Friday, July 30, 2010
Brancaccio set to drive a wooden stake through my heart in tomorrow's column
I must admit confusion. Who am I that your newspaper has now, after 5 years or more, decided to pay attention to my blogs? I’ve been blogging off and on for 5 years now. And until I provided proof that Jon Russell was lying about his “degree,” this paper has not, to the best of my knowledge, ever even acknowledged that my blogs exist… even when I scooped you by a mere 2 weeks or so (and you’d read about it on my blog but didn’t mention it) on the bogus Baird death threat scam.
So, a political opponent sets up a blog using me to trash another candidate. They put up 5 anonymous posts to attack me and that other candidate. And low and behold, the Columbian feels compelled to not only write about it, but to fail to demand the identity of the people in question behind that particular blog, something that most people, given your stance on false identities, would have thought you would demand before you EVER mentioned it.
Odd, isn’t it? The paper acted so upset a decade or so back when Pennington told Koenninger about me… even though he knew who I was in the paper for 4 years before saying it, and only in retaliation for what he wrongly thought was an attack orchestrated by me in the form of a column from Zuzel. Someone else they refer to without fact checking a thing uses no name at all, and what does the Columbian do about it? Why they push it and Brancaccio writes a column about it. No hypocrisy there, right?
And, of course, it doesn’t matter that most everything in the article and in the political blog is either wildly exaggerated or factually wrong. Did their fine newspaper call me about it?
Nope. Might not like what I have to say. And “fact check?” Are you kidding me?
I freely admit it; over the years I have hammered the Columbian every time I find them engaging in what I believe to be lying, distorting or wrongfully attacking. They haven’t changed anything because of it, you understand, but that pesky First Amendment applies to so much more than the bastions of the press.
So let me make the following facts clear; facts that the Columbian knows but which they seem to want to ignore.
Fact One: I first posted against Jon Russell some 8 months before reality set in and he dropped his abortive congressional run. Thus, Russell might want to believe this is somehow connected to another candidate, but it isn’t. There isn’t a single word I’ve written about Russell that I would have changed if Ann Rivers didn’t exist. And not only that, I told him to his face right after he first announced that I was going to do everything I legally could to keep him from being elected because I didn’t even want him in my government, let alone representing me. There was a witness to all of that, but what the heck.
Fact Two: Having known and worked with Russell 6 years ago during another campaign; having watched him make a shambles of 2 other candidate’s efforts (Harris and Rhine), having seen him make over $10,000 consulting FOR the Port Levy (THAT’S true conservatism!) having heard during his congressional campaign that for some reason, he was calling his wife a “physician” or a “doctor” as if an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner WAS a “doctor” or a “physician,” I knew precisely what kind of person he really is.
Of course, his early effort to secure Pam Brokaw’s social security number from me during the campaign back in 04 is what really tipped me off.
Fact Three: Any candidate or anyone else looking at my blogs can freely contact me to point out where I’ve got it wrong. Many of Russell’s supporters have claimed I “lie,” but oddly, none of them have ever come forward to anyone to show where that’s happened. Neither has Jamie Herrera or her supporters. But a review of Clark County Politics shows where I have corrected errors made for both Martin Hash and Richard Carson. The standard policy for all to see?
When I'm wrong, those in question may feel free to call ME out. I will provide them with my soapbox, unedited, but not uncommented on. One has done so, but he never answered the questions. The vast majority complains but never rebut.
Fact Four: Once again, for the record: NO ONE IS PAYING ME A THING TO WRITE THESE BLOGS.
I am NOT ON ANY CAMPAIGN’S PAYROLL. I do what I do ENTIRELY because I believe in it… as hard a concept as that may be for some to grasp… and the reason why I make no money (not even google advertising) on my blog.
That some people (Russell) may be claiming or whining that I AM on the payroll is beside the point. I’m not.
Ann Rivers is NOT paying me. We have not worked together on any project since May of 09. Neither is anyone else connected to politics.
Fact Five: One not well known fact is this: Jon Russell is actually paying someone to do his hits on his opponent. Gary Wiram, Russell’s rather abysmal congressional campaign manager, has neglected to mention that Russell has paid him, according to Russell’s C4’s, in the past for this very kind of thing while he has done it… to lend himself the air of someone acting purely out of altruism.
I, on the other hand, write what I believe in for NOTHING. Wiram? He gets his 30 pieces of silver to write lies, innuendo and “what he’s heard” for “unanswered questions” that he’s apparently too stupid to ask.
Fact Six: None of the claims I’ve made concerning Russell are anything but the truth as I understand it. I know what he’s said in my hearing, I see what the Vancouver Business Journal wrote; I know that he worked for the Port Levy, I know he was Washougal city finance chair when $100K disappeared; I know he’s taking credit for getting rid of Sellers when, by his own admission she walked all over him for years and she resigned; I know he lied to the 18th District PCO’s (I was there), I know he almost has a fetish about identifying his wife as a doctor. I know that he has used, and claimed to use in violation of the PDC’s, state representative campaign funds to pay off congressional debt. I know these things. You and your paper know these things… but you never mentioned them. He or his supporters mention lies, exaggerations and complete falsehoods, and you’re all over that.
I have offered up this statement for Mr. Brancaccio because he’s not interested in the truth as much as he’s interested in ammunition. He will not be fair. He will not even try and hide an agenda. In fact, this isn’t even news as much as it’s Brancaccio allowing his paper to be used as a campaign arm of Jon Russell.
Let me re-iterate what is posted on the “Who Am I” section of CCP:
I cannot abide political corruption. When politicians lie and I find out about it, I'm going to call them out. When payoffs are made and I find out about it, I'm going to call them out. When others present themselves as "unbiased" while working very hard to support their candidate... I'm going to call them out.
I have even taken my own brother-in-law to task for his failure to hold a county wide advisory vote on the bridge/light rail project that he promised me he WOULD hold on Feb 20 at the GOP convention at Prairie High School.
