Yet another in the increasing numbers of signs of wholesale political slaughter in November

.
As expected, those misguided enough to have supported Craig Pridemore's abortive effort to run for Congress are just a tad upset that Pridemore has accepted the he-never-had-a-chance reality of the situation and bailed out.

Those politically aware enough to put their biases aside and deal with the political reality are surprised that it took him this long. This writer had him bailing months ago, but as Craig now knows, it's tough to let go.

As soon as they announced, I wrote the following:

Face it. Next November is going to be extremely tough on leftists in Congress.

Even now, as democrats work hard to socialize medicine, each day where the focus is on that issue instead of the issues important to the American people makes it less likely that a democrat will win in the 3rd.

The tin ear syndrome will make it very difficult for any of the leftists running to make it to the top. With upwards of 10 candidates announced or about to announce, the top two in the general may be the two who got over 10 percent of the vote.

Who will those two be?

Will, the easier targets are who they won't be.

And they won't be Pridemore, Wallace, Moeller or any other SW Washington democrat representing anyone in Clark County.

It won't be Hatfield. It won't be Russell. It won't be Salazar. It won't be Crist.

The reasons it won't be the democrats mentioned run the gamut from the fact that many of them support that moronic bridge replacement and loot rail; at least one was involved in a job scam; one is clueless and one has been a joke the last two times she ran.

A fake, unethical conservative won't survive.

Looks like I got most of that right, eh?

But now, the mid-left has started to figure it. Democrat candidates at every level are sprinting away from the disaster who is President of the United States at record speed. Odd that they all seem to have to shampoo their hair or something whenever Obama comes to town to campaign.

Thanks to Politics is a Blood Sport, I was pointed to this analysis, which seems to resemble something akin to that bunker scene running around YouTube where the generals are explaining to Hitler that Steiner's Army really doesn't exist.

Open Left's Chris Bowers comments on the limp Democratic turnout in yesterday's primaries and urges the DNC to commission some polling to find out what's behind it. Bowers notes, via Hotline on Call a disturbing decline in Democratic voters, compared to figures for the '06 mid-term elections:

Just 663K OH voters cast ballots in the competitive primary between
LG Lee Fisher (D) and Sec/State Jennifer Brunner (D). That number is lower than the 872K voters who turned out in '06, when neither Gov. Ted Strickland (D) nor Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) faced primary opponents.

...in IN, just 204K Hoosiers voted for Dem House candidates, far fewer than the 357K who turned out in '02 and the 304K who turned out in
'06.

Worse, the GOP turnout numbers were up dramatically, according to Hotline:

By contrast, GOP turnout was up almost across the board. 373K people
voted in Burr's uncompetitive primary, nearly 9% higher than the 343K who voted in the equally non-competitive primary in '04. Turnout in House races in IN rose 14.6% from '06, fueled by the competitive Senate primary, which attracted 550K voters. And 728K voters cast ballots for a GOP Sec/State nominee in Ohio, the highest-ranking statewide election with a primary; in '06, just 444K voters cast ballots in that race.

Bowers notes that "This is more than just a demographic problem based on age--there really is a meaningful enthusiasm gap," and urges the DNC to make a smart investment with some of the $30 mill it has pledged for mid-term GOTV this year:

More:

Politics is a Blood Sport mourned Pridemore's long inevitable exit from the congressional race as did many of the others. Political effectiveness is frequently impacted in a negative way when one allows their emotions to impact their conclusions to the extent that reality plays no role in their deliberations.

Pridemore's failure had nothing to do with our top two system; it instead was a result of his out of touch, fringe positions that the people of this district and increasingly the people of this country simply do not want in their government.

The GOP side has a competitive race because Herrera is a paper-thin GOP sell out out with no experience, vision, integrity or clue. Her establishment, more of the same crap is ably countered by David Castillo who fortunately is everything that empty-suited rip off Herrera is not.

That, when combined with the gaping SEIU hole in Herrera's credibility and the fact that she's McMorris Roger's puppet makes the GOP side competitive because many actually realize what an opportunist piece of work Herrera is, and how badly we need her out of government, period.

So, don't blame the top two system for leaving the thoroughly out-dated and now disproven political philosophies of Craig Pridemore and his ilk behind.

Instead, blame a lack of political pragmatism and a failure on his part to understand that lurching to the socialist left like the 49th District is not where the vast majority of the people of the 3rd Congressional want to go.

A microcosm of that was the local democrat effort to run a downtown Vancouver, pro-gay marriage, pro-partial birth abortion candidate in the 18th District in 04. That didn't work then, and running that same kind of candidate in the 3rd won't work now.... and it wouldn't work if we had never heard of Denny Heck.
.

The inevitable happens: fringe leftist Craig Pridemore is out.

.
The following was posted on the ubiquitous Horse's Ass:

Pridemore to withdraw from WA-03 congressional race
by Goldy, 06/01/2010, 11:55 AM

According to sources close to the campaign, Democratic state Sen. Craig Pridemore will announce today that he is withdrawing from the race to replace Rep. Brain Baird in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, leaving fellow Democrat Denny Heck with a sure path to the November ballot.

With a slew of establishment endorsements and a $250,000 infusion of his own money, Heck became the early Democratic favorite, an advantage Pridemore, a strong, populist-minded campaigner, simply wasn’t able to overcome, especially as he continued to be locked up in an endless, special legislative session. Pridemore had intended to run an energetic, grassroots primary campaign, a strategy that depended on strong support from labor organizations like the Washington State Labor Council and the Washington Education Association. And while he recently secured the endorsement of the former, word leaked over the weekend that the WEA would be endorsing Heck, largely based on his fundraising lead and frontrunner status. (I don’t think teachers have a bigger champion in the Senate than Pridemore.)

