Party endorsements in non-partisan races

I can save everyone a great deal of trouble in this matter:  Everyone running for local election in this county needs to be asked 3 questions:

1.  Did you support the CRC Scam.  (If not, prove it)

2.  Do you support light rail?  (If not, prove it)

3.  Are you a democrat?

If the answer to any of these 3 is "yes," then they shouldn't get elected to office for anything.

While parties directly want to expand their influence, I disagree with the idea expressed by others:

Perception may be everything. But it's not the only thing, said Randy Pepple, a Woodinville-based Republican strategist who managed Rob McKenna's gubernatorial campaign. Partisan politics have always been part of local races, especially in bigger cities. 

"If they're in Seattle, (candidates) will fight like hell for the Democratic endorsement," he said. In Clark County, he added, party credentials are equally important. 

Putting a "D" or "R" by a candidate's name -- even if it's only in a voter's mind, as the affiliation won't appear on ballots -- can be a powerful tool during an off-year election, Pepple said.

Unfortunately, when fake "non-partisan" candidates are psychotic liars like Tim "The Liar" Leave-it, it can be easy to manipulate party organizations into providing idiotic support in non-partisan races.

Leave-it is a leftist.  He has all the characteristics of the breed:  He lies like he breathes, he's endorsed the scumbag running this country, and he despises those who disagree with him.

And when he ran for mayor, the GOP foolishly supported him, directly or indirectly.

Dear Republicans: 

The Clark County Republican party decided earlier this year to not make any endorsements in the 2009 non-partisan races. We did send out a voter information guide for the purpose of informing our members of identified Republicans running for office. Since there were many cases of Republicans running against Republicans, and Democrats running against Democrats, we have made it clear that we as a party have taken no official position in these non-partisan races. 

Today I was disappointed to see a mailer sent out by the Royce Pollard campaign attacking Mayoral Candidate and City Councilman Tim Leavitt for supporting Dino Rossi in 2008, and for introducing Rossi at his final appearance in Clark County the weekend before the 2008 election. The mail piece states, “The Leavitt-Rossi agenda will move Vancouver in the wrong direction.” 

As Chairman of the Clark County Republican Party, I remain proud of Mr. Rossi and the campaigns he ran in an effort to move Washington forward. 

Furthermore, it was an honor to have Councilman Tim Leavitt introduce Dino Rossi. 

Mayor Pollard needs to understand that tens of thousands of Vancouver residents voted for Dino Rossi, and that Rossi won Clark County in both 2004 and 2008. 

Christine Gregoire, however, now has an approval rating around 30 percent. 

It is her failed policies, and those of the Democratic majority, that are hindering Washington and, more specifically, Clark County from moving forward. It is doubtful that the majority of Vancouver voters approve of Governor Gregoire’s job performance today. 

Tim Leavitt was right to support Dino Rossi, and I applaud him for it. 

Sincerely,
Ryan Hart
Chairman, Clark County Republican Party

The fact that Hart sold his (and the party's) endorsement to Jaime Herrera in exchange for a now $65,000 a year job aside, its this kind of garbage that worked to get the current scuzball mayor of Vancouver elected.

Of course, Leave-it had endorsed that disaster of a president wrecking this country and bleeding us dry...

And the local party drank his kool aid by the gallon.

What do we have to show for it?

Endorsements, by themselves, should be utterly worthless.  The democratian's endorsements, for example, are based on their agenda, democrat party affiliation and if scum like Brancaccio happen to "like" you. The rag, ostensibly, is supposed to be non-partisan, but Brancaccio has cheerfully shattered that illusion by working double-overtime to get leftists into office, and those smarter than he is out.  (Fifty attacks on Madore and Mielke just being the start, of course.)

Endorsements, by their very nature, are the product of lazy voters.  They're an effort to substitute the judgments of those paying attention with an agenda for those of the individual voter who takes their voting responsibilities as seriously as they do their cola preference.

Party labels should be but the top of the funnel of refinement.

I am much less likely to support someone who claims... or has... democrat affiliation.  For example, Mike Dalesandro, who is going to get crushed in his election, has done all he can to hide his fringe-left views... but not his fringe-left endorsements.

Ultimately, the Democrats decided not to endorse candidates in some races. The party is skipping Burkman's seat and several in Battle Ground, Camas and Washougal. The Democrats will endorse in the races for incumbent Vancouver Councilwomen Jeanne Stewart's and Jeanne Harris' positions.

His views and his immaturity disqualify him from elective office.  His deep, left, democrat/"progressive" party roots were only the arrow pointing to his stupidity.  Democrats know they're typically cancer outside the Soviet of Vancouver, so if they idiotically formally endorsed their fellow communists in the rural areas, that would be the kiss of death for them.

The next level past labels are the issues.  The level after that is a comparison between the available candidates.  And the bottom of the funnel is the actual choice

We would all be better served if party organs just stayed out of it.  They muddy the waters by attempting to manipulate outcomes like the Leave-it scam and Ryan Hart did... twice (The first time with Leave-it, the second time when he sold us out to Herrera) and they further remove responsibility from the individual voter for making up their own minds by researching the issues and the candidates.

I, for one, hope their efforts blow up in their collective faces.