So, in the end, Mr. Brancaccio is not interested in interviewing me to be honest or factual. If that was their standard, maybe someone would have called me before they referenced the self-serving, mostly untrue or wildly exaggerated claims of my name sake blog.
As a result, when he asked me to call him, I declined and asked him to send me any questions he has via email. He replied that option was “too impersonal.” Well, given history and my efforts to attack him for it, I saw no need to provide grist for his particular mill. My respect for Mr. Brancaccio at least matches his respect for me.
Since Lou is sharpening his shiv for a little revenge that I will not be able to reply to in anywhere close to the numbers he goes out to, and since he’s being a tool for another campaign who has completely manipulated him into being their PR arm in a way that media professionals can only envy, I have limited my contact with Mr. Brancaccio to this statement. For those reading this, I thank you for your time. For Lou, it’s just a damned shame that truth and honesty play so little a role in your paper.
I do want to thank him in advance, however for publicizing MY blog. Since he’s finally acknowledged my work, my readership has taken off. And for that, I surely do appreciate Lou’s efforts.
Cross posted at Clark County Politics and Jon Russell Watch.
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Thursday, July 29, 2010
Longview Daily News endorses Heck... and Castillo!
The Daily News joins with the Columbian and the Seattle Times in pointing out that Castillo should make it through to the general election. Castillo is the only candidate endorsed by all three daily newspapers. Heck has been endorsed twice, and the clueless one has been endorsed once by the Columbian for reasons that defy description.
Clearly, a pattern is emerging: David Castillo is undeniably the best Republican... who also happens to have more endorsements then any of his competitors, even for a top two primary.
Previously the Establishment Queen of Inevitability, Babs has been reduced to Court Jester in a field where at least two candidates overwhelm the field in background, education and experience.
Here's how The Daily News Put it:
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Advance Heck, Castillo in 3rd District race
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July 29 Daily News editorial
Color the 3rd Congressional District purple. District voters backed George W.
Bush in the 2000 and 2004 presidential races and Barack Obama in 2008. Republican Linda Smith represented the district from 1995 until she stepped down
at the end of her second term. Democrat Brian Baird claimed the open seat after
advancing from the primary to defeat Republican Don Benton in November 1998.The 3rd District seat is again open. Baird announced last December that six terms were enough, setting off a stampede of hopefuls and instantly grabbing the attention of national Democratic and Republican party officials.
There are six candidates vying for this hotly contested swing-district seat on the Aug. 17 primary ballot — three Republicans, two Democrats and one Independent. Based on fundraising, name identification and endorsements, Democrat Denny Heck of Olympia, and Republicans David Castillo of Olympia and Jaime Herrera of Camas are the clear frontrunners.
The Daily News editorial board recommends that voters advance Denny Heck and David Castillo to the November general election. Heck and Castillo impressed us as the most capable candidates in this crowded field, and they would offer voters in a district that trends both red and blue an excellent choice come November. Both hold fast to the principles of their respective parties, but they have the maturity and experience required to understand the practical value of moderation and cooperation.
Heck has been successful in both the public and private sectors. He entered the public sector at an early age, winning election to the state House of Representatives at 24. Heck represented Clark County's 17th District for 10 years, rising to House majority leader. He later served as Gov. Booth Gardner's chief of staff. After leaving politics, Heck co-founded TVW, a statewide public affairs television network similar to C-SPAN. He's also helped start up several successful businesses, including the digital entertainment company RealNetworks and a business that provides electronic medical records to health care providers.
Castillo, who declared his candidacy for the 3rd District seat well before Baird announced that he wouldn't stand for re-election, also has worked in both the public and private sectors. Following service in the Navy and earning a bachelor's degree at the University of Washington and master's from Gonzaga University, Castillo went to work in George W. Bush's administration, where he served as deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs. He later worked in the Administration's Office of Operations Coordination, helping to organize the Department of Homeland Security. In Washington state, Heck has served as chief of staff for the House Republican Caucus. Castillo currently works in the private sector as a financial advisor for Edward Jones.
Both Heck and Castillo recognize job creation and economic growth as the district's top priorities. And they — more than any of the other candidates in this race — appear to possess the knowledge, skills and temperament needed to help advance those priorities.
So... what does these papers see in Castillo that they don't see in the Empty Suit from Ridgefield? Perhaps what they see is... well... the Empty Suit from Ridgefield has, well, an empty suit.
Well done to David.
Cross posted at Clark County Politics.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
What do Ridgefield Barbie and Babs Boxer have in common?
They both have this weird idea that whatever screwing around they've done... in Herrera's case, not living in the 3rd Congressional or 18th District for 11 out of the last 13 years... was, as Herrera told me to my face, "just like being in the military."
Well, guess what.
It's ain't.
Going to the UDub (which I also did for a while) and doing multiple internships and pouring McMorris her coffee is NOTHING like "being in the military."
Here's a vid of Babs Boxer telling us the same thing:
Clearly, neither one of them get it.
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Sunday, July 25, 2010
Well, the Columbian gets it half right: they endorse Castillo...
The also endorse Ridgefield Barbie... which is a decision totally without merit, given her utter vacuous positions, lack of knowledge, experience and vision.
For the primary, the top two candidates, by far, are Castillo and Heck. Babs has nothing to offer except to be a mouthpiece for McMorris... and do we need east side representation here on the west side?
The Columbian accurately wrote:
Castillo entered the race early, months before Baird retired, and wasted no timeIn writing about about Castillo's positions, the paper left out his experience: a Veteran, a sub cabinet official with the Bush Administration, a former chief of staff to state House Republican Leader (and Castillo endorser) Richard DeBolt who worked with both Castillo and Herrera, a businessman and a financial advisor who holds a Master's Degree.
attacking both the incumbent and the Obama administration. His cut-spending, promote-the-private-sector platform is imbued with bedrock GOP principles, but
he also proffers innovative ideas. For example, as reported in a recent Columbian story, he wants to replace the federal income tax with a flat tax and ultimately a national sales tax. His residence in Olympia will not diminish his eagerness to represent Clark County, he insists.
