Klickitat Democrats

The Story of Citizens United v. FEC

2011-03-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

Last week Klickitat Democrat, Bob Hansen, hosted a house party to view the short (10 minutes!) film, "The Story of Citizens United v. FEC".

This film was created by the same folks at The Story of Stuff Project and describes the landmark case in which the U.S. Supreme Court decided that it is unconstitutional to limit how much money corporations can spend to influence elections.

Since the 2010 ruling, corporations have spent $300 million to influence election results. This money has been used to run ads and engage in other activities to sway us - the voters - to support candidates who serve the interests of those corporations.

Below you will find FAQs, a link to view the film, and a link to sign a petition to amend the constitution in order to overturn Citizens United v FEC and get the people back in charge of our democracy!

Q: What was the Citizens United v. FEC case about?

A: Citizens United is an organization that accepted corporate funding to produce a 90-minute movie attacking Hillary Clinton called "Hillary: The Movie." Shortly before the 2008 presidential elections, Citizens United wanted to air the movie as a video-on-demand, but was afraid the FEC would forbid them from doing so, because campaign finance rules prohibited TV attack ads funded by outside groups. Citizens United challenged the ban in court. Originally, the Citizens United v. FEC case involved a narrow, technical question about campaign finance law: Was a video-on-demand program enough like a TV ad that it should be prohibited from airing shortly before and elections? However, the Supreme Court expanded the case to consider a much broader question: Did decades of campaign finance rules violate the First Amendment?

Q: Wait, so Citizens United were the bad guys, with a name like Citizens United?

A: That's right! Citizens United is actually a conservative group that advocates pulling the United States out of the United Nations, cutting Social Security, stripping funding from public broadcasting, among other extremist positions. The group's name makes it sound like it's about democracy when actually it's about corporatocracy!

Q: What does the decision mean?

A: The ruling means that corporations can and are spending a ton of money to support or defeat particular candidates - at least $300 million during the 2010 midterm elections, and probably a LOT more in 2012.

What kinds of things do corporations want? They want to do away with laws that restrict their activities - laws that protect public health and safety, workers' rights, and clean air and water. For example, oil companies want to block laws that protect our climate; manufacturers want trade agreements that undermine product safety rules and enable corporations to ship jobs overseas. And big multinational corporations often seek subsidies and bailouts.

Q: Can't Congress overturn or fix the decision?

A: Congress cannot overturn the decision, because the decision is based on the constitutional protections of the First Amendment.

Q: What would a constitutional amendment do?

A: It would overturn the decision by establishing that corporations do not have the same First Amendment rights as individuals.

Q: Is amending the Constitution politically possible?

A: Yes. Amending the Constitution is supposed to be hard, and no one should be under any illusions about its difficulty. But it's an achievable goal, as the history of the Constitution makes clear. The 23rd and 26th Amendments (establishing voting rights for District of Columbia residents and setting the minimum voting age at 18 years old) were passed by Congress and ratified in under a year.

Click here to view the film

Click here to sign the petition

And finally, click here to link directly to the Story of Citizens United web site for more information

Told You So!

2010-12-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

This week's (Dec 2) White Salmon Enterprise told readers what we Klickitat Democrats knew all along. Lou Marseles' story below the fold on the front page "County revaluations 'ideal', state says" gives credence to what our Assessor candidate, Victoria Allen, repeated over and over at every opportunity during the 2010 campaign. Unfortunately, the state report was published after the election, too late to wave around at a candidate's night. Kudos to the current staff who worked diligently to effect the annual assessments, which was key to bringing the revaluation ratio in line. The credit for improvement is theirs. We will be keeping this on file, since there may possibly be some memory loss as to when the improvements occurred, as well as who and what were responsible for them.

This article was not included in the online version, so for those who missed it, here it is.

County revaluations 'ideal', state says
by Lou Marzeles
Gorge News Report

For the first time in decades, Klickitat County has achieved a 100 percent ratio in its real property revaluation-which puts an additional $30 million into county coffers.