Pridemore’s withdrawal is of course a blow to progressives like me who saw him as the better choice of the two Dems. Whether it’s a blow to Republicans, who wouldn’t have minded a Democratic cat fight in the primary, remains to be seen. In this anti-incumbency year, my gut told me that the more populist Pridemore had the better shot in November than the more establishment Heck.

But here’s hoping the Democratic establishment proves me wrong.

The delusion of the left never ceases to amuse:

With a slew of establishment endorsements and a $250,000 infusion of his own money, Heck became the early Democratic favorite, an advantage Pridemore, a strong, populist-minded campaigner, simply wasn’t able to overcome, especially as he continued to be locked up in an endless, special legislative session.

It really sucks to find out how unpopular and out of anything approaching the mainstream your politics are, as Pridemore has so brilliantly done. Using session is a pathetic excuse, given that dozens of state representatives around the country have managed to get past their "endless special legislative sessions" to campaign.

Even Ridgefield Barbie managed to pull it off, though it was a combination of McMorris arranging for her cash and her decision to ditch us and leave the floor for hours at a time to fundraise during session that made the difference.

But here's a clue for the clueless left: Your message sucks. The people don't want to hear it. And that's why Pridemore's campaign was an abysmal failure.

Blaming it on session is just pathetic. A competent campaign with a solid message would have found a way to make it happen.

Pridemore could not. The end. Stop making excuses for him.

Fellow fringe-left nutters will, of course, go into mourning but the democrat brand is so screwed up and in such horrific shape that no democrat stands much of a chance to win in the 3rd this time around anyway, let along an uber fringe-leftist nutter like Pridemore.

As I have been pointing out, his exit was inevitable to any political pragmatist.

Hopefully, he'll get the message and just continue to represent the Soviet Socialist Republic of Vancouver.

The irony in all of this is Pridemore's statement:

A factor in his decision, he said, was that he learned over the weekend that the Washington Education Association will endorse Heck. “That was a critical part of our base,” he said.

It was the WEA ditching of then Sen. Don Carlson, a Republican retired teacher who had carried the WEA's water like Gunga Din to endorse Pridemore because he was a democrat and if the democrats won, they would take control of the Senate; that likely got Pridemore elected (it was a very close election) and now, they've bailed on Pridemore because even they realize that a fringer can't win in the 03.

Pridemore has discovered the joys of union loyalty... a hard-learned lesson to be sure. But it's a lesson most not cemented to the left already knew.
.

Pridemore and the lie.

.
Look, I get that the fringe left have put their faith in the neo-communist nutter representing the Soviet Socialist Republic of Vancouver in the senate.

I get that they overlook his history of corruption, his selling out the "poor and the powerless" to vote for a budget he seems to have hated. I get that they don't care that he sold out the 3rd District by crapping on us when he tossed our votes into the garbage by eliminating I-960. I get that they support his gerrymandering to screw us with a loot rail tax. I get all of that.

But to come right out and lie on your website?

The working men and women of Washingon[sic] decided - by a huge nearly 70% vote - that my vision of principled, progressive leadership in Congress is the one to support. I'm honored by their endorsement, and thankful for their recognition that I've always fought for hard-working families and I'm committed to genuine, straightforward leadership in Congress.

How sad is it that you can't even spell "Washington?"

It WASN'T "The working men and women of Washingon[sic]." The vast majority of the "working men and women of Washington" HAVE never heard of you, and WILL never hear of you, as your abortive congressional aspiration dies here directly, either after you report another horrifically abysmal fund raising quarter or after you get destroyed in the primary.

Now, if you're referring to the UNIONS.. well, that's a different matter.

But unions make up such a tiny percentage (thank God) of the people actually working here, that the union endorsements are particularly worthless.

Don't exaggerate, Craig. Your neo-communist political view won't get you elected to dog catcher outside the USSV.

You're a democrat, Craig. Your failure to take a principled stand and vote AGAINST a budget you opposed is the exact kind of thing we DON'T need representing us in Congress.

This isn't Pravda. Stop acting like it is.
.

Senator Slime back tracks: "It was all off the record."

.
Yesterday, I called Pridemore out for his bogus set up of a report where "he" indicated "he" had a poll showing him ahead of Heck in the 3rd District Congressional race.

I knew the "poll" was worthless because it failed to take into account our top-two system. Right now, no poll would have him closer than 4th behind Castillo, Heck (the likely top two) and Ridgefield Barbie.

Well, he came a little cleaner today when he told the Columbian that it was all "off the record."

The Columbian reports that Pridemore was "clearly peeved." I would guess so, since he's lying through his teeth.

Caught with his political crank hanging out, Pridemore blabbered: "The poll is not very scientific," Pridemore said. "In my opinion, it's not newsworthy. It's purely thumbnail: Where do we need to focus? At some point we'll do a real poll."

Here's a clue, Craig: Taking a poll of your immediate family and telling the world you were "ahead through out the district," which is such a laughingly obvious lie, is not something you should tell to a reporter.

Pridemore, best known for condemning a state budget moments before he voted for it and gerrymandering the loot rail taxing district to increase it's poor chances of passage in Clark County; was supportive of the ACORN in Chief's rip offs of socialized medicine and TARP funds, has had difficulty gaining traction or raising money due to his fringe-left positions.

For the rest of Pridemore's excuse-fest, read here:
.

Craig Pridemore: Senator Slime.

.
Look, I admit it. I've got problems with Pridemore.

I've got problems with someone who would condemn a budget as being "balanced on the backs of the poor and the powerless," right before voting "yes" for that same budget.

I've got problems with someone who would pass a bill to gerrymander the CTrans district lines to exclude 10's of thousands of "no" votes on his loot rail tax increase.

