Offering daily news and analysis from the majestic Evergreen State and beyond, The Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's unconventional perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Monday, March 12th, 2012

NPI’s Gael Tarleton announces that she will be a candidate for state House in the 36th LD

I have some exciting news to share this afternoon: After having spent several days contemplating a campaign for state House with family and friends, our President, Gael Tarleton, has decided to run for the position being vacated by Representative Mary Lou Dickerson, who recently announced her retirement from the Legislature after many years of service to the people of Washington.

Along with Reuven Carlyle and Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Dickerson represents the 36th LD, one of the most Democratic districts in the state, which is comprised of several Seattle neighborhoods, including Ballard, Phinney Ridge, Fremont, and Belltown.

Gael is officially announcing her candidacy today, though she has spent the last couple of days raising money to get it started. She already has $20,000 in cash and commitments after just forty-eight hours of fundraising. Undoubtedly that number will be much higher by the time this week is over.

Her campaign has just issued a press release announcing her candidacy. In it, Gael explains that she is running because she thinks the Legislature needs to be doing a better job of advancing important policy directions like economic security, environmental protection, education, and healthcare.

And like the rest of us here at NPI, Gael is a believer in that timeless Hopi saying, We are the ones we have been waiting for.

“We need to carry the accomplishments and legacy of Representative Dickerson forward,” she says. “I have a proven track record of protecting and creating jobs, fighting for women and minority-owned businesses, protecting the environment and championing Washington’s higher-education community.”

Gael has previously run for office twice, both times for the same county-wide position (Seattle Port Commissioner). In 2007, she defeated incumbent Bob Edwards to become the third woman ever elected to the Port Commission. She sought a second term just last year and won in a landslide, with nearly sixty percent of the vote. A few weeks ago, at the commission’s first meeting following the new year, her colleagues tapped her to serve as Port Commission President for 2012.

Besides serving as NPI’s President and as President of the Port Commission, Gael is a member of the National Women’s Political Caucus and NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. For the past eight years, she has also worked as a strategic advisor for the University of Washington’s Institute for National Security Education and Research. She is a co-founder of the U.W.’s Citizen Roundtable on Politics and Democracy, which is trying to reignite interest in civics.

She holds two degrees from Georgetown University: a B.S. from its School of Foreign Service, and an M.A. in government and national security studies.

As longtime readers and supporters know, NPI is not a political action committee and does not engage in any electioneering in contests for public office. So as an organization, we will have no involvement in Gael’s campaign.

However, we wish her the best as she undertakes this journey.

Washington is currently grappling with some enormous structural problems that are only going to get worse in the months and years ahead. Perhaps the biggest challenge the Legislature needs to address (but hasn’t) is our broken, regressive tax system, which isn’t bringing in enough revenue to pay for the essential public services Washingtionians want and need.

Unfortunately, the Legislature itself seems to be broken, which explains why little to no progress has been made in the years since NPI was founded. Before headway can be made in addressing our state’s problems, the Legislature as an institution will need to be reformed. Fortunately, Gael has some experience in that area, having helped end Mic Dinsmore’s era of corruption at the Port of Seattle.

But I’m guessing that she will find reforming the Legislature to be a much more difficult challenge. Governing a state is one of the hardest jobs there is. But Gael’s real job, if elected, won’t be governing. It will be making our plan of government work for us again. Because that’s what is standing in the way of us getting the moral budgets and economic security we deserve.

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Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

Super Tuesday: Who’s winning where

Tonight – as readers of the NPI Advocate are no doubt aware – is Super Tuesday, traditionally the biggest (though not necessarily the most pivotal) night of the presidential nominating season, when more delegates are at stake than at any other point leading up to the national party conventions at the end of summer.

It’s been an entertaining evening so far, with some predictable moments (like Newt Gingrich’s victory in Georgia) but also the suspense of a close race in Ohio between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

More than a dozen states in every region of the country are up for grabs in tonight’s set of contests (though most are not winner-take-all). Each of the Republican candidates has at least one state in his win column, with the notable exception of Ron Paul, who hasn’t won anywhere yet.

Here is a breakdown of who is winning where.

Mitt Romney Super Tuesday Win ColumnFirst, let’s take a look at the states Mitt Romney has won, or is likely to win.

As we can see from the graphic to the left, he’s done well in New England and the Rocky Mountain West. He’s also winning easily in The Old Dominion (Virginia), though neither Rick Santorum nor Newt Gingrich were on the ballot there. And he appears to be on the cusp of a very narrow victory in Ohio, the Buckeye State, where Rick Santorum had hoped to pull off an upset.

So, not a bad night for Romney.

However, Romney is not doing so well in the South or the Midwest. There, his rivals have captured some important states.

Let’s take a look at Rick Santorum’s win column.

Rick Santorum Super Tuesday Win ColumnSo far, it consists of North Dakota (which some pundits thought Ron Paul might win), Oklahoma, and Tennessee. It’s possible that Santorum will be able to pick up one more state before the night is over – Alaska, where the Republican caucuses are already underway.

Newt Gingrich, meanwhile, has prevailed in his home state of Georgia, but that’s the only place where he is winning tonight. The Georgia win might keep his campaign alive for a while, but it won’t secure the Republican nomination for him. Both Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney have won three times as many states as Gingrich has. Even if Gingrich were to pick up a few more states in the south, it still wouldn’t net him the delegates he needs to get the nomination in Tampa.

As Talking Points Memo (TPM) notes, the only really close contest tonight has turned out to be Ohio, where Rick Santorum is still trying to catch up with Mitt Romney after relinquishing a slight lead he held for most of the evening.

After steadying his ship with a must-win victory in Michigan’s primary last week, Mitt Romney is in choppy waters in Ohio, narrowly leading Rick Santorum with over 90% of the vote in. A loss here would revive talk that Romney may be too damaged to lead the party in the general election despite an apparent burst of momentum in the polls in recent days.

[...]

But the big question is about narrative: will tonight be enough to put an end to a long primary slog that just about everyone agrees is hurting Romney who will, unless something incredible happens, be the Republican opponent for Obama in the fall? Romney, whose general poll numbers are at almost historically toxic levels for a frontrunning candidate, needs this primary to end — fast.

