Free Republic

The House passed a $286.4 billion highway and mass transit bill Friday that could provide long-awaited relief for the nation's travelers while creating tens of thousands of construction jobs. >snip The bill includes $220 million to help underwrite the multibillion-dollar cost of replacing Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct, lawmakers say. Lawmakers from both parties hailed the highway and transit bill, which would provide more than $4 billion for highway and transit projects in Washington state, and $2.7 billion for Oregon. >snip "Our delegation has done an incredible job of standing up for the viaduct," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Thursday. "We...

WASHINGTON -- When long-time Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne retired, he was bugged by a desire to remain active. John Ensign, a Las Vegas veterinarian, felt a little pressure from Bill Clinton. Sheriff Dave Reichert had chased robbers and serial killers in King County, Wash., long enough that he wanted to take on new challenges. Rush Holt, a physicist at Princeton University, mastered plasma physics, but he couldn't figure out Newt Gingrich. The rumblings these four men felt were similar, and each found the same outlet: they ran for Congress. "I thought I was going to follow politics as just...

I arrived home to the following vmail on my answering machine. They're going all out to try to get rid of Tom. As a side note, Dave Reichert is my congressman and just got voted in last Nov, replacing Jennifer Dunn (I was sorry to see her leave) This is a verbatim transcription (or almost so) of the message: Hello. This is an ethics alert from We The People, a non-partisan group that fights against political corruption in Washington, DC. Last week, Congressman Dave Reichert voted to make it almost impossible for the Ethics Commitee to investigate the mis-conduct by...

House Republican leaders last night notified their 10 most vulnerable lawmakers that they will be the lucky beneficiaries of this year's first ROMP (Retain Our Majority Program) fundraiser. The list provides an early preview of who GOP leaders think need the most help from their fellow lawmakers. It also lets potential Democratic challengers know that any run will be expensive. The 10 members are Reps. Bob Beauprez (Colo.), Mike Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Jim Gerlach (Pa.), Marilyn Musgrave (Colo.), Anne Northup (Ky.), Jon Porter (Nev.), Dave Reichert (Wash.), Rick Renzi (Ariz.), Rob Simmons (Conn.) and Mike Sodrel (Ind.). Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.),...

Wednesday, November 3, 2004 Ross concedes defeat to Reichert in 8th District By CHRIS McGANN SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER CAPITOL CORRESPONDENT Republican Dave Reichert's reputation as King County sheriff, combined with ample advice and money from national operatives, prevailed in his bid for Congress in the 8th District. Dave Ross conceded his 8th Congressional District race Wednesday morning. Appearing on KIRO Radio in Seattle, his longtime venue as a talk-show host, Ross congratulated his opponent and said he intended to remain "an independent voice for common sense." Ross said he had called Reichert to concede. With 100 percent of precincts reporting but...

Republicans plan to field just one strong candidate each for governor and Senate. Chris Vance is running out of time. The chair of the Washington State Republican Party has an ambitious work plan—the transformation of the state GOP into, as he puts it, "a Northwest version of George W. Bush." Vance knows how to get it done: attract candidates for the 2004 U.S. Senate race and governor's contest who are "conservative enough to unite our base" yet at the same time "able to reach out to suburban voters, especially suburban women." It goes without saying that these same candidates need...