I've got problems with someone ethically challenged enough to amend his own campaign finance bill to allow Steve "Easy Money" Stuart to keep 10's of thousands in campaign donations for his commissioner election.

I've got problems wit someone so out of touch that he told the people of the 3rd Congressional District, who voted in favor of I-960 to get stuffed when he voted to get rid of it.

Those things trouble me.

Pridemore has as much trouble raising money as he does being ethical. But this kind of crap is close to the top of the list of reasons why he's unfit for elective office:

Underdog Democrat Pridemore Says Polling Has Him Ahead of Party Rival Heck

But Pridemore, a liberal who supports a carbon fee to fight global warming, a constitutional amendment that says corporations do not have First Amendment rights, a single-payer health care system—and who marched against the Iraq War—says he has polling that shows he’s ahead of Heck.

“We have done one poll,” Pridemore says, “and we’re encouraged by the results. We are definitely ahead in name recognition, in votes, in favorability.”

Asked if we could see the poll, Pridemore was sheepish, saying he was going to get in trouble with his campaign for talking about it. He did say that it was a robopoll.

Now, you've got to be delusional to be a fringe leftist like Pridemore under any circumstances. He has absolutely zero chance of getting elected to Congress from this district: moronic positions on global warming like cap and swindle; pro socialist Obama care... No chance. None.

But to put out this crap?

Desperation. There is no such poll, save for that ruminating around Pridemore's head. The cutesy way he shilled it tells anyone that.

Senator Slime strikes again. Well done, CP.
.

Democrat seppuku: The impact of Baird's sell out on the WA-03 and Denny Heck.

.
Baird knew he was damaged goods from the moment he relied on a bogus death threat as a reason to avoid facing his constituents.

But we all knew that when push came to shove, Baird would be a solid "yes." on the Obama socialized medicine bill, particularly since his vote has been so easy to buy in the past.

The question for us now is this: what is the impact of his political treason to his district?

Well, he was already counted in the "yes" column for this leftist political sepukku. But the focus now shifts to the rather gutless Denny Heck.

Heck, who apparently failed to learn from Brokaw's cowardice in failing to take positions in the commissioner's election back in 08, has refused to tell us what his vote on this abuse of the people would actually be. And his cowardice equates to a "yes" vote... and his "yes" vote equates to political suicide.

State Senator Craig Pridemore (D-Communist) is already a political dead man walking because of his "pour-gasoline-on-himself-and-light-it" rabid leftist vote which bears no resemblance to what the people of this district want. Combining stupidity with an inability to raise money isn't a career enhancing move.

But now Heck is showing the kind of cowardice he would show in the unfortunate event he were to win this seat. And what we don't need is a clown who lacks any political courage holding this seat.

After all, that's what we've got now... and why would it make any sense to elect two sellouts in a row?

David Castillo, I am sure, thanks Brian Baird for helping him win this district. Heck.... not so much.
.

Herrera supporters confuse me; Castillo calls nailing Barbie bad, bad; RNCC calls nailing Pridemore good, good.

.
Lately, there's been a massive brouhaha by Herrera's Kool Aid drinkers over the word-for-word accurate robo-call used by David Castillo to tell the 3rd Congressional District about our session-ditching, SEIU supporting, someone-else-voting-for her-while-shes-gone, slurping-at-the-DC-special-interest-trough-during-session-HERE, Ridgefield Barbie.

Man, the outrage, the over-the-top responses, the out and out lies and exaggerations Barbie supporters engaged in as a result of these calls... unbelievable.

As I pointed out with a word-by-word analysis, everything the calls said is true. Of major interest to me is the approach to their commentary.

Where this site, who opposes this cardboard cut out of a representative, questions the zombie-like response of the Herrera Herd, I did so actually posting the "offending" call in question.

Where the Herd bleated its faux anger, I was unable to find any of them who posted the call, and then disputed its contents. There's something quite sickening about that.

And here's where my confusion comes into play.

Apparently, Craig Pridemore's local political deathwish is to be an Obamaton.

That, of course, is his privilege.

Between his corrupt politics, his support of the horrific project known as the I-5 Bridge/Loot rail, his vote to trash I-960, and apparently being a complete Obama tool for health care, including the communistic public option, Pridemore has no chance. None.

To date, he hasn't been able to raise money, and the local fringe whack jobs supporting him, like the fringe whack jobs on the right supporting Herrera, tend to show proof of doom in the primary.

I get that he wants to lock down the fringe left. But to the 80% of the voters to Pridemore's right, positions like these:

"Let me be clear: I believe that Democrats in Congress should pass the bill, include a public option, and if necessary, use the reconciliation process to get it done," he said.

are simply out of the main stream. This sentiment serves to bury Pridemore and his fellow fringers even farther behind any chance of winning the seat.

Of course, if the GOP still had control of Congress and this was on a bill Pridemore didn't like, he'd be bitching like a cut cat if the Republicans were planning to do the same thing... and we can be sure his opposition to such a maneuver would be EVER so principled.

But not even THAT is the point. Pridemore's campaign will collapse soon enough without any particular help from me.

The point is that the Herrera Herd was positively GIDDY over the RNCC calls blasting the positions of the two leading democrats. Major tweeting, re-tweeting, etc.

And that's where I'm confused.

As I said, I posted the "offending" Castillo robo-call, in its entirety. I did that to show that everything in the call was completely factual. I pointed out where members of the Herrera Herd have lied and exaggerated about it's contents, and even have gone so far as attack those wise enough to agree with the contents of the call... which are, after all, completely factual.

So, Castillo does a robo-call, factual in every way. The Herrera Herd wants to draw and quarter him as a result.