Santorum has arguably met or surpassed the Super Tuesday expectations that pundits and his own operatives laid out for his candidacy. He wasn’t on the ballot in Virginia, Massachusetts, or Vermont, so he didn’t have a chance there. He is running almost even with Mitt Romney in Ohio, and he captured three states outright, continuing his winning streak in the middle of the country.

But he still has a steep hill to climb. His biggest problem is that Newt Gingrich remains in the race. Had Gingrich quit prior to Super Tuesday, Santorum might have picked up Georgia, which would have been a nice boost for his campaign, and he’d be well-positioned to take Alabama, the next state on the calendar. Instead, he’s going to have to fight Gingrich on Gingrich’s home turf.

If Gingrich’s goal was to deny Mitt Romney the Republican nomination, he would have quit the race by now. But he foolishly thinks he can become the frontrunner once again if he stays in. Barring some truly improbable turn of events, that simply isn’t going to happen. The only thing Gingrich is going to accomplish by remaining a candidate will be to deny Rick Santorum the opportunity to pull even with Romney nationally – and thus give Romney the nomination.

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Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

Rush Limbaugh loses another station and more than a dozen more national advertisers

Let’s keep the pressure on! Another station has just canceled Rush:

AM 1420 WBEC [Pittsfield, Massachusetts]  releases statement regarding the removal of Rush Limbaugh from the airwaves

Due to the inappropriate remarks made by Rush Limbaugh regarding Sandra Fluke, the management of AM 1420 WBEC has made the decision to remove the Rush Limbaugh Show from the programming line-up effective March 5th. Rush Limbaugh ‘s comments do not reflect the viewpoints of the station management and we apologize to anyone who may have been offended by his remarks. While we understand the controversial nature of talk radio and encourage political discourse, we believe there are ways to do that without exceeding the bounds of civility. Rush’s defamatory and disparaging remarks about Ms. Fluke clearly violated the standards we have set for our stations and left us no choice but to remove him from our airwaves.

Meanwhile, a program manager at a different station in Vermont has acknowledged that management there is weighing whether to drop Rush or keep him in their lineup. And advertisers continue to flee Rush’s three hours of hate as well:

The steady stream of advertisers fleeing Rush Limbaugh’s radio show continued on Monday and Tuesday, as a barrage of new companies announced they would no longer run commercials on the program in the wake of Limbaugh’s offensive comments about Sandra Fluke.

Even though Limbaugh has apologized for calling Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” for her advocacy of insurance coverage of birth control, advertisers are still moving towards the exits.

ThinkProgress has been keeping a tally of how many companies have announced they will not be advertising during Rush’s show, and it now stands at thirty-five. The list includes Sleep Number, The Sleep Train, Quicken Loans, Legal Zoom, Citrix, Carbonite, ProFlowers, Tax Resolution, AOL, Bonobos, Sears, Allstate Insurance, Sensa, Bare Escentuals, Vitacost, Hadeed Carpet, Thompson Creek Windows, PolyCom, Service Magic, AccuQuote Life Insurance, Geico, John Deere, Stamps.com, St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Bethesda Sedation Dentistry, Cascades Dental, Philadelphia Orchestra, Goodwill Industries, Heart & Body Extract, Netflix, Downeast Energy, Capitol One, JCPenney, Matrix Direct, and Reputation Rhino.

Limbaugh, backed by his biggest corporate supporter, Clear Channel Communications, continues to strike a defiant tone. Yesterday, he continued to try to deflect criticism of his hateful comments, incredulously suggesting that we progressives are to blame for his potty mouth.

(Nice try , Rush, but nobody’s buying that).

Those who have tried to defend Rush’s comments are having a hard time doing so. Actress Patricia Heaton deleted her Twitter account after coming under fire for repeating conservative pundits’ attacks on Sandra Fluke. She issued a mea culpa yesterday, claiming that she meant no offense.

There is no question that Rush’s hate speech is like toxic waste when it comes to the quality of our political discourse. Limbaugh may have the right to speak his mind, but he does not have the right to monopolize the public airwaves for the purposes of slandering other citizens. His “show” deserves to be canceled.

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Monday, March 5th, 2012

Hawaii radio station cancels Rush Limbaugh’s nationally syndicated three hours of hate

Let’s hope that they’re just the first of many:

New West Broadcasting announced today that it is discontinuing the Rush Limbaugh program on KPUA AM 670 in Hilo, Hawaii effective immediately.

Chris Leonard, President and General Manager of New West released the following statement this morning:

“We have always encouraged spirited discussion about national and local issues on KPUA and from time to time those discussions may be deemed by some to be objectionable. We are strong believers in the First Amendment and have recognized Mr. Limbaugh’s right to express opinions that often times differ from our own, but it has never been our goal to allow our station to be used for personal attacks and intolerance. The most recent incident has crossed a line of decency and a standard that we expect of programming on KPUA whether it is locally produced or a syndicated program like the Rush Limbaugh Show.”

“While much of the national debate regarding this issue is now being framed in political terms, the decision for us is one of decency and responsibility. Regardless of one’s political views on the issue being discussed, we feel the delivery was degrading and the continued comments over several days to be egregious. As a result, we are discontinuing the Rush Limbaugh program on KPUA effective immediately.”

Limbaugh has also lost nearly a dozen national advertisers so far as a result of the vicious slander he broadcasted last week against Georgetown student Sandra Fluke: ProFlowers, AOL, Quicken Loans, Sleep Train Mattresses, Sleep Number, LegalZoom, Carbonite, Citrix, Bonobos and Sears.

As Media Matters has documented, Rush’s smearing of Sandra last week was hardly the first time he has subjected someone he disagreed with to degrading commentary. Limbaugh’s crude sexism has polluted America’s airwaves on a great many occasions prior to last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Long ago, Rush Limbaugh turned his show into a three-hour version of the “Two Minute Hate” depicted in George Orwell’s 1984. It is not a civil discussion of the issues. It’s not comedy. It’s just regularly-broadcast verbal abuse. There’s simply no place for such malevolence in a healthy democracy.

