Gregoire Breaks the Law to Help Denny Heck

Photo courtesy of the AP.

State PDC regulators are crying foul and again Washington’s 3rd Congressional District is in the national news. It turns out Governor Gregoire isn’t just anointing a candidate to replace the Democrat Brian Baird.  Nope, she is apparently also willing to break state campaign finance law, yet again, in a deliberate attempt to gather all the money she can for the State Democrat establishment’s darling, Denny Heck.

Washington State has a pesky little law that prohibits elected officials from raising money for most candidates while the Legislature is in session. Gregoire played her lawyerly self, speaking through a spokesperson and lambasting the long established rules of the game as “ambiguous.” Funny talk coming from the former Attorney General, who should obviously know better. What’s truly ambiguous is whether Chris Gregoire herself is running for re-election; it was a “campaign spokesperson” who she trotted out to mount a half-hearted response.

Heck is a long time Olympia insider who knows better than to pull something like this. He is either not minding the shop or simply willing to defy the law in his quest to be Congressman. I am not surprised Governor Gregoire also wrangled Washington State Insurance Commish Mike Kreidler to sign the fundraising email—afterall, friends are scarce for the Guv in Olympia these days.

What this all boils down to is our Governor and Insurance Commissioner appear willing to sidestep campaign finance laws. That is sure to encourage more confidence and trust in government. But hey, if you’re on your way up or out, why not bend or break the rules, right?

For those keeping track, Gregoire is a repeat offender when it comes to campaign finance law; just Google “Gregoire+PDC.”

The Oregon Trail

Democrats and the interest groups feeding at the public trough were quick to look south with a smile today, and a glimmer of hope undoubtedly twinkled in their eyes as Oregon voters approved Measures 66 and 67.  KIRO’s Dave Ross thinks this may send a message, but I think the details may tell another story.  At the very least, Washingtonians should give serious thought to what the Oregon vote portends here.

Measure 66 raises the state income tax on households earning more than $250,000.  Washington lawmakers have no such option, in all practicality.  Given national trends, majority Democrats in Olympia are unlikely to pass a high-earners income tax this year and income taxes in general have major electoral hurdles to overcome in Washington.  Recent political events compound that problem for Democrats.

The left does, however, however, realize that this idea has the best prospects in the long run.  Why?  Because it’s easy to convince people to increase taxes they don’t have to pay.  That’s the problem with a progressive tax structure–you’re giving people all sorts of free goodies while promising most voters that some other person will pay for it.  The “rich” are a convenient target for the left, which loves to use “values” as a pretense for plundering from the profitable (try talking about “values” in any other context, however, and you’re promptly scolded for trying to impose your views on other people).

Measure 67 raises minimum corporate taxes and increases taxes on “upper level” profits.  Again, this is much more difficult in Washington.  Washington’s Business and Occupation Tax is a tax on gross receipts, so even if your company doesn’t earn a profit the state still gets its cut (how’s that for values?).  Small businesses suffer under this the most, which is why lawmakers are reluctant to raise it because the impact is broadly felt and not just targeted to faceless wealthy corporations that are easily demonized.  Targeted B&O increases could be an option, but the larger companies in Washington would likely put up a strong fight.

Based on conversations I’ve had with some Democratic legislators in Olympia, I think some of them realize that you don’t encourage private sector growth by raising taxes on the very businesses you want to create more jobs.  Oregon’s unemployment rate has been running higher than Washington’s, and the passage of Measure 67 isn’t going to help.  Taking a cue from Tony Soprano, Oregon voters just sent a message to Oregon businesses:  “Grow, and we’ll take a bigger cut.”  There are enough moderate Democrats in Olympia and enough commonsense voters in Washington who know better.

Another factor to consider is Oregon’s odd political landscape.  As Floyd McKay pointed out in a recent Crosscut article,

Oregon is weirdly counter-cyclical in terms of its politics. When I first began covering Oregon politics, Barry Goldwater had just driven the Republican wagon into the ditch in his 1964 presidential campaign and Democrats were resurgent everywhere. Except in Oregon, where Republicans overturned Democratic control of the Legislature and began nearly a decade running the Oregon House. … As Republicans surged in the Reagan years, Oregon became a solidly Democratic state, controlling both houses of the legislature and beginning in 1986 a line of Democratic governors that continues to this day. Republicans recaptured the Oregon House during the Clinton years, and during the administration of George W. Bush Oregon’s Democrats were firmly in control. Oregon seems to swim against the tide.