The RNCC does a robo-call, apparently not so factual, having rightly indicated that Heck is, apparently, "undecided" (which is a euphemism for being too cowardly to take a position on the issue, given its level of radioactivity in this area and his party's moronic support of the bill) while wrongly indicating the Pridemore was "undecided" in the face of his left-of-Lenin position on the matter.

The result?

The Herrera Herd dances around a rhetorical bonfire the size of Pittsburgh.

So, let me get this straight:

Castillo is savaged for doing a factual call accurately attacking Ridgefield Barbie.

The RNCC is applauded, cheered and generally worshiped for attacking Barbie's presumed democrat competition?

So, it's bad when some people do it, but good when others engage in the process?

So, I admit it. The Herrera Herd confuses me.

Crossposted at Jaime Herrera Watch.
.

Pridemore slams another nail into his dimming congressional hopes: Votes to screw the will of the people.

.
It's bad enough that this area is cursed with a Senator who, on one hand, would complain that he "feared that the budget was balanced on the backs of the poor and the powerless" shortly before voting "yes" on that budget; it's bad enough that we have someone corrupt enough to change his campaign finance bill so his buddy, Clark County Commissioner Steve "Cold hard cash, Mr. Barnett" Stuart so he could keep $50,000 or so for his last commissioner campaign.

It's equally bad enough that this clown would ram through a bill gerrymandering the loot rail taxing district to make sure that tens of thousands of us here in Clark County have no say in jacking up the tax... we'll just have the duty to pay it.

it's bad enough that this moron wants to blow a $100,000,000 per year for the next several decades; bad enough that he wants to tax those of us using the bridge $1,300 per year... each... and rape us with that charge without asking us.

But added to that shameful list is his vote where he tells the tens of thousands of us here in the 3rd Congressional District to get screwed when he voted FOR the leftist tax jack up bill "suspending" I-960.

So, he joined with 25 other democrats possessed of political death wishes... including his own as he ended any possibility of becoming the next Congressman from the 3rd... if such a possibility existed at all.

This kind of monumental arrogance and ignorance (Raising taxes in the midst of a recession with double-digit unemployment? Really?) is not what anyone wants in their elected officials.

The people of the 3rd Congressional had spoken, Craig. And you just told us to F-off.

While that kind of bilge may play in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Vancouver... it ain't playing anywhere else.

Good bye, Craig. We hardly knew ye.
.

One down, one to go: Deb Wallace calling it a day in the 3rd CD?

.
Apparently, Deb Wallace has figured it out.

Clark County Democrat Congressional Candidate FAQ: why none of them will win.
.
It's fairly obvious that, in the unlikely event a democrat can win this thing, he or she won't be someone living in Clark County. It's bad enough to be a democrat in this day and age anyway, doing everything they can to assist in the GOP resurgence and all; but the leftists of Clark County are particularly hamstrung by more than their political affiliation... though that's certainly bad enough.

For those elected to office already, a record of lacking integrity, gerrymandering or unbelievably wasteful spending would be too much to overcome in the best of times, even attempting to take advantage of the opportunism resulting from Baird bailing.

Both Pridemore and Wallace have been instrumental in spending this state into massive deficits. They both have a years-long paper trail that will make it easy to show that if either were elected, they'd just continue to be rubber stamps for the Belle of Botox, Nancy Pelosi.

More:

So, here's what Politics is a Bloodsport reports:

Deb Wallace out of 3rd CD race?

Special note here: I am unable to get multiple sourcing on this story that first appeared on the Vancouver For Peace mail list, but in doing some background checking, this appears plausible:

Deb Wallace just announced her withdrawal from not only the 3rd congressional race, but also her seat in the state legislature when it expires in January. She has not yet announced her endorsement for the 3rd race, but she is endorsing somebody named Monica Stonier (the last name I'm not sure) for her state spot.

I attended our neighborhood clubhouse where Deb had reserved for this. (She's lives in Pinebrook as I do.) I thought she'd talk about her race against Baird. Instead she said she was withdrawing so that the best Democrat would win. She said Jaime Herrera, R, looks like the candidate for the Repugs and Deb said Jaimie is often absent at the legislature and others press her vote.

Deb did not have an answer when I asked what she'll do. She supports Monica S, a pro-choice woman for the 17th District.

More:

Now, Pridemore, an unabashed fringe leftist, tainted by scandal and his lame gerrymandering bill, along with his moronic vote FOR a budget that he "feared was balanced on the backs of the poor and the powerless" will be next up to get the word.

Of course, with Herrera having someone else vote for her instead of being on the floor doing her job..... she must resign.... immediately.
.

A look at the 3rd Congressional money situation.

.
A fascinating report came out showing the strengths and weaknesses in terms of fund raising, the "mother's milk of politics," of those candidates running for the now abandoned seat of the WA03 for Congress.

That report was the most recent fund raiser results, which included the last Q of 2009. The numbers are from opensecrets.org.

It's no surprise that Denny Heck has taken the early and substantial lead in these numbers: he dropped a cool $100G of his own cash into the pot to get things rolling.

Like most in the party of class warfare, little is made of their personal wealth. There is little doubt that Heck will put together the biggest bankroll for this race, mostly because he not only can do that; but hell, the man is even capable of getting a state governor to violate the letter, if not the spirit and intent of the law prohibiting her from raising money or using government facilities to campaign for someone else during session.

It's got to be cool to have a governor in your pocket.

So, Heck has put together an impressive $215G...but an amount not quite so impressive when you realize that almost half of it came from one source: the candidate. Heck's fund raising base is an eclectic group, if by eclectic you mean lawyers, consultants and those high up in Washington State Government. They provided, by far, most of his donated cash.