If you’re interested in seeing Rush Limbaugh taken off the air in Seattle, consider doing as David Goldstein has suggested: contact the companies that advertise locally on Rush’s show, which is broadcast on KTTH, one of Bonneville International’s Seattle stations, and ask them to stop supporting Rush’s hate speech. Seven other companies already have.

# Posted by Andrew : 1:49 PM | Comments (1) | Submit to Reddit
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012

Mitt Romney winning Washington Republican precinct caucuses by comfortable margin

Chalk up another victory for Mitt Romney. With more than sixty percent of the votes counted, the former Massachusetts governor is handily winning Washington’s Republican precinct caucuses, besting Rick Santorum and his two other remaining other rivals by a comfortable margin. Here are the current results:

Washington Republican precinct caucuses
Mitt Romney: 36.7% (11,294 votes)
Ron Paul: 24.5% (7,535 votes)
Rick Santorum: 24.4% (7,523 votes)
Newt Gingrich: 11.3% (3,473 votes)

Paul and Santorum remain nearly tied for second place. Paul has maintained a tiny-to-slight edge for much of the evening, but that could go away as votes from more Santorum-friendly counties are tallied and reported.

So far, Romney is winning King, Pierce, Snohomish, Kitsap, Thurston, Clallam, Jefferson, Mason, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Cowlitz, Clark, Wahkiakum, Yakima, Kittitas, Grant, Adams, Garfield, Walla Walla, Benton, and Franklin counties.

Ron Paul is winning Pend Oreille, Ferry, Stevens, Okanogan, Whitman, Asotin, Klickitat, Skamania, and Pacific counties.

Rick Santorum has just three counties in his corner: Whatcom, Lincoln, and Columbia, though he is coming in second in many of the populous counties that Romney is winning (like Pierce and Kitsap).

Spokane, Skagit, Douglas, and Chelan have yet to report any results at all.

In a statement, Mitt Romney thanked Washington Republicans for their support. (He is no longer in the Evergreen State, having returned to the eastern timezone following yesterday morning’s rally in Bellevue).

“I’m heartened to have won the Washington caucuses, and I thank the voters for their support,” Romney said.

“I congratulate my fellow Republicans on a campaign well waged. We may differ from one another in background and experience. But we are united in our love of this country, and in our belief that with proper leadership America can do much better. The voters of Washington have sent a signal that they do not want a Washington insider in the White House. They want a conservative businessman who understands the private sector and knows how to get the federal government out of the way so that the economy can once again grow vigorously.”

“With the support of Washington’s voters, I look forward with optimism to the primaries and caucuses to come.”

Second-place finisher Ron Paul, meanwhile, is holding a caucus results party in downtown Seattle at the Bell Harbor Conference Center. Paul’s campaign had hoped for a victory in Washington so they could finally say that they had a state in their win column, but alas, they aren’t getting one.

UPDATE, 7:20 PM: Skagit, Spokane, and Douglas have finally reported some results. The former two are breaking for Romney and the latter is going for Santorum. Still nothing from Chelan County yet.

Washington Republican precinct caucuses
76.8% reporting (5213/6785)
Mitt Romney: 36.2% (14,971 votes)
Ron Paul: 25.1% (10,358 votes)
Rick Santorum: 24.4% (10,105 votes)
Newt Gingrich: 10.8% (4,476 votes)

# Posted by Andrew : 6:11 PM | Comments (2) | Submit to Reddit
Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Democrats speak out following Republican takeover of Washington State Senate

As we reported earlier this evening, the Washington State Senate Republicans, acting in concert with three Democrats in Name Only (Jim Kastama, Rodney Tom, and Tim Sheldon) have seized control of the floor of the Legislature’s upper chamber, effectively turning the remainder of the Senate Democratic caucus into the minority party with a week left to go in the 2012 regular session.

On Facebook, on Twitter, and through their offices, many Democratic senators are speaking out in opposition to the takeover and the newly-minted Republican majority’s attempt to ram through a budget that has not received any public hearings or scrutiny. What follows is a collection of the statements they’ve shared with us over the last few hours.

Senator Sharon Nelson (D-34th District):

Tonight I am saddened that three Democrats, Senators Jim Kastama, Rodney Tom, and Tim Sheldon assisted the Republicans in taking over the Senate floor. While the Republicans may be celebrating, I am going through a budget which they just brought out of the back room. While the Democrats provided an additional $38.7 million to K-12 education, this Republican budget cuts K-12 by $44 million. While the Democrats’ budget added funds to higher education, the Republicans cut higher education by $30.4 million. Plus, the poor and working families sustain a $311 million cut — 4 times the cuts in the Democrats’ budget. This is a budget for the top one percent and I can understand why they kept it in a back room until now.

Senator Kevin Ranker (D-40th District):

I am deeply disappointed by the decision of Senate Republicans to circumvent our state’s formerly transparent budgeting process to pass a budget that devastates our state’s safety net and our K-12 and higher education system.

Tonight, I believe personal agendas and right-wing ideologies outweighed the need for a 21st century education system that prepares our children for a global economy, comprehensive healthcare and critical environmental protections.

Whereas the Democratic budget makes no cuts to K-12 and higher education, the Republicans’ budget slashes K-12 education by $44 million and higher education by $30 million.

Their proposal further devastates women’s health by slashing funds to maternity support services and family planning, services that Washingtonians want and need.

It significantly weakens our state’s environmental and ecological commitment to our future by sweeping funds intended for clean-up of toxic waste sites and eliminating over 1,000 associated jobs.

This budget was crafted in secret and is nearly 300 pages long. At this late hour, the public has not had a chance to view this budget, much less understand the severity of its cuts

I find today’s action to constitute an absolute disservice to the public.

Senator Nick Harper (D-38th District):

There is a budget being debated this evening without ever having had a public hearing. An amendment that was proposed, which I spoke in favor of, would have restored funding to our Disability Lifeline Health program. This program offers health care to over 12,000 people, many of whom have severe mental illness. The amendment failed. This budget will make our communities significantly less safe by dramatically increasing our crime rates and denying our most vulnerable Washingtonians the services they desperately need and deserve.

Senator Craig Pridemore (D-49th District):

Jim Kastama and Rodney Tom have taken over the Senate in order to pass the Republican agenda for the State of Washington. Should be an interesting evening/weekend.

