Sound Politics: Where does Ron Sims think he is, Zimbabwe?

August 10, 2005

Where does Ron Sims think he is, Zimbabwe?

The Sims administration is approaching the upcoming election in a manner that shows how increasingly desperate and frightened they've become.

In this week's Seattle Weekly, Skip Berger reports that two of Sims top aides, chief spokeswoman Carolyn Duncan and chief-of-staff Kurt Triplett showed up at the Weekly's offices the other day to explain how good of a job Ron Sims is doing to clean up the elections department and "restore democracy and confidence in democracy in King County". In addition to touting half-assed measures, like bringing in Sims loyalists with zero elections experience to help run the elections office, they're also smearing critical citizens with baseless insinuations:

If a bunch of county Republicans, say, decided to claim falsely that they hadn't received their absentee ballots, well, it could be film at 11 on TV about yet another "blown" election. In addition, there is the intense scrutiny of partisan critics. Triplett and Duncan note that election gadfly and Irons-supporter Stefan Sharkansky, the Sound Politics blogger, has applied to be a poll worker

Wow. It's true, I applied to be a poll worker. As I wrote in this blog entry back in May/June:

The single most important thing that we King County Republicans can do to ensure a fair election in November is to volunteer two days of our time -- primary election day September 20 and general election day November 8 -- and spend those two days working at a polling place and ensuring that the election is lawfully conducted. I volunteered for this duty, so should you.

I'm taking two days away from my business to work 14-hour shifts at minimum wage to do a civic duty to help ensure a fair and lawful election. And of course Irons supporters are applying to be poll workers. Poll workers in this state, by law, are nominated by the political parties. By the rules of the game, there will even be many more Democrats than Republicans working at the polls this year in King County.

After all of King County's lies, cover-ups, illegal acts and more cover-ups, Sims' top aides are now spinning opposition party election monitors as a sinister plot? These people are too disgusting to be believed.

Should Sims' propaganda campaign "restore democracy and confidence in democracy in King County"? In fact, I can tell by the way that the article was reported and from the questions that Skip Berger asked me before the article was published, that Triplett and Duncan didn't get the news about my being a poll worker from the blog, they must have gotten it from elections records. It's rather odd for this kind of information to filter up to the Executive's ofice. If it shows anything, it's that Sims is micromanaging the elections office for partisan purposes, just as we've been saying all along. "Restore confidence in democracy", my ass.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at August 10, 2005 11:58 AM | Email This

Comments

1. I think the Sim's crew stumbled onto something here.

Shark volunteered at the polls while there he stuffed illegal ballots into ballots boxes throwing the election into chaos that he exploited to promote his web site. It all makes sense now.

P.S. Shark's accomplice was the man on the man grassy knoll.

Watch out Shark they are onto you.

Posted by: JCM on August 10, 2005 12:28 PM

2. What is this sh_t! Sims sending out his goombahs to muscle the press into praising his exploits. Better watch out Stephan, better check your brake lines before you head out.

Posted by: Jeffro on August 10, 2005 12:43 PM

3. Do these people have any grasp on reality? They appear to spend most of their time making innocent facts sound sinister, and illegal and immoral facts sound innocent. Yesh, time to clean house, November can't come soon enough.

Posted by: dl on August 10, 2005 12:45 PM

4. BTW: will this interview be reported on Sims campaign reports as in-kind-contributions?

Posted by: dl on August 10, 2005 12:47 PM

5. THEY pull the kind of garbage displayed during the election and they have a problem with YOU being a pollworker? Gee, I didn't see any news items about Stefan Sharkansky voting twice or dead or throwing away ballots or stuffing them. I DID read about Stefan exposing all that stuff. Like that's a problem????

And what's up with their charge of perhaps some "Republicans could claim falsely that they hadn't received their absentee ballots"??? There were too many Republicans that really DIDN'T receive their ballots or got them too late (I'm thinking of the military people) or whose absentee ballots were 'lost' and NEVER GOT counted!! Why aren't they more concerned about THAT???

I'm speechless. These people are beyond unbelievable. David Irons JR. for KC Executive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, they delivered my Irons for Exec yard sign today. Thanks to whoever delivered it from the campaign!

Posted by: Michele on August 10, 2005 01:23 PM

6. There were a bunch of people who did not receive their absentee ballots last fall. Namely US service men and women and specifically many of those who deployed from Fort Lewis with the Stryker brigade to Iraq last October.
A relative of mine who is a sergeant in the 3rd battalion 21st infantry regiment told me back in December that no one in his company had received absentee ballots nor did he recall seeing anyone in his battalion voting. I’m sure others have similar stories.
Now granted the soldiers may have had more important matters to attend to in Iraq than worrying if they got their ballots on time. Especially with crazies toting AK’s, RPG’s and IED’s trying to kill them. But it shouldn’t be up to paper pushers back in the states to make that decision.
This was an issue that was brought up in 2004, and 2002, and 2000 and the problem still hasn’t been addressed properly or solved. It should be a non-partisan issue which either the Department of Defense or the various county election departments could fix.
Soldiers in World War II got their ballots on time and were able to vote. This was before the advent of computers and mail tracking systems.
Last December I accosted former Elections Superintendent Bill Huennekens on numerous occasions how many military personnel did not receive their ballots and how many late postmarked ballots that were received and not counted came from overseas. The answer, including once in front of local TV cameras was that he didn’t know and it was a question which was not a priority. This was literally at the same time and 25 feet away from half a dozen county election workers who had been assigned for a week to manually sort through hundreds of boxes of poorly catalogued voter registration cards looking for the voters whose signatures were “not in the database”.
So much for the “film at 11” assertion.

