Some things I'm chewing on before heading off to a partial work day...
1) Public polling was way off on Sound Transit's Prop 1. It's passing comfortably. Suburban roads projects, as envisioned by last year's RTID, are now almost guaranteed to be a very, very long time coming given the passage of ST2 (giving transit advocates no cause for another joint-local ballot measure) and the massive budget problems awaiting Olympia come next January.
2) The OSPI race is fascinating, and may take days to sort out, especially given the narrow separation between Bergeson & Dorn in King County (full county map here). This race defies all the partisan stereotypes of which county will benefit which candidate, so we'll just have to watch as the votes are tallied.
3) I suspect Peter Goldmark will topple Doug Sutherland as votes are tallied in King County. There are too many votes left in places Sutherland ran poorly to save him.
4) Tim Eyman's record is clear. When he runs initiatives on unpopular taxes or with a clear, direct purpose of accountability in government, he succeeds. When he deviates into other issues, the results are starkly different.
5) Rob McKenna: got any plans in 2012?
Posted by Eric Earling at November 05, 2008 09:32 AM | Email ThisSometimes statistics and data can get in the way of sensabilities.
Posted by: Duffman on November 5, 2008 09:37 AMOn a seperate rant - I can't believe the shape that Washington is in. I am a native, living here my entire life, however I seriously question how much longer I can tollerate such a miserable culture. Right now the only thing keeping me here is the beauty of the state - it certainly isn't the traffic congestion or taxes we experience everyday.
Posted by: Ryan on November 5, 2008 09:41 AMdidn't they say with would bring thousands of jobs... yeah right.
At this rate we will end up just like CALIF.. BROKE!
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on November 5, 2008 09:45 AMOh, and someone who has a state record, and doesn't come across as a slimy used car salesman would work too. Unless someone comes completely out of left field (well... right field), I think that McKenna's a lock for the Republican nomination in 2012, and he's in a VERY good position to take the office.
Posted by: demo kid on November 5, 2008 09:46 AMPaddy...Washington economy is already dead, it's all over but the twitching before the chicken dies.
Posted by: dl on November 5, 2008 10:15 AMTo: Our thousands of supporters throughout the state
RE: "Impossible for state and local governments to go back to business-as-usual thanks the 985 campaign"
Let me assure everyone that we are as passionate about this speech at 12 midnight as we were at 8:05 pm:
EYMAN/FAGANS/DUNMIRE VICTORY SPEECH AT 8:05 PM ON ELECTION NIGHT, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH
Win, lose, or draw, Initiative 985's solid showing tonight is a tremendous success. For us, just getting 985 on the ballot was a huge victory because it showed that every ignored performance audit is a potential initiative. 985 also forced a debate that was long overdue -- how to get state and local governments to do better, not by raising taxes, but by spending existing revenue more effectively. Just the fact that 301,000 citizens signed 985 petitions was a clear vote of no confidence -- that's six Mariner stadiums filled with people screaming at the top of their lungs that they want action and results without higher taxes. 985 put politicians on the hot seat, forcing them to explain and justify themselves to the people. That's always a good thing.
985 put a bright spotlight on the political establishment's failure to address our transportation challenges.
Whatever the vote total on 985 tonight, this campaign has already been a tremendous success. 985 lifted up the rock and spotlighted Olympia's decision to remove 'reducing congestion' from its list of transportation priorities, it revealed Olympia's failure to take seriously Sonntag's reform-oriented audit recommendations, it exposed cities' profit motive for red light cameras, it highlighted politicians' plans to divert toll-revenue away from transportation projects, and illustrated the people's dissatisfaction with empty carpool lanes, traffic lights not being synchronized, and accident-induced congestion.
For 11 months, the people were provided with more information and politicians received more scrutiny -- again, that's always a good thing.
The political establishment promised throughout 985's campaign that they would redouble their efforts to improve transportation with or without the passage of 985. They promised to take Sonntag's audits seriously whether or not the voters approved 985. They promised that tolls were a long way off and higher taxes were off-the-table. There's no doubt that some voters were persuaded to vote no on 985 because they believed these promises.