Senator David Frockt (D-46th District):

The Republicans who have hijacked the budget tonight on the Senate floor (with the help of a few Dems) have rejected every amendment we have offered except one that I just got them to take back – the one to restore their cut to funding to the College Success Foundation for scholarships for disadvantaged kids. Small victory, in an otherwise outrageous evening of stunts, shenanigans and bad policy…

Senator Regala (D-27th District):

When I came to the Legislature in 1995, I was unfamiliar with many of the processes by which bills became the laws of our state. I had my ideas of course, but little familiarity with the body that I had joined. In spite of that, I was excited to be a part of the process and eager to make a positive contribution.

At one of my first committee hearings, I received a shock that I have not forgotten. The committee chairman, from the opposite party, asked for my vote on a lengthy water policy bill that I had just been handed. No explanation of what it did and no opportunity to read/review it. My ignorance of the facts, intent and effects of that bill did not matter. I was being asked to vote for a bill I had no knowledge of.

You can imagine the shock and sadness that I felt and my disillusion with the process I had become a part of. Since that time, I have striven to be knowledgeable of every piece of legislation I cast a vote for, whether in support or opposition.

This is my final year in the State Legislature and I had hoped it would end with my never having to feel that way again. You can imagine my sadness and disappointment at the actions of Senate Republicans and three members of my own party, which plunged the entire Senate into a state of partisan chaos. Once again, I was being asked to vote on a bill on which I had no knowledge.

This time, it is not a narrowly focused policy bill moving through committee, but a 233 page budget amendment that will cut services critical to the lives and livelihoods of thousands of our states residents. The shame and anger I feel at today’s display of the partisan acts that has gripped our country is overwhelming.

In closing, I can only promise, as I did before, to not cast a vote for a document that I do not understand or have knowledge of. It is our responsibility as lawmakers for the State of Washington to pass legislation that is in the best interests of our state.

In my remaining days as a Senator, however many they may be, I pledge to continue to fight for our state and to ensure that any bill which passes off the Senate floor is done so with the process and procedure that I have always believed in.

As of this hour, the Senate is still in session in the Legislative Building in Olympia, with Democrats offering amendment after amendment to the Republican majority’s budget proposal. Nearly all of the amendments they have offered have been rejected by a vote of twenty-five to twenty-four.

The Republican takeover of the Senate all but guarantees that there will need to be a thirty-day special session called to continue working on a supplemental operating budget. House Democrats have made it plainly clear that the Senate Republicans’ budget proposal will be dead on arrival in the House, and Governor Chris Gregoire – whose signature is needed to enact any budget – has also strongly condemned it.

Neither Rodney Tom nor Tim Sheldon will be facing voters this year, as both were reelected in 2010 to four year terms. Jim Kastama, on the other hand, will be on the ballot, whether he chooses to remain in the race for Secretary of State, or runs again for Senate. (His term expires at the end of 2012).

Sheldon already had a reputation as a Republican who calls himself a Democrat. (He endorsed and supported George W. Bush back in 2004). He could probably win election in his somewhat conservative district as a Republican. Kastama and Tom, on the other hand, represent more progressive districts, and have campaigned for office on Democratic values and principles.

If, like us, you are appalled by what they have done earlier this evening – and what they are still doing at this very hour – then let them know:

Jim Kastama
Olympia Office: (360) 786-7648
District Office: (253) 840-4701
By E-Mail: Jim.Kastama@leg.wa.gov
PO Box 40425
Olympia, WA 98504-0425
Rodney Tom
Olympia Office: (360) 786-7694
By e-mail: Rodney.Tom@leg.wa.gov
PO Box 40448
Olympia, WA 98504-0448
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Friday, March 2nd, 2012

House Speaker Frank Chopp blasts Senate Republicans for “abuse of power”

Washington State House Speaker Frank Chopp, who represents Seattl’s 43rd Legislative District along with Jamie Pedersen, has just issued a statement blasting Senate Republicans and their three collaborators (who call themselves Democrats) for hijacking the Legislature’s upper chamber and advancing their own backroom budget to the floor for immediate adoption. Here is what he has to say:

The Senate Republicans have exercised the worst abuse of power I have ever witnessed in the Legislature. It says something about them that the minute they gained power, they abused it.

They immediately moved to run over the minority on the floor by denying them the right to even see the budget bill before asking them to vote on it.

They immediately turned their backs on the rights of the people by dismissing all calls for public testimony. Yes, the party that regularly decries the lack of transparency in the legislature cut the public out of the process completely.

As for their budget proposal, from what little we’ve heard, it shreds the safety net, eliminates state food assistance, housing and medical care for the disabled, and continues the Republican war on women by eliminating family planning grants.

Governor Chris Gregoire has not issued a formal statement on the coup on the Senate, but in conversations with reporters she made it clear she, too, was disgusted. “I am chagrined that they’re over there right now working on something I’ve never seen, the members have never seen — members on both parties have never seen, and they’re going to take a vote tonight?” she told the press outside of Speaker Chopp’s office. “This is not how we do business in Washington State.”

In a few hours, assuming that Senators Jim Kastama, Rodney Tom, and Tim Sheldon continue to vote alongside their fellow conservative Republicans, the Senate will be on the verge of passing a destructive budget that destroys vital public services under the Orwellian cloak of sustainability.

But House Democrats, capably led by Speaker Chopp, are making it clear they consider the Senate Republicans’ proposal a nonstarter.

If that be the case, then there will be no agreement on any budget any time soon, let alone before the regular session is due to end next Thursday.

# Posted by Andrew : 9:25 PM | Comments Off | Submit to Reddit
Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Norm Dicks says he isn’t running for reelection, will retire from U.S. House

Norm Dicks, the dean of Washington’s congressional delegation, has just issued a surprise announcement through his office explaining that he has come to the decision not to seek reelection to the U.S. House this year.

I am announcing today my intention to complete my service in the House of Representatives at the end of the current session but not to be a candidate for re-election to the 113th Congress. After eighteen terms representing the people of the 6th Congressional District of Washington, preceded by eight years on the Staff of Senator Warren G. Magnuson, Suzie and I have made the decision to change gears and enjoy life at a different pace.