And in writing about McMorris's positions (ooops, I mean Herrera's positions) They left out her INexperience: not a Veteran, poured coffee as a low-level staffer for McMorris, spent a few weeks as an intern for a couple of people; lied about her few-week job raising money for Bush as if she had anything of substance to do with it, and no mention of her sell out to the democrats with her vote to strip out the last $229 million from the state emergency fund.
Wow. Leaving that out is kind of bizarre in an endorsement where they write:
We’re concerned with whether Heck would be able to rein in spending, especially on the salaries, pensions and benefits of governmental workers.So. The Columbian is "concerned" about Heck's ability (or, presumably, desire) to "rein in spending."
Then they ignore Bab's record of wasteful spending, combined with her comment that she couldn't find any reason to criticize Brian Baird, who voted for hundreds of billions in wasteful spending?
How.... bizarre. She has already shown herself capable of wasting hundreds of millions; and can't find fault with the guy she wants to replace, who voted to waste hundreds of BILLIONS, and they believe Herrera CAN or WILL "rein in spending?"
Utterly bizarre.
Cross posted at Clark County Politics.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
What are the impacts of the Times ignoring Herrera? .
Until now. With the Seattle Times passing her by; suddenly, things are different.
Suddenly, the fact that the Empress has no clothes is on display for all to see. The "inevitability" quotient has dropped to zero.
Marketing the empty suit like an empty cardboard box ain't gonna cut it. Speaking in generalities because you're too ignorant to intelligently address the issues might work when the fix is in like it was when she got the appointment.
But now?
Not so much.
A record of caving into democrats for massive spending in the House and co-sponsoring SEIU legislation and then lying about it is not the record people want when it comes to representation in Congress.
And now, we watch as the wheels come off and the string begins to unravel.
Cross posted at Clark County Politics.
Seattle Times endorses Heck.... and Castillo!!!!
The Seattle Times passed over Ridgefield Barbie and endorsed Denny Heck.... and David Castillo!
This is a STUNNING blow to Babs, who seemed to think that Cathy McMorris's effort to make her the "Anointed One" by bringing her corruptive influence to the other side of the state from her own district doesn't, in fact, mean anything CONstructive as much as it has been DEstructive.
Running the empty suit like Obama doesn't mean that people won't see through that.
We've been there. We've done that. And we've got the t shirt, a horrific mountain of debt, Obamacare and a foreign policy that looks like an early Keystone Cops movie... all voted for by Baird, and none of which Herrera found fault with.
Cross posted at Clark County Politics.ONE incontrovertible truth about Washington's 3rd Congressional District is it is a swing district in the fullest sense of the term. President Obama won there, as did President George W. Bush.Denny Heck and David Castillo the primary picks in the 3rd Congressional District
Whoever represents Southwest Washington in Congress must be an independent thinker willing to buck his or her political party. With that in mind, The Seattle Times endorses Denny Heck, Democrat, and David Castillo, Republican, to advance to the general election.
Both have worked in the public and private sectors and have a strong grasp of the challenges facing the district, most notably its unacceptably high unemployment rate. Both appear creative enough to tackle tough issues from an independent vantage point.
The need for jobs and an improved economy overshadow most other issues. Heck touts the need to proceed with a new Columbia River crossing as an economic stimulator and the need to keep Washington ports humming. Castillo emphasizes the needs to improve infrastructure, including flood areas along Interstate 5, and create enterprise zones to help economically distressed counties.
Heck began his political career at age 24, and was elected to five terms in the state House of Representatives. He served as House Majority Leader, and later, as chief of staff to Gov. Booth Gardner.
Castillo, too, showed early interest in public service and worked for George W. Bush, including a stint as a senior official at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Castillo is currently a financial adviser, and was the first challenger in the race, before the incumbent, Brian Baird, decided not to seek re-election.
Heck is an innovator as evidenced by the fact that he was an early investor in RealNetworks, a digital-entertainment company, and co-founded TVW, the C-SPAN of Washington state — a triumph of achievement for transparency in state proceedings.
Both men are levelheaded about wars America can no longer afford. Both realize the U.S. may not know what success looks like in Afghanistan, and if the vision remains too foggy, are willing to move to the end game.
On numerous issues ranging from financial reform to federal spending, Heck elevates the discussion with his vast knowledge and solution-oriented approach. Castillo wraps no-nonsense earnestness into conservative principles, which have room for compassion for people living in poverty. Childhood poverty is part of his own story.
This contest will be close. Voters would be wise to pick Heck and Castillo to clarify their strengths and weaknesses in the general election.
The lies of Jaime Herrera continue.
When I heard her tell the PCO's that SHE was responsible for raising $2 million dollars at a fund raiser for Bush in Bellevue, I thought her nose grew a foot.
Herrera launched her political career in 2004, the same year she graduated from UW. She interned in Zarelli’s office, coordinated a successful fundraiser for the re-election of President George W. Bush, and won a White House internship. She stayed on in D.C. to work for McMorris Rodgers in her first term, specializing in health care, education and veterans’ issues.Absolutely ZERO private sector experience....
“We need someone who can hit the ground running and go toe-to-toe with the Democrats,” she told her fellow Republicans.McMorris clearly parachuted Herrera in here for this. And with equal clarity, Herrera's idea of "going toe-to-toe with the democrats" meant voting WITH the democrats to strip out the last $229 million from the state emergency fund. Did she put up a fight THERE, or WHAT? Was Herrera's SEIU legislation and support for that legislation just another example of her "going toe-to-toe" with the democrats?
Eleven days later, facing commissioners from Clark and Cowlitz counties, she declared, “Every step I have taken since high school has been preparing me for this. There is not a job in the world I would rather have.”Obviously the lie of her decade.
If there was "not a job in the world she would rather have..." then why did she abandon that job so quickly for... another job? And if she was so "well prepared," why did she lead off almost every question answetr to the commissioners:"I don't presume to pretend to know?"
