.
More numbers are out for the 18
th. Most of them speak for themselves.
Details | BITTNER ANTHONY | R... | $4,571.77....... | $1,338.08 |
Details | KAMPE DENNIS C | | D ........ | $29,868.75 .. | $21,202.19 |
Details | RIVERS ANNA M | R........... | $64,319.15... | $51,893.62
Details | RUSSELL JON D | R............ | $16,097.49...... | $13,437.02
Details | VICK BRANDON P | | R......... | $7,633.04...... | $6,943.65 |
The others running but not fund raising include the excitable Rich Carson, and Jon Haugen.
With the NRA's endorsement of Ann Rivers and her continuing enviable fund raising prowess, unmatched by all the other candidates combined, The Vancouver Business Journal called it right when they named her the Republican front-runner. She banked around $8700.... last week.
Dennis Kampe, the lone announced democrat running (Jon Haugen ran for the state senate against Zarelli as a democrat back in 08) Banked a respectable $2400 or so for the week.
Jon Russell impressed, just not the way he might think; by banking $160, $60 of which came from Russell himself.
Brandon Vick, whose family landscaping business must be in the height of their season, has not raised any reported funds since June 20.
Anthony Bittner stopped campaigning months ago. He last reported income in April, and last filed a C4 (Expenses) for May; he's skipped all campaign events to include parades, editorial boards, forums and CVTV's video voter guide. He does not have a picture or statement in the Voter's Pamphlet, although he claims he submitted both.
Do these kinds of numbers guarantee victory for Rivers? Of course not. In a primary scenario, one need go back no farther then the legendary Burkman-Campbell primary for state representative back in, what was it.... 06?
But the fact remains that Rivers is receiving the most POLITICAL support in addition to her monetary accomplishments.
Russell has gone increasingly negative, following the pattern that, well, has resulted in precisely zero political victories around here for candidates where Russell has received a pay check, to include $16,000 from Liz Pike.
His minions are scrambling. But he lacks the time and money needed; too many people know about his proclivity to lie and exaggerate; too many are turned off by his use of Washougal City Government as a campaign prop and far too many find it impossible to believe, as he finds it plausible to believe, that he bears no responsibility for the Beverly Hillbillies type government in place on his watch.
Brandon Vick has worked hard and well. He hasn't been able to devote the time he's needed to run an all out campaign but he's done the best that could be expected under the circumstances.
Bittner, on the other hand, seemed to think that all he needed to do was file and put up a few signs.
Good luck with that.
The "independents" running for this gig have yet to address the "how are you going to get anything done" aspect of the "what next?" in the equation.
Out numbered 97 to 1, chances are few that they could get anything done, or keep anything harmful from getting done.
It's been a fascinating 8 months are so... a learning experience for some, and exercise in futility for others. And we'll know 2 weeks from today who moves on... and who moves into obscurity.
Cross posted at Jon Russell Watch.
.
. On Wednesday, the 19th, I posted the following entry: Bad Form at the We The People vetting last night: You need to actually show up to be vetted.In that entry, I took Richard Carson to task for failing to show up. In response, Mr. Carson provides the following email: I would like you to print a correction. Thomas Niewulis with We The People
will be glad to confirm that it was his mistake and not mine that resulted in my
not being at the May 18th meeting. I was at the Church of Proebstel talking to
the Proebstel Neighborhood Association that night. Mr. Niewulis had an email
about this and apparently didn’t read it. He has apologized for his mistake and
has scheduled me for May 25th. His email says “Sorry. I got conflicted. We will
have you on for the 5/25.” I can send you the email if you want to document it.
Or you can email Thomas at tomn@wethepeople-washington.org. - Rich Carson
Tom Niewulis checks in: This is Tom Niewulis and will concur with Rich that we had a scheduling error on
my part. I missed the communication cycle to our web site, news letter and schedule at the meeting. When I looked back at the email chain, Rich is scheduled for May 25th.
My apologies to all.
We continue to make every effort to make the Vetting Process a positive process for the electorate and the candidates.
Please join us this Tuesday since we have a full Slate.
Unfortunately we will be ending the process as of June 1st.
Thank you
11:46 AM
Clark County Politics (meaning me) regrets the error.
.
