The lunatic fringe of the Washington State Democratic Party is not confined to their weirdo Duranty-wanna-be bloggers in Seattle and ... Portland. The lunatics are actually running the Washington Democrats' asylum.
An article in yesterday's Seattle Times suggests that WA State Democrat Chairman Paul Berendt is either a pathological liar or that he suffers from Paranoid Schizophrenia. As the Times reported, "Democratic chief says Rove lurks behind GOP suit". And were' not just talking about the gubernatorial election contest. In Berendt's elaborate delusion, Karl Rove is lurking everywhere that Washington citizens are displeased with their elected officials:
Berendt alleges in his letter that Rove's reach — on behalf of Bush — goes even further than the governor's election dispute. He says Rove is behind failed attempts to recall Republican Secretary of State Sam Reed and Democratic King County Councilman Dow Constantine.Oh dear. The unsuccessful Dow Constantine recall was initiated by Vashon Island businessman Armen Yousoufian (who recently started his own blog, btw). I reached Yousoufian at home this morning and asked him whether Karl Rove had directed the recall attempt. He laughed very loud for a long time and said "That's news to me". And something tells me that if Karl Rove really wanted to recall Sam Reed, he would have been more successful than this. Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at March 06, 2005 03:56 PM | Email This
Or better yet, a star went nova in Beta Hortensis this week. Hmmmm, must be Roves anti-environmental policies coming home to roost.
Posted by: BubbaDoRadar on March 6, 2005 04:34 PMActually, "zapporo", I think the question is irrelevant. The only question that should matter is whether the information provided here is truthful and credible and whether the commentary is thoughtful, thought-provoking and interesting. The lunatic who writes drivel for free is not more honorable than the sage who is paid handsomely.
But to answer the question, the only compensation that I receive for my efforts on Sound Politics is from User donations and from blog ads. These amounts are fairly modest and it's only compensation in the sense that it goes to cover costs with the rest going into a reserve to be used for expanding and redesigning the website. There are no immediate plans to pay me or any of the other Sound Politics writers for what we're doing here, and even if we were to pay ourselves from the tipjar fund, the remuneration would be quite small at this point.
We're doing this in order to express our personal political opinions in our spare time.
Posted by: Stefan Sharkansky on March 6, 2005 04:45 PMDid they get their deposit back yet from Sam Reed? This law suit is going to bust them.
Posted by: chardonnay on March 6, 2005 05:12 PMThe lunatic fringe of the Washington State Democratic Party is not confined to their weirdo Duranty-wanna-be bloggers in Seattle and ... Portland
Goldy:
Stefan Sharkansky apparently suffers from paranoid delusions. I know this, because the men I’ve hired to trail him assure me it is true.
Ok. Ok guys. I think we need some sort of mediator here.
Isn't there anyone left who can have a discussion without calling an opposing view "crazy."
What happened to the reasonable folks who aren't trying to burn the other guys house down?
Posted by: Erik on March 6, 2005 06:32 PMHe probably see's Dead people....all the time! (voting) ........snicker....
Posted by: Deborah on March 6, 2005 06:54 PMI don't call everybody who presents an opposing view crazy. I don't call you crazy, although much of the information that you present as fact is simply untrue. Some of Berendt's reported comments about Karl Rove's reach are so baseless and over-the-top ludicrous as to deserve whatever ridicule people can heap on him.
As to the other bloggers who have no response to irrefutable facts that contradict their fantasy world, except to ignore the facts and hurl playground insults at the people who deliver the facts -- they're clowns and they only waste the time of the people who are interested in a serious discussion of important issues. I'm not going to waste my time engaging with them. Surely there are some sensible people on the other side. Aren't there?
Posted by: Stefan Sharkansky on March 6, 2005 07:07 PMI say again, you simply CANNOT parody the Left. No matter how loopy and over-the-top you try to be in jest, they will come up with something AT LEAST as nutty. . . and expect to be taken seriously.
One small nit with your conclusion Stefan- EITHER a liar OR schizo? Is there some reason he can't be both? ;)
Posted by: Chuck Miller on March 6, 2005 07:18 PMI am retired military and I took you up on your challenge. Stefan is probably incurring a few expenses to bring us this site along with his expertise.
If he spends it all on beer and toys for his 3 year old, I'd be happy too!
Posted by: sgmmac on March 6, 2005 08:20 PMThere's a certain myopia inducing hauteur associated with the pontificating left establishment be it professors, politicians, journalists or bloggers. They must have this hauteur to justify themselves because their ideas are so far from reality and so far from the average Joe, even the average left leaning Joe in Seattle.
As least some of the everyday left leaning Joes who comment are willing to debate real ideas and will actually back down or be swayed by facts.
That man is parinoid, and do the Democrats (just the normal people type not way left) really believe this crap?
And frankly, who give's a darn who is behind it, as long as the TRUTH is told....
Didnt the Dem's get a bunch of Kerry money to pay for the hand recount? The GOP didn't spin those funds as an conspiracy did they???
Berendt needs help, he is too emotional, and so full of himself, it is sad. I almost feel sorry for him....