The privilege of serving in the House of Representatives, with the endorsement of the voters every two years, is indeed an honor unlike no other profession in our country and I have truly enjoyed every day here and have cherished all of the friendships we have made with many of the finest public servants in the nation. I am proud that many of these friendships have crossed the ideological and party lines that tend to separate us, and I have always believed that we can achieve greater results if we leave politics aside when the election season and the floor debates are over.

Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell each immediately issued statements thanking Dicks for his service to the state.

“Norm Dicks is a true Washington State institution. But more than that, he is my mentor, my friend, my advisor, my teammate, and my brother. He is our state’s quarterback here in Congress, and I can’t imagine our delegation without him,” Murray said. “Norm will retire from Congress leaving behind an incredible legacy of public service. Washington families will benefit from his hard work, passionate advocacy, and tremendous contributions for decades to come.”

“To me, more than anything, Norm is the guy who loves Washington state more than life, who would do anything to defend it, and who works everyone to the bone to make sure the families he represents are taken care of. And he doesn’t just fight hard—he wins. I will miss his voice here in our nation’s capital. And we will all miss his ability to make sure federal policy works for Washington state families.”

Senator Cantwell agreed, using some of the same language.

“Norm Dicks is an institution in Washington politics. He has carried on a great tradition, following in the footsteps of his mentor, Senator Warren Magnuson. For more than forty years, Norm has been involved in every major issue affecting our state – from protecting salmon and cleaning up the Puget Sound to supporting our military installations and fighting for the Air Force tanker.

“Oftentimes, people would refer to Norm as Washington’s third senator. His impact on Washington State will be felt for generations to come.”

The impact of Dicks’ decision to retire, however, will be felt immediately. While the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District certainly could be called a Democratic district, it is not a safe Democratic district. Dicks has held it for thirty-two years, but now his name will not be on the ballot in 2012. Republicans will definitely go after the seat – whether they will be able to field a credible candidate remains to be seen. Democrats don’t have a particularly deep bench in the 6th either, but there are a few state legislators who might be interested in running, like Derek Kilmer.

UPDATE: Governor Chris Gregoire has just weighed in with a statement:

There has been no greater advocate for our state than Congressman Norm Dicks. For nearly four decades, Norm has fought hard for Washingtonians – pushing Congress to take action to protect our military bases, our companies including Boeing, and of course the health of the Puget Sound. He has been a trusted partner, a staunch ally, and a close friend.

Washingtonians statewide will greatly miss Norm’s presence in Congress. He will leave behind a legacy that is unmatched. I wish Norm and his family all the best as they move into this next stage of their life – and on behalf of all Washingtonians, thank him for his steadfast service and commitment to our state.

It’s possible we’ll be hearing from President Barack Obama on Norm’s retirement a little later in the day. No doubt the White House is still processing the news.

UPDATE, 11:32 AM: And here is President Obama’s statement:

I want to thank Norm Dicks for more than thirty years of service on behalf of the people of Washington State. Norm has spent his career working to protect our national security, championing the men and women of our Armed Forces and fighting for the many natural resources of Washington State and the Pacific Northwest. Norm’s dedication to our nation’s intelligence personnel and his leadership on the Appropriations Committee will be missed in Congress and Michelle and I wish him and family well in the future.

UPDATE, 11:45 AM: More reaction in now, from Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, Attorney General Rob McKenna, and our Commissioner of Public Lands, Peter Goldmark. McGinn’s statement:

Norm Dicks championed his district while making the entire state his priority. He was a giant in Congress, an invaluable ally to Seattle, and he has left his mark across our state. We wish him well.

Commissioner Goldmark:

We have been well served by the long and distinguished career of Norm Dicks. He has been an effective and dedicated leader for the state of Washington for a generation. His steady leadership will be greatly missed. I hope he will continue to find ways to serve Washington State in the years ahead. I wish him and Suzie all the best.

Attorney General McKenna:

Congressman Norm Dicks’ dedicated public service has served Washington State well for over four decades. I respect him for focusing on getting things done in the legislative process, often on a bipartisan basis, and for putting the needs of Washingtonians first in his many congressional accomplishments. I wish Suzie and him well as they enjoy the next chapter of their lives.

And finally, here’s Dwight Pelz, chairman of the Washington State Democratic Party:

As the dean of Washington’s congressional delegation, Norm has been a tireless public servant and a leader in both Washingtons. Norm’s fierce advocacy for Washington’s working families and businesses helped bring the tanker deal home, his leadership on the Appropriations Committee secured Washington’s stature in the halls of Congress. No one has done more to protect the waters of the Puget Sound. After nearly four decades, he will be truly missed.

All of us at NPI extend our sincerest thanks to Representative Dicks for his many years of public service to our state. As evidenced by the statements above, few people are as widely respected in Washington politics as Norm Dicks.

To say that he is an Evergreen State institution – as Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell both did – is actually an understatement. It’s hard to picture our congressional delegation without Norm Dicks in it. The highlights alone of his legislative record could fill a book.

In 1976, when Dicks was first elected, Washington hadn’t even celebrated its centennial, and the new millennium was still a quarter of a century away. The state’s congressional delegation consisted of only seven representatives and two senators. In those days, the state was still represented by the legendary Warren Magnuson and Henry “Scoop” Jackson in the U.S. Senate. So much has changed since then. But Norm’s commitment to serve our state has remain unchanged.

We congratulate him on all of his accomplishments and wish him nothing but peace and happiness in retirement.

# Posted by Andrew : 9:36 AM | Comments (2) | Submit to Reddit
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

Olympia Snowe to retire; Republican hopes of taking over the U.S. Senate take a hit

Big news out of the Pine Tree State this afternoon: Olympia Snowe, one of Maine’s two incumbent Republican senators, has announced that she has decided not to seek reelection in 2012, citing a desire to be free of the partisan rancor that pervades Capitol Hill these days. Her decision to retire could have a profound effect on the U.S. Senate electoral landscape for this cycle, giving Democrats a much-needed pickup opportunity to offset likely losses elsewhere.