Herrera's appointment was the result of a deal made by McMorris and Marc Boldt, my brother-in-law. Boldt arranged a deal with 2 Cowlitz commissioners... and that's all it took. The rest of it was just eye wash. It was old school political corruption at it's finest. It was the interference of a congresswoman from the other side of the state who built Herrera from spare parts laying around her office, tossed her in here and who is now trying to drag Herrera to the finish line.
Ridgefield Barbie is a consummate liar... a say anything, do nothing politician who has only one interest in her politics: to scam enough people into voting for her.
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Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Now Herrera's cluelessness is on display for all to read.
Ridgefield Barbie seems unable to grasp the simple concept of the phrase "and please be specific."
In a smorgasbord of glittering generalities, Herrera proved herself incapable of explaining how she would do ANYTHING with specifics, leading to the inevitable conclusion that this waste of political skin has no idea WHAT she would do in Congress.
One of the many things that sicken me about this empty suit is that her campaign and background, inferior to even Obama's, is a mirror image of that campaign.
Whenever Obama DID engage in specifics, he lied. Herrera is too stupid to even do THAT, so her handlers KEEP her from even TRYING to site specifics in any plan Babs might cook up in her empty head.
Here's the tripe from Herrera, clueless, planless and visionless, like always.
Questions by Columbian staff writer Kathie Durbin
Q: Economic recovery: As a member of Congress, how would you work with other House members, the Obama administration and Washington state leaders to help small businesses and create jobs in Southwest Washington? Please be specific.
A: Southwest Washington suffers one of the worst unemployment rates in the nation. It’s indisputable: people are hurting and we need jobs. There are actions Congress and this administration can take now to stimulate job growth.
First, we have to control federal spending. Right now, the policy of this Congress is to run up a huge amount of new spending and put the debt on the nation’s credit card. That’s the wrong direction. It kills jobs, and over the long haul it threatens the future of the nation. I support a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment to force Congress to get serious about curbing its spending.
We can change the tax code so investment and job creation are actually rewarded. We can and should go back and reform health care to actually lower the cost of care because much of the burden of high health care costs is borne by our employers. Common sense solutions like Small Business Health Plans and lawsuit reform to deliver the same care at a lower cost will free up more capital for employers to grow their businesses and hire more people.
The administration must rule out, and I will oppose, any plan to create a federal Value Added Tax. Increasing the costs of our goods and services through taxation is no way to increase our competitiveness in a global marketplace.
Our goal should be to create an atmosphere where small businesses — the number one source of job creation — can succeed. I’m the candidate in this race who is a proven legislative advocate for small business; I was named a 2010 “Guardian of Small Business” by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Government programs and government spending won’t restore permanent jobs to our region and put us on the road to economic recovery. Recovery lies in the hard work and entrepreneurship of the American people.
Q: Columbia River Crossing: Our congressional delegation warns that the window for securing federal funding for a new I-5 bridge over the Columbia is rapidly closing, and that the region’s failure to reach consensus on a bridge design and the local funding match could kill the project. Do you believe a new crossing is essential to the growth of Southwest Washington? If so, what would you do to break the political gridlock? If not, what if anything should be done to improve the existing spans?
A: If elected, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure the federal government bears the lion’s share of responsibility for completing the Columbia River I-5 Bridge. No one needs to convince those of us who live in Clark County today the need for this project. The interstate highway carries 135,000 cars each day and is a vital artery for freight, meaning jobs in Southwest Washington depend on it. What won’t work is jamming through one plan that lacks local consensus. As a state legislator who represents Clark and Cowlitz Counties, I’ve spent countless hours listening to locals, officials and business leaders discuss this key project. I’ll use my position as this region’s federal representative to bring these interests to the table and secure the federal resources to get it done.
Q: Energy: Describe briefly your vision for the nation’s energy future and the region’s. What new energy sources should the federal government promote/subsidize? Do you believe it’s possible for the U.S. to wean itself from fossil fuels? Regarding the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, what steps, if any, would you support to hold BP accountable, repair the environmental and economic damage in the region, and strengthen federal spill prevention rules?
A: I believe in the “all of the above” energy approach. We need domestic energy sources including wind and solar, clean coal technology, nuclear and we need to protect the clean, renewable hydro resources we already have. I’ve been a proponent for biomass at the state level, because it’s a promising, clean form of energy that holds the potential for jobs and increased energy sources here in Southwest Washington. Incentives, not punishment, should be the path to more renewable energy. I don’t support cap and trade legislation that would increase the average family’s energy bills by about $1,700 per year.
My policy for oil companies is simple: clean up your own mess. Just as in the financial industry, the taxpayers should not be on the hook for the negligence or bad decisions of private companies like BP. I support removing the cap on damages paid by oil companies, and believe that questions of how the Gulf disaster took place must be answered before further deep ocean energy exploration is pursued elsewhere. All of us would love to see the day when our economy is no longer dependent on fossil fuels. But today, the reality is that every time gas prices go up, people lose jobs and I support safe and responsible energy exploration.
Q: Financial reform: What is your plan to protect American consumers from a recurrence of the abuses committed by Wall Street investment banks that led to the Great Recession? Do you favor reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act or something similar?
A: My number one priority for financial reform is solving the problem of “too big to fail.” We can’t have a system where companies are free to take huge risks, and if they pay off they reap huge rewards, but if they fail the taxpayers are on the hook for massive bailouts. That’s privatized gains and socialized losses, and it’s what so many of us are so angry about.
I would be open to a number of approaches to achieve this goal, including potentially reinstating some portions of Glass-Steagall.
Q: Immigration reform: Assuming Congress does not act this year, what is your vision for strengthening our borders and dealing with the 12 million undocumented immigrants who are in the U.S. today? Do you favor amnesty? Deportation? A path to citizenship for illegals? What is your take on the Arizona law? Please be specific.
A: I understand the frustration that led Arizona to act aggressively. If we had the same violent drug wars seeping over our borders, I would not want others condemning actions we took to protect ourselves in light of the federal government’s failure to secure our borders.
