Washington Governor’s Race

At right, Dino Rossi, at Today’s Press Conference

Dino Rossi continues to plunge boldly ahead, working towards his dream of becoming Governor of Washington state.

Too bad it’s all just in his mind.
Although they won’t admit it, Republicans lost bigtime when Chelan County Superior Court Judge John Bridges, ruled that he had no power to order a revote.

The ruling means that if Bridges does eventually set aside the election, his possible options could then include either declaring the office vacant – which would mean Lt. Gov. Brad Owen could take over as interim Governor – or, Bridges could declare Rossi governor.

Those options are, however, a long shot, and the Republicans know it. The standard of proof in getting the election results tossed out is very high. It’s unlikely that the Republicans have enough evidence to sway the judge.
At a news conference today, Rossi downplayed the ruling, saying that if the Judge vacated the election results and appointed him Governor, he would not take the office, but would instead ask the legislature to call a special election.

Continue reading “The Race That Would Not Die” →

Washington State Governor’s Race

The Saga Continues

In an election fraught with problems and strife, now new charges of impropriety have come to light.

The dead have spoken, seemingly, and their clear choice for governor is Christine Gregoire.

According to the King County elections manager, as many as 22 dead people voted in the election last November. These cases are under investigation and criminal charges may be filed in at least three of the instances.

That tidbit, problems with provisional ballots and also the fact that King County may have had several thousand more votes than actual registered voters all has the state Republicans throwing a hissy fit.

Continue reading “Dawn of the Dead” →

Washington Governor’s Race

So Dino Rossi wants a new election?

Give me a break!

This guy has obviously been spending way too much time with Chris Vance (who is a world-class moron).

Take note, Dino: There is no legitimate basis whatsoever for a new election. None, zero, zip. The election is over, and you lost! And that is all she wrote.
It’s hard to imagine how the Republicans think they could justify a new election. Perhaps they’ve been smoking something?

Stop the madness, Dino, and concede the election now!

Washington Governor’s Race

So now the King County ballots are in, and it’s Christine Gregoire by 10 votes? What a deal!

Tomorrow, when King County includes the hundreds of disputed ballots – as they are allowed under today’s state Supreme Court decision – that lead may grow wider.

So maybe it’s finally over…

I guess Chris Vance can safely commit suicide now, or whatever it is he needs to do.

He does need to do something.

Over the past week or so, it’s become increasingly apparent that Vance and his Republican buddies have no interest at all in determining the real will of the people, and I find that truly appalling.

The Republican’s bid to exclude ballots from King County that were mishandled by election workers has shown their true colors – their whole objective was to exclude the predominately Democrat ballots, thus unfairly stealing the election, though legalistic machinations.

Continue reading “Governor Christine?” →

Washington State Governor’s Race

Poor, Poor Republicans.
The way these guys are whining, you’d think the end of the world was just around the corner.

The furor is over the 561 ballots from King County that were incorrectly tossed-out in the first count. It now appears the Democrats will succeed in getting the ballots counted in the ongoing hand recount, and that juicy fact has the Republican’s blood boiling.

State Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance, is particularly offensive with his holier than thou pronouncements about how this action of the Democrats will destroy the very fabric of our nation.

“I’m now becoming very worried that the Democrats are going to try to turn this into Florida,” said Vance.

Really.
Vance, obviously, is a mental giant.

Then another really great line was from Dino Rossi, who said something to the effect of, “If you go to court over the outcome of an election, pretty soon you’ll have the courts determining who gets elected, and that’s just wrong.”

Of course Rossi must be unaware of the 2000 presidential election where the US Supreme Court handed George Bush his victory. Or perhaps it was just okay when the courts decided that one because it went in their favor.

What a bunch of hypocritical bullshit.

If someone votes, it should be counted, period. They can’t be disenfranchised simply because some election worker screws up.

The must count all the ballots – and let the chips fall as they may.

Vance and Rossi need to take a lesson from Al Gore. All through the 2000 election fiasco, he never whined even once about Bush’s putsch.

Now what Gregoire is doing is actually legal – unlike what Bush did…

So stop whining Dino! Be a man!

I think it’s interesting to hear the cries of anguish by the Republicans over Christine Gregoire’s probable demand for a hand recount in the Washington state Governor’s race.

To hear the Republicans tell it, the whole state will come crashing down in an apocalyptic doom if Christine Gregoire goes ahead and asks for the hand recount.
Of course, if it was Dino Rossi that was 42 votes behind, the Republicans would never ask for a recount… Certainly not! Much too divisive!

Me, I’m not real crazy about either candidate.

Rossi’s one slick Italian SOB, who maybe plays a little fast and loose with the truth (hey: anyone remember our last Italian Governor? Al Rosellini? His big success was bringing corruption right out into the open where everyone could participate. Now thatsa Italian!).

Gregoire on the other hand, is a cold, faceless, bureaucrat who tried to reinvent herself as a human being, apparently without much success.
I don’t really have a feel for the politics of either one. There probably isn’t an awful lot of difference.

I voted for Gregoire simply because she’s a D.

Either way, I think the hand recount should go forward.

We deserve to conclusively know who won the election – not who probably won it.

A Puppet Government In Iraq Equals Disaster for the US

“The will of the people… is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object.” –Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Waring, 1801. ME 10:236

A few weeks ago, President Bush put the interim Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, on public display. Allawi, for his part, in essence told us everything was just great in Iraq. Everything is under control; Iraq is returning to normal, he said.

Well isn’t that simply wonderful? And just in time for the US presidential election, too.

Not that the timing is more than providential, but what really amazes me is that some people are actually buying into the fiction of an independent “Iraqi Government.” Because that’s nonsense – what we have now in Iraq is a puppet government, pure and simple, completely controlled by the US. Nothing more, nothing less.

As such, it’s extremely unlikely that things are even remotely “just great” and returning to normal in Iraq. Because puppet governments don’t work. They didn’t work, for example, in Vietnam, and they won’t work in Iraq.
Why not? Let’s look at some facts:

In Iraq, Shi’a Muslims comprise over 65% of the population; Sunni Muslims about 37%. Christians constitute a much smaller minority.
Through the Ba’ath Party, Sunni Muslims have ruthlessly controlled Iraq, subjugating the Shi’a as well as all the other religious minorities since 1963. Much of that time, the Ba’ath Party worked hand in hand with the CIA, including during most of Saddam’s reign – Saddam really didn’t fall from grace with the CIA or the US generally, until after he invaded Kuwait in 1990. That, of course, precipitated the First Gulf War.

Continue reading “The War In Iraq Must End Now” →