“After thirty-three years in the Congress, this was not an easy decision,” Snowe said in a statement. “My husband and I are in good health. We have laid an exceptionally strong foundation for the campaign, and I have no doubt I would have won re-election. It has been an indescribable honor and immeasurable privilege to serve the people of Maine, first in both houses of Maine’s legislature and later in both houses of Congress. To this day, I remain deeply passionate about public service, and I cherish the opportunity I have been given for nearly four decades to help improve the lives of my fellow Mainers.”

“Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term. So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate, which is what a fourth term would entail.”

Snowe’s announcement seemed to catch many of her fellow Republicans off-guard, including her seatmate, fellow Republican Susan Collins, who called her decision “a complete surprise”. The deadline to file is just two weeks away, so prospective candidates from both parties will need to come to a decision quickly about running.

Chellie Pingree, one of Maine’s two Democratic U.S. Representatives, has already hinted that she is giving serious thought to entering the race.

“I want to thank Senator Snowe for her decades of service to the people of Maine,” Pingree said in a press release issued in the wake of Snowe’s announcement. “From her time in the House to her three terms in the Senate, Senator Snowe has shown her independence and dedication to Maine. I called Senator Snowe earlier to wish her and her husband all the best in the next stage of her life.

She added: “This upcoming election is critical to the future of our working families around the country, and in the coming days I will carefully consider how I can best serve the people of Maine.”

If Pingree runs, she stands a good chance of winning the Democratic nomination, which will be decided in June . She already represents half of the state, and was one of only eight Democrats to receive a higher percentage of the vote in 2010 (a difficult cycle for Democrats) than in 2008, when she was first elected.

In her one and a half terms in the U.S. House, she has consistently worked to advance the common good and strengthen America’s common wealth. Her crucial lifetime score on ProgressivePunch is an impressive 92.29%, and she is ranked as one of the country’s most progressive representatives. (She is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus).

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), which helped draft Elizabeth Warren into the race against Scott Brown in Massachusetts a few months ago, has already launched a “Draft Pingree” effort, which could catch fire in the coming days.

Gerald Weinand, proprietor of Dirigo Blue, Maine’s best-known progressive blog, has a must-read piece looking at might happen next, entitled The reality of running for an open seat in Maine. Click on over to get his perspective and leave a comment if you’re so inclined. Dirigo Blue also has more reaction to the news of Snowe’s retirement.

# Posted by Andrew : 4:56 PM | Comments (1) | Submit to Reddit
Monday, February 27th, 2012

Olympus’ entire board of directors resigning to make way for new leadership

Months after the Olympus’ ex-CEO-turned-whistleblower began demanding their resignations, the entire board of directors of the scandal-ridden Japanese electronics maker is finally stepping down, the company said today.

“[A]ll the current directors and corporate auditors express their intentions to resign at the end of the extraordinary general shareholders meeting and have submitted letters of resignation to the Company,” Olympus announced in a statement.

The company also said that it was proposing a slate of eleven individuals to be ratified by shareholders as the new board of directors. Fifty-six year old Hiroyuki Sasa, who currently serves as the chief marketing officer for Olympus’ medical imaging unit, has been tapped to serve as the company’s new president.

If the proposed new board is elected, the number of  what Olympus terms “outside directors” will double, from three to six.

But major Olympus shareholders say the new slate isn’t independent enough. “The clear creditor orientation of the board is unacceptable,” Southeastern Asset Management, which owns more than five percent of Olympus’ shares, said in its own statement, attributed to vice president Josh Shore. “We are extremely disappointed with the composition of the proposed board.”

Olympus’ former chief executive, Michael Woodford, who uncovered the accounting scandal that has wiped out much of the value of the company’s stock and led to the arrests of several former Olympus directors and auditors, told Reuters that he agreed with Southeastern’s concerns.

“Looking at capital raising, to have a representative of the bank there as the chairman will only frustrate and alienate any independent foreign shareholder, and I’m sure shareholders in Japan… It’s completely and utterly wrong,” he said.

In a statement posted to Olympus Grassroots earlier this month, Woodford said he was keeping a close eye on the current disgraced and discredited board, but criticized its members (who are finally quitting Olympus) for not being more open about their plans to replace themselves.

I am monitoring events at Olympus extremely closely. Over recent days there have been many rumours about the company forming a so called ‘strategic alliance’, but the name of any such external party has not been confirmed by the company. Equally, we remain unclear in definitive terms as to whether any of the current directors plan to put themselves forward again on a new slate and also the names and backgrounds of new candidates. I have strong opinions on both these issues, as I’m sure do many thousands of other shareholders.

In relation to today’s announcement of an extraordinary shareholders meeting on April 20, my intention is currently to attend this and, I believe it will be attended by large numbers of small shareholders including company employees.

In this respect, I trust the company will make arrangements for a suitably large venue (not as in previous years at the Keio Plaza) to allow all shareholders small, large, domestic and from overseas, to have a forum in which to speak out openly as they feel fit.

This will be the first formal opportunity for all the company’s shareholders to question and hold its management to account. Of course investigations on three continents are ongoing and we are therefore still not in a position to know the full extent of what took place but before the extraordinary general meeting, I believe it is highly likely there will be further revelations and all interested parties should continue to closely scrutinise events.

- Michael Woodford, February 5th, 2012

The departure of Olympus’ current, corrupt board is long overdue. The company needs fresh blood at its helm to begin rebuilding investor and customer confidence. And it needs to take seriously the concerns of foreign shareholders, not ignore them simply because they do not own a major stake in the company.

It is our hope, as loyal Olympus customers, that the company will emerge from this dark chapter in its history by listening to stakeholders, stamping out cronyism, and triple-checking the veracity of its financial statements. More than anything else, Olympus needs accountable management to get it back on track.

# Posted by Andrew : 2:55 PM | Comments Off | Submit to Reddit
Friday, February 17th, 2012

President Obama arrives in Everett for first 2012 visit to the real Washington

Good morning, everyone, and greetings from the Boeing plant in Everett, where Patrick, Eve, and I are waiting to be transported to Paine Field and the factory where the 787 Dreamliner is assembled on press buses. We’re here in Everett to cover the final leg of President Obama’s mid-February tour of the Left Coast, which began a few days ago when the President arrived in Los Angeles.

This will be the President’s first 2012 trip to Washington State, and his fourth official visit since he assumed the office. (He made two visits in 2010 and stopped by once last year as well).