As a Member of Congress I will do everything in my power to strengthen our existing border operations in order to get our borders under control. I do not support amnesty for illegal immigrants, and I don’t believe we can seriously discuss what to do with the people already here illegally until we’ve stemmed the flow of people crossing into our country illegally every day. Whatever it takes, whether it’s a wall, a fence, or new technologies, we must secure our borders.
I support high levels of legal immigration and will work to protect those who want to play by the rules. Our country has a tradition of openness for those who want to come to America and respect the law and I intend to uphold that tradition. Our rich heritage of diverse cultures is part of what makes America great.
Q: Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: President Obama announced in March 2009 that he would withdraw most combat troops from Iraq by August 2010, deploy 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and train Afghan troops, and begin withdrawing military forces from Afghanistan in 2011. Do you agree in general with those goals? Briefly, what in your view should be the nation’s future military and political objectives in these two countries?
A: Our country remains under threat from radical Islamic terrorism, and successful resolution of both wars must remain our goal. With Iraq moving in the right direction compared to even a year ago, we must now turn our attention to winning the War on Terror in Afghanistan. This means the U.S. must provide the support for General Petraeus to be successful in the counterinsurgency efforts. Politics should stop at the water’s edge; as a Member of Congress, I will support President Obama in his commitment to keep America safe and stabilize the region. I believe he was unwise to put a date on our withdrawal, but now it appears he is backing off from an arbitrary date and is committed to a successful outcome in Afghanistan.
Also fundamental is the federal government’s duty to watch after America’s veterans, especially those warriors who have been injured in the line of duty.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Iraq Veterans For Congress
Here in the WA 03, of course, the GOP establishment candidate, Jaime Herrera, never served a thing but coffee.
Hat tip to This Ain't Hell.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The joke of the day? Herrera's laughable voter pamphlet statement.
In that pamphlet, you'll find yet another of the many fictional portrayals of Ridgefield Barbie, we she babbles about a "new generation of leadership" like she ever showed any in Olympia while selling us out to the SEIU and the democrats.
Her primary commitment, of course, will be whatever Cathy McMorris Rogers tells her it is, since without McMorris, we'd have never heard of our local version of Obama.
The fact is that Babs accomplished absolutely nothing in Olympia... and except for selling us out, the empty suit will accomplish absolutely nothing in DC.
A campaign of lies is summed up in this fiction:
As a State Representative for Clark and Cowlitz Counties I voted to cut spending, lower taxes and balance government budgets.Just one of her efforts to sell us out? A so-called "vote to cut spending" by voting WITH the democrats and AGAINST her own Caucus to help the leftist dems strip out the last $229 million from the state emergency fund.
Yeah. That REALLY "cut spending."
This colossal waste of political skin went so far as to tell the Columbian:
“Not once have you heard me criticize Brian Baird’s performance in Southwest Washington.”You'd think if she was so proud of such an idiotic pronouncement, she'd brag about THAT in this statement as well.
She stupidly forgot that Washington STATE'S spending, that SHE HELPED, is hurting us as well. But that didn't stop her from engaging in it... along with the dems that she can't seem to find a way to criticize.
When she calls herself an "independent voice," such a lie is obvious to a blind man. She will do, absolutely and unhesitatingly, whatever she's told to do by her puppet master, McMorris.
If, God forbid, she manages to get elected, she ought to have "(NP -McMorris Rogers)" after her name.
A massive waste of words from a massive waste of time.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Campaign Ad - The Lie that is Jaime Herrera.
Even the name of this ad is a lie. "Trust?" Trust who? Her?
All right then. Word for word, here's the fantasy that IS Jaime Herrera.
"Look what they're doing."Pure Obama.
"Tax hikes."
"Out of control spending."
"Mountains of debt."
"It's killing jobs."
"I'm Jaime Herrera and I've got a revolutionary idea."
"Let's trust people."
"Trust families to spend and save their money."
"Trust doctors and patients to make decisions, not bureaucrats"
"Change Congress: Jaime Herrera."
"Together, we can get SW Washington working again."
"For fiscal sanity, Jaime Herrera for Congress."
"I'm Jaime Herrera, and I approved this message. I'll help stop the spending spree in Congress."
But then, when you have no record, education or experience, those gawd awful brown pant suits are all you can offer.
What's missing? This:
When Herrera was what she would laughing call "representing" us in Olympia, she accomplished absolutely nothing.
She HELPED the democrats in Olympia with THEIR "spending spree," by voting to strip out the last $229 million we had in the state emergency fund. No other Republican in SW Washington voted for that.
Herrera did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to change Olympia. She keeps telling us to "look at her record." Well, when we look at her record, what do we see?
An old-school politicianette, put together from spare parts in McMorris's office. There's nothing there that could POSSIBLY make anyone believe that she will be able to do anything in DC.
The Obamaesque aspect of this is simple: She NEVER tells us HOW she will do any of these things... just that she will. And where have we heard that before?
How many empty suits do we need to elect? How many times do we let people like Herrera screw us?
The problem is that Herrera was one of 98 in Olympia, and she accomplished NOTHING. She couldn't get it done here.... what makes anyone believe she can get it done in DC, one of 435, except to be a mouthpiece for her master, McMorris?
This moron couldn't even find any reasons to "criticize" Baird! Do we NEED another Brian Baird? Do we need someone who can't understand the difference between Republican and democrat ideation?
No... We don't. Herrera would be as worthless a Member of Congress as she was in the state House. And that kind of crap is what we don't need.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A while ago, I was asked a question...
I made no other comment about the video or Herrera in that post.
A commenter left the following as a result:
"But what disturbs me, is that it seems what you are trying to say is that only people that have been in the armed forces can know what liberty and freedom mean and therefore are the only ones that can be defenders against the tyranny that is going on in our country.One of the many things the majority of voters apparently forgot in November of 2008 is that this nation is at war.
If that is what you are trying to say...Shame on you."