Posted by: Reporterward on August 10, 2005 01:34 PM

7. If those KC numbskulls put that much time into actually doing their jobs correctly and with integrity, the Mutt & Jeff Canned Laughter Road Show would be unnecessary.

Stefan described as a gadfly? More like a yellowjacket that is stinging the county picnic attendees who are gorging on the taxpayer's basket.

Posted by: Jimmie-howya-doin on August 10, 2005 01:35 PM

8. Oh Jimmie-

You have a nack - and it always makes me laugh.

I'm thinking this taxpayer is going to contribute some "sittin' in the hot sun for a couple days potato salad" for our county picnickers.

I'm assuming that they are picnicking in a downtown Seattle park so that their vomit will fit right in with the bum puke.

Posted by: Jeffro on August 10, 2005 01:53 PM

9. You can be assured Stephan, that you'll be sent to the King County equivalent of Siberia to do your poll worker duties, where you'll be safely kept away from where the "real action" is taking place.
I still think you should apply for that King County elections director job nobody allegedly wants.

Posted by: Scott C on August 10, 2005 02:05 PM

10. Well Stephan, I am also signed up to be a pollworker and am going to a 1/2 day class in September. Hopefully with a few more people watching these antics, we can help clean up Sim's mess.

Posted by: GS on August 10, 2005 02:20 PM

11. Thanks Jeffro--back at ya;

poll watchers like Stefan are like the summer sidewalk gum for the current administration (zshhhhtt--snap!); or that darn mosquito by your ear in the night you can't quite swat;

I'll bet they station Stefan up front in the camera light for the 5 o'clock news where the unimpeachable 3 employees will let him see all until the next commerical break; then the cameras will cut away and he will be whisked off like ScottC says to the boiler room with Freddy;

Posted by: Jimmie-howya-doin on August 10, 2005 02:23 PM

12. "...restore democracy and confidence in democracy in King County."

Soooooo....they finally admit democracy has gone missing in KC.
Fascinating!

Posted by: Danno on August 10, 2005 02:33 PM

13. Poor Ronnie boy is playing his usual cya act again!!(Cover his Arse)Idon't belive he will be very successful though.

Posted by: Laurie on August 10, 2005 03:01 PM

14. The best way to "restore cofidence in democracy" is to give King Ron the boot off the public rolls forever. At least even the most dimwitted can now see that the Democratic party has the right symbol--just look at the two jacka**es sent to do damage control at the Weekly.

Posted by: Burdabee on August 10, 2005 03:52 PM

15. Dang it Jeffro, it's "tater" salad. Have you no home training?

Good to see the Sims Spinmeisters are concentrating their efforts on the readers of Seattle Weakly and The Stranger - as if 99% of the readers of those publications were going to vote for anyone else. Makes it easier fer some to do their work.

And just think, if Ron goes down he'll have plenty of time for a little home training...down at the Home Depot...for those "Shingles 101" classes on Saturday mornings.

Posted by: SnoCo Voter on August 10, 2005 04:00 PM

16. Stefan, looks like Triplett and Duncan follow you around and then talk to the press about it. You have them in a sweat...keep it up and let us know when to put on more wood to the fire.

Damn this just gets better everyday. I think Sims may start showing up with gray hair from the stress of watching his world following out from under him. This is like watching a snowball rolling down hill it just keeps getting faster and faster until it is out of control.

Posted by: 4pawz on August 10, 2005 04:19 PM

17. SnoCo-

Just didn't want anyone confusing my post with one of my favorite comics "Tater Salad". But yes you are correct.

Jimmie has also extended his Good Home Training 101 admission to me as long as I give him the certificate of completion. I'm pretty sure that profs Triplett and Duncan will be covering this.

Posted by: Jeffro on August 10, 2005 04:26 PM

18. Just hit me, idea for a new TV drama series:

Triplett and Duncan - These two county assistants don't play by the rules. If you're looking for good home training, you'll have to look elsewhere. They could do the typical stuff, solve crime, throw elections, rough up reporters, find new locations for bum cities…

Sounds like a hit to me!

Of course, Stephan Sharkansky, AKA the Shark, would be their arch nemesis.

Posted by: Jeffro on August 10, 2005 04:33 PM

19. Where does the ss minnow think he is, Georgia c. 1848?

Posted by: JDB on August 10, 2005 05:50 PM

20. thought you got hauled off to Walla Walla, there, JDB...long time no puke. Sorry ya gotta run...see you next time, though.

Posted by: Danny on August 10, 2005 07:10 PM

21. Ron Sims has his handlers - Triplett and Duncan - stalking Stefan throughout King County computer systems! Ron Sims is coming straight out of the liberal Democrat playbook by accusing an innocent person of fraud tactics that he knows damn well he will use himself during the next election! Take notes on which tactics Triplett and Duncan are claiming Stefan and Republicans will use to screw up the election.....These tactics are the ones that the Liberal Democrats are actually preparing to use! They are trying to spin their fraud tactics away from themselves before the election.......Stupid move on their part...and very revealing of their desperation!

Ron Sims must be very concerned about what will be uncovered!

Stefan......you must be getting close to something big!

Posted by: Deborah on August 10, 2005 09:49 PM

22. "Restore confidence in democracy", my ass.

It read: "RESTORE DEMOCRACY and confidence in Democracy". Things that make you go "hmmmmmmm".

Posted by: Karmalyzed on August 10, 2005 11:46 PM

23. Rather odd the information they pick up in KC headquarters about who's signing up to be a poll worker. Now if they'd just put that effort into seeing who's voting and how often......

Posted by: PC on August 11, 2005 09:15 AM