In which you can comment, as long as you keep it family-friendly, on any candidate or issue.
Just to start it off, some thoughts on Suzan DelBene's ads: She thinks millionaires should pay more and backs the "Buffett rule" — which would not affect billionaire Warren Buffett. She's a millionaire. What has she been paying, and what does she think she should have been paying? (As far as I know, she has not released any of her tax returns.)
DelBene has been promising us great achievements, but it is hard to see how she can produce them, since it is likely that she will be in the minority in the House, even if she does win office this year. (First-term minority senators sometimes have an impact; first-term minority House members almost never do.) She could promise to fight for those achievements, without promising to actually deliver them.
Among other things, DelBene has been promising to produce "middle-class" jobs. But almost every economist will tell you that we need working class jobs even more. This year Democrats appear to have abandoned, at least rhetorically, their working class voters. (For the record: I am in favor of policies that lead to more working class jobs, more middle class jobs — and more upper class jobs.)
Finally, I like to know how stories end. Did DelBene's father ever find a new job?
Posted by Jim Miller at August 06, 2012 07:06 AM | Email ThisNo freshman will have much clout. As for the Reps keeping control, that is really not the issue here .. except for those of you with seep rooted party loyalty.
Assuming Delbene wins tomorrow, she offers a LOT of clout to the 1st because she has such huge credit with the local and national business community. If the R party had not gone over the edge, I suspect Suzan could easily be the "business" candidate ,,, remember that in Seattle most of our big businesses have very strong social commitments.
As for "working" vs "middle class," again Jim needs to think of that in the Seattle context. What jobs here are not "middle class?" Boeing machinists? MS contractors? Costco associates? ....
Our working class is pretty damn small is that means blue collar.
Posted by: SJ on August 6, 2012 10:49 AM
In a message that echoes themes of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which argues that the rich have too much power and influence, this multimillionaire does not understand the "working class". Clearly, if elected, she will become the richest democrat in the House (est $53 million). We need to clean house and elect someone that cares about the blue collar/working class citizen and not be owning to the past Governor and her cronies still in Olympia...
As Ms. Darcy Burner said in the last election: There's already an overrepresentation of the 1 percent in Washington, D.C.
My vote will be for Mr John Koster.
Posted by: Doug on August 6, 2012 12:14 PMIs the government going to start opening manufacturing facilities, software companies, semi conductor fabs and refineries? ie the exact rich people that Suzan is promises to punish.
The last few times the government promised us jobs in Thurston County, the tribes got the road widened leading up to their water park (the Great Wolf Lodge) and we got the bill. Oh- and a bunch of people got a 7k used car trade in that cost us 25k per hybrid car sold.
No jobs were created or saved by these or any other government spending fiasco. Just a pile of government debt.
So tell us Suzan, what are you going to do to create those jobs?
Posted by: Andy on August 6, 2012 02:26 PMCantwell and DelBene are rich. Do they pay the maximum 36.5% on income, or is it less due to deductions and credits?
Until they voluntarily waive their right to deductions and credits, I see no reason for a law to force others to do what they will not.
Posted by: SouthernRoots on August 6, 2012 06:10 PMBut of course that's silly. Productive (non-government) jobs come from only one place: business activity. The more business activity, the more jobs. Yet none of the candidates is willing to say that creating an richer environment for private businesses is important.
Come on, candidates, tell the truth, even if it hurts. At least you won't be remembered as stupid.
Posted by: bob in bellevue on August 6, 2012 09:26 PMI can not figure out what you folks think a Congressman does?
A lot of them do nothing at all .. Reichert is basically a ward healer.
Others .. McDermott .. think they are in a play abuot the Roman Senate ... they orate and pretend to be leading something.
The there are politicians who actually represent their district .. not just on the sens of voting with he political winds, but working for the interests of the district. Murray is a great example of that.
So you want jobs .. then fight for Boeing in WA, fight for high speed rail from Portland to Vanc, .. fight for funding for a much needed tech cmaus near Everett, fight to fix the H1 VCISA program so MS doesn't park its engineers in Van BC, fight for the Seaport in Everett and a new highway from the CA border near the cascades to the Columbia, ......
Posted by: sj on August 6, 2012 11:06 PMHe carries an albatross around his neck.
Republican extremism makes him an easy target.
Posted by: SJ on August 7, 2012 07:20 AMDelBene had a stepfather named Barry Oliver. He did lose a job as a pilot, but found another one, eventually, in Iran.
During DelBene's poverty-stricken childhood, she skied at Vail, attended Choate, got plane tickets to visit Iran as Christmas presents, and graduated from Reed.
Opinions differ on her accomplishments as an executive, at Microsoft and elsewhere.
And I had forgotten about her voting record, or lack of it.
(Is calling her stepfather her father a fib? It's not unusual in blended families for children to do that. I do think the general impression those ads leave is false, and intentionally so. But she may believe that her mostly upper class life was, indeed, a life of suffering, even though her family was better off than more than 90 percent of American families at the time.
And, although it is not relevant to DelBene, I was amused to see that the editors left in Martin's description of Darcy Burner as "rabble-rousing".)
Posted by: Jim Miller on August 7, 2012 08:16 AMRepublican extremism makes him an easy target.
Posted by SJ at August 7, 2012 07:20 AM
You seem to be appealing to the low intelligence voters with your comments. Do you have any substantive evidence of this from John Koster OR is this just another leftwing talking point ?
Posted by: KDS on August 7, 2012 11:19 AMIOW, she'll toe the Democratic line, and won't compromise with the Republicans, and will be just as intransigent and stubborn as the left accuses the right of being.
Unfortunately, she's running in a state where the D's nearly always win, and we'll probably be stuck with her. No wonder nothing changes in Washington DC.
Posted by: crakma on August 7, 2012 09:05 PMYet another establishment RINO goes down in flames!
And yes, I realize this is only the primary. But do you really think the General is going to be much different?
Keep drinking that Kool-Aid guys!
Posted by: bill on August 7, 2012 09:16 PMI know this is news to the McKenna campaign: those who favor Obamacare and gay marriage didn't show up for him either. They already have a candidate and his name is Inslee.
Next time try not taking conservatives for granted.
Posted by: Andy on August 7, 2012 11:13 PMWho pays for that high speed rail to portland? Amtrak loses billions/year.
Microsoft uses the visa program to undercut wages of qualified engineers here in washington. I've seen them ship in an Indian engineer either directly or via vendor a dozen times on a slave trade visa to do work that could have been done locally. Put an ad on craigslist for any req they have posted, you'll get about 300 qualified applicants begging for work, so don't sell this crap that they can't find workers.
Why should Boeing be locked to Washington state vs other states that have a cheaper work force? Isn't that kind of ignoring job creation and focusing on job hoarding?
Posted by: Andy on August 7, 2012 11:23 PMDel Bene is a mediocre candidate, not as ridiculous as Burner. John Koster will have a tough race with the negative smear ads from the Del Bene camp. If he wanted to be a skilled politician, he or his surrogates would run some incriminating ads on Del Bene. If he wants to win, he will need to fight fire with fire. That goes for all Republicans in close races - don't be afraid of the deceptive lies of the Democrats and to mix it up with them - people want bold candidates who deliver. The Kryptonite on them is the disinfectant of light (i.e. documented truth about their political sleaziness).
Posted by: KDS on August 8, 2012 11:53 AM