approved Linux distro, complete with desktop wallpaper showing dinosaurs picnicking with Adam and Eve.

Local builders endorse Liz Pike as Curtis' replacement

Liz Pike, fresh off of a 75-25 drubbing by incumbent Paul Dennis for the Camas mayoral seat, let's us know that:

Pike, who lost her race to unseat Camas Mayor Paul Dennis last week, has been endorsed by Secretary of State Sam Reed and Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey, according to a news release. She is one of three candidates for the seat to have won the support of the Building Industry of Clark County.

[...]

"I am a lifelong conservative Republican with strong ties to the Clark County GOP," Pike said in her news release.

I'd be curious who the builders also endorsed, as I'd be very surprised that the Republican PCOs would select someone who barely eked out 25% in her recent campaign loss. In an off year that saw several long time incumbents go down to defeat (Idsinga, Miller and Tonkovich), Pike barely registered on the radar. Secondly, claiming an endorsement from Sam Reed is almost fightin' words with base Republican voters, since according to the mouth breathers, he was singlehandedly responsible for putting Chris Gregoire in the governor's mansion.

Reed and Kimsey would be in the Mainstream Republicans wing of their party. I'd imagine their endorsement to be worth something if this was a 49th Legislative District selection, but alas, we're talking about the 18th here.

It's all Brian Baird's fault

Listening to Thom Hartmann on KPOJ this morning and then catching the hub bub on Think Progress and Democracy For Vancouver picking up Politico's report on how Brian Baird single handedly torpedoed a potential compromise on getting out of Iraq:

House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told us last week his biggest fear early on was that Democrats would seek compromise solutions with moderate Republicans on the war and other issues.

Blunt suggested the strategy probably would have worked.

But once Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), a staunch war opponent, returned from a visit to Iraq and applauded the surge, any chance of a compromise clampdown ended.

Well, two things. One is that I don't think anyone in-district really considered Baird a "staunch war opponent", and I think if you check his actual voting record even earlier this year, that description is shot to pieces. Secondly, I think far too many assume that the Democrats are some sort of monolithic caucus, able to drive legislation in a single bound. That's just not the case, with serious disagreements on the war amongst the Progressive Caucus, the New Democrats, and the Blue Dogs. The first sign that the caucus was not unified on the war, was at the point that John Murtha lost his bid to become House Majority Leader, losing out to Steny Hoyer.

Admittedly, it is troubling that Baird's timing on his flip-flop ("I was against the war before I was for it"), neatly coincided with the so-called Petraeus Report, which was really authored directly from the White House, not General Petraeus. But to claim that he was single-handedly responsible for sinking compromise legislation on Iraq doesn't pass the smell test.

I keep going back to the Vietnam period when Senator Mike Mansfield successfully pushed for de-funding the war by starting out with seemingly innocuous bills that encouraged the president to withdraw as soon as possible. What's missing today is a Mike Mansfield to push the ball down the field. With coaches like Reid, Hoyer and Pelosi around, the goal is to run out the clock until the 2008 election. Baird is only a symptom of a disunited caucus unable to get anything meaningful done on the most pressing issue of our time.

The Columbian is promoting beer

Looks like Evergreen School District has a wee bit of a problem with cultural sensitivity in this article written by the Columbian's Jose Paul Corona:

Heritage High School student Guadalupe Corona Gambino, 17, said her name caused her problems.

School administrators would not allow "Corona" to appear on her school identification even though she uses that as her last name, she said in Spanish.

They said that it was promoting Corona beer. She disagreed; it's just her name, she said.

My high school Spanish is a bit rusty, and my knowledge on usages for the apellido paterno (Corona) and apellido materno (Gambino) are not to be trusted, but I don't go around claiming that someone's last name promotes underage drinking. Using the school administrators' logic, all students with the last name "Morgan" will need to change their names, as we can't have Captain Morgan rum being promoted. Hopefully, none of the local Widmer Brothers has kids growing up in the Evergreen School District. Their mere presence would only encourage their fellow high school friends to knock back pints of hefeweizen, or those fantastic seasonal beers, but I digress.

Guadalupe is in a no win situation anyway, as the school district probably doesn't like the use of Gambino with its association with a certain shady mob crime family. But there you have it, a school district who seems completely incapable of performing a simple Google search to get a better understanding of naming conventions for Spanish speakers. Perhaps managing school bureaucracy has so dulled the thirst for knowledge, and beer.

Is our educators prepared for sum cultural sensitivity?

I ain't no senator's son

I've been pretty hard on The Columbian lately, especially for being the mouthpiece for the GOP, but then they run a fascinating series of articles today covering returning war veterans such as Christopher Patridge, PTSD and the effects on the local community:

As a youngster in the 1990s, Christopher Paul Partridge taught the gospel to 5-year-olds in a Portland Sunday school. He also wrestled and ran track for Heritage High School and worked for Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation with mentally disabled kids.

Now he is veteran of the Iraq War, biding his time in the Clark County Jail. He faces a possible 12 years in prison after speeding down Highway 500 in Vancouver on Sept. 18, pulling out a .45-caliber pistol and firing at a car that cut him off in traffic. Luckily, no one was hurt.