The result of that hopefully temporary loss of sanity is clear: Obama's election has resulted in utter disaster.
Our more local version of Obama, Jaime Herrera, is just like him. In 08, we had a choice. A choice between experience and packaging. A choice between someone with a record of service and sacrifice to the nation and someone who was a community organizer. A beat up, old and scarred package versus the slick packaging of the establishment.... the same kind of slick packaging the old school, establishment GOP is trying to force feed us now.
We can do so much better than a lying fake like Herrera. SO much better. And part of that reasoning translates from this YouTube video, which has received over 14,000,000 hits.
The person discussed in there is Obama. It closes with a plea to vote for McCain. But you could just as easily replace the word "Obama" with the word "Herrera," while providing even more reasons to vote for anyone else generally and David Castillo particularly. For me, the question is this: when you think about it, it's clear that Herrera is a version of Obama, and Navy veteran Castillo is a version of McCain, relatively speaking.
Are we prepared to repeat the stupidity of the past? Have we not learned anything?
Watch. Learn. And let's not make the same mistake again.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Why did Herrera lie to the Vancouver Business Journal?
“Not once have you heard me criticize Brian Baird’s performance in Southwest Washington,” she told the editorial board. “Linda Smith and Baird both have an independent streak.”Herrera has, apparently, fooled the Vancouver Business Journal into actually believing she had any intent of running in this election before Baird bailed out. In a recent article, the writer incorrectly indicated this:
For Republican Third Congressional candidates Jaime Herrera and David Castillo, the race began in earnest even before Baird made the announcement Dec. 9 that he would retire after the completion of his sixth term in the House of Representatives later this year.While an accurate assessment of Castillo's position... and also of Hedrick, both of whom announced before Baird withdrew, Ridgefield Barbie had no more intent to run for Congress this time around then she did to fly to Mars.
Yet the reporter (also the managing editor) responded with this when I pointed out the Herrera fallacy:
In our interview with Herrera, it was clear that she was seriously considering a run for the seat well before Baird announced his retirement.
Had Baird stayed in, no one except the poor schleps like me stuck with her in the 18th would have ever heard of this waste of political skin.
Herrera had done nothing about running for Congress. She may have FANTASIZED about it, but other then lying that she had been "recruited" by the NRCC to run against Baird (In reality, sources tell me that DeBolt was the one being recruited) nothing had been done to entice this pretender into running for anything. But let's remember: the cardboard cutout started out lying to the county commissioners during the appointment process when she babbled to them that
"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."SO what's another lie to the Vancouver Business Journal?
Gee... I don't know... did her multiple short term internships, her failure to work in the private sector, her ten year absence from this area, her complete lack of knowledge about local issues.... did that REALLY "prepare" her for "this?"
And here we are, just 2.5 years later, and she obviously decided that, well, yeah, in fact, there WAS another "job in the world" she would rather have.
Those who appointed Ridgefield Babs to this position either didn't know... or didn't care... what monumental tools they were... and how badly they were used.
But then, that WAS the deal my brother-in-law set up with McMorris, wasn't it?
So, when she got the job, she lied to us; and then to dampen the "opportunist" fire, she lied to the VBJ... when the reality is that her complete lack of preparation, either before or after Baird's announcement, clearly shows that she had no such intention of running before Baird bailed.
But then, given her record, "lying" seems to be what Babs is best at.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Will this be the second reason Rossi loses?
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that 2010 will be a GOP year. The fringe left nutjobs running government at the state and federal levels are doing everything they can to get the dems crushed in the upcoming election.
That said, one of the more troubling aspects for the GOP is the unbelievable arrogance establishment candidates like Dino Rossi and Jaime Herrera typically show.
Herrera, who fired the LA she acquired when she got the appointment in 07 because she was "too old," has been the epitome of arrogance. Of course, having an interfering Godfather type like McMorris around to drag her to the finish line doesn't help in that regard, nor does her almost mythical ability to be given everything she's received instead of actually going out and earning it. Herrera, like Rossi, have become legends in their own minds. They see themselves as being unstoppable.
This, however, is Washington State. And their is no sure thing. Herrera's leftist tendencies verified when she moronically told the Columbian:
“Not once have you heard me criticize Brian Baird’s performance in Southwest Washington,” she told the editorial board. “Linda Smith and Baird both have an independent streak.”As if Baird hadn't done volumes of things worth not only "criticising" but condemning outright; when combined with her "Guardian of the SEIU" status and her help gladly given to the leftists to rip off the last $229 million out of the state emergency fund.... these are the kinds of things that make genuine Republicans cringe at the very idea of a closet leftist like Herrera getting elected to dog catcher.
Rossi, of course, has the same types of problems based on HIS "anointed" status.
As a rule, over-arching arrogance isn't an attractive reason to vote for someone.
Rossi's first horrific mistake based on arrogance was his failure to announce back in February. That allowed the fringe left to use him as a pinata while he couldn't answer; it gave Murray the opportunity to raise additional millions unencumbered by having high profile competition and it kept Rossi from getting a 4 month head start on his own fundraising needs... his bogus "he raised $600,000 in a week!" crock notwithstanding.
Now, his second mistake built out of arrogance: blowing off the grass roots in the guise of the Tea Party.
Why Dino Rossi isn't courting the tea partyOne of the things you learn in this business is that there are, in reality, two elements to a successful election.The GOP front-runner skipped the movement's forums, but that likely won't hurt his chances in the 2010 election.
By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times political reporter
BELLINGHAM — At Whatcom Community College's Syre Auditorium last week, the passion of the conservative tea-party movement was on full display.More than 400 people packed the candidate forum sponsored by the Bellingham Tea Party, cheering raucously for Republican U.S. Senate candidates Clint Didier and Paul Akers as they one-upped each other with calls to chop the federal government down to a size the Founding Fathers might recognize.
More:The evening had all the flavor of the conservative insurgency that has become this year's popular national political narrative — a tide that has washed away establishment GOP candidates in Utah, Kentucky and Florida in favor of fiery tea-party-backed rivals.
