State democrat party smackdown: local leftists want to find a way to give Berendt ANOTHER pass.

The loyal ultra-leftists are looking for a way out for their hero, who, like most democrats, has no more of an idea about how to handle OPM (other people's money) than they have ideas on how to perform brain surgery.

The Enron-type accountants employed by the state democrat party, apparently can't count fingers, let alone dollars. Paul Berendt, their already thrashed Chair (Man... can that guy cry on cue, or what?) completely screwed up the books in 2000, costing the state dems $150,000... an now, he's managed to do it again, costing them, at minimum, an additional $100,000 minimum.

Besides moving ol' Paul up a few notches on my "people-I'm-glad-I'm-Not-List" (You know... we all have one. I'm glad I'm not, for example.... Saddam Hussein. Or John Kerry. Or Bob Whitsitt. Or Mo Cheeks. Or Ted Kennedy. You know... that list?) this further cements the incompetence of the state GOP. You mean to tell me that we keep getting our collective asses kicked by a clown like this?

Anyhoo, The loyal opposition is sniveling about the Columbian leaping to the conclusion that their party is, well, due to pay some major cash. In fact, they want to give their boy a pass.

HHhhmmmm..... one can only wonder what their position would be if it were the state GOP's accountant who screwed up. I'm sure they'd be just as understanding.... don't you think?

Sunday, March 06, 2005
Woodshed

The Columbian wants to take the Democratic Party to the woodshed:

In our view - Hit democrats hard

We love the state Public Disclosure Commission. Why? Because the commission created after a 1972 vote of the people tracks political spending on Washington state campaigns and candidates, publicizes that information and investigates instances of noncompliance with state public disclosure law.

But full disclosure of political spending only works when the people to whom the disclosure law applies follow the rules. Unfortunately, one of the political players that should understand its obligations to the law the most is under investigation again.

The PDC is investigating the state Democratic Party, which has admitted its failure to properly report individual contributors to a $349,000 pile of loot Democrats put in their state campaign account. The party kept individual donors to itself, unidentified, until after the 2004 election. Their disclosure came 104 days late. The PDC is also investigating the party for a failure to report nearly $900,000 in debts. Before we hit them hard, can we please have the actual investigation?


I'll admit the situation sounds pretty FUBAR. Berendt is going to have a lot of explaining to do.

But in an age of "think tanks" being funded by millions in right-wing charitable money, I'm a little hard pressed to get all worked up over a rather technical violation by the state party.

That being said, the last thing on earth we need is party functionaries handing the right-wing talk radio/blog/stink tank cabal something with which to bash us over the head.

# posted by stilwell @ 7:10 PM


"I'll admit the situation sounds pretty FUBAR. Berendt is going to have a lot of explaining to do."

Oh yeah.... he can spin this one like a top and he won't get out of it. But for the democrats, this major violation of the PDC LAW of this state is just a, well, "rather technical violation."

Right. Hundreds of thousands of dollars. Technical violation.