"We have people who've been with the county since the '80s" said Klickitat County Assessor Van Vandenberg. "No one can remember when we last had a 100 percent ratio. The 100 percent ratio means we've hit the ideal level set by the state. Historically, the level has been too low."

The new revaluation, for 2010, was released Nov. 12 from the Washington Department of Revenue. It also shows a new assessment of public utility companies in the county, which, in conjunction with the 100 percent ratio, contributes to the dramatic county revenue increase.

"At one point, it was as low as 69 percent," said Victoria Allen, deputy county assessor.

The real property ratio reflects how assessment of fixed property (as opposed to personal, movable property) compares to actual sales values of properties. Assessment of property values ideally should exactly reflect- or be 100 percent of-actual sales values. When the ratio is lower than actual sales values, Vandenberg says, property taxes go up.

"The assessed value of property isn't in line with actual sales values when that happens," he explained, "so taxes actually go up then."

When the ratio is low, taxes aren't reflecting actual sales values of property.

"When the ratio is at 100 percent, it means taxes go down, because then the assessed value is the same as the actual sales values," Vandenberg said.

The personal property ratio has been more than 100 percent for some time now.

"That's because Vicky (Allen) audits closely to the state," Vandenberg says.

According to Allen, the real property ratio has been growing steadily in recent years.

"Last year, it was 86.5 percent," Allen pointed out.

Deciding to go to annual assessments has helped Klickitat County, Vandenberg believes.

"Assessment offices in the state are required to go annually," Vandenberg recalls, "and I said, 'Why wait?'. So we were one of the first counties [to go to an annual schedule].

Real property values in Klickitat County are just starting to show a significant dip, according to Allen and Vandeberg. They noted that Washington and Oregon were the last states in the country to see a dip in real estate.

"Urban areas like Seattle did see sharp dips, but rural America really didn't see the same kind of thing. This county is just starting to dip," said Vandenberg.

"It plateaued," added Allen, "and it never climbed as high as some other areas, but the decline in the county is just starting."

After deciding not to seek another term as Assessor, Vandenberg is set to retire at the end of the year. He will be replaced by White Salmon's Denise (sic) Johnson [that should be Darlene], who beat Victoria Allen for the job in the Nov. 2 election.

"The office changes hands Jan 1 at 12:01 am, " Vandenberg said. "And there will be a lot of changes in the assessors' offices throughout the state. Eight assessors are retiring, three lost their elections, and one just quit. That's 12 out of 39, that's a big change."

Change will come also to Vandenberg's lifestyle.

"Most people only retire once," he said. "I plan to take it easy, do more fishing, play more."

State Party Chair Called It Right!

2010-11-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

"Are we the lone oak tree in the middle of the flood that doesn't get pushed over? I think we are," state Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz said.

Seattle Times, Oct 30, 2010

All was not lost this election. Washington withstood the flood, thanks to everyone's hard work. People were stepping up all over the state to help candidates. Our own county Democrats were every bit as active as in 2008. Even though most of our candidates did not fare well, the effort was great, the campaigns were honest and ethical, and we did our best. Congressional candidate Jay Clough is already planning his 2012 run, so save those signs and send a few bucks his way. Save ALL the signs. If you have signs that you can't store, contact us and we'll see what we can do about that! Thanks to all our candidates, volunteers, phone bankers, sign posters, contributers, candidate night attendees, letter writers, and event hosts. You make us all proud to be Democrats.

So NOW They're Mad?

2010-11-07T16:50:00.000-08:00

We should all print this and keep it in our pockets for conversation purposes. Or for putting on windshields of cars with Republican or Tea Party bumperstickers.

After The 8 Years Of The Bush/Cheney Disaster, Now You Get Mad?

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate Energy policy and push us to invade Iraq.

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.

You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn't get mad when we spent over 800 billion (and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn't get mad when Bush borrowed more money from foreign sources than the previous 42 Presidents combined.