But what happened? How did a smiling 16-year-old kid who delighted in having little ankle-biters crawl all over him become a gaunt and scowling, 25-year-old inmate in an orange jail jumpsuit?

More importantly, what is happening to thousands of young soldiers like Partridge who are returning from war full of confusion and contempt, anxiety and anger stirred up in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Admittedly, these questions should have been asked at least two years ago, or in a more perfect world, before the war started. Of course, the march to war, so eagerly cheered on by the media, hasn't turned out so well.

Just a few counties up to the north, pepper spray is being applied liberally to the protests against the war. Whether or not you agree with the protest tactics, someone has to stand up and be counted as opposing this war. Neither Congress, nor any of the leading presidential candidates appears willing to do anything about it. Even our own congressman has decided that the "surge" is working. Meanwhile, more Christopher Partridge's with untreated PTSD will be returning home in the upcoming months.

Activist judge triumphs

Unbelievable:

A federal judge has suspended controversial state rules requiring pharmacies to dispense so-called "Plan B" emergency contraceptives, saying the rules appear to unconstitutionally violate pharmacists' freedom of religion.

The rules appear to force pharmacists to choose between their own religious beliefs and their livelihood, Judge Ronald B. Leighton of the U.S. District Court in Tacoma wrote Thursday.

[...]

Under Leighton's order, pharmacists may now refuse to dispense the medication but must refer a patient to "the nearest" or "a nearby" source for the drug.

State officials said it was too early to say whether they would appeal.

Thirty years of conservative rule and judicial appointments by the likes of Reagan and the Bushes have wrought this ruling. So when that scared teenager out in rural Washington is running around at midnight scared out of her wits because of a birth control accident, that pharmacist can now legally refuse to prescribe. A healthcare professional can now legally refuse to render care.

We may as well just pass a law that only allows Christian Scientists to become medical professionals so that they can all deny us care, since our treatment needs are "all in our heads", and would violate their belief system. We are fighting the Taliban over there so that we can become the Taliban over here.

I've had enough. The question is, have you?


Update: Randy Stapilus gets to the heart of the matter:

Put another way: If your beliefs get in the way of doing, to societal standards, a job on which people’s lives, health and safety depends, then you’d better find another job to do.

Democrats for Jim Dunn

Herrington pens a completely one sided opinion piece in The Columbian regarding Jim Dunn's behavior, by only quoting Republicans, from former state rep John Pennington:

"It's very clear that for a long time Jim Dunn's behavior has not been good for the institution of the House, or the Legislature," said John Pennington, a former Republican legislator from the 18th District of north Clark and east Cowlitz counties, now working in Everett.

to former Clark County GOP chair Brent Boger:

"I think he needs to finish his term and go," Boger said. "A lot of people think he has boorish behavior."

The situation reminds Boger of the words of 17th century British statesman Oliver Cromwell to Parliament: "You have been sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you."

That's awesome that Boger just happened to have his Oliver Cromwell quote book handy for a phone interview with Herrington. And then this from Washington state's version of Karl Rove, Kevin Carns:

In the meantime, Rep. DeBolt and H-ROC director Carns aren't exactly counting on Dunn to be the party's general election candidate in 2008.

"At the end of the day," Carns said, "my job is to protect the seat." Note he did not say, "to protect the incumbent."

Carns, if you remember, was the guy responsible for the infamous "sex offender notification" mailer that claimed that local Democratic state reps were allowing sex offenders to roam freely. So for him, of all people, to claim the mantle of moral rectitude is completely hypocritical.

We have a local paper who's sole purpose appears to be as mouthpiece for GOP operatives. There's no explanation from Herrington on why the GOP didn't expose Dunn's boorish behavior until now, conveniently in time for the upcoming election cycle. Herrington doesn't interview Democrats who had been pointing out Dunn's behavior issues for years.

If the Republicans won't have Jim Dunn, then we'll adopt him. Henceforth, this blog is dedicated to educating Democrats and like minded progressives on how valuable Jim Dunn is to the progressive cause. It's unclear why Republicans are allowing the radical socialist Centralia faction of their party to dictate terms, so if they won't defend Jim Dunn, we will.

Baird joins Republicans on Peru free trade deal

I tire of reading through House Roll Calls, I really do. It's always something disappointing, some latest indication that the Money Party gets it way on everything:

The House of Representatives approved a free-trade agreement with Peru today, the first such accord passed by Congress since Democrats won control last year.

In a 285 to 132 vote, the House approved the deal to eliminate tariffs and set rules of investment between the world's largest economy and the Andean nation. The measure, which came to a vote only after Democrats got the Bush administration to toughen labor and environmental provisions, now goes to the Senate, which is likely to approve it.

``We have to be concerned about the impact of trade, but we cannot turn our backs on it,'' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the vote. ``I absolutely refuse to have the Democratic Party be viewed as an anti-trade party.''