The Oregon Trail is uniquely Oregonian.  Politicos thinking they can replicate the Measure 66 and 67 vote here in Washington this year should think long and hard before trying.  This is not to say such efforts would surely fail (the internet is clogged with political predictions that didn’t come true), only that what happened south of the Columbia River yesterday doesn’t necessarily mean Washington voters would take the same route.

Jay Inslee’s Copenhagen Junket Turns Heads

Washington’s 1st District Congressman, Jay Inslee, is said to have his eye on the Governor’s mansion. However, his recent attendance at the U.N. Climate Summit turned a few heads.  And here’s the punch line: it’s CBS News that’s blowing the whistle.

Inslee isn’t the only junket junky from Washington’s Democratic Congressional delegation.  3rd District Congressman Brian Baird (D-Vancouver), faced an outpouring of criticism after taking lavish trips to the Galapagos Islands and the South Pole, ostensibly to “study the oceans” and learn about climate change.  Baird, of course, shocked many observers by announcing his retirement late last year.

For his part, Inslee does have a book on climate change and renewable energy.  But why attend the Copenhagen summit? Everyone else was doing it!  Except, they weren’t.  According to CBS, Nancy Pelosi handpicked attendees.  Sure, Inslee could have  easily attended via teleconference (he can see Microsoft from his front yard!), but hey, who needs such new-fangled technology. Rewind back to August when the town hall shout downs were looming, and Inslee was all about phoning it in.

Yeah, yeah, carbon footprints and all that jazz.  3 military jets. Hundreds of hotel nights booked. But the real kicker is this: the Copehagen summit was by all accounts an abject failure.  Will the luxurious junket put a kink in Inslee’s gubernatorial aspirations?  With the current political climate, Inslee might do better to focus on simply getting re-elected to Congress. Something tells us Inslee’s Congressional travel tab might be front and center this fall.

Rammell’s Invocation of Prophecy Rejected by LDS

From the Idaho Statesman:

Idaho GOP gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell says saving the U.S. Constitution requires God’s help. Rammell’s thoughts are captured in a nine-minute excerpt from a recent news conference now available on YouTube.

“America would not exist if it wasn’t for the divine hand of providence in not only intervening to win the Revolutionary War but in writing the inspired words of the Constitution,” Rammell says in the video. “To think that we can save the Constitution without God’s help when the government of the United States is corrupt is absurdity.”

While the Statesman brands Rammell as a “GOP” gubernatorial candidate (he is running in the Republican primary slated for May), the candidate previously ran under his own branding for the state legislature as an “Independent Conservative.”

For more of Ramell’s beliefs, check out this video (H/T: OrbusMax.com).

According to the Huckleberries Online blog at Spokesman.com, the Mormon Church responded late last month by distancing itself from Rammell, and rejecting any invocation of the church in political campaigns.

Photo Credit: Flickr.

Poll: Will it be Herrera vs. Pridemore in WA-03?

According to the results of our two unscientific web polls (see here and here), rising GOP star Jaime Herrera looks poised to take on veteran Democrat Craig Pridemore. Of course, the primary is still many months away. Much could happen to change the current landscape, including the entrance of better known, and financial heavyweight challengers on both sides. Alternatively, one of the other candidates already in the race could make a move, and slingshot past either apparent frontrunner in our poll.

The sample size on the Democratic side was indeed small (n=37) — but Pridemore finished on top of the candidates included with 11 votes, or 30% (with “Other” taking 43%, or 16 votes).

However, on the GOP side, Herrera finished above the 50% mark with 361 votes cast. A late surge by Jon Russell ate into Herrera’s lead, but Russell was not able to catch up. Olympia financial adviser and former Bush appointee David Castillo, who was the first to throw his hat in the ring against Baird, had a strong early showing but never gained steam.

So what does all this mean, especially considering this was an unscientific poll of Internet visitors to a small corner of the blogosphere?  Gauging enthusiasm for candidates online is important in and of itself.  In every poll participant is a potential online donor, campaign volunteer, or online activist, willing to engage in the race.  So while the field may look different come next August, taking a pulse online now, may just provide an interesting glimpse into how things shape up.