. Note: Please read the retraction located above.Attendance was a little down last night (65 people, maybe) at what I respectfully refer to as the political " Harney Hoedown," the solid job of vetting done by the local We The People group here in Vancouver. One thing: You've kind of got to show up to BE "vetted." Anthony Bittner and Richard Carson, running as an independent, didn't. Bittner called ahead at the last second (I'm told) to let them know he wasn't showing up, due to some unspecified "family issue." Carson? By the time I'd left (shortly after 8:00) he had not showed up or contacted them. With Bittner, this points to one of his main issues: a failure to understand that absent a death in the family, he MUST keep his commitments to appear in public. Providing no plausible explanation leads to visions of being grounded; or behind on a term paper, or having to do the dishes or some such. Bittner will not be able to raise money; he has certainly had his 15 minutes... he simply cannot afford to blow off opportunities like this in addition to his other campaign weaknesses. At the function last night, I was asked point blank: do we really want an 18 year old as a state representative when he can't even show up for this? Carson's campaign has, essentially, gone black. I've heard nothing from or about him for months; his signature issue; a lack of response over BPA lines coming through Hockinson vaporized about the day after he announced when the BPA took the Hockinson route off the table. One wonders: will he even file? Carson's confirmed disrespect of the We The People group, as illustrated by his failure to even show up isn't really a great indication of his respect level for the electorate. .
. Rich Carson, the newly announced independent candidate in the 18 th for Herrera's seat stopped by with this yesterday: Good news. The BPA just announced that is abandoning the transmission line through Hockinson. This was acheived[sic] by citizen activists. Remember that it was the Republican elected officials who stood up up at the BPA meetings and told the folks they were powerless to deal with the feds. Well, that left it up to us and we succeeded.
(richcarson) And he's right, as far as it goes. Good news for Hockinson... bad news, most likely, for many other property owners elsewhere in the 18 th District that he would seek to represent. And what about them? That said, there is a realistic limit to the power of anyone at the state or local level to take action beyond writing a letter that says "we don't want this here" when it comes to dealing with the Fed. "Eminent domain," rightly or wrongly, is one of the enumerated powers in the Constitution. That people in government told Mr. Carson "they were powerless to deal with the feds" is, essentially, the truth. There was no step or steps local elected officials could have taken to stave off this effort in Hockinson, like there will be no steps they could take to stave them off anywhere else in the county. Would he have been happier if he'd been shined on, placated, or given, in the lexicon, a sincere non-response that confused motion with action? This would rightly be a bone of contention if such a power existed at the local level, and the officials in question were choosing not to use it. But just for one example, the entire town of Bonneville was sunk when the Fed put in a dam. And there was nothing the town, the county commissioners or anyone at that level could do about it... even in court. So, that these particular members of government happened to be one party or another has no place at this table. Nor does political opportunism or ignorance of the process. The people HERE were victorious. And what that means is that the people somewhere else will be the victims. Will you go fight their battles as well, Mr. Carson? Or, having achieved your goal here, does the NIMBY party representative intend to wiz on the fire and call in the dogs? That we need additional capacity is undeniable. But unless I miss my guess, issues of costs and the impacts on others played little to no role in your actions here. And as a prospective state representative, I would venture to say that issues of cost and impacts on others should be your FIRST concern, because if they're not... if your actions were only driven by your enlightened self-interests, then you have no business being elected to anything. I eagerly await your response to this, which I will certainly post up for all to see. You cannot simply go around and say "no" without a better plan to put into place. And by "better," I mean cheaper, more efficient and without negative impacts on anyone else. Otherwise, your lack of faith in either party will be the least of your political problems. .
. Back in the days of old... back in late 2007, we had an appointment process to fill the open seat. As corrupt as the process was (and it was) one person ran for the appointment. That person received precisely zero votes from the PCOs. That person was named Richard Carson. I, personally, don't know him. I know that when he needed to be in the GOP, he was. And now that he thinks he doesn't need to be, he isn't. Sigh. And the positions? Standard shlock... until you get to this:He also said he opposes charging a toll on the new bridge planned for Interstate 5 between Vancouver and Portland. That the people of Vancouver were idiotic enough to elect Tim "The Liar" Leavitt on this lie doesn't mean it's going to happen here. What Mr. Carson needs to be is opposed to replacing the bridge and ramming loot rail down our throats, period. To run on the hypocrite's platform... that is, a position where we should have a bridge, we just shouldn't pay for it; explains perfectly why, while Carson feels that he's "... lost faith in the Republican and Democrat parties," it's fairly clear why at least one of those parties had no faith in him, either. .
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