Posted by: Chris on March 6, 2005 08:35 PMChris -- Don't make that mistake of feeling sorry for the enemy -- don't fall for that
Second -- hey ya mean the dem's have finally lost all the traction the used to have with their kool-ade drinkers -- with their greatest demon of all time -- Richard Nixon???!!!!!!! -- actually I am old enuff to remember when it was still Hoover -- My grandfather remembered when it was still Lincoln -- heh heh heh -- stuff that up your sheet Byrd
Posted by: Bill on March 6, 2005 09:38 PMrangers lead the way!
Posted by: Ranger06 on March 6, 2005 09:53 PMBesides, if Karl Rove was involved, we would have won.
Posted by: Kevin on March 6, 2005 10:33 PMJim
Posted by: Jim L on March 6, 2005 10:54 PMI firmly believe their should be a liberal posting fee associated with your site. Great job you do here! They are getting desparate!
Posted by: GS on March 6, 2005 11:50 PMYes.....Yes he was! And.........Karl Rove was the 'smoking guy' on the X-Files!!
But I hear - that right now...Karl's entire attention is focused on making Paul Berendts *appear* crazy!! (cough) Yep! It's a dang right-wing-Rove conspiracy!
(Yo Paul....He's probably watching you right now!!!)
Karl Rove is worse than Santa Clause!!! He is everywhere!!
Fund raising letters nearly always work best wehn they scare the recipients -- or so those who send them out have concluded.
And party officials, more than elected officials, are given room to float outrageous charges. I don't like that, but the custom is far too well established for me to change.
Berendt's letter goes farther than many, but it is part of a long tradition. (And it is interesting to see what he thinks will appeal to Democratic donors.)
Posted by: Jim Miller on March 7, 2005 04:51 AMI wish! I remember the sadness and discouragement we felt when the Bush campaign packed up and left the state in mid-September, followed by the cuts in funding to Nethercutt's campaign by the Senate campaign committee. I was surprised the GOP did as well in WA as it did, after the way the RNC wrote us off.
I'd like nothing better than for Karl Rove to wake up and decide the GOP has some potential in this state. Paul Behrendt is whistling past the graveyard.
Posted by: Scott on March 7, 2005 07:43 AMI hate to quibble, but this particular allegation would be more properly directed toward neo-neo-con HRC.
Dems claim to have proven that all 15 names turned over last week were legal voters. I guess that settles it; if the Democrats rebute the Republicans by simply stating "it isn't true", there is nothing further for the PU reporter Louis Kamb to do. The reliable politicos have spoken and the issue is dead. Sounds like Officer Barbrady in South Park "nothing to see here people, move along".
Who to trust is always an issue. But an article like this one should engender zero trust on anyone's part.
Stefan volunteers his time, and he gets nowhere near enough credit for it. Unless he's magic, he only has 24 hours in a day to work with. He has to fit earning a living into that, find time for family, appear in media, and run the website.
Subtracted from that total available time, of course, is time spent answering irrelevant questions.
(if you don't mind my speaking up, Stefan.)
Posted by: South County on March 7, 2005 08:32 AMIf you believe elections will be improved by letting felons vote directly out of prison and motor voter registration permitting illegal aliens, then you people are mentally ill - or you should just go ahead call yourself communists - as your goal is to nullify justice because it may not go your way.
Posted by: KS on March 7, 2005 08:41 AMI understand where Mr. Berendt is coming from. There are Democrats that send money to support specific candidates, and will send some money into the general party fund regardless of whether we get the letters or not.
Then we have our fringe folk. These people send more money when the "evil Republicans" are out to "pillage the world for big business" and we virtuous Democrats need to defeat the malevolent Rovezilla. Sigh.
I used to get the Republican mailings too, as I sent money to a Republican candidate that I supported. Most of them weren't quite as amusing as my party's mailings, but they pulled the "scare card" out more than once. Somehow, "please send money to help us support our candidates" just doesn't bring in the $$$. Oh, well.
Then again, Republicans do their own version. Some Republicans are even actively claiming the Christine Gregoire personally orchestrated the creation of thousands of fraudulent votes, in order to steal the election. Even the other candidate won't go that far, but some of those extreme right wing fringies see insidious plots with "distributed vote fraud" and call the other party an "opium den of corruption."
Of course, nobody here would say anything like that, would they?
Posted by: John Barelli on March 7, 2005 08:54 AMTo date, the Republicans have not gone that route as much as the Democrats, but if one party gets too much control - then they will become corrupted. Is it too much to ask for the overall political climate to improve ? (maybe it is)
Posted by: KS on March 7, 2005 09:10 AMMichelle, is this casual, or should I wear formal aluminum foil hat? (I wouldn't want to miss any of KR special secret signals!)
alaric
P.S. Everyone, don't forget your decoder rings! -a-
Posted by: alaric on March 7, 2005 11:25 AMWatch Berendt continue to bring up Rove, dirty-tricks blah, blah, blah......anything to DEFLECT ATTENTION AWAY FROM HIS OWN PERSONAL ACTIONS.
Berendt will do anything to not be accountable for his actions. I can't wait for the depositions and trial to start. Berendt has put himself squarely in the center of this by being the Provisional Affadavit Delivery Man.
These Provisional Affadavits are going to become quite an issue...especially those with questionable signatures. Why do you folks think the Dems came out so "offended" by the validation effort on these affadavits????
Suggests to me we stick a fork in him (Berendt)--he's well done (or possibly medium rare?)
Posted by: Howard Hirsch on March 7, 2005 01:52 PM