Washblog

Fix your bookmarks

If you are still coming to this site, your bookmarks need to be updated. Please redirect them to http://www.washblog.com

new blog cometh

There are some last minute glitches (polls and the recommend button showing way down at the bottom), but I am satisfied enough to launch the scoop version today at noon(ish). Some DNS changes need to be made, and that can take some time to replicate.

We need somebody

If Darcy Burner can raise $200k, and pick up two primary challengers, then what the hell is going on in eastern WA?

We got Doc Hastings as someone to run against, and we have nobody as a viable candidate. Sure, Richard Wright has filed, but is he actively fundraising and campaigning? We need serious candidates that are busting their ass raising money, recruiting volunteers, making a website, visiting constituents, and from what I have heard, that is not the case with Mr. Wright.

Cathy McMorris has no opponent, either. With Goldmark dropping out, we are basically ceeding the eastern half of the state to the Repubs, and letting a Tom DeLay abetting weasel like Hastings off the hook.

2006 can be a big year if we run against every Republican in federal, state, and local races. A guy like Hastings has so much dirt, people should be jumping at the chance to take him on. From the looks of it, our next state party chair will have to do the recruiting right away after the election. At least the person who wins will be in a good location to start looking (Now in Kent, shows what I know).

Why should you care? Depends on who you are and what you do.

You've got to love it when reporters perfectly frame the debate on a particular issue.  Today we take up the infinitely exciting issue of Unemployment Insurance (UI), specifically the hub-bub about two quarter vs. four quarter averaging to determine unemployement benefits.  I.E. whether unemployment benefits are calculated based on  the two economic quarters in which you had the most income last year, or whether it is based on the total average for the year. 

This News Tribune article on the main issues of contention between the labor community and the business lobby (oooh...Lakoff would be proud) accurately sets up the opponents on this issue when it asks the question "Why should you care? Depends on who you are and what you do."

If you care about making sure workers whose jobs are seasonal or affected by the weather (construction, agriculture) have access to the same decent unemployment benefits that the rest of the workers in the state have, you support two-quarter averaging.  If what you care about is "ultimately the cost to business," you support four-quarter averaging.  Or to phrase it a little closer to the language in the article, if what you do is work night and day fighting for regular working people (the state labor council), you support two-quarter averaging.  If you are the president of Association of Washington Business, you support four-quarter averaging. 

Lucky for you all I'm going out and don't have time to get into the nitty-gritty of the fight over this issue.  Long-story short, we've had two-quarter averaging in this state for a long time.  For a variety of reasons the state's tax to fund UI insurance unfairly privileged industries like Homebuilders who had a high-level of unemployment (and used the insurance relatively more often).  This created an incentive for the other business interests to lobby for UI changes.  A labor / business partnership crafted a compromise which significantly addressed these issues.  The business lobby stabbed the labor lobby in the back and negotiated legislation in the overtime session of 2003 that preserved all of labors concessions and none of businesses - including a switch to four-quarter averaging.   Last year we went back to two-quarter averaging for two years to study the issue.   This session, one of the major fights is over making permanent the switch back to two-quarter averaging. 

It is exactly these sort of issues that show us why we need to pay attention to every legislative session, even ones the traditional media would like to tell us are likely to accomplish little.  This issue may not make the front page, but the unemployed construction worker looking at a difference of several hundred dollars in her unemployment check sure cares about it.

PortDork

Two More Candidates in 8th Congressional Race

Two new candidates announced their intention to run for U.S. House in the 8th Congressional District tonight. Menno van Wyk, Founder and CEO of Montrail, Inc. and Paul Abrams, a physician with a law degree from Yale and a background in the biotech industry. I've posted on Mr. Abrams previously. Don't know if they've formally filed yet.

Randy Gordon: Personal Ambition Took a Back Seat to Democratic Unity

Randy Gordon and I talked at the Unity Caucus in Renton on Sunday. He was as energetic as usual -- and obviously at ease with his decision to bow out of the race for U.S. House of Representatives in the 8th Congressional District (8th CD). As many readers will remember, he has just recently withdrawn, leaving only one Democratic candidate in the field -- at least for now -- Darcy Burner. The 8th CD race is of key national importance.

He wanted to discuss a new idea -- the potential of using the funds he raised during his campaign to form a 527 organization that could help support races in the 8th CD this year, including the Congressional race. The funds could be used, for example, for advance purchases of radio or TV ads for the candidate who faces Reichert in the fall. He'd have to get written permission from the donors, he said. I'll sign onto that deal, I said, that's a good one. I had wondered what would happen with the not inconsiderable funds he raised during his race.

There's sharp disappointment here in the 8th CD that Randy has bowed out. I've received emails saying it's unfair, that he was the best candidate and he should have stayed and fought.

Candidate forum moves to Eastern WA

Thanks to the Washington State Democratic Hispanic Latino Caucus and the Washington State Democratic Fourth Congressional District for hosting a state party chair candidates forum.

The event is scheduled for January 21st at 10am in Pasco, and will be moderated by Gabriel Portugal (chair of the Hispanic and Latino caucus) and Keith Gourley (chair of the 4th CD Dems).

Download forum.pdf

Musing about

Today at 10am in the O'Brien building (hearing room D), the State Government Operations & Accountability Committee will have public hearings on SHB 1226 - Adjusting application of campaign contribution limits to $675.00 for a candidate running for a state legislative office, and $1350.00 for a candidate running for say, the Supreme Court. Currently Supreme Court races have no campaign donation limit. Also, SOS Sam Reed will appear in the Senate Cmte. regarding moving the primary date.

Later on today at 4:30pm, Governor Gregoire will give her State of the State address. Afterwords, Senator Pam Roach will scream about her missing flowers (or some other nonsensical tirade) in the Republican response.

If I were in charge .... S.C.R.E.A.M. update.

I refer to those Christian Right noisemakers as SCREAM'ers:
S upreme
C hristian
R epublican
E vangelical
A merican
M oralists

And here's what's on my mind today.

Chair forum afterthoughts

Got a chance to check out the Unity Caucus' State Party Chair forum, one that will be on TVW shortly.

It was a packed house and I think Luis Moscoso did an excellent job getting the event together in four weeks notice. The forum had a moderator who asked a question to each candidate then a representative from each of the individual caucus asked one question each.

So some thoughts on how the forum went, and who I would endorse on the first ballot below....