The Democratic caucus split was 109 yea, 116 nay, so no matter how Pelosi spins this, she can't get a majority of her caucus to go along with these one sided trade deals. Of our Northwest congresspersons, Brian Baird, Jay Inslee, Norm Dicks, Jim McDermott and Earl Blumenauer voted yea, while Peter Defazio joined with Republicans Doc Hastings and Cathy McMorris-Rodgers in voting against the deal.

The Bloomberg piece goes on:

Trade between the U.S. and Peru, which totaled $8.8 billion last year, will grow by $1.5 billion once the accord is implemented as Peru ships more asparagus and apparel and American producers export more meat and grain, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission.

For why this legislation will absolutely decimate one community in Michigan, the piece Asparagus! (A Stalk-umentary) sheds light on what's already happened:



And here's further reinforcement of why I'm endorsing Edwards:

Presidential candidate John Edwards stumped against the Peru pact, as have unions such as The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Association of Machinists and United Brotherhood of Carpenters.

via Sirota at DailyKos

Very Nice!

With Steven Colbert being forced off of the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary ballot, the absurdity level of the campaign cycle was suffering. Luckily, Borat throws out an endorsement:

Q: Who do you favor for President in the United States?

A: "I cannot believe that it possible a woman can become Premier of US and A - in Kazakhstan, we say that to give a woman power, is like to give a monkey a gun - very dangerous. We do not give monkeys guns any more in Kazakhstan ever since the Astana Zoo massacre of 2003 when Torkin the orang-utan shoot 17 schoolchildrens. I personal would like the basketball player, Barak Obamas to be Premier."

Take this as a preview of how pop culture is going to go after Hillary. She's just not perceived as one of the cool kids, and there's no Arsenio Hall show sax performance to counter that. Establishment Democrats love to go after the "threat" of video games and rap music, and Hillary's part of that game as well, but pop culture is going to return the favor with a vengeance.

Bill Clinton was like your funny uncle who used to sneak beers to you at the family get-together when you were a freshman in college. Hillary is like your prim and proper aunt who frowns on the festivities. No amount of campaign consultant messaging or focus groups can make up for that image. The irony is, her attempts over the years to be the "serious Democrat" may have subverted her goal to obtain the presidency even before the first primary vote is cast. Polling data shows that folks are pretty made up in their minds on if they'll vote for her or not. There's just no wiggle room to move those numbers.

How this plays out in a general election will be interesting. At this time, it would be foolish to bet against her winning the primary. Edwards would have to run the tables in Iowa, do well in New Hampshire, and then win South Carolina if he has any chance. Hillary has definitely built a formidable political machine built to win a Democratic primary, but in my opinion is less prepared for a general election. I think it incredibly difficult to see how she surmounts countering her perception in pop culture, which after all is how you get independent voters to go along with the project.

So Richard Curtis isn't gay after all

Dan Savage's reporting on his trip to Spokane is more than just setting the scene. More importantly, the claim is put forth that Curtis is definitely not gay:

"When I first read about the Curtis affair, I assumed that Curtis's principal sexual attraction was to men, that his marriage was essentially one of convenience," writes Anne A. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D., a Seattle physician and psychotherapist who specializes in gender identity issues. "[I interpreted] that his statement about 'not being gay' simply meant that he didn't identify as gay, even though he was a man who had sex with men."

But as more information came in about Curtis, Lawrence arrived at a conclusion opposite to the one everyone else was arriving at. The crossdressing, the rope, and, yes, even the anal sex—it all pointed to Curtis's heterosexuality.

For instance, as Savage points out, if Curtis was cruising for gay sex, why not just go to the gay bar across the street from the Davenport Towers? Instead, he went to a video porn store known on the internet as a place for straight men who indulge in cross dressing.

I have to admit that Curtis is a tragic figure, that I too was not reveling in the how this story broke. Out of the three Republican officials who represent the 18th Legislative District, Curtis always seemed the "least bad", and that's borne out by both his Life-Pac survey responses to the question of gay civil unions and this anecdote from Savage's article:

"While Representative Curtis had an anti-gay voting record," Washington state senator Ed Murray tells me on the phone, "he was never an ideologue." Murray served in the Washington State House of Representatives with Curtis. Curtis sat on the transportation committee, which Murray chaired. "He didn't seem driven by antigay stuff," recalls Murray. "He wasn't one of the jerks. He wasn't one of the members so obsessed about the gay issue that you started to wonder why."

That sounds about right.

If the main problem with Curtis has been the credibility issue by saying that he isn't gay, and as it turns out, that he isn't gay after all, then a reappraisal is in order, making Curtis a much more sympathetic figure.

Dan Savage heads to Spokane

It's kind of a hoot:

I'm in Spokane to retrace Curtis's footsteps on that fateful night. But before I can party like a Washington state rep, I need to gather a few things: lingerie, a sack, some rope, a toy stethoscope, condoms, and a few items I can not identify.

Savage definitely sets the scene for the drama that unfolded.

