Call it a hunch, but I think what might emerge from a second election is a loud, jarring, Mack-truck-like HONK in the ears of Democrats from sea to shining sea, about what most people think about these post-election court shenanigans. |
Posted on 12/19/2004 11:44:06 AM PST by JosefK
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Another governor election may be in our best interest
Given the fiasco going on up in King County with the second recount, we suspect more and more people are coming to the conclusion we should have another election for governor. That was suggested this week by former long-time Secretary of State Ralph Munro, a Republican who was highly respected for his job performance by people in both parties. ‘‘This thing could just degenerate and spiral downward,’’ Munro said Thursday of the second recount and all of the controversy and lawsuits it has generated, with more likely. Without another election, ‘‘whoever eventually becomes governor is going to have a very hard time governing, and we’re going to go through four years of flopping around,” Munro said. He suggested holding the new election in February, after allowing a few weeks for new voter registrations. Current Secretary of State Sam Reed, also a Republican, said as well this week a revote might be worth consideration. There’s no guarantee, of course, that another election for governor wouldn’t be just as razor close, although statistically that is probably highly unlikely. But the current situation has become so tainted with the circus going on in King County it’s difficult to see how the new governor, whoever it is, would have much credibility. The public’s faith in the vote-counting process in King County has already been shaken. The integrity, fairness and accuracy of the result will be suspect in the minds of many. That will probably especially be true if the second recount overturns the result in the first two counts — after the Nov. 2 election and the machine recount, both of which Republican Dino Rossi won— and Democrat Christine Gregoire wins. King County is what is putting the integrity of this election in doubt. It has about a third of the state’s total vote. The county, especially Seattle, is heavily Democratic. It has given Gregoire at least a 150,000-vote margin. King County is the Democrats’ best hope of finding more votes for Gregoire in the second recount to swing the election to her. The Democrats asked for this hand recount and that’s what it’s all about, despite all the sanctimonious rhetoric about the need to “count every vote.” And surprise, surprise, King County just happens to be the one in which stacks of ballots just happen to be showing up that weren’t counted for whatever reason or which were rejected because elections officials messed up. State law says — and the state Supreme Court unanimously upheld it this week — that rejected ballots cannot be reconsidered in recounts. But apparently that doesn’t apply to ballots that were mistakenly rejected by elections officials, such as the 573 such ballots recently found in King County. Then there’s the 22 other uncounted ballots found this week in King County in the side bins of plastic base units for polling machines. Then there are the 150 misplaced absentee ballots King County elections officials found in a warehouse Friday. Who knows what else will just happen to pop up in King County? It’s turning into a joke, a farce, a fiasco. Recount the ballots that were validated and certified in the first two counts and nothing more. Draw the line. Stop the nonsense. The issue now maybe isn’t as much who wins as it is election officials’ incompetence in a heavily partisan county and the integrity of the election.
WHO PAYS? State law requires that the party, in this case the Democrats, that requests a hand recount must conditionally pay for it. The condition is that if the recount reverses the result — in this instance shows Gregoire won instead of Rossi, then the state must pay because theoretically it messed up in the first two counts. The result would be that we, the taxpayers, must reimburse the Democrats the $1 million or so it cost for the recount. We have a suggestion: Because a reversal that gives Gregoire the election will almost certainly be a result of King County election officials’ incompetence, make King County and its taxpayers reimburse the Democrats, not us taxpayers in the rest of the state.
I wonder why BOTH the big Seattle papers are neutral about this (Mark Trahant's column today notwithstanding)
Ping!
Washington State has been Kalifornicated!
No, Washington State has been Ukraniated.
They are neutral because they don't know which side will win the 1st election. If Rossi wins the next recount, they will want a new election. If Gregoire wins, they will be against a new election.
It's pretty much like Kerry's Iraq policy. If it turns out well, Kerry is for it, and if it turns out badly, he is against it.
This is all Al Gore's fault. He made the election process sue-crazy.
In 2000, my original home state of Florida was the electoral laughing-stock.
Now, my current home state of Washington is the electoral laughing-stock.
However, when you examine the facts, the problem in each case was not either the State of Florida or the State of Washington.
The problems were Palm Beach County and King County: Two overwhelmingly Democrat counties, run by Democrats who were trying to steal elections.
They are neutral because they don't know which side will win the 1st election. If Rossi wins the next recount, they will want a new election. If Gregoire wins, they will be against a new election. It's pretty much like Kerry's Iraq policy. If it turns out well, Kerry is for it, and if it turns out badly, he is against it.
That would be a good pre-emptive Letter to the Editor for you to send to both the Seattle Times and the P.I.
Actually it sounds like you're carrying the "crooked election virus" around. Be sure to only live in Blue States, 'kay?
Well, at least they can't blame Ukraine on ya (g!).
CORRECTION: "Every Dem won in a landslide in Washington...except Gregoire, Senn and the loser who ran against Sam Reed."
BTTT
I love these WA governor threads and I don't even live in Washington. It just shows the "Rats for what they are and I am hoping for a WA voter backlash.
It also shows the rest of the Northwest (AK included) of what to expect down the road.
I hope not...
Washington is a lot like, say, Oregon, or Texas...an enclave of hardcore liberals (Seattle, Portland, the Rio Grande/gulf coast of immigrants) and their associated areas, and then a huge but sparsely populated zone of more Republican interests. This is eastern Washington, the I5 corridor, and the central Texan expanse.
Don't hold your breath for a backlash, not from King County and the islands. WA politics has always been mild and gentle...no more, not after this.
Call it a hunch, but I think what might emerge from a second election is a loud, jarring, Mack-truck-like HONK in the ears of Democrats from sea to shining sea, about what most people think about these post-election court shenanigans. |
Just keep having elections till a Dem wins, Thats the whole point isnt it?
No. I personally want a runoff so the Gregocrats lose by a 10-15 point spread.
Agreed! Rossi will blowout the Gregocats in a re-do or runoff.
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As a resident of the other Washington on the other end of the country, I'm thinking this might do the entire nation some good.