Of particular note in Heck's fundraising realm is Strategies 360, a nice little band that has, through Ron Dotzauer (Of "Boinking Ms. Cantwell" fame) successfully enabled David Barnett to buy an election using money illegally laundered through Progressive Majority for Steve "I'll take it in unmarked bills" Stuart, our most senior county commissioner. Dotzhauer and those connected to him have dropped a paltry $14,000 or so of the $115G Heck has actually raised, all by themselves.

Nothing quite like that one stop shopping!

Next up is David Castillo, leading Republican candidate who was one of 3 slogging along in the trenches before the Queen of Opportunism jumped into the race... and his hard work shows with almost twice as much as his nearest competitor on the "R" side.... at $104G

The Republican Empty Suit, Jaime Herrera has struggled to raise money, when one considers she's the rough equivalent of a wind up toy: Stuff a key in her back, aim her in whatever direction you want, turn the key and the rest takes care of itself.

Normally, a $55G quarter would be rather impressive... until you see that the money in question comes primarily from a whole EIGHT donors.

Then?

Not so much.

Here's a hint, Jaime. When they hand you a list of pre-greased donors? Especially those who've never heard of you?

Make sure you dial "1" BEFORE the area code.... OK?

Jon Russell continues to fade. Herrera's opportunism cost Russell any chance he may have delusional felt he had... and now she's gonna suck all the money out of his room like a turbo-charged Hoover.

Jon's showing $28G, total, proving than his fundraising skills are on par with his political skills.... thus capping off an around $12G quarter.

Deb Wallace, according to the Columbian, has reported $23,000, but I can't find that on the FEC site.

The biggest surprise was the abysmal report submitted by democrat State Sen. Craig "we balanced this budget on the backs of the poor and the powerless, so I'm voting for it" Pridemore.

Because Pridemore has gerrymandered tax districts; rabidly supports the massive waste of billions of dollars known as the bridge and loot rail, and his special-favor for his buddy Steve "cold hard Barnett cash" Stuart, so he could keep $50,000 or so in campaign contributions for a bill Pridemore was running back in what.... 05; he has no chance, anyway. In fact, he and Deb Wallace are "dead men walking" because of their idiotic bridge shenanigans... their political corpses just haven't got the memo.

Pridemore's less than stellar $8,569 SHOULD be sending him a message.

David Hedrick checks in, almost matching the fund raising prowess of Pridemore with $7,216. That's not a bad number for a political neophyte in this kind of climate.

Local illegal alien cheerleader Maria Rodriguez-Salazar won't raise cab fare and is wasting every ones time acting like a candidate... a candidate who has, apparently, yet to even file FEC paperwork.

Is it early? Of course it is. And, unless you're a highly placed democrat, unaffected by the Obama recession, it will be increasingly difficult to find donors with disposable cash to play... thus adding politics to the list of the "Sports of Kings."

Heck will be difficult to beat on the leftist side. He's got the cash and the support of the democrat infrastructure, plus he's unsullied (for now) by the Pridemore/Wallace bridge idiocy.

Castillo is unquestionably the most qualified, followed by my pet Cavalier Spaniel Oliver, Russell, Herrera, and lastly, Hedrick.

Do overall qualifications matter?

They should. Look what happened when we elected an empty suit for president? So, why would we compound that error again?

Meanwhile, these numbers DO count. Even those where all you have to do to get the cash is pick up a check.

Right, Jaime?

Cross posted on Jaime Herrera Watch.
.

Did I mention that Craig Pridemore couldn't raise money?

.
Well, the number's out.

And the fundraising machine that IS Craig Pridemore for Congress reports....

A SCREAMING $8,569.

Wow.

Let's take a brief look at who was dumb enough to give this guy ANY money.

Well, Fromhold is in for $500.

This Lugliani fellow and his wife (?) coughed up $4800 (Heavens to Betsy... DEVELOPER money? Why, tsk, tsk!)

Some lawyer named Weinstein? $1000.

Eli Kasab with his usual, give some small amount of money to everyone approach: $500

ANOTHER lawyer... this one named Foister? $1000.

Maaaaaaahn. Talk about your broad based support.

Yeah... it pretty much sucks to be the Craig Pridemore campaign.
.

Clark County Democrat Congressional Candidate FAQ: why none of them will win.

.
It's fairly obvious that, in the unlikely event a democrat can win this thing, he or she won't be someone living in Clark County. It's bad enough to be a democrat in this day and age anyway, doing everything they can to assist in the GOP resurgence and all; but the leftists of Clark County are particularly hamstrung by more than their political affiliation... though that's certainly bad enough.

For those elected to office already, a record of lacking integrity, gerrymandering or unbelievably wasteful spending would be too much to overcome in the best of times, even attempting to take advantage of the opportunism resulting from Baird bailing.

Both Pridemore and Wallace have been instrumental in spending this state into massive deficits. They both have a years-long paper trail that will make it easy to show that if either were elected, they'd just continue to be rubber stamps for the Belle of Botox, Nancy Pelosi.

Those not elected around here are grandstanding to further their respective causes... and doing so knowing full well they have no chance.

The following candidates are running or announced on the D slate and are actually Clark County residents (Unlike Heck, who weirdly CLAIMS that "Clark County is his home") :

Craig Pridemore

Deb Wallace

Maria Rodriguez-Salazar

Now, Pridemore is elected and represents most of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Vancouver. Endorsed by militantly fringe-leftist Jim Moeller, Pridemore apparently fails to understand that tip-toeing on the precipice of socialism as he has, ain't gonna get it done in this, one of nine districts that Cook's now refers to as "toss ups."

