You, Your Ballot, and You: Washington US Senate
Metblogs isn’t about politics. We are lovers, not voters. But as I read through the ballot initiatives and candidate profiles in my voter’s guide, I thought hey, why don’t I put my famed cranky curdmudgeonly rantiness to good use.
Thus, I hereby introduce a new feature from now until Election Day: You, Your Ballot, and You! Today, we’ll start with what was supposed to be the hot-hot statewide race until one candidate accidentally imploded his chances: The US Senate Race.
Maria Cantwell (D, Incumbent)
Last time out, she just edged past Slade “Skeletor” Gorton by 500 or so votes. And with that overwhelming mandate, she has, to my knowledge, accomplished the following:
- Complained about port security
- Got Ted Stevens spitting bile over a billion different things, to the point that you’d think this was the plot of a bad 80s sitcom — two senators from opposite parties looking for LOVE in the nation’s capitol! Until they find each other on Filibuster!
- Picked up enough frequent flier miles to/from Reagan National to get a free ticket inside the continental US (restrictions apply)
In other words, what exactly has she done this last six years? She’s such a non-entity. But then, she is running against another non-entity in…
Mike! McGavick! (R!)
He’s perfect!, you see. He ran! Safeco! and it turned! a profit! (while laying off hundreds and hundreds of workers, instituting the quite-illegal practice of credit scoring, and after leaving with this flourish of “We’re moving everyone to the U District and Safeco is more powerful than ever and will be in Seattle forever,” his succesor cancelled the move and sold the Safeco Tower to UDub, leading many to believe the company is up for sale and dismemberment.) He! is a Washington! outsider! (except for the part where he was heavily involved in Skeletor Gorton’s highly negative Senate campaigns in the 1990s). He just! wants! us all to get! along! (except that his platform is a cookie-cutter Republican platform).
So, he was making some good traction on Cantwell, but then he tried to short-circuit any future scandals by “coming clean” about his drinking and layoff-ing in September. Bad idea, especially when it turned out he fudged the truth about the DUI he had just a little bit, kinda in the way a wino says he had a “little bit” to drink while smelling of a brewery.
Admittedly, I’m a little biased against Mike! because he laid off my neighbor. In fact, she was one of the first people he tossed in the street, because he felt he could save money by outsourcing that group. Last I heard, the group was reconstituted inside of Safeco because it turned out it was cheaper to NOT outsource it. Go figure.
But really, the thing that has me befuddled is his love for the exclamation point. It’s like he’s running as a musical. Like he wants Nathan Lane to play him, with Kristin Chenoweth playing his second wife and some lost Bob Fosse number for the “I must run for Senate” dream sequence. And I guess Bebe Neuwirth plays Cantwell. But isn’t a little pretentious — or ninth grade teenage girl — to stick an exclamation mark at the end of your name?
But hey, you say. Does he want the war to go away? I’ll tell you no, today. But I’ve got a little song right here to play. Hit it, Noam Chomsky!
Aaron Dixon (Green)
For a while there, Dixon really looked like he was going to play the Ralph Nader role in this race — chip off just enough of the liberal base to really mess with Maria Cantwell’s re-election campaign. And then, it suddenly stopped being an issue, and I’m not exactly sure why. Did the liberal base decide that Mike! was Too! Scary!? Did they decide to, if not forgive Maria, at least hold their nose and fill in her oval? Did the disaster for the anti-war crowd that’s been Liebermann-Lamont chasten people? Or was it just some general realization that most Americans are against the war now and vindictiveness against Cantwell wasn’t going to get us anywhere?
I don’t know. But I do know that his campaign posters (View image) seem vaguely familiar.
And on to the libertarians.
Bruce Guthrie (Libertarian)
Look, I’m sure he’s a nice guy. He comes off as intelligent and sensible, with an anti-war, pro-gay marriage sort of platform. But… he’s a libertarian, you see. And to me, all of libertarians are divided into three parts: Rich people who don’t want to pay taxes, economists, and potheads. And, you know, I got enough of all three of those groups from my 4 1/2 years at the University of Colorado. I don’t really want my country governed by the same stoned economics major trust fund babies that used to spend hours at college parties telling me their paranoid government theories and not letting me get near the keg.
(I’d love to see how the campaign spins that last statement.)