Meanwhile, KOMO-TV reports on the Spokane police extortion investigation:

Police said Castagna may be part of a larger group that targets gay men for extortion. In Curtis' case, the group designated a flower pot at a Spokane part as the drop-off point for the remaining $800.

Detectives believe the group has done this before.

"There were multiple threats and payoffs," said Sgt. Joe Peterson. "In this instance it seems like it was not the first time and we've been told by other people it's not the first time the suspects have done this type of thing."

I can go along with that. The only problem is that $1,000 seems like chump change to set up an elaborate extortion attempt on a lawmaker. $10,000 I could understand. I'm not too up on my going rates for unprotected gay sex, but $1,000 seems plausible. What I'm trying to reconcile here is that on one hand Castagna does seem to have plenty of friends willing to pick up money from hotels and flower pots at a moment's notice, against the word of Richard Curtis who claims that he's not gay.

If this is report is any indication, then the Spokane prosecutor may move forward with the extortion charge against Castagna. A long trial could ensue, with Richard Curtis being called to the stand.

Congratulations FVTV!

FVTV Fort Vancouver Television, channel 11 is the little station that could. Tonight, the cable commission awarded FVTV, our local public cable access provider, a $206,000 grant to completely revitalize their equipment.

Two years ago, FVTV was in no condition to be awarded such a grant. Through the extremely hard work of people such as Mark Kennedy, Ron Carr, and Ann Warren, FVTV kept the lights on, even though there had been a proposal to go dark. The community did respond when the word went out that the station was on the ropes, and several donations came in, saving the station from being shut down.

To see the transition that's happened from that time period to now is simply amazing. FVTV will soon have their move completed to a new studio space (located at 4747 Minnehaha, near Van Mall), and will soon have the equipment to do live in the studio broadcast content.

My sense is that you'll be hearing a lot more from FVTV in the upcoming months. If you've ever considered learning about video production, they offer classes as well. Whether getting your friend's band on television, or your local public affairs meeting broadcast, it's time for locally produced media to take the next step. And remember, while PEG grants are good things, they don't cover operational costs, that's where the community comes in, through either donations or producer fees.

Time to buck up Jim Dunn?

Local Republicans continue to dominate the news cycle, with The Columbian essentially issuing a blanket endorsement to whoever opposes Jim Dunn in the 2008 election:

In the meantime, his potential to be an effective legislator is seriously diminished. Voters in the 17th District (I-205 to Camas and north to Mount Vista, Brush Prairie and Meadow Glade) are the poorer for it. But Dunn isn't effective anyway. He has never been an energetic, open-minded, solution-seeking lawmaker.

The absolute worst outcome for Democrats is if Dunn prematurely resigns, as that gives HROC time to position another replacement candidate in Clark County, and frankly this is exactly why DeBolt did what he did. Local Republican precinct committee officers are probably foaming at the mouth to fill another vacancy after all the wining and dining they're receiving now over who replaces Richard Curtis.

As a certain commenter notes on that article, Jim Dunn has a zero percent rating from the Washington Conservation Voters. The irony is, WCV should be bucking Jim Dunn right about now.

Throw the bums out

Voters appear to be in a caustic mood tonight, with long time Port of Vancouver Commissioner Arch Miller losing badly to Jerry Oliver, by a 59-40 percent margin. In light of the crushing Port IDD levy failure this isn't a complete surprise, but Arch

Pat Campbell has a razor thin lead in his bid to unseat long time incumbent Vancouver city councilman Dan Tonkovich. The late turn in votes will be absolutely critical in this one.

Mayor John Idsinga of Battle Ground didn't even find it necessary to do a Voter's Guide statement, and voters appear to be punishing him badly as he holds a ONE vote lead over newcomer Paulo Zandemela. Zandemela made numerous appearances on CVTV candidate forums, while Idsinga, not so much. Voters to incumbents: don't take us for granted.

And if the local Republicans are thinking of appointing Liz Pike to fill the unexpired term of Richard Curtis, they might want to think twice, as she was absolutely crushed in her attempt to unseat Camas Mayor Paul Dennis.

Boger's out, Sellers in?

Kathie Durbin reports:

Boger, a Vancouver assistant city attorney, considered making the race himself, but said Monday in an e-mail that he had decided against seeking the seat because his professional duties would leave him little time to campaign for election next year. He said he planned to devote his spare time to helping GOP candidate Dino Rossi run for governor.

And provides this tidbit:

Washougal Mayor Stacee Sellers confirmed Monday that she would enter the 18th District contest and would also finish her term as mayor if she is appointed.

"Sen. (Joe) Zarelli called me and said, 'Are you interested?' " Sellers said. "The answer is yes. My term ends at the end of 2009, but I can hold two offices simultaneously. It's a short session, and I have a great staff at Washougal." Zarelli represents the 18th District in the state Senate.

That's an interesting graf. Sellers is pretty much selling that as an endorsement from Zarelli. But not so fast, as Zarelli could've seen the mention of Sellers in the The Daily News article and simply called Sellers. One has to wonder though if Zarelli would even allow that quote in the local paper of record without his approval.