You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars in cash just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn't get mad when Bush embraced trade and outsourcing policies that shipped 6 million American jobs out of the country.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when Bush rang up 10 trillion dollars in combined budget and current account deficits.

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.

You didn't get mad when we gave people who had more money than they could spend, the filthy rich, over a trillion dollars in tax breaks.

You didn't get mad with the worst 8 years of job creations in several decades.

You didn't get mad when over 200,000 US Citizens lost their lives because they had no health insurance.

You didn't get mad when lack of oversight and regulations from the Bush Administration caused US Citizens to lose 12 trillion dollars in investments, retirement, and home values.

You finally got mad when a black man was elected President and decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, job losses by the millions, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, and the worst economic disaster since 1929 are all okay with you, but helping fellow Americans who are sick...Oh, Hell No!!

Democrats meeting sparks exchange

2010-10-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

From last week's Sentinel, in case you missed the October meeting!

http://goldendalesentinel.com/news/2010news/10-13-10_news.htm

Rebecca Gourley
Reporter

The Klickitat County Democratic Central Committee held their general meeting Monday night at the Dallesport Community Center. Although not Democrats, the two prosecuting attorney candidates, Lori Hoctor and Craig Juris, were invited to share their messages to the attendees. The first part of the meeting was described as a discussion rather than a traditional candidate forum.
Juris spoke first, and Hoctor followed. Juris wanted to stress the point that, “This position should be a non-partisan position.” The Democrats of Klickitat County will ultimately be the deciding factor in this race, Juris said. He then covered his experience as an attorney from college internships to his time in the prosecuting attorney’s office.
Hoctor explained that she wants to see a change in the office. “We don’t need to be punching walls and yelling down the hall when we lose a case,” she said. Hoctor added that doing bad things doesn’t make someone a bad person, referring to juveniles that are put through the judicial system. With plans to do more Stipulated Orders of Continuance (SOCs), Hoctor wants to “make a positive change.” SOCs, as explained by Juris, are situations where if people facing charges “behave themselves for six months,” their cases can then be dismissed. Hoctor stated she didn’t want to just put people in jail without trying to help them rehabilitate first. However, she says, murderers, child molesters, and other serious offenders should be punished without question.
Juris and Hoctor were given the opportunity to ask each other a question. Juris asked Hoctor, “Why, with all of the statistics, have there been so much negativity and personal attacks?” Hoctor responded that she didn’t think she’s been negative.
Hoctor asked Juris, “Why don’t you have the support of Keith Anderson [Juvenile Court Administrator]?” Juris answered that this is the first time he’s heard about this and he couldn’t comment. Tuesday morning, calls were made to the juvenile department in order to confirm Hoctor’s assertion that Anderson did not support Juris. Anderson responded, “In my position I cannot make a public stance on this,” referring to supporting either candidate. He added, “I am surprised she [Hoctor] said that publicly.”
On the subject of endorsing, both candidates were then asked what major supporters they have. Hoctor went first and stated she had the support of the sheriff’s office, juvenile probation, the city police, and others.
Juris reacted with, “Every one of those groups that were just mentioned has said they support me.” Juris stated that he had the support of 17 prosecuting attorneys statewide and the civil service commissioners.
After the discussion with the two Republican candidates, the gathering moved into the general meeting for the Klickitat County Democrats. Victoria Allen, Democratic candidate for Klickitat County, commented on her perception of the campaign so far. “The information being used against me is a lot of misinformation,” explained Allen. In previous candidate’s nights across the county, Darlene Johnson, Allen’s opponent, has used the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) report many times, Allen added. She said, “ [Johnson] has been looking at the whole process through the lens of the 2008 reassessment.” According to Allen, the “bad” numbers that Johnson refers to are from three years ago. “She’s only looking at the appraisal process, not the whole picture” added Allen.
Three Park and Recreation candidates for the west side of the county—Michael Solbach, Vern Harpol, and Dana Scheffler—were present as well. The three agreed on the importance of the Park and Recreation establishment in District 2. Solbach is in the race against two others for position 3. Scheffler and Harpol are opponents for position 4, although they don’t see it that way. “We are not running against each other,” said Harpol. All of them have the same goals and have agreed to do the same thing when elected. There are a total of five positions for the Park and Recreation District 2.
Paul Spencer, Democratic candidate for State Representative position 1, was present as well. He discussed what the Democrats’ strategy should be and how they want to get people out there to vote.
“There was not a good turnout for Democrats in the primary,” said Spencer. Although not discouraged, Spencer said he feels there needs to be more action on the Democrats’ parts in the southern part of Legislative District (LD) 15. LD 15 refers to parts of Clark and Yakima Counties, and all of Klickitat and Skamania counties.

