In the midst of this election, exactly where does the issue of parties and labeling fall in consideration?
When is that put aside? When does it mean something? DOES it mean anything?
The Washington State Republican Party has endorsed Rob McKenna for governor. At a political level, McKenna has been the disappointment I believed he would be; but he knows people. He's been around. He shows up. And in politics, those are the critical elements.
At this point, it would seem that Inslee and McKenna share many more perspectives than those that seperate them... and most of those perspectives are directly out of the democrat play book and platform.
So... why do Republicans support McKenna?
Is it the "R" label, which has undergone massive rehabilitation thanks to the pathetic empty suit running the country?
Is it because democrats and their meme are so damaged by their incompetence and horrific handling of both foreign and domestic policy?
Is it maybe because, as a people, we've become hypnotized by labeling and all that it means?
The parties, of course, all want us to vote for their guy (Or woman, in the interests of PC'dom) based on, if NOTHING else, the label... the letter after their name.
But with that label comes an expectation that it's supposed to mean something. The association is supposed to link you, as a democrat or Republican or Libertarian or what-have-you with a general set of ideals and concepts.
What if, for example, referring to McKenna, your candidate has little to no connection or resemblance to GOP ideals?
What if, for another example, referring to Reagan Dunn (Running for Attorney General), he not only doesn't resemble a Republican, his overt pandering to the gay marriage lobby is an embarrassment?
What if, your vote when you were in the Legislature to strengthened the gay lobby and, like Bill Finkbeiner, you're also a big gay marriage supporter?
Those are not core Republican ideals.
There are other examples, but you get the gist.
These are cornerstone issues.
Here locally, Marc Boldt votes to increase our taxes, votes to take our weapons away if the commissioners feel like it, votes to gerrymander taxing districts to exclude tens of thousands of us from having any say but not from paying their taxes, votes to support a bridge, tolls and light rail that we don't want, don't need and cannot afford... all without asking us.
At the local level, those are not core Republican ideals either.
So, when do we put aside loyalty to a label and look deeper? When do we hold the individual accountable for what they actually are instead of hoping for a non-existent "best" by virtue of voting for a label by using our ballots?
As someone who served the state GOP in the position of Executive Director in 2000, and someone who has served in dozens of campaigns and consulted on many, I have seen just about every imaginable side.
There's a school of thought, both here locally and perhaps nationally, that those who don't act like sheep and who question how Republican someone is or if they are actually even a part of the GOP beyond their label are somehow "bad." They're attacked. They're censored. Efforts are made to silence them.
I despise RINO Rob McKenna. There are others running as Republican; I have voted for one, in fact; a fellow named Hadian.
But I also have been personally attacked because I don't support McKenna or other leftists since he's the Party's guy and that I have the temerity to speak out against him... even in a primary scenario where opposition to any one candidate used to be perfectly OK. Why vote for a fake democrat when, if you lean left, the real thing is available? Just for one example, notice how McKenna shares many of Inslee's and the democrat's positions but Inslee doesn't share any of McKenna's and the GOP's?
Who's in control in that race?
How McKenna can't see that is a mystery to me. But the question here is "How is any of that Republican?"
Democrats are just as bad; they're famous for their litmus tests for their candidates.
What happened to those 3 democrat senators who joined with the GOP in their effort to rein in our state government's budget?
It's a good thing they were wearing political kevlar.
The Madore-financed effort to take over the local party here (The so-called PCO Liberty Alliance), along with the effort to get a Paulbot elected as a write-in in the 18th district are where all of this comes into play.
The fact is that regardless of if he is successful in this effort (You only have to walk upright to get Madore's and the bizarro PCO Liberty people's support ) there will be no real change in the PCO make-up around here: 80% of the legislators in Clark County are likely to be GOP (3 dem and 12 GOP) 2/3rds of the commission (1 dem and 2 GOP) WITHOUT a Paulbot take-over and the very idea that any organization by anyone at the county level could do any better is absurd.
It's outcomes that should matter. For many here, they don't.
So, Those who claim to be Republican (Romney, Herrera, McKenna, Finkbeiner, Dunn, Boldt, Silliman, Byers for PCO (Actually, in a genuinely bizarre move, Boldt was redistricted into my precinct and HE is running against ME) who's positions or governance prove they are anything but did not and will not get my vote.
Those who claim to be Republican but have a really hidden agenda (Madore and Silliman) did not get my vote.
Those who lie about their motives (The PCO Liberty scam) will never get my support and will, in fact, only get my opposition. Anyone connected with them or to them will have that connection forever; they will not ever be able to run from it and I will use that connection to hammer them like I hammered Russell... regardless of what label they use to lie about who they are.
Nor will they.
But that decision isn't particularly because of the labeling they use as a mere cover: Boldt has publicly admitted that he's never read the GOP platform... which seems to me to be something of an indictment of the value of the party to begin with.
More questions. Few answers... but here's one:
I don't care if you're a member of the Drunk Orangutan Party: if you're the best candidate and you're on the ballot, you're going to get my vote.
But you'd better be a conservative who is in office for the right reasons, without a hidden agenda or corruptive influence calling your shots.