And yet there was one crucial absence: Republican front-runner Dino Rossi, who spent the day at a Spokane Republican women's luncheon. It was the second big tea-party forum he has skipped in recent weeks
The first, of course, particularly in a contested primary with a relatively low turn out coming up, is to provide people with reasons to vote for you. At this point, as far as I can tell, the only reason to vote for Rossi is that he's Rossi.
That's not nearly good enough for me, at least, and I will not be voting for Rossi. I'm long since the stage in my life where I find "settle for" votes to be acceptable.
The second, and easily the "as important" aspect of elections is to not provide people with reasons to vote against you.
Locally, the best example of that truism is Jon Russell, whose consistent lies and exaggerations, combined with his use of Washougal city government as a campaign prop along with his avoidance of responsibility for the many times he's screwed up as a councilman has provided thousands of people with many reasons to blow past him on the ballot.
Rossi, on the other hand, heaps scorn on the Tea Party by acting as if they didn't exist.
Well, here's a clue: those of us supporting the Tea Party issues DO exist. And if he goes to the general... he will need each and every one of those votes... and he won't get them.
Yeah, yeah.... I've seen the polling. But we live in a state as deep and darkly blue as downtown Moscow when it comes to election results.
Does ANYONE believe that if he gets to the general, Rossi will win in a blowout?
I'm not convinced he can win or will win by any number. But does anyone think it isn't going to be close?
I will be among the percentage of those who will not vote for Rossi under any circumstances. That percentage may be small... but it will be there.
And that, like this moronic delay in announcing, will be the fault of the arrogance of Rossi.
Cross Posted at Dino Rossi Watch, Jaime Herrera Watch and Jon Russell Watch.
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Saturday, July 10, 2010
Well, the SEIU hasn't endorsed Herrera in THIS race yet... how about the...
Now, maybe, the IBEW hasn't yet endorsed the faux representative. But it looks pretty much like SHE has endorsed THEM.
Well, the card board cut out's keepers won't be pleased by THIS particular guilt by association, but then, it DOES speak for itself:
Some pictures are worth a thousand words. This one might be worth 10,000.
Jaime Herrera = Brian Baird? Seriously?
I wasn't particularly surprised that the most ignorant congressional candidate in the 3rd CD could actually say something like this anywhere but in her dreams:
“Not once have you heard me criticize Brian Baird’s performance in Southwest Washington,” she told the editorial board. “Linda Smith and Baird both have an independent streak.”That's right, Barbie. This kind of pandering, even if it's to a left wing rag like this one, is why the very thought of you elected to anything above dog catcher terrifies me.
We have yet to hear you criticize Baird's cowardice, his use of the term "Brown Shirts" and "Nazis" in describing the millions of Americans generally and the tens of thousands in the 3rd CD specifically who hated the very idea that he would vote for Obamacare.
Not a peep about his extravagant, hugely expensive ($500,000 in 2008 alone) and completely unnecessary travel expenses. But then, given your own confirmed ability to waste taxpayer dollars on YOUR travel, why, that's not surprising, either.
Nothing about his hypocrisy concerning his so-called 72 hour rule, where he demands 72 hours to review a bill... and then votes for those massive increases in costs and government authority without even reading the bills he voting for.
Nothing about Baird's pork barrel s[pending for the downtown mafia.
Nothing about Baird's vote for cap and tax.
Nothing about Baird's silence on the Barnett megacasino.
Nothing about Baird's vote on the 9000 ear mark budget.
Nothing about Baird's history of "pay to play" and how campaign donations resulted in millions in unneeded or wanted pork barrel spending.
Nothing about Baird voting for the programs where WE have to bail out OTHER homeowners who bought way too much house for the money.
Nothing about Baird's vote for the porkulous bill... his support of convicted felons voting rights restoration BEFORE their sentence is completed... his support of failing to require proof of citizenship to register to vote and legal ID TO vote... his support of gerrymandered tax districts that exclude tens of thousands of voters from having a say... but not paying the taxes...
All true. Ridgefield Barbie kept her mouth shut over all of it. And she's PROUD of it.
In short, there appears, from her own vacuous mouth, that there will be no difference in the representation Baird provided and the worthless effort of THIS empty suited moron.
Tell me again, Republicans. Why do you support this clueless leftist, Guardian of the SEIU? She even ADMITS she's no different then Baird... and you SUPPORT her?
God help us.
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Impressions of a 3rd District Congressional Forum (II)
Seriously.
The real David Castillo came out tonight. I'm not a Jaime Herrera supporter however the way David Castillo attacked her on stage when he knew she could not respond as he had the last word tonight was wrong.If you were not there picture this.
(3) Republicans on stage and (2) Democrats and (1) Independant. David Castillo did not attack anything the Democrats said all night and in his closing statement he tore into Herrera another Republican knowing she could say nothing.
What a sorry excuse for a man and I sure hope he don't treat his wife like that when she disagrees with him! What he did was uncalled for and it showed me he no longer deserves my vote! I'm voting for Hedrick as he is not playing dirty politics!
Wait until the video comes out and you will see how low our own party members will go to WIN. I don't agree with the SEIU at all, but he had no right to do what he did they way he did it.
sagriffins — July 9, 2010 at 12:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
And then:
Followed by more pap:Castillo will now be on the phone trying to keep CVTV from releasing the video showing the way he attacked Herrera!
Castillo lost my vote also but it was a while back when he did that robocall attacking Herrera.
A Democrat will win this race because of people like David Castillo.
Rob McKenna should also come clean on his endorsement of David Castillo! Nothing like endorsing the family member of one of your employees! Oh I was not supposed to say that!
I agree what he did tonight was planned and wrong! The crowd saw it and agreed it was uncalled for! Why did Ms. Durbin not comment on this at it was the highlight of the evening.
sowens — July 9, 2010 at 12:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
The efforts of this moron (these morons?) and the plan of painting Ridgefield Barbie as some sort of victim just re-enforces the idea that she doesn't have what it takes to be a 5th grade class representative, let alone a member of congress.Lew, Jaime was speaking to the people not the candidates! If the people want to see her record fine! But when another candidate on the same platform takes it as let's dig up some trash on them then that's trash politics!