Pridemore's problems include corruption (he altered a campaign finance bill to allow Steve "Easy Money" Stuart to keep tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations for a commissioner run) gerrymandering (he successfully ran a bill that will exclude tens of thousands of voters from voting on a tax increase to operate loot rail by gerrymandering the tax district lines, while forcing those excluded from voting to pay the tax, should it pass) and, of course, voting for a budget after condemning it as being balanced on the "backs of the poor and the powerless."

Wallace is elected, though never seriously challenged, (Oddly, since her massive vulnerabilities should have seen her tossed after one term... but then, the GOP hasn't been one to brag about around here.) and represents the district directly east of the 49th. Wallace has about 100,000,000 problems getting elected.... each of the dollars she's personally responsible for wasting on the CRC study.

Both of them voted for the institutional age discrimination of the special rights for homosexuals and those over 61... an act that resulted in R71 which, while passing statewide, lost by almost 12,000 votes in the 3rd Congressional.

I-1033 passed in the 3rd, and both opposed it.

Both supported Obama, and, as it turned out, showed horrific judgment in the process.

These easily understood litmus tests are just for this past election.

If one were to research past initiatives and referenda, how hard would it be to review the outcomes in the 3rd, and the diametrically opposite positions held by these two?

Taking it a step further, both Wallace and Pridemore obviously support the horrific waste of billions known as the I-5 Bridge and Loot Rail. Additionally, they support imposing $1300 or more in tolls, an abysmal specter hanging over the heads of the 65,000 who will have to pay for this monstrosity.

These 65,000, properly organized, could become THE voter block to determine the direction of politics in SW Washington for years to come. And the vast majority of those voters, organized or no, will PULVERIZE any pro-bridge candidate like these two, or any others who don't rally to their cause.

The easily documented desire of these two to spend our money in the billions locally, disqualifies them from service nationally, where we could be sure that trillions of dollars of waste would be the order of their days.

Maria Rodriguez-Salazar? She's the one who sold out to Tim "The Liar" Leavitt, as he used his city council seat to further his mayoral campaign with his worthless and nonsensical "hate crimes" resolution.

No impact here, except for getting the "illegal" vote.

It will be interesting and entertaining to watch these two hack away at each other, only to fall far short in the end.
.

Local democrats have such a sense of humor about their endorsements.

.
Big article today (would you expect anything less from our local democrat paper?) blabbing about endorsements for Wallace and Pridemore... as if anyone cared, or as if they made any difference.

The "yuk-yuk" moment?

Describing Val Ogden as "moderate." It's kind of like calling the Columbian "unbiased..." a lie on it's face.

17th District leftists endorsed a 17th District House member who has no chance because she is responsible for the waste of 10's of millions of tax payer dollars and demanding the imposition of hundreds of millions of dollars of tolls in the midst of our recession, and the waste of billions for a bridge we don't want.

Big deal



49th District leftists endorsed Pridemore, responsible for gerrymandering a tax district to keep tens of thousands of us from voting on loot rail operations... but not from paying the taxes he wants to rip out of our pockets. Responsible for voting "yes" for a budget that even HE claimed was "balanced ... on the backs of the poor and the powerless." The stupidity of a Moeller endorsement in a swing district is self-evident. Steve "The Tribe Bought Me" Stuart's endorsement? As bad as, if not worse than, Moellers.

Was it all that long ago that Pridemore was calling Stuart a "sell out?"

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Democrat State Senator Pridemore gets it: Steve Stuart's a sellout.

You’ve got to love it. Pridemore’s got Stuart figured out, but the idjits like the “progressives” and the rest of the “environmentally aware” leftist fringe? Why, they don’t have a clue.

Pridemore, a legendary hypocrite who just this past session voted FOR a state democrat budget that even HE said was “balanced on the backs of the poor and the powerless,” has finally said what needed to be said about Steve Stuart.

Pridemore nails it when he tells us that Stuart’s a sellout: “Morris has set a deadline of finishing her work before the November election when Commissioner Steve Stuart, the only commissioner who sought to defend the existing plan, will be on the ballot. I believe that if Stuart doesn't do as Morris commands him, her friends with the homebuilders will pump hundreds of thousands of dollars into a campaign against him. It's little wonder that he's slow to speak out against something he should know is ethically wrong and legally indefensible.”

Pridemore goes on to tell us that he is ”disgusted and appalled by what” Stuart is doing to “our community’s future.”

Time, apparently, does heal all wounds.

Something of a quid-pro-quo, considering Pridemore's efforts to keep 10's of thousands of dollars of campaign contributions around for "Easy Money" Stuart.

We will see frequent articles lacking in any news value about these two, neither one of whom stand a chance of winning; and one of whom having a great deal of difficulty raising money.

But these endorsements?

Meaningless, except in a negative sense. Partisan endorsements typically are.
.

2010 is shaping up as a bloodbath for the left: Dem recruits continue to head for the exits.

.
As the inevitable continues to take shape, it's becoming clearer that the result of the first year of the Obama Administration will be the wholesale political slaughter of the left.

The dutiful inability of the left to think for themselves shows in their votes on highly unpopular and now proven-to-be-failed policies that the empty suit running the show is jamming down our throats NOW, because he's been counting on the classic themes of the short-attention span of the American voter in the future; namely that he will be able to capitalize on his own increasingly dubious personal popularity while spending the next 3 years convincing the now-raped American population that it was our idea to begin with.

Of course, the now-recognized problem on the part of the so-called "Blue Dog" democrats is that they recognize that they will be the sacrificial lambs in the process.

Obama, Pelosi and Reid are selling them out.

Others looking at coming in or staying are seeing that as well. The result?

Dem recruits continue to head for exits
By Aaron Blake - 12/31/09 10:55 AM ET

Democrats have lost yet another touted recruit, this time in Kansas.