I know as much about internal local GOP politics as Bush knows about emergency preparedness, in other words, not so much. If you're the HROC, an incumbent mayor ranks higher than a city councilperson, so they'd probably favor Sellers over Jon Russell. There's also the issue of really needing to move on from the "old boys network" *cough, Jim Dunn, cough*, and what better way than countering that perception with a woman candidate. If Zarelli is making calls to precinct committee officers on behalf of Sellers, than this might be a done deal. If not, than this race is more wide open than previously thought.

Where have all the good times gone?

More good news for the local GOP:

State Rep. Jim Dunn will be stripped of his committee assignments and denied travel reimbursement after the 17th District lawmaker made what even Dunn acknowledged was an "inappropriate" remark to a woman at a legislative function in the Tri-Cities last month.

"We want to have zero tolerance for our members for inappropriate comments," said House Republican leader Richard DeBolt. "We asked (Dunn) to go get sensitivity training. Until he does that, he won't be serving on any committees."

Dunn said he regretted the incident, which occurred at a dinner during a meeting of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.

"I opened my mouth inappropriately and apologized for it," Dunn said. He said he couldn't recall exactly what he said to the woman, who was a stranger to him, but it was along the lines of "I bought you a drink because I want to take you home."

Dunn, who is married, said he was pressured to resign but refused. "I'm elected by the people," he said.

If you have zero committee assignments, how are you supposed to represent your constituents effectively? Like Richard Curtis, he's using per diem for hotel rooms to score. But Dunn's not a playa, legislatively or otherwise, having introduced no substantial legislation whatsoever, period. Now Debolt is knee capping him, requesting that Speaker Chopp strip him of his committee assignments and that per diem be stripped after the 2008 session. In this case, we all hate the playa, and the game.

The Clark County GOP's migraine size headache just continues this week. Now, the worst possibility for Democrats is that Dunn actually resigns.

So who's gonna pay for Dunn to fill up his tank to get up to Olympia? I'm in for $20. There's nothing sadder than a state legislator trying to thumb rides up I-5.

All this misfortune for the local GOP the last two weeks reminds of a great Kinks song:

Well, once we had an easy ride and always felt the same
Time was on our side and I had everything to gain
Let it be like yesterday
Please let me have happy days

Won't you tell me
Where have all the good times gone?
Where have all the good times gone?

Ray Davies - The Kinks

So Curtis was in Spokane earlier in October

The Washington State Gambling Commission finally posts their October 11th Meeting Minutes for the Spokane meeting, and lo and behold, Curtis was at that meeting. That corroborates the video store employee's account of seeing Curtis three separate times in Spokane.

There were two days worth of meetings. For an ex-officio member, Curtis asked quite a few questions, ranging from training on how to detect fake ID's to video pull tab gaming machine rules. Senator Margarita Prentice observes during the meeting that even though she's an ex-officio member as well, their role is to be a liaison to the legislature, that their role is more than just tribal gaming matters. None of the other commissioners directly responded to that, so one can only assume that the full voting commissioners don't take too kindly to Prentice's interpretation. No tribal gaming matters were discussed during the October meetings.

It's fascinating that in checking through the gambling commission meeting minutes for this year, Curtis skipped out on the Vancouver meeting.

The Columbian drops the ball again

What did Clark County residents do prior to the web? Seriously one wonders when you have to go to The Daily News of Longview web site to find the most basic information:

Republican party leaders from Clark and Cowlitz counties will meet Nov. 18 to nominate three candidates to replace former state Rep. Richard Curtis, who resigned from his 18th district legislative seat Wednesday in the wake of a gay sex scandal.

Keath Huff, chairman of the Cowlitz County Republican Party, said he has received a list of 11 candidates who have expressed an interest in the position, and more could come.

Huff confirmed five candidates who are definitely running: Washougal Mayor Stacee Sellers, Brent Boger, an assistant Vancouver city attorney who lost his bid for the Washington Court of Appeal in 2006, La Center consultant Ann Rivers, Washougal City Councilman Jon Russell and Liz Pike, a Camas mayoral candidate.

The Nov. 18 meeting will be held at 2 p.m. at the Clark County Republican Party headquarters in Vancouver. Precinct committee officers will select three candidates from the field to forward to Clark and Cowlitz county commissioners, who will make the final decision, he said.

"The hope is that the PCOs will have the opportunity to vet the candidates before the meeting," Huff said.

The meeting will not be open to the public, Huff said. Only candidates and precinct committee officers will be allowed to attend, he said.

So no reporters allowed? No CVTV? The Columbian is probably not interested in attending anyway, preferring to pen love letters to themselves and not discussing internal Republican dirty laundry.

My money is still on Boger.

Getting Reimbursed for Room #968

Even if Lou Brancaccio just wants the story to go away, The Olympian is at least picking up the ball on the per diem story:

Taxpayers still owe money to disgraced lawmaker Curtis

Former state Rep. Richard Curtis might not get the last laugh, but he is getting one last reimbursement from taxpayers.