Oh, there’s one more candidate. The question is, does SHE know she’s a candidate?
Robin Adair (I)
No one has really heard from her this entire campaign. No commercials. She apparently hasn’t responded to any media interviews. And her website looks like a label for Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. The only way she wins this election is if we suddenly discover that the other four candidates are all non-citizens and 17 years old.
Who’s going to win? Cantwell has a double-digit lead going into the last full week of the campaign — and the margin has been widening all through October. It’s remarkable considering she was one the most vulnerable incumbent Democrats back at the start of the summer. Mike! blew it when he wouldn’t come! clean! correctly! about the DUI. Guthrie may make the best showing for a libertarian in a number of years. Dixon’s campaign never got much traction north of Green Lake, much less anywhere outside of Seattle. It’d be interesting to know if Adair is even going to have a watch party.
Up next: Washington’s 7th, which is an interesting and tight race… oh, who am I kidding?
That’s right! I voted for Maria in my last election before I moved to CA (where I am happily represented by Pelosi). And I have never heard anything about Maria since. Good to know I haven’t missed anything.
Great post!
Wow, that’s pretty devastating. You used guilt by association to assume that I am like all libertarians who are: “Rich people who don’t want to pay taxes, economists, and potheads.”
Well, here’s how I spin it:
Yes, I’m a rich guy. I made my own money through frugality, luck and hard work. I’m living the American dream, and I want you to be able to live it to. I want to reduce ALL people’s taxes, not just my own, and since you are a McGavick fan, I assume you want that too. We need to cut spending first, though, in order to reduce the deficit. I want to cut the Iraq war, the drug war, subsidies to corporations and earmarks and pork barrel spending.
I have an MBA from Northwestern U (Kellogg School). That’s kind of like a degree in applied economics. I took lots of economics courses at Cornell. I’m a fan of Milton Friedman. So I guess I’m almost an economist. I taught for nine years at a business school. (WWU) Since you are a McGavick fan, I assume this is not a bad thing from your perspective.
No, I am not a pothead. The last time I smoked pot was in college in 1985. I smoked pot four or five times in my whole life. Yes, I inhaled. I’ll bet you did too. Big deal. Who cares?
But the drug war is not working, and has caused most of the crime in our inner cities. Marijuana legalization is not a solution to the drug problem; it’s a solution to the gun violence and the crime problem. We need to have good programs to help people with addiction, but making pot illegal just doesn’t work to solve the problem, and it violates our rights. So, am I right?
How’s that for spin?
Look, don’t judge me by my party. There is a diversity of Libertarians, just like there is a diversity of Republicans. Don’t use guilt by association. Judge me by my positions.
That said, your characterization was over 60% right… :)
Vote for me to send the message you want to bring the troops home from Iraq.
Vote for me to defend our Constitutinal Liberties from erosion.
Vote for me, for real change.
Dylan, The Democrats were once split over the issue of slavery. You’d be an idiot to hold that over current democrats. The Libertarians I know and support are fans of a socially tolerant and fiscally responsible government.
Just the same, the republicans and democrats I know don’t give a crap about how thier representatives put thier campaign promises into action, just so long as they beat the ‘got-dang competition’.
Politics has become a battlefield and from habeus corpus to the patriot act the dems support the repubs where it hurts Americans the most.
So Maria protected a patch of environment in Alaska- Her record on the environment, gays, homeland security, the war on drugs, the war in Iraq, Judge Alito, etc etc says that she is more interested in being reelected than being a representative.
I am glad to see that Bruce is in this race, and he has my vote because Libertarians TODAY are more interested in protecting our rights and our country than any r or d I know.
Thye are the only ones even talking about it. Don’t believe me. . .? Just go to youtube and watch the debates with Guthrie (L), McGavick(R), and Cantwell(D).
Who calls it like it is?
Bruce Guthrie does.
Peace, for the love of Pete,
Scott~
DEAR EVERYONE — I HAVE BEEN ACTIVE AND CAMPAIGING FOR
6 MONTHS AND I CONTINUE TO FIND SITE LIKE YOURS WHICH HAVE NOT FOUND WORD OF ME!
ROBIN ADAIR — U S SENATE — INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
I HAVE A DEGREE IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AND
ECONOMICS
FROM CLAREMONT UNDER ONE OF MILTON FRIEDMAN’S
U/CHICAGO GROUP : I AM CONCERNED ABOUT AMERICA’S
ECONOMY AND HAVE BEEN WRITING LAW TO TURN IT AROUND.AND I’VE TESTIFIED BEFORE THE US SENATE AGAINST AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND CORRUPT COURT IN WA.STATE.