Lew, are you upset Hedrick did not pass you a note? I would have found him passing you a note odd also!
However, I will say one thing, if my Husband was Hedrick, Castillo would have had a a#@ whooping right there on the stage after the way he totally disrespected her! Castillo has no respect for others and it shows! Don't agree with him and he will disrespect you.. That's what we need in Congress?
Interesting he is being buddies with a Democrat opponent while attacking his fellow republican opponents! So is Castillo a Liberal now or a moderate?
sowens — July 9, 2010 at 4:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
The empty suit did a DAMNED fine job of imitating a deer caught in the headlights.
Yeah, the real David Castillo came out on that stage. The same guy that shows up with his A game EVERY time.
That these (This?) Herrera scull could call what happened up there an "attack," as if Castillo physically struck Herrera, is pathetic.
Castillo schooled Barbie. That he had the last word or the first word would make no difference. The clueless one is a Guardian of the SEIU, having co-sponsored and voted for their bill, all the while lying about her motivations (after all, unions only gave Herrera a mere $5000 in the 08 election... they have to get SOMEthing in return for their investment.)
"No longer deserves your vote?" You slimeball, he never had your vote to begin with.
Castillo has EVERY right to hit Babs over her noggin with her own record. After all, didn't she spew THIS tripe?
“I am the only candidate who has a record of voting against wasteful government spending,” said state Rep. Jaime Herrera, R-Camas, the only candidate in the field who currently holds elected officeShe's also the only candidate to sell us out to the SEIU and to vote with the leftists to strip out the last $229 million from our state's emergency fund. Odd, she doesn't mention THAT part of her record, does she?
The moment the video comes out, I'll be reminded what a blithering, incompetent tool Herrera actually is, thank you very much.
And then to bring up the completely factual robo-call as a reason not to vote for the man (Was that posted by Shannon Barnett? He pulled that same stunt when he bailed outm on Castillo after that 100% factual call went out) What is WRONG with people?
Little Miss Muffet DEMANDS that we look at her record.
When we DO look at her record and discover how utterly worthless the record that SHE wants us to look at actually is, the idiots around her respond with this kind of trash.
If Herrera makes it to the general, a democrat will win this race because Heck will stomp Herrera into the ground like a golf tee.
And then attacking McKenna because like so many others that he's worked with... and that Herrera has worked with.... have made the choice to kick her to the curb and endorse someone worthy of the title "Congressman."
And to the idiot who babbled that "if you husband was Hedrick," etc, etc... there's a damned good likelihood that Castillo would have knocked his dumb, hen-pecked ass out.
Yes, these posters are typical of the ignorant kool aid drinking types drawn to the package with no concern over the contents... which Castillo showed simply weren't there.
Whoever these people (person) is, I do hope they keep babbling like this. Each time this kind of garbage comes up it just shows how ill-equipped Little Miss Dainty is to represent anyone in anything.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Impressions of a 3rd District Congressional Forum
This, of course, had the same Jaime Herrera as we always have.
No specifics, no vision, no plan and no clue.
She spent a great deal of time telling us what we already know (Things are very bad) and very little telling us what she intends to do about it (since, frankly, she hasn't been told yet and certainly doesn't know on her own.) She lied about her legislative record, asking us to do what I have already done, in some detail: check said record. Checdking it, of course, made me recoil in horror.
Castillo, on the other hand, naturally had genuine proposals for addressing the economic doldrums including free enterprise zones for distressed counties (based on the unemployment rate) tax incentives for business and tax holidays for new employees so the money not going to government would be more likely to be spent in other local businesses.
Even Denny Heck was impressed with that plan.
Herrera, of course, offered nothing. Not unlike Jon Russell, she keeps telling us to look at her record, in her case, in the legislature. The problem is that her back-bench record in the legislature is not the kind of thing you'd really want anyone to look at if you mean to use it as a reason to be elected to anything.
It's this kind of thing that's straight from the bizarro zone:
“I am the only candidate who has a record of voting against wasteful government spending,” said state Rep. Jaime Herrera, R-Camas, the only candidate in the field who currently holds elected office. “We have got to stop the drunken-sailor, hand-over-fist spending” by the federal government, she said.She's also the only candidate with a record of selling our Republican principles. She's also the only candidate to vote with the democrats and against her own caucus and her seat mate in the 18th while helping the democrats strip out our last $229 million from the State Emergency Fund.
If EVER there were a RECORD OF "WASTEFUL, DRUNKEN SAILOR GOVERNMENT SPENDING" that is certainly it.
Here's another paragraph that should have been mentioned in the paper, but wasn't (Since they no doubt will be endorsing Herrera for the primary, since they will also endorse Heck for the primary and the general.
So, why does Herrera insist on lying about herself that way? Is she, like Russell, a serial liar? Does it extend beyond her record of lying about her nonsensical "senior legislative aide" crap?
And when it came to the issue of "jobs," why didn't she brag about her forced unionization/business owner dues paying SEIU bill that she co-sponsored, voted for and then lied about?
Why has she run such a vacuous campaign?
Is there any doubt she's the GOP equivalent of Obama, who ran exactly the same campaign for president because he had nothing to offer, either?
I will always remain mystified by anyone who would support Ridgefield Barbie. I will always remain mystified as to why anyone would reward this empty suit with either their loyalty, or an acceptance of Cathy McMorris Rodger's interference in our political affairs.
All in all, it was another in a series of abysmal efforts by Herrera where it's clear she has no idea what to do or how to do it.
The people deserve better. And the lies and selling out to the left combined with McMorris Rodger's interference somewhere where what we do and how we do it is NONE OF HER BUSINESS are just a few of the reasons why I will NEVER vote for Herrera... for anything.
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