State Sen. Laura Kelly (D) just announced her withdrawal from the race to face Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.). She becomes the fifth formidable recruit to bow out in recent weeks.

“I have been forced to make a decision between honoring the pledge I made to the people in my Senate district and my firm conviction that the people of the 2nd congressional district deserve a truly independent voice in Congress," Kelly said in a statement.

“This has been a very hard decision, but it is the right one.”

Kelly joins several recent dropouts, including businessman Jack McDonald, a well-funded challenger to Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) who announced last week that he wouldn't run. The others are Ohio state Rep. Todd Book, who was running against Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio); former Tennessee Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Paula Flowers, who was running for Rep. Zach Wamp's (R-Tenn.) seat; and Solana Beach City Councilman Dave Roberts, who was running against Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.).

Both McDonald and Kelly were cited in a late October memo from DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) that touted the committee's recruiting successes.

On top of that, Democrats have lost four incumbents in vulnerable districts to retirement recently. It has been a distinct shift, taking five seats off the map on offense and adding four on defense.

As one of the five seats in question (so far) there can be no doubt that the question here locally is this: How much will this obvious damage to the leftist brand hurt the democrats right here in the WA03?

The strongest democrat running is, by far, Denny Heck.

He's made enough money to self-fund, and he's unsullied by Wallace's waste of tens of millions of dollars on an unwanted and unneeded bridge replacement with loot rail; and Pridemore's corruption on campaign financing and gerrymandering the loot rail operations vote to exclude tens of thousands of Clark County voters who would oppose this massive waste from having a say, while not excluding any of us from paying this massive tax increase.

Crist has no chance. Fringe left isn't going to sell this year.

Salazar has no chance. She knows that; this entire process isn't a serious effort to do anything but raise her profile as chief spokesman for illegal aliens,

But Heck has a the same problem mentioned in the article: he's a democrat. And just BEING a democrat may be problematic considering the massive, generation-long damage they've done to our country in just the past year... so far.

It's the economy, stupid. And under their watch, it's tanked beyond belief.

And having a total clown as president doesn't help your mid-term election prospects at all.
.

Continuing to hear that Pridemore will withdraw...

.
... seems that Sen. Craig Pridemore is running into difficulties raising money for his campaign, which is kinda ironic, considering how he amended his own campaign finance bill so that Steve "Cold Hard Cash" Stuart could keep his multiple $10,000 developer donations.

Considering the fact that no Clark County democrat can win this, it would probably be best for him to avoid the effort.

Tick tock, Craig... tick tock.
.

Additional sources tell me that Sen. Craig Pridemore will withdraw from the 3rd Congressional.

.
Details to follow when I get them.
.

The questions that will determine the 3rd Congressional race.

.
Face it. Next November is going to be extremely tough on leftists in Congress.

Even now, as democrats work hard to socialize medicine, each day where the focus is on that issue instead of the issues important to the American people make it less likely that a democrat will win in the 3rd.

The tin ear syndrome will make it very difficult for any of the leftists running to make it to the top. With upwards of 10 candidates announced or about to announce, the top two in the general may be the two who got over 10 percent of the vote.

Who will those two be?

Will, the easier targets are who they won't be.

And they won't be Pridemore, Wallace, Moeller or any other SW Washington democrat representing anyone in Clark County.

It won't be Hatfield. It won't be Russell. It won't be Salazar. It won't be Crist.

The reasons it won't be the democrats mentioned run the gamut from the fact that many of them support that moronic bridge replacement and loot rail; at least one was involved in a job scam; one is clueless and one has been a joke the last two times she ran.

A fake, unethical conservative won't survive.

Because here are the questions the leftists won't be able to answer in any way that will get them elected:

1. Do you support the massive and unneeded waste of $4 Billion to replace a bridge that doesn't need replacing, including the $100,000,000 Wallace has wasted on the CRC... to include running legislation to gerrymander the voters of the tax district to pay for loot rail, like Pridemore did?

2. Will you actually read all bills before you vote on them?

3. What would your votes have been on the porkulous, cap and swindle, and the neo-communist socialized medicine program the empty suit is ramming down our throats?

4. What steps will you, personally, take to end Pelosi/Reid/Obama's efforts to bankrupt this country by building a mountain of debt?

5. Will you vote yes, like Pridemore voted yes, on a budget "balanced on the backs of the poor and the powerless?"

These are tough questions for leftists to answer truthfully. Of course, if they take the Obama method, they'll just lie outright. But if they tell the truth, no one will vote for them.

And when you add that to a democrat brand where Bush looks wildly popular in comparison... man, it sucks to be a leftist in 2010.
.

DeVore at HA: Pridemore to run for Congress - Announce W/I 24 hours.

.
Hope springing eternally from the leftest breast, Senator Craig Pridemore (D-Soviet Socialist Republic of Vancouver) will, to hear Jon DeVore tell it, "announce within 24 hours."

Now, I get that many democrats want this job, but all of them wear the I-5 bridge anchor around their necks, and as a result, I tell you now: ANY candidate supporting the waste of $4 BILLION and the imposition of another $1300 fee for our commuting citizens to go to work in the Portland metro area along with jamming unwanted and unneeded loot rail down our throats will lose.

For Pridemore, the other candidates can feel free to play whack-a-mole with his despicable gerrymandering bill that he and Wallace supported to get us to pay for loot rail. Combined with Pridemore's bill to take care of Commissioner Steve "Barnett Owns Me" Stuart's campaign contributions and Pridemore will be hard pressed to get past the corruption issues.

So far, Pridemore is best known for getting tossed off of Appropriations after his abortive coup attempt against the chair, one Sen. Margarita Prentice. His legislative philosophy is best summed up thusly:

“I think that we have balanced the budget on the backs of the poor and the powerless,” Senator Pridemore said, before voting “yes” on that same budget (2005 budget vote.)