(NOT YOU USUAL CANDIDATE ! ) I’M A PRETTY BLOND GRANDMOTHER WITH 40 YEARS OF COMMUNITY WORK — I CAN
ORGANIZE ANYTHING : [EXCEPT PUBLICITY, I GUESS!]
PUBLIUS102@MSN.COM ROBINADAIRSENATE.COM
WA.STATE AND THE CONSTITUTION DETERMINE MY VOTE !!
DEAR EVERYONE — I HAVE BEEN ACTIVE AND CAMPAIGING FOR
6 MONTHS AND I CONTINUE TO FIND SITES LIKE YOURS WHICH
I HAVE NOT FOUND BEFORE.
ROBIN ADAIR — U S SENATE — INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
I HAVE A DEGREE IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AND
ECONOMICS
FROM CLAREMONT UNDER ONE OF MILTON FRIEDMAN’S
U/CHICAGO GROUP : I AM CONCERNED ABOUT AMERICA’S
ECONOMY AND HAVE BEEN WRITING LAW TO TURN IT AROUND.AND I’VE TESTIFIED BEFORE THE US SENATE AGAINST AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND CORRUPT COURT IN WA.STATE.
(NOT YOU USUAL CANDIDATE ! ) I’M A PRETTY BLOND GRANDMOTHER WITH 40 YEARS OF COMMUNITY WORK — I CAN
ORGANIZE ANYTHING : [EXCEPT PUBLICITY, I GUESS!]
PUBLIUS102@MSN.COM ROBINADAIRSENATE.COM
WA.STATE AND THE CONSTITUTION DETERMINE MY VOTE !!
FROM ROBIN ADAIR : WE BROUGHT A COMPETITIVE NUMBER OF VOTES IN AT $1.00 EACH !! MOST FRUGAL NATIONAL SENATE RACE !!! (FEC reports have to list all spending which might be considered Election money and since Hqts. were my living room and we had no campaign phone, etc. all is included ) I had a committee and volunteers, minor contributions, spoke/great deal, did questionnaires and public access TV, debated Bruce and Arron, did Forums and Rotaries and had a lecture hosted at Cascadia College “THE SICK ECONOMY: A MAN MADE SUB ECONOMY DOMINANT”…and talked to thousands and thousands of people: that was the best! I couldn’t afford advertising, had trouble getting “press” without getting arrested or borrowing on assets : more power to Bruce and Arron :I was at Forums in Vancovuver and Orcas just then. I’ve become a “regular” at Drinking Liberally and didn’t know I was in “den of bloggers” until I needed help getting media coverage — a little late, but a lesson learned …
>>NONE OF US THOUGHT WE COULD WIN : WE WERE IN THIS FIGHTTO SPEAK OUT ABOUT THE GOV’T IN WASH D.C. : WE DID !!
>>A NEW WAY TO THINK OF SUCCESS : I did Very well considering I had little media, press, advertising , or money –and was a bit distained
>> I BROUGH IN 9200 VOTES AT $1.00 EACH !!
GREENS got 10,500 votes many volunteers, Aaron’s salary and
Campaign budget paid -probably $8.00 per vote ?
LIBERTARIANS got 15,500 votes;ditto above –$11.00 per vote?
>>The MAIN ISSUE remains THE ECONOMY : I RE-ANALYZED IT AND FOUND STANDARD DEFINITIONS UPENDED. “Comments”
on blogs said I was “incomprehensible” and it “confused” them.
INDEED. Me too the first year i was “watching the money move”.
In next two years I began corresponding with other economic
theorists. MY WEBSITE BECAME A RUNNING BLOG AS I WORKED NEW THINKING ON THE SITE…the “cartoons” and graphs are real “Cocktail Napkin Diagrams”. The work has a Feynman Diagram, meets criteria of Occams’s Razor,and is proving to be Unified (unlike Quantum work ). It continues….
The magic three words: ROBINADAIRSENATE.COM thks: R.A.
*PS -Mac Safari “wraps” text: it’s really not iambic pentameter !*