Posted on 01/11/2005 4:02:08 PM PST by nyg4168
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Democrat Christine Gregoire was certified as the governor of Washington state on Tuesday, while outside the Capitol her supporters traded jeers with protesters across a line of state troopers.
Inside the Capitol, Republicans' attempt to delay the election certification failed after an hour of almost surreally polite debate.
Gregoire lost the first two counts in the amazingly close election, but won by just 129 votes after a hand recount of 2.9 million ballots. Next comes Gregoire's inauguration, planned for Wednesday - and then it's on to the courts. The first hearing in Republican Dino Rossi's election challenge is scheduled for Friday.
"No do-over, no delay," said Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane. "Let's move on with the business of the Legislature."
Republicans pleaded in vain for a waiting period.
A two-week delay is a small price to pay to restore confidence in this election," said Rep. Mike Armstrong, R-Wenatchee. "This is a historic time and we cannot afford to rush this process."
During the counting and recounting of the governor's election, many questions and discrepancies have surfaced. The main argument in the Republican's lawsuit is that King County, a Democratic stronghold and the state's largest county, cannot match more than a thousand votes to actual voter names. That discrepancy, Rossi argues, makes the election invalid on its face.
Democrats disagree, saying the state constitution sets a very high bar for throwing out the results of an election. They say the revote that Rossi wants would be unconstitutional.
While the debate in the state House and Senate's joint session was oh-so-civilized, supporters of Rossi and Gregoire screamed their frustrations at one another at dueling rallies on the Capitol lawn.
More than 1,000 Rossi supporters were there demanding a revote, and about 200 Gregoire supporters held a counter-demonstration. Chants of "revote!" overpowered the cries of "Go home Rossi!"
Norman Le, 70, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Vietnam, wore a sticker proclaiming "Dino Rossi is my governor."
"Three times they counted and they come up with three different results - it makes no sense at all," Le said. "They should fix it. It's not too late. ... If we have a governor who is elected in a flawed election, that governor does not have the respect of the people to govern. The whole state will suffer."
Pro-Rossi demonstrators held signs saying "Heal Washington: Revote," "Gregoire: Stealing Democracy," and "Re-Elect Rossi 2005."
Across the street, and separated by state troopers, Gregoire supporter Rhenda Strub held a homemade sign saying "Dino, your horse is dead."
"It's time for him to end his temper tantrum and move on," said Strub, 49, of Olympia.
No arrests were reported from the dueling rallies, which dissipated in the early afternoon.
A court hearing for Rossi's election challenge is set for Friday in Chelan County Superior Court in Wenatchee. The case will most likely end up in the state Supreme Court.
They filed suit within hours of having standing to do so.
1. Not new.
2. Not unexpected.
3. Par for a democratic course.
4. Going to happen again.
This article is suggested reading to those who have not previously seen it:
I don't know, but I would guess that this is the jurisdiction for the named party in the suit. The way the law works, the suit is filed in the name of a citizen as a grievance, not in the name of the candidate or the party. This is probably the home county of the person who's name is on the suit. I'm not sure that it matters at all which county hears the suit. I would think that it almost *has* to be some other county than King county, from a separation of powers standpoint.
If a county agency needs to be slapped down, it is better done from a superior State court in another (presumed disinterested) county. Not sure about that, but that's what would make sense to me. In that case, it would really need to be any county but King. Chelan is as good as any.
Title 29A.68 Contesting an election.
Title 29A.68.120 Election set aside -- Appeal period.
If an election is set aside by the judgment of the superior court and if no appeal is taken therefrom within ten days, the certificate issued shall be thereby rendered void.
Comic relief, mainly....
Hope she doesn't get too settled because a U-Haul will be coming soon to throw her out.
It was closer to 2,000 or more, but still...
That's the problem with getting republicans to turn out for weekday protests: We work for a living.
hehehe...
Actually, I hope she *does* move into the Governors Mansion, only to have the revote happen and have her thrown out. It would be... picturesque. :-)
Especially if the re-vote does happen, and she goes down for the count by a *wide* margin (which, I happen to think, is probable).
"Hey Crissy... not just no, but HELL NO!"
:-)
OK I have my Reynolds Wrap properly aligned with my frontal lobes, Venus and the Moon.
I smell a backroom deal, (she is in, and I don't think anybody will be able to change it).
It just appears that the fix is in.
I haven't heard that there will be but I really don't know.
Come now, you believe the Seattle PI? There were more there then 1000.
One thing they never will let you know is that in 10 days they had close to 210,000 signatures on the petition for a revote, that they presented to the legislature today and they are collecting more.
Despite what this article says, the crowd of Rossi supporters was estimated by other local news sources as much, much larger that 1000 - more like 2500, and "several thousand".
Keeping in mind that most Republicans have jobs and responsibilities that would prevent them from attending a morning weekday rally in Olympia (which tends left), that's pretty big.
If the Dems force this on the state, it will be the dumbest thing they've ever done here.
1. They never have rallies when working people whose schedules don't flex can go.
2. This is by far the lowest attendance estimate I heard today. Other local media said 2500 to "several thousand". The PI leans far left, and would be less likely to be accurate in a situation like this.
3. You "should care" because no party should be able to steamroll voters this way in the United States of America. If they get away with it here, they can get away with it elsewhere - maybe not where you live, but in enough places to seize some real power.
With a revote she'll be gone alright!
I just can't believe that picture. It must be photoshopped. She isn't that attractive.
HA HA HA!!!!!!
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