Brent Boger, former state Court of Appeals candidate and current Republican state committeman for Clark County, recently observed:
there has been a debate about our defeat this year--whether it was just a national anti-Republican wave breaking in Washington or whether it was something different.He found that
The Washington Republican legislative performance was easily in the bottom five in the entire country and by some measurements the worst in the country.He wrote up his findings here. Boger concludes:
We can turn this around.State GOP chief Diane Tebelius, on the other hand, maintains that "No one is to blame in our state for a nationalized election". Saturday's election for WSRP chairman should be interesting. Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at January 22, 2007 01:07 PM | Email ThisBut turning it around will be all the more difficult if we remain in denial and dismiss the results as caused by a national wave.
This internal election is only relevant to the minority right wingers out there....beyond that, it's a big
bore.
Talk among yourselves...
Posted by: StefanisWrong on January 22, 2007 12:57 PMWas the last election, which the democrats lost, a mandate? No. How about the one before. No. But this one is and things will never change.
Pretty pathetic really.
The only thing more pathetic is Diane Tebelius and her "it's not our fault" thinking.
Given how bad our state GOP is at framing issues for public consumption, siezing issues that matter, and selecting candidates that can communicate a winning idea, I think it's time for our major contributors in this state to rise up and demand better.
Posted by: johnny on January 22, 2007 01:37 PMI want a Republicans that will fight like HELL against the socialists tax raisers in Olympia - NOT someone who lists their "accomplishments" as big tax and spnd bacon largesse.
The party needs to stop listening to the liberal MSM which has it doubting itself. The liberal MSM has been and always WILL be against the party. Ignore them and fight the Democrats.
I have a slightly different take on the shellacking the Republican candidates took the last election cycle.
I believe that if they had not provided cover for criminals within their own ranks, ala the USCCB (http://www.usccb.org/index.shtml), that they would have come through the election in much better shape, but would still have lost seats.
People who tend to vote Republican were not amused as story after story of political graft came out and they showed their disapproval. There is absolutely no way that you will ever be able to convince me that the Republican leadership was not aware of what was going on and were providing cover for the perpetrators. I believe that many others are of the same opinion and they showed their disapproval by showing a damn good number of Republicans the door.
I really don't care that "the other side does it too," actually I expect them to and what is more those who vote for them expect it, but I will not tolerate it and the only way to deal with it is in the manner that it was dealt with the last election cycle.
It's going to take a lot for the Republican Party to recover from this, when they do they would be wise to remember what they experienced in 2006.
too bad. the left sure does not spare any bile & dirt. "i'm better than that" may have to be re-thought. at some point, one needs political live rounds, not more getting along. Queensbury Rules are long gone. bring out the mustard gas.
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on January 22, 2007 02:05 PMAnd for the troll above, you and Ivan may laugh, but it is discussions like this that may bring the R politicians into the real world. And what is your side doing today except proposing a State income tax, no supermajority, etc. etc.. You do know, though, that by the next election you will gnawing and gnashing your teeth in rejection, don't you? But, you may be right; the Rs have to get their act together and so far in this legislative session, it doesn't appear so.
Posted by: swatter on January 22, 2007 02:11 PMSmaller government, balanced budgets, nose out of everybody else's business, protect the environment. (By the way, how's that national debt--is it up 50% now or still @ 49% since W?)
The long gone Republicans stood for these things but your party has been taken over by the Deliverance Wing.
Posted by: Jim on January 22, 2007 02:55 PMFrom what I saw at the King County GOP re-org meeting, Dec 2nd, the Party is little more than a rubber stamp, mutual appreciation society.
The Washington GOP operates according to these rules, in an endless loop ...
THE SIX PHASES OF A PROJECT
1 - Enthusiasm
2 - Disillusionment
3 - Panic
4 - Search for the Guilty
5 - Punishment of the Innocent
6 - Praise and Honor for the Non-participants
-- Chart found on the wall of the Dallas offices
of the defunct Superconducting Super Collider Lab. (From an article by Bruce Sterling,
F & SF Magazine, July 1994 .)
But the fact that he still IS in the public eye a year after he resigned the chairmanship should be significant to anyone who's paying attention. The media would rather talk to the FORMER chairman than the current one, Diane Tebelius. Gee, what a great spokesperson SHE is. Yet ANOTHER reason to replace her with a professional like Luke Esser.
Posted by: Don Johnson on January 22, 2007 03:50 PMThe national debt as measured as a debt/equity style ratio is so low that the government bonds are considered one of the safest investments in the world. As you may have learned from your economic classes, any business that does not take on debt is worth less than it would be worth if it did take on debt and grew. At least up to the point that it can continue to handle that debt.
With that said, it is painfully obvious to me that our national debt could be twice or thrice what it is now without having to worry about it. Our trade deficit is a more serious concern to me.
And with that said, we should be reminded of Milton Friedman and only use the debt financing in an attempt to speed money flow when it is necessary for us to do so and only at at rate and to those industries that will improve the economy but not burn it out causing too much inflation.
It would be nice if the national debt was lower, but it really doesn't need to be at this time. What needs to happen is to reduce the trade deficit which in turn would reduce the need of the government to debt finance economic growth and reduce the national debt.
Posted by: Doug on January 22, 2007 05:25 PMI agree with number 5. When improper conduct is discovered it needs to be taken care of at once, not several months down the road after the New York Slimes runs it as a cover story. It doesn't matter if the other side does similar or worse. When you are in the public eye, you are under intense scrutiny whether you like it or not. It comes with the job.
If the state party is serious about reaching the "undecided" 20% of voters, the party needs a clear, concise message on what it intends to do. And here's a big hint--lower taxes, implement school vouchers, and fix it so cities and the state have to spend their dollars on priorities first and fuzzy wuzzy projects second. There shouldn't have to be special levies for roads, police, and paramedics. And tell the sports teams to pay their own way.
Posted by: Burdabee on January 22, 2007 09:34 PMClearly there needs to be new blood and real leadership for a change at the top of the WSRP. She should probably go the way of Harriet Meiers and resign. Otherwise, there is little hope that the Republicans will rise up and win as a party anytime soon.
Posted by: KS on January 22, 2007 09:37 PMThe only place I know where local officals are so arrogant as to pass resolutions of Iraq and such are the bozos in Seattle.
Posted by: pbj on January 23, 2007 11:42 AM