Lefty Lou uses Steve Stuart's cowardice to hammer Madore and Mielke.

Stuart's "tail-between-his-legs" departure gave Lefty Lou all the excuse he needs... as if he ever needed one... to hammer Madore and Mielke for the hundredth time or so over the past 18 months.

His column this weekend is a recitation of lies, start to finish, top to bottom.  That he likely believes this tripe is the thing, it shows the level of self-delusion he's known for.

From the first line he wrote ("Well, OK, I didn't see that coming.) to each and every word after it, he indicts himself and cements the conclusion that he has no fricking idea what's going on outside that democratian cocoon he's buried himself in.

Anyone who knows local politics knew Stuart wasn't going to run.  Committing political suicide at this point of his career isn't resume' enhancing, and that's what he was looking at.

Further, was it all that long ago that Lefty wrote:

January

County Commissioner Steve Stuart — beaten and battered in 2013 by Commissioners David Madore and Tom Mielke — opts not to run for re-election.

He didn't "see" the obvious coming... but less than a month ago, wrote that he did.

Shades of John Kerry.

It was likely he was going to be out since he perhaps, was paid off for his CTran vote with TriMet that screwed the people of this county sideways and violated his promise to exercise the county veto on that agreement.

It was likely he was going to be out since he babbled the words that would have haunted him into his political grave:

"And I've said it before: I don't speak for the people... I will NEVER speak for "the people," I speak for Steve and some of you are going to agree with me and some of you aren't."

Most of us, it turns out, don't.

Lefty's delusion in this piece knows no bounds.  The idea that merely, magically, announcing his reelection effort would ultimately result in a different outcome than the one Stuart is now orchestrating is the thing.

There are two reasons Stuart isn't running again... one guaranteed, one extremely likely.

1.  He can't win. (Guaranteed)

2.  His protestations notwithstanding, he's likely got a cush gig lined up because of his betrayal vote.

He's not only got a gig like that lined up, he's asked himself if the aggravation of getting his ass kicked at the polls to get to where he's going is worth it when he, in the alternative, can control his own exit.

Lefty, who has no more idea about political reality than he does quantum mechanics, can only make the leap from Stuart running to Stuart winning.  In this instance, that would only apply if he were running unopposed.  A blind man could see that in a minute.

Naturally, Stuart's departure causes Lefty to run through his hatred bullet points about how every ill known to man here locally is the fault of everyone BUT Stuart.

Well, we all know that Lefty ran his newspaper into bankruptcy... so, off hand, I'd have to say that when it comes to leading, Lefty should probably take Madore's seminar to find out how it's done.

Lefty went on to spew this nonsense:

Stuart said because the freeholder process has begun to change the way county government runs, that's a direct indication the M&M boys have lost.

For those of you not paying attention, 15 freeholders were elected in November to write a county constitution. If voters OK it, that could result in lessening the power any two county commissioners would have.

The lie to this is obvious: the charter movement was alive and well when the two democrats, Stuart and Boldt, were running the show.  The lie here is that, of course, "the freeholder process" has changed absolutely nothing.  The other truth, covered up by Lefty like so many other truths he finds inconvenient, is that this self-same Stuart and this self-same Lefty Lou Brancaccio are the ones who killed the then hated, now loved, charter movement.

Whatever the freeholders come up with has to pass before ANYTHING "changes."  And weakening the power of the conservatives on the CCoB is likely to cause it to fail.

Just because a coward like Steve or a coward like Lou claims Madore and Mielke lost in no way means that they have.

In fact, these two are the losers and the advisory vote where most everything Stuart and Brancaccio supported was crushed at the polls is what spelled out the certain defeat that's causing Stuart to slink away, tuck-tailed and cowed.

Well, I told Stuart, others will feel you're not running because you knew you couldn't win re-election.

"Without being cocky, I think I'd win. It would be a battle, for sure — it always is — but I think I'd win."

"Others" being primarily me. 

What else do you expect him to say?  "Yeah, Lou, I'd have been killed out there?"

Of COURSE he'd say "I think I'd win."  But there's absolutely NOTHING to support his self-serving conclusion.

He could NOT win... and neither can any other democrat.

Stuart barely won against a non-working candidate back in 2010.  Given his incessant support of the CRC Scam, his betrayal of the people of this county with TriMet, his rank "Steve is my only constituent" rap?

Steve Stuart had no chance.  Lying about it doesn't change it.  My Cavalier could have beat his ass with his tail tied behind his back.

And then, Lefty hammers Madore with this stupidity:

I had the opportunity to ask Madore if it made him happy that Stuart will not run. Madore didn't directly answer that question.

"It's an exciting opportunity for the people to choose a new leader, and that's always an exciting thing. But I can work with anyone."

I tried asking the question a different way. Did Madore consider Stuart a thorn in his side?

"No. We certainly had our differences."

My take? Madore is happy to see Stuart go, and he does consider him a thorn in his side.

With the reality that run or no, he would be gone, I'm reasonably sure that Madore doesn't care one way or the other.  And given Lefty's hatred of Madore, Madore's best response to this and any other question from the democratian SHOULD be "no comment."

It's this kind of garbage that makes the rag... and Lefty... worthless.

We don't NEED your take on a Madore answer to a question, Lefty.  We don't CARE what "your take" is.

In the end, I'm glad Slimeball is going to be gone.  Ultimately, he'd have been gone if he HAD run for re-election. Leftists seem to have a hard time grasping that reality.

He's through in local politics because of his arrogance, his demonstrated lack of integrity, his betrayal of the people of this county, and his politically-fatal-for-life declaration that his only constituency is, well, Steve.

While that might play well in the 49th District Soviet, it doesn't play well anywhere else.

And no amount of damage control or image rehabilitation can fix those... or make him saleable to anyone living east of the 205 or north of 39th.

So, yeah: in direct answer to the question

Is Steve Stuart out forever?

Around here he is. He might do an Inslee and go scam someone else, somewhere else, but his political future locally is as dead as Marc Boldt's... who, come to think of it, was the roadmap for Stuart's own political demise.

The usual leftist morons will flock to Brancaccio's pigeon-feed like breadcrumbs in a park.  But it won't change anything: Stuart is going to be gone, and we will all be better off for it.