The Southwest Washington Republican quit his 18th district seat rather suddenly Wednesday. That was two days after widespread news reports about his sexual escapades with men in a Spokane sex-video shop and the ornate Davenport Hotel.

Late in the week Curtis submitted vouchers asking for reimbursement for his expenses while in Spokane on state business with 19 other Republicans on Oct. 24-26, according to House Chief Clerk Barbara Baker.

That includes three days’ of expenses — or “per diem,” which is paid at a rate of $100 per day — and mileage. The latter covers his trip from his home in La Center to Spokane and back.

The state also paid for Curtis’ room at the Davenport Hotel on the night of his troubles. That was paid in advance by House Republicans who covered the nights of Oct. 24-25 at a rate of $77, according to Baker. The room rate was the same as for the Red Lion, Baker said.

That the room rate for state employees at the Davenport is the same as the per diem rate is a new detail conveniently left out of reporting by The Columbian.

Thank goodness for real newspapers.

Brancaccio: I am so awesome

So Richard Curtis' BFF Lou Brancaccio pens a love letter to himself today:

Several people have asked me what an editor - in this case me - is doing playing reporter. I'm the only journalist Curtis has spoken to so far on this story. That has resulted in my being interviewed on CNN, MSNBC and local television.

So how did I get it? Reporters from all over the country were calling Curtis trying to get him to speak about what was going on. Several of our reporters were doing so as well. No one was getting anywhere.

I know Curtis a little and hoped that our professional relationship might help. Apparently it did.

Yes, reporters do most of the legwork here and at other newspapers. But editors step in if we can help. After all, we're all journalists first.

This story is likely to die down soon. But it won't go completely away until Curtis says his piece. And, hopefully, that will be soon.

Huh? No Lou, you're what's known in the press relations biz as a "friendly outlet", that's why Curtis called you first. You and your paper are known as intensely friendly to the local GOP. From you hiring of Focus on the Family operative Dina Hovde as a "columnist", to the 2004 endorsement of George W. Bush (wow, that turned out well), it's common knowledge that The Columbian is trying to stem the bleeding of circulation by tilting ever more rightward in search of subscribers in places like Battle Ground.

Editors of papers shouldn't have "professional relationships" with politicians. The news media is there to get the story right, not inject themselves into the story and try to downplay a politicians far right policy positions, and yes, that's exactly what Lou did in his CNN interview by downplaying Curtis' votes on civil rights and domestic partnerships. Our news media is now having tea and crumpets with local politicians, and not getting to the bottom of the story.

An active newspaper would be going after the several remaining questions regarding Richard Curtis, especially the fascinating instance of a state gambling commission member sitting in a tribal casino (a tribe that has given him campaign contributions) the night of the alleged tryst. Were his drinks comped? With the Columbian, we'll never know. They're too busy having "professional relationships" with local politicians.

That last part is Lou guaranteeing that the story will die down as long as Curtis gives him one more exclusive interview. As editor, he's got the power to either break or sit on a story. Looks like the latter.

Life-Pac makes endorsements!

Life-Pac takes us back to 2004 when all the Republican guys n' gals were grooving to the latest Guns, God, and Gays hits!



That's a fascinating pair of answers. Either he misunderstood question #10, or that's his attempt to reconcile his personal life with his public policy making. The Life-Pac answer expected answer is "Yes" of course, so one can only come to the conclusion that Curtis opposed gay marriage, but was willing to allow civil unions and benefits for domestic partners.

After he got elected, he went along with his caucus on those issues and voted no on extending basic civil rights in the areas of employment discrimination and housing to gays, and then the "No" vote on the domestic partnership bill. But as a candidate, he wasn't as well scripted.

The lineup to replace Curtis

Herrington has an opinion piece up with the usual "lay off Richard Curtis, he's a family man" routine that is a GOP spin meister's dream. More importantly he updates us on an earlier Kathie Durbin article on the slate lined up to replace Curtis:

- The Columbian's Kathie Durbin reported Thursday that applicants for the interim appointment could include: assistant Vancouver city attorney Brent Boger, who is also the county's GOP state committeeman; Washougal City Councilman Jon Russell (who told me Thursday he's "in"); public relations consultant Ann Rivers; and Camas City Councilwoman Liz Pike. Complicating things for Russell and Pike: Each is seeking election this year for other offices.

I've earlier predicted that Boger would get first dibs on the seat. The big mitigating factor here is that Boger already has a well paying job, and quite frankly, he's overqualified for the state house. If he wants the job, it's his, so I'll peg his odds at 4/5:1.

Ann Rivers has quite the history in Clark County. She's a former spokesperson for JL Storedahl (the guys who've converted the East Fork of the Lewis River into their private lake), she was Tom Mielke's campaign manager in his losing 2005 county commission run, and she's most recently tied to working for the Grand Ronde tribe in opposing the Cowlitz Casino. Phew, that's a whole lot of enemies on the other side of those issues. I'd peg her odds at 9:1.

Liz Pike is in a knock down, drag out race for Camas mayor. I could be wrong, but her power base doesn't seem to extend in the 18th other than the Camas-Washougal area, but then again, it wasn't like Richard Curtis' power base extended much outside of La Center when he initially ran in 2004. Out of the four, I know the least about her. I'd give her odds of 5:1.