So whether 985 receives over 50% of the vote or not, it will be impossible for state and local governments to go back to business-as-usual thanks the 985 campaign. They will have to perform better and respond better -- they will have to work harder at implementing Auditor Sonntag's growing list of recommendations. And they sure as heck can't raise taxes.
985 made tolls even more radioactive, higher taxes a non-starter.
Jack & Mike Fagan, Mike Dunmire, and I want everyone to know how much we appreciate our heroic supporters' efforts on this campaign. We respect and admire all of you for your enthusiasm and determination to make a difference.
Thanks to the voters, our initiatives over the years have produced significant savings for Washington taxpayers -- over $11 billion so far. But more importantly, our initiatives' influence on Washington state politics has been simply amazing. Our supporters should be extremely proud of our collective accomplishments:
* Thanks to the voters' approval of Initiative 960 last year, it's a whole lot tougher for Olympia to raise taxes or fees.
* Vehicle tabs are dramatically lower
* Property tax increases are smaller
* The State Auditor is conducting performance audits of state and local governments for the first time in 40 years
* We've been remarkably successful at beating back some of Olympia's worst anti-taxpayer and anti-initiative legislation
We are very pleased with our progress over the years. We've tackled some of the toughest issues possible and challenged elected officials to do better. We have tens of thousands of heroic supporters throughout the state who work super hard to make these efforts a success. We have over 8000 supporters on our weekly email update list.
By working together, we continue to give voters more choices at the ballot box and give the average taxpayer an equal voice in the process.
With the voters' support, we've put Olympia on a much shorter leash and made all the right people mad. With the support of the voters, we're making Washington better, one initiative at a time.
Taxpayers all over Washington are counting on us to keep fighting for them -- we won't let them down.
As for what we've got planned for 2009, stay tuned.
Regardless of the vote total tonight, let me close by saying that Jack and Mike Fagan, Mike Dunmire, and I formally declare victory with Initiative 985 right now. It's provided a huge benefit to the taxpayers of Washington. Thank you.
-- END --
Who's dirty money will little Timmy take next to make an initiative? Who has lot's of money to blow on initiatives...Casinos? Construction Industry? Nuclear Power Lobby?
Will little Timmy dress up as Bozo the Clown and hold a press conference on the steps of the capitol building? Only time will tell.
Rossi to concede.
Gee, how BIG of you!
Posted by: Duffman on November 5, 2008 10:59 AMMy only saving grace for it is that I live just outside the boundary, so I can just shop outside the district and pay less in sales and MVET taxes. That passing is really going to be a boon for retail outside the district.
Posted by: Palouse on November 5, 2008 11:02 AMHey Duffman...yes we're serious. You may wish to ask yourself what happens to those left behind when an overwhelming tax structure looses a significant number of payees. Hope you enjoy being slave labor for state government, maybe you can just have your paycheck direct deposited into the state general fund...BUH-buy looser.
Duffman, Just call me the oracle of Edmonds...:)
from "final thought of the evening" thread:
At least acknowledge that his disdain for the Governor is fairly well grounded in political reality. Besides, I would imagine a concession will be forthcoming today and he will likely do just as you are asking for, just not on yours or the Queen's timetable.
Posted by Rick D. at November 5, 2008 08:17 AM
He referred to his "opponent", "the incumbent" as "Christine Gregoire" and GOVERNOR GREGOIRE.
There's hope for some people.
So how many of you guys going to head to the hills for militia training?
Posted by: YLB on November 5, 2008 11:42 AMNow I do emphasis the term *wanting*. I'm not going to be so foolish as to assume a job is waiting for me elsewhere, but as soon as the opportunity is found I'll send a postcard.
Posted by: Ryan on November 5, 2008 11:50 AMEmmett Watson is up there smiling right now!
Posted by: Duffman on November 5, 2008 11:55 AMOf course it would be a waste of time for election workers to individually examine each write-in ballot and count those votes, but surely the write-in tally as a whole could be reported automatically, and is meaningful in the sense that a certiain percentage of the electorate did not wish to vote for any listed candidate.
Posted by: Gern Blanston on November 5, 2008 11:59 AMI would say lay off the beer, but I'm sure your taking something much stronger.,
If big biz like Boeing leaves this state, as what is happening in NY you won't be crowing. Try 47 billion in debt.