Air Force One is expected to touch down at Paine Field around 10:45 AM or so, and from there the President will head into the building that Eve and I are being taken to for a tour of the facility. (The assembly line is not in operation today, presumably because it would be too noisy and unsafe to hold a media event in that environment). We’re told the President has not yet set foot inside a Dreamliner, so today will be his first opportunity to go inside Boeing’s new revolutionary widebody jet, which has taken many long years for the company to get into the air.

UPDATE, 9:10 AM (Andrew):  Just received this update a few minutes ago from the White House press pool (the print reporter that travels with the presidential entourage): “Motorcade departed San Francisco Intercontinental at 8:34 am PST, under sunny skies and the dulcet tones of a loan, albeit loud, protester. Uneventful ride to the airport. Air Force One headed to Seattle [actually, Everett] at 8:55 AM.”

UPDATE, 9:30 AM (Patrick): Those of us who went out to the flight line got to see a pretty remarkable lineup of Boeing aircraft, including many 747-8s (the newest variant of Boeing’s distinctive jumbo jet).

UPDATE, 9:50 AM (Andrew): We are now in position on the press riser inside the factory. President Obama has a good backdrop for his speech: three Dreamliners in various stages of completion, a big American flag hanging from the rafters, and Boeing machinery. In the foreground is a growing crowd of Boeing workers, who are talking shop with each other while waiting for the President to show up. It’s going to be a while.

View of the Boeing factory floor prior to President Obama's speech

What the scene looks like inside the Boeing factory where President Obama is scheduled to speak (Photo: Andrew Villeneuve/NPI)

UPDATE, 10:07 AM (Patrick): Out here on the tarmac, I’ve counted seven helicopters landing so far. A couple look like Black Hawks, but with an executive paint scheme. The air smells like jet fuel. It appears that the Marines will be transporting President Obama down to Bellevue/Medina for his afternoon events.

UPDATE, 10:20 AM (Andrew): There are a lot of reporters here. It’s a good thing there’s a really long press riser inside the factory here, because every major television network seems to have a crew, and there are many print reporters and still photographers here as well on behalf of their respective publications.

UPDATE, 10:23 AM (Patrick): The Washington State Patrol, sheriff’s deputies from King and Snohomish counties, and other federal and local authorities are out in full force. Glad to see them making sure the President is fully protected.

UPDATE, 10:50 AM (Patrick): Air Force One has landed and the President has exited the aircraft using a Lift-a-Loft. He is now talking to a group of friends and families of Boeing workers.

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Thursday, February 16th, 2012

Save the Date: NPI’s 2012 Spring Fundraising Gala will be April 12th, 2012

We are pleased to announce this afternoon that we have finalized a date for our 2012 Spring Fundraising Gala, which is unquestionably the best opportunity we offer to learn about what we do and support our work. This year’s event will be taking place Thursday, April 12th, 2012, at the Mercer Island Community Center – the same place we’ve held it for the last two years.

In the weeks to come, we’ll be unveiling more information about the event, including our speaking lineup.

Tickets are, however, going on sale right now at a special early-bird rate; you can buy an individual or household ticket by clicking one of the buttons below. Prices will be going up when additional details are made public, so if you’d like to save a bit of money while securing your seat, now is the time to act.

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2012 Gala Ticket (Individual)

Early-Bird: $45.00 $60

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2012 Gala Ticket (Household)

Early-Bird: $75.00 $90

If you’ve never been to our gala in the past, picture an eclectic evening with tasty food, jazz music, great company, and speakers like Peter Steinbrueck, Jay Inslee, Bob Ferguson, Major General Paul Eaton (Ret)., Darcy Burner, Chip Hanauer, Jon Soltz, Suzan DelBene, Dow Constantine, Hans Dunshee, and John de Graaf. That’s what our event is like. It’s your chance to meet our staff and board and become better acquainted with other supporters of NPI.

Students who want to volunteer to help put on the event can get in the door free. If you’re interested in volunteering, please get in touch with us.

We look forward to seeing you on April 12th!

# Posted by Andrew : 3:39 PM | Comments Off | Submit to Reddit
Monday, February 13th, 2012

Permanent Defense celebrates ten years

Today, we at NPI celebrate a milestone like no other in our history to date: the ten year anniversary of the founding of Permanent Defense, NPI’s oldest project.

Ten Years of Permanent DefenseFor a decade, Permanent Defense has stood as a bulwark against Tim Eyman’s initiative factory, responding to anti-government propaganda, reframing the debate around taxes, pushing for direct democracy reform, and helping mobilize campaigns against harmful right wing ballot measures. At times, the work has seemed thankless and tiring.

But it has been worth it.

Before Permanent Defense was founded, Tim Eyman was getting an initiative past the voters every single year. Most of those initiatives (I-695, I-722, I-747) were later declared to be unconstitutional by the courts.

Sadly, those rulings unfortunately didn’t put Eyman’s initiative factory out of business. He seemed unstoppable. Even strategists who had worked against Eyman came to think of his duplicitous initiatives as unbeatable.

However, I never saw it that way.

If that had been my mindset, I would have stayed a passivist… someone who sits and watches from the sidelines. Instead, I became an activist. After an eye-opening conversation with two friends, I realized I had to do something. I founded Permanent Defense because it was evident to me that Tim Eyman needed opposition that was as determined to protect Washington as he was to wreck it.

I believe that determination counts for a lot. What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. I consider myself extremely fortunate to be able to work with people who share that can-do spirit: Rick, Kathleen, Ken, Patrick, Steve, Eve, Grace, Gael, Ralph, Rob, Steve, and Robert, plus NPI’s dozens of alumni.

And our thousands of donors and supporters – you know who you are!

Since Permanent Defense started providing Tim Eyman with much-needed opposition back in 2002, Eyman has had no consecutive victories. Think about that for a moment. For several years running, Eyman had been enjoying success at the ballot. Even after he admitted pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own supporters’ money, he still managed to qualify I-776 (which was supposed to kill Sound Transit’s Central Link light rail), and it passed narrowly, despite our efforts to defeat it. But that was the end of Eyman’s winning streak.