That means that when it comes to that vision thing.... Pridemore can SEE what's wrong... he just lacks the testicles to do anything about it once he figures it out. That, of course, will make him just a tool for the moron running the House, Nancy "Plastic" Pelosi... and that means that neither Pridemore nor any other democrat has a serious chance of winning this thing.... particularly when you combine that the wreckage that is the democrat brand.

.

The theft that is Light Rail.

The Vancouver Downtown Mafia is all about wasting $4 BILLION on an unneeded and unwanted bridge replacement and loot rail.

Their winged monkeys in Olympia: Pridemore, Moeller and Jacks; are out shilling for their gerrymandering bill that will give us all the opportunity to pay their taxes in addition to their horrific tolls, without once being asked if WE want this.

They won't ASK us, because they KNOW the answer... and they don't want the facts to interfere with their agenda.

Well, here are just a few "facts" that any sober individual could utilize to conclude what a colossal and horrific waste of money loot rail really is.

Light Rail Fact Sheet

“It’s hard for me to understand why intelligent people, who have access to the same information I do, continue to support light rail even though it is clear that it does little to nothing to relieve congestion problems.”

–Don Benton, State Senator, 17^th District (http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/benton)

.

· Six of the West Coast light rail systems (Los Angeles, Portland, Sacramento, San Jose, San Diego and San Francisco) require taxpayer subsidies to pay for 73% of operations and 100% of capital improvements per year and on average remove between 0.39% and 1.1% of cars from the roadway. (Washington Policy Center. http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/Centers/transportation/policybrief/08_Ennis_LightRail.pdf )

.

· The per mile cost of an urban freeway is comparable to light rail. ($30 million) However, a highway can carry five to ten times as many person-miles of travel as a light rail line. (Goldwater Institute. http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/Common/Files/Multimedia/122.pdf )

.

· Tri-Met projected that the Eastside MAX would take 3 years to build and cost $135 million to construct. Actual time and cost: 4 years and $214 million. Tri-Met projected that five years after completion the Eastside MAX would carry 42,500 people per day. After five years, the MAX averaged 21,000 riders daily. The cost was 55% higher than projected and the actual ridership was 50% of the projected. (The Thoreau Institute. http://www.ti.org/FS3.html )

.

· Nationwide, the average cost of light rail $1.50 per passenger per mile. (Double the cost of bus transit per person per mile and FIVE times the cost of automobile transportation per person per mile.) (Goldwater Institute. http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/AboutUs/ArticleView.aspx? )

.

· Nationally, light rail brings in revenue of $226.1 million, while the annual operating costs total $778.3 million, leaving a $552.2 million burden on tax payers. This does not take into consideration construction costs. (Light Rail: Boon or Boondoggle, Molly Castelazo and Thomas Garrett of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.http://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/re/2004/c/pdf/light_rail.pdf)

.

· Sound Transit officials in Seattle estimated that nearly two‐thirds of its ridership would have come from the existing transit system if its second phase had been approved in 2007. (Washington Policy Center. http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/Centers/transportation/policybrief/08_Ennis_LightRail.pdf )

.

· A study of the Bay Area Regional Transit (BART) system in the San Francisco Bay Area estimated that only 18 percent of the residents within one-half mile of a transit station used rail to commute to work. Also, monthly ridership on Cleveland’s new Waterfront Line has fallen 42.8% since its opening in 1998. This decline is consistent with national trends. (Buckeye Institute. http://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/docs/RailStudy.pdf)

A liitle bird called me and told me the Craig Pridemore is trying to screw us for the bridge replacement.

.
It wasn't that long ago... I hope you haven't forgotten.

A few years ago, C-Trans tried to nail us with a tax increase. In a county-wide vote to jack up our taxes in November, 2004, C-trans lost 73,959 (46.33%) to 85,684 (53.67%).

What to do... what to do.

The answer?

Gerrymander the C-Trans district so that every retail center of any size would be included in the taxing district... and then EXCLUDE the areas that had voted against the tax increase.

So, the result is that in the first election, 207,611 citizens of this county were eligible to vote on this measure, and about 160,000 did.

In the despicable abuse of power reflected in the SECOND election in September, 2005; about 51,000 voters were excluded from the vote, but not from paying the tax.

The result? The result was approval by 45,322 (67.78%) to 21,545 (32.22%).

That's right, they gerrymandered the borders of the taxing district, in some areas ONLY ONE STREET WIDE, so they could exclude 10's of thousands of us from voting on this tax increase, but not from PAYING the tax increase.

It was government at it's scummy worst.

And now, it's back.

Sen. Craig Pridemore, (The Downtown Mafia's own!) from the 49th District, also known as the Soviet Socialist Republic of Vancouver, has introduced a bill (SB 5540) to do the same thing... this time to screw us for light rail.

Pridemore, best known for screwing the people of the State of Washington by voting "yes" on a budget that even HE acknowledged, in HIS own floor speech, "was balanced on the backs of the poor and the powerless;" wants this bill so he and his fellow extortionists can, once again, draw the boundaries around each and every retail outlet of any size while working hard to exclude the tens of thousands of us opposed to the Downtown Mafia's extortion.

There is no excuse for this kind of criminal enterprise. If Pridemore or any of the scum supporting this effort had any guts, they'd be dropping a bill requiring a county-wide vote on this massive waste of billions of dollars. But that requires courage that Pridemore will never know.

Pridemore has been a gutless waste of skin since he was first elected. This despicable act on his part will forever be tied to the infamy where he and he alone will be responsible for screwing hundreds of thousands of people in Clark County.

I hope you choke on it, scumbag.
.