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on November 5, 2008 12:05 PMMy serious hope is that you GOP folks decide to run someone like John Stanton in 2010 against Murray (so we can have a repeat of Cantwell/McGavick), rather than McKenna, though he'll be a serious threat in 2012 for the Governor's office OR Cantwell's seat- I'd rather fight him during a general election campaign when we have President Obama running for a second term.
Posted by: eponymous coward on November 5, 2008 12:06 PMI hate to say this but Demo Kid is right @ #5. McKenna is a hot property right now because he is squeaky clean and can communicate. These are all good things if he can keep them. As for Rossi he is a good man for those that follow politics but I know some geriatric, low information GOP voters who distrusted him solely on his looks (but voted for him anyway, hating Gregoire). Strange, I know but that is the truth, there is something about him that way.
One of the biggest problems the GOP has right now is being able to communicate, in a simple easy to understand way, the simple Republican concepts that have proven to have mass appeal. Think back to Newt and the Contract with America. Bush is a horrible, reluctant, communicator and in the 21st century that is a fatal, fatal flaw.
All we have to wait for now is for the Demorat dominated government to completely cook a stumbling economy into Jimmy Carter stagflation, gas shortages the misery index and 21% home loans. That should sour anybody on their rule four years from now.
Posted by: G Jiggy on November 5, 2008 12:20 PMNovember 5, 2008
To: Our thousands of supporters throughout the state (cc'd to the media, house & senate members, and Governor)
From: Tim Eyman, Jack Fagan, Mike Fagan, and Mike Dunmire, Fighting for Taxpayers
RE: We're the last line of defense for taxpayers -- our taxpayer protection efforts are needed now than ever
Here's what you can do RIGHT NOW to protect yourself and fellow taxpayers: last year's successful Initiative 960 makes it a whole lot tougher for Olympia to raise taxes and fees. One of its accountability provisions is an alert system that sends you an email every time a revenue-increasing bill is filed, how much it'll cost taxpayers over the next 10 years, and which legislators are sponsoring it. The more people who sign up for this service, the more Olympia knows that the people are watching.
Here's how the Seattle PI described it: Taxes? Fees? I-960 rattles Olympia -- Legislators uneasy with new scrutiny -- Lawmakers are tiptoeing through a new political minefield as they deal with Tim Eyman's latest initiative that established an automatic public notification system for legislation that raises taxes or fees. Proponents of the measure passed in November, Initiative 960, say it is doing exactly what it was intended to do by discouraging tax increases. But some legislators complain it is stifling necessary debate. "It is getting in the way of open consideration of ideas," said Rep. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, who sponsored a bill that would tax greenhouse gas emissions. "It is getting in the way of taking care of the business of our state." Bills that would increase taxes or fees are now flagged by the state Office of Financial Management and provided to media and anyone else who is interested. On Tuesday, OFM notification went out on House Bill 2420, which seeks to limit greenhouse gas emissions with new taxes on carbon. It was the first to include a price tag, and it was a whopper. According to the report, the bill would cost entities that extract or import things such as coal, petroleum and natural gas more than $26 billion over 10 years. Chase sponsored the bill and was listed with contact information on the e-mail. Her office has been inundated with angry calls. "You would not believe the vitriol that has come in on my telephone today," said Chase, who added lawmakers will be reluctant to have their names associated with any bill that would trigger I-960 notification.
Go to this link to sign up: http://listserv.wa.gov/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TAX-AND-FEE-PROPOSALS&A=1
State and local governments have spent radically more than existing tax revenue allows. Unless there's pressure put on them by the people, our wallets will not be safe and our already struggling economy will be hurt.
Jack & Mike Fagan, Mike Dunmire and I are totally committed to continuing our fight on behalf of taxpayers. Working with our thousands of supporters throughout the state, our taxpayer protection efforts are needed now than ever.
We're the last line of defense for taxpayers. We had hoped Rossi would win the governorship so we'd have less to do. But that didn't happen. We had hoped more pro-taxpayer legislators would be elected. That didn't happen either.