Perhaps the most important thing we’ve accomplished these past ten years is to prove that Tim Eyman can be stopped. We believe that an overwhelming majority of Washingtonians want government to be made better and more effective at every level…state, county, city, port, school district…. not broken. When we help Washingtonians understand the cost and consequences of a right wing initiative, most will vote no. But that takes work. And no one is going to do that work for us. Those of us who care about Washington’s future have to do it.

Of course, Eyman has not ceased to be a threat, even after his winning streak was broken. He has kept his initiative factory going.

But we have kept Permanent Defense going, too. Permanent Defense truly is a permanent defense. It’s also Washington’s first line of defense against Tim Eyman’s initiative factory, providing the only active, visible opposition to Eyman year-round. Permanent Defense doesn’t have an off-season; it’s not a campaign.

Permanent Defense has opposed each and every one of the initiatives Tim Eyman has sponsored since its founding, including I-776, I-267, I-807, I-684, I-892, I-900, I-917, I-960, I-985, I-1033, I-1053, and I-1125. (That’s a pretty long list!)

Permanent Defense also opposed Referendum 65, Eyman’s unsuccessful attempt to force a vote on the law that banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and has fought several other destructive right wing initiatives not sponsored by Eyman, including I-920, I-933, I-1082, I-1100, I-1105, and I-1107.

Unfortunately, Tim Eyman only needs to be successful every once in a while to remain relevant. In recent years, his initiatives have shifted more towards undermining our plan of government and attacking our common wealth at its foundations. In other words, Eyman’s initiatives have become more dangerous – the harm they cause can’t be summarized on a price tag.

That makes our task harder, but not any less important. Washington is a presently at a crossroads. For years, elected leaders at every level of government have managed to spare many of our vital public services from evisceration by tapping reserves, raising fares and fees, rolling back hours, imposing furlough days, freezing public workers’ pay, and employing accounting tricks.

But the days when we could backfill our way out of a budget hole are at an end. Now we must decide what kind of state we want to live in.

Do we want to live in a state that abides by its Constitution, which requires that our Legislature operate democratically? Do we want to live in a state that provides a safety net for its most vulnerable citizens?

Do we want to live in a state that cares for its youth, providing them with a good education – including a college education?

Do we want to live in a state that protects its forests, farmlands, watersheds, estuaries, rivers, lakes, and coast for future generations to enjoy? Do we want to live in a state that supports and encourages people to start businesses here?

If the answer to those questions is yes, then we have to take a stand. We can’t slash and burn our way to prosperity. Further austerity measures – Tim Eyman’s prescription for Washington – will only weaken our state, not strengthen it.

As Permanent Defense begins its eleventh year, we rededicate ourselves to our mission: building a strong first line of defense against threats to Washington’s common wealth. In our second decade, we will work to ensure that Tim Eyman’s I-1053 is overturned, and organize early to build opposition against any copycat measures that Eyman tries to get past the voters. We will improve our citizen intelligence network so we can better track right wing signature drives. And we will step up our efforts to research and document the harm that has been caused by the passage and implementation of right wing initiatives during the 2000s.

Here’s to another decade of protecting Washington!

# Posted by Andrew : 8:53 AM | Comments (1) | Submit to Reddit
Friday, February 10th, 2012

State House passes NPI-supported bill to make ballot advertising more transparent

Good news out of the Capitol Campus this afternoon: Washington’s House of Representatives has just approved a bill sponsored by Representative Andy Billig that makes it easier for voters to find out who’s trying to influence them to vote in favor of (or in opposition to) ballot measures. I testified in favor of this bill before the State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee a couple weeks ago, along with NPI board member Steve Zemke and NPI contributor Steve Breaux.

The vote was seventy-five to twenty-two. The roll call was as follows:

Voting Yea:  Representatives Ahern, Anderson, Angel, Appleton, Armstrong, Asay, Bailey, Billig, Blake, Carlyle, Clibborn, Cody, Darneille, Dickerson, Dunshee, Eddy, Finn, Fitzgibbon, Goodman, Green, Haigh, Hansen, Hargrove, Harris, Hasegawa, Hope, Hudgins, Hunt, Hunter, Hurst, Jinkins, Johnson, Kagi, Kelley, Kenney, Kirby, Ladenburg, Liias, Lytton, Maxwell, McCoy, Miloscia, Moeller, Morris, Moscoso, Orcutt, Ormsby, Orwall, Parker, Pedersen, Pettigrew, Pollet, Probst, Reykdal, Rivers, Roberts, Rodne, Ross, Ryu, Santos, Seaquist, Sells, Smith, Springer, Stanford, Sullivan, Takko, Tharinger, Upthegrove, Van De Wege, Walsh, Warnick, Wylie, Zeiger, and Mr. Speaker [Representative Chopp]

Voting Nay:  Representatives Alexander, Buys, Chandler, Condotta, Crouse, Dahlquist, Dammeier, DeBolt, Fagan, Haler, Hinkle, Klippert, Kretz, Kristiansen, McCune, Overstreet, Pearson, Schmick, Shea, Short, Taylor, and Wilcox

Excused:  Representative Nealey

A number of Republicans crossed over to join all of the House’s Democrats in voting aye on the bill. However, the four Republicans on the House’s State Government Committee – who conferred with Mukilteo initiative profiteer Tim Eyman prior to opposing the bill in executive session – all voted no (Representatives Taylor, Overstreet, Condotta, and Alexander).

Taylor and Overstreet each offered multiple amendments to the bill on the House floor (most would have weakened the bill), but they were all rejected.

Current state law requires that all written political advertising (whether pertaining to candidates or ballot propositions) include the name and address of the person or entity paying for the advertising. Radio and television advertising must include the sponsor’s name. The use of made-up or assumed names is prohibited.

HB 2499 requires that any advertising for or against ballot measures costing more than a thousand dollars must identify the top five contributors of the political committee that paid for the advertising.

It’s not an ambitious bill, but it’s important nonetheless.

HB 2499 now heads to the state Senate. After it receives its first reading there, it will likely be referred to the Government Operations, Tribal Relations, & Elections Committee, which is currently chaired by Senator Craig Pridemore.

# Posted by Andrew : 4:44 PM | Comments Off | Submit to Reddit

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