The last one is the wild card of the bunch, and quite frankly, is the scariest prospect. Jon Russell has all the trappings of an attractive candidate. Youthful, but with experience as an incumbent Washougal city councilman. In 2004, he was Paul Harris' on loan campaign manager from HROC in the losing primary against Jim Dunn. He's got major connections with Joseph Fuiten's Faith and Freedom Network, working as the executive director for that group. If Russell gets the nod, that's a indication that the evangelical wing of the local GOP is more organized than the "get your hands off my stack" wing. Odds: it's all in the Lord's hands.

All of these players have been part of the local Republican bench, which gets a lot more development opportunities from allied groups than the typical local Democrat. It also helps that the local GOP actually provides endorsements and resources for "non-partisan" races, since the local Dems stay out of those races and defer to some unwritten rule established by the Marquess of Queensbury. The Curtis' resignation moves everyone's plans up by at least two to four years.

Per diem did apply

The Columbian confirms my earlier suspicion on the use of per diem:

Curtis was in Spokane last week to attend a retreat for Republican lawmakers to plan for the 2008 session. It was an official legislative event, which means those who attended are eligible for state reimbursement of a portion of their expenses.

For events in Spokane County, the state reimburses legislators up to $77 per night for lodging and $49 per day for meals, said Sue Adamich, senior financial coordinator for the Washington House of Representatives. The state pays the standard federal mileage reimbursement rate of 48.5 cents per mile.

[...]

Rooms at the Davenport range from $235 to $599 for the honeymoon suite.

Nice snark at the end there.

Some enterprising travel agent should start a "Ride Along With Richard" tour of Spokane vacation package. You'll get to stay three nights at the Davenport in Room 968, gamble over at the Northern Quest (drinks comp'd, of course!), and three movies at the Hollywood Erotic Boutique. Travel agents are standing by!

Castagna on MSNBC

Nothing much new here, other than Castagna saying that when he found out about Curtis' voting record, "it blew my mind".

(Youtube video removed, use this link from CrooksAndLiars)

Karen Hughes Resigns

So Karen Hughes is out as public diplomacy "guru" on Muslim outreach. I have a sample of her handiwork here (NSFW).

Cowlitz Republicans Bark

The Daily News article on Curtis has a rich comments section regarding filling the vacancy with Cowlitz County GOP chair Shannon Barnett:

" The mighty Shannon Barnett strikes again for trush [sic], justice and the American Way. Now would be the perfect time for him to step up, do what is truly right and fill this important seat with the departure of Curtis. He can win next year in a landslide and the powerful political career will have truly started. No more school boards and gravel. Do what is right and best for us Shannon and take this seat which is rightfully yours. You and Joe can finally conquer the world. "

The "no more gravel" comment I think refers to Barnett's work as a dispatcher for Storedahl. And then from someone who appears to be pretty well versed in local GOP politics:

" Regarding Barnett: Shannon Barnett would NOT be an ideal replacement for Richard Curtis. I've volunteered for Republican and 18th district causes for the last 15 years and have rarely met someone so hell-bent on destroying the progress made by the few remaining Republican elected officials out there. This is a man that, while serving as Cowlitz GOP chair, actively tried to undermine the elections of Jeff Rasmussen, Joe Zarelli, and Ed Orcutt. He actively spews hate at our Republican elected officials that are respected by Republicans and Democrates alike (i.e. Doug Sutherland, Rob McKenna, and Sam Reed). He is a minion of Bill Schumacher, which should say a lot to our community leaders. As a Republican, I will do everything in my power to see that we replace Curtis with a person that truly understands the challenges of the 18th District and has the experience to represent us in the state legislature. "

Good to see the Republicans out there on the tubes of the internet, filling us in on internal strife. The fact of the matter is, this is a Clark County GOP decision in who fills the vacancy.

The sound of non-silence

So Curtis picks up the phone this morning and dials BFF Lou Brancaccio:

Richard Curtis, in his first public pronouncement in more than two days, repeated that he has done nothing wrong.

"I've done a lot of ---damn good for this community,” Curtis said in a brief phone interview with Columbian Editor Lou Brancaccio Thursday morning. “I am not the criminal here.”

That's great how Lou gets inserted into the story:

Since news of the rapidly unfolding scandal first broke Monday morning, Brancaccio is the only journalist to speak with the now disgraced former lawmaker.

"Richard didn't say much, actually,” Brancaccio said following their brief phone conversation at 10 a.m. “He's all lawyered up.”

Curtis then forecasts his demise into a potato:

Curtis said his attorney, John Wolfe of Seattle, has advised him to say nothing more publicly while there is still a chance he could be charged with solicitation in Spokane Municipal Court.

"He said if I spoke publicly, he would drop me like a hot potato," Curtis told Brancaccio.