The initiative process exists so that politicians know that whatever they do the people will have the final say. It's called accountability.
In the tug of war over taxes, state and local governments and all the special interest groups will be pulling the rope in favor of higher taxes and less accountability -- we need to make sure the people are on the other end of the rope pulling in favor of lower taxes and more accountability. We will sponsor a pro-taxpayer, pro-accounability initiative in 2009 -- stay tuned. We will continue to learn, adapt, and persevere.
We've been working as hard as we can for 10 years, pushing and promoting pro-taxpayer, pro-accountability initiatives and lobbying against state and local governments taking more of the people's money. We've won more than we've lost, but for us, just giving the voters more of a voice is a victory. Just putting a spotlight on issues and putting politicians on the hot seat is a success. That's nothing but a good thing.
Thank you all so much for your hard work and support over the years.
Congratulations again for achieving so much on behalf of taxpayers over the years - the taxpayers are very fortunate they've got you working for them.
Best Regards, Tim Eyman, Jack Fagan, Mike Fagan, and Mike Dunmire, Fighting for Taxpayers
The voting results in King County prove again that the majority of voters are among the MOST stupid, uninformed in the nation.
Posted by: Paddy on November 5, 2008 12:52 PMYou just go ahead and assume the majority of King County voters are stupid and uninformed and we'll go ahead and win elections.
Posted by: Robert on November 5, 2008 01:10 PMI think that in a normal election Dino Rossi could have done that. Gregoire - an amazingly untalented politician - got to ride the coattails of one of the most talented politicians of our time.
Republicans must stop reflexively insulting the people of King County. People in King County are no more stupid or ill informed than people in the rest of the State. They generate much of the wealth of the state. Writing off the Puget Sound region is a sure path to permanent irrelevance.
Posted by: sds on November 5, 2008 01:22 PMThe time for a Roads and Transit ballot was last year. I worked on it for 4 years and was one of a very few in the enviro community who supported it. Those of us who believed a joint ballot offered promise thought that the enviro community would accept the roads and the roads community would accept the transit.
But the opposite happened. The enviro community rejected it because it had roads in it and the roads supporters rejected it because it contained light rail. But these groups were uncompromising and unrelenting in their absolute rejection of any ballot measure with either roads or light rail as the case may be.
The lesson learned was that people in politics in this region are the ones that are politically stupid. They won't compromise and are willing to get nothing rather than allow the other side to get part of what they want. So, no, there will never be another joint roads and transit ballot after the stunning defeat of Prop 1 last year. Until people from both sides learn to compromise, compromise, compromise, there will be nothing done on any roads projects.
Richard Borkowski
1) Public polling was way off on Sound Transit's Prop 1. It's passing comfortably. Suburban roads projects, as envisioned by last year's RTID, are now almost guaranteed to be a very, very long time coming given the passage of ST2 (giving transit advocates no cause for another joint-local ballot measure) and the massive budget problems awaiting Olympia come next January.
I wish Obama's grandmum had been alive to see her young 'un be elected president. It doesn't seem fair.
Posted by: swatter on November 5, 2008 03:26 PMWe tried to warn y'all.....Even his own supporters know he's marxist! Get out of denial, trolls! You elected a marxist. Who could forget the CHE T-shirt strung up on the wall at the Obama campaign office earlier this year. These people are marxists through and through.
Posted by: Michele on November 5, 2008 04:50 PMI used to know a guy who signed his posts like that. Thanks for the memories.
Posted by: The Other Ryan, Apparently on November 5, 2008 09:40 PMAs for Dino...I think the BIAA lawsuit and the way it was lied about in CG's ads was the factor there.
Eyman? That last minute, disingenuous campaign led by Doug MacDonald.
Fact is, if you're a viable GOP candidate, you need to expect to endure politically motivated lawsuits.
Posted by: Das Baron Von Zippee on November 7, 2008 12:21 PMThat's a pretty airtight case. What the hell was America thinking? Given your noble dissent against our Marxist-Elect, you should take caution and avoid the inevitable Gulag. Stay off the grid, and definitely off of comment boards, where his spies will definitely be watching.
Posted by: Zeeb on November 7, 2008 03:03 PM