Ok, so you just spoke publicly to Brancaccio. Does Wolfe know that? Curtis then offers a future rationalization for his votes against civil rights for gays:

Curtis said he realizes he needs to explain how he could vote against gay marriage and domestic partnerships and have a secret second life, but he cannot discuss such matters until all legal issues have been resolved.

Curtis said he would eventually give a full interview to The Columbian when the time is right.

Looking forward to that future interview. So at least locally, Curtis is keeping the story alive. Reading through the lines, I think I detect quite a bit of anger at the GOP for throwing him under the bus. The tire tracks are still pretty fresh.

The Kalispel Connection

Regarding the Republican attempts to sweep this story under the rug, not so fast. Mentioned in the police report is the visit by Curtis to the Northern Quest Casino. It's a small tentacle to the story. But there's some fascinating angles here:

The man now tied to a sex-extortion case involving a Washington legislator was identified earlier this year during a separate multi-agency investigation of a Spokane escort business that was laundering money and promoting prostitution at Northern Quest Casino.

Cody M. Castagna was identified on surveillance video talking with escort-business operator Cheryl Mae Larson at Northern Quest Casino, where she solicited prostitution customers and laundered money from that activity, law enforcement officials confirmed Tuesday.

[...]

Those reports say the state legislator and Gambling Commission member went to Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights to gamble early last Friday after meeting Castagna at Hollywood Erotic Boutique.

So Castagna was involved in an escort business at the casino. So who owns the Northern Quest? The Kalispel Tribe does. Doing some quick PDC searching, the Kalispel Tribe made a max contribution of $700 to the Curtis campaign on 10/20/06.

Curtis made his name on the La Center city councilman by being a vocal opponent of the proposed Cowlitz Tribal Casino, so he was well versed in tribal casino issues. Earlier this year, Curtis gets appointed to the Washington State Gambling Commission in February of this year:

Director Day addressed a letter notifying the Commission that Representative Richard Curtis, of the 18th District, has been appointed by Speaker Chopp to fill the House Republican vacancy on the Commission.

He then goes on to vote against the Spokane Tribal Casino at that same February meeting. The Spokane Tribal Casino is a competitor to Northern Quest. Usually how these things play out is that the tribe that already has the casino operation opposes the other tribe getting their casino.

Curtis pretty much made his name as a La Center city councilman in his opposition to the proposed Cowlitz Tribal Casino project. Now we find he visited Indian casinos operated by those who give him campaign contributions.

This story needs a lot more work I realize.

Blogged out

So the past 48 hours has pretty much blogged me out (is that even a usable term?).

Just a note that the Republican defense at this point seems to be a mixture of two tactics.

The "this isn't about partisan politics" defense:

"He's been a great representative, and at this time all I can say is we are stunned by the news," Hart said. "Our main concern for right now is the Curtis family. It's important to set politics aside while this matter is sorted out."

Or the "Abu Ghraib was the result on a few bad apples", from the WSRP:

A spokesman for the state Republican Party said Curtis’s political career was over, but discounted any long-term political effect for other party members. Curtis’ decision to resign stands in contrast to that of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, who announced plans to resign then changed his mind as he tries to withdraw a conviction for soliciting sex in an airport restroom, Josh Kahn said.

“It’s not going to be in the public mind for long,” Kahn said. The Craig situation is “a textbook case of the thing you don’t do, you don’t drag it out.”

To State Rep Bob Sump:

“I’m sitting here in shock,” Sump said. “When we lose our moral compass, these are the things that can happen.”

He discounted any long-term political impact, saying Curtis’s problems show “the Republican Party is made up of human beings, the same way the Democrat Party is.”

Ah yes, the "Democrat" party, the verbal tick guaranteed to send members of the Democratic Party up the wall.

Now, there are two pieces of unpleasantness left for the Republicans to get through. One is the appointment of a new state rep. And while I believe my earlier prediction will hold, my Republican radar ain't what it used to be. So there could be all kinds of interesting moves within the regional GOP structure for that appointment. The other is the possibility of a long drawn out criminal trial for either Curtis or Castagna.

On a more personal level, what has happened to the Curtis family is truly sad. The family pulled up stakes and left the state, never to return. Admittedly, the soon to be ex-wife of Richard Curtis works in a profession where she can obtain gainful employment easily. I don't revel in the personal destruction that the actions of Richard Curtis has caused to his family, the community of La Center, or the citizens of the 18th district.

The coalition that the GOP has built in the 18th may be able to withstand the storm. But at the core of that coalition, a lot of people have got to be wondering if their commitment to a party that pursues keeping the lid on rights for gays is really the best place to be spending one's energy. Within the past year, you've had Mark Foley, Ted Haggard, Larry Craig, and now Richard Curtis. The tie that binds these men together, is in the words of Andrew Sullivan, the pathology of the closet.

The openly gay people that I've met in my professional life lead incredibly dull lives. One of them even got married in Oregon during the window of time when that was allowed. The craziness that followed where the marriage license was revoked through state judicial decision, was a heartbreaking moment. Why we deny large segments of society the inability to have spousal visitation in hospitals or disposal of property through inheritance is simply unacceptable in my view.