Confusing Initiative Info

2010-10-23T08:38:00.001-07:00

Bill Clinton said on Monday, "You have a choice – don’t be fooled, don’t be played, don’t stay home."

The text of the initiatives is confusing. The Voters’ Pamphlet statements are confusing. The TV commercials are way over the top. How are we supposed to make sense of it all?

Look at who’s behind and who benefits from each initiative.

Big lobbyists and out-of-state special interests have put over $50 million into pushing five ballot initiatives that would take money out of state services like education and health care and put it right into the pockets of big corporations. Only two statewide measures would actually invest in Washington’s future.

Here’s a closer look:

NO on 1053: Tim Eyman’s 2/3 requirement

Who’s behind 1053: Tim Eyman, BP Oil, Tesoro Oil, ConocoPhillips Oil, Bank of America.

Who benefits from 1053: Extremely partisan legislators who can hold our budget hostage; big companies enjoying tax loopholes.

Who loses under 1053: Voters who believe in the principles of democracy; taxpayers who want to close loopholes; services suffering under an all-cuts budget.

NO on 1082: Insurance industry takeover of workers’ comp

Who’s behind 1082: The Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), a longtime conservative political player.

Who benefits from 1082: Big insurance companies, the BIAW, and the conservative candidates funded by the BIAW’s warchest.

Who loses under 1082: Businesses who have to pay more in premiums; workers who are injured on the job.

YES on 1098: Cuts your taxes, raising money for education

Who’s behind 1098: Bill Gates Sr., Washington Education Association.

Who benefits from 1098: Kids, seniors, public schools, health care services, businesses, property owners, lower and middle class families would all benefit from better schools and better quality healthcare, small business benefit from elimination of the B&O tax, and property owners benefit from a property tax cut.

Who loses under 1098: Wealthy people who make over $200,000/year would pay a limited income tax on income above that threshold.

NO on 1100/1105: Unregulated hard liquor sales

Who’s behind 1100/1105: Wal-Mart, big grocery chains, out of state liquor distributors.

Who benefits from 1100/1105: Wal-Mart, big grocery chains, big liquor distributors, binge drinkers and underage kids.

Who loses under 1100/1105: City, county and state services would lose $700 million over 5 years; local craft brewers and Washington wineries would get pushed off the shelves; and alcohol-related crimes like drunk driving would increase.

NO on 1107: Soda pop tax

Who’s behind 1107: The American Beverage Association, national lobbyist for the big soda companies.

Who benefits from 1107: Soda pop companies.

Who loses under 1107: Kids, seniors, public schools and health care services would lose $100 million each year.

The election is vital to the Washington’s future. We already cut over $5 billion out of state and local services. You have a choice.

APPROVE R-52: Healthy schools

Who’s behind R-52: Representative Hans Dunshee (D-44) wants to make public schools a healthier place for children, so he referred this measure to the people.

Who benefits from R-52: Kids and teachers benefit from a healthier place to learn and work; construction workers benefit from new jobs; public schools benefit from saved energy costs.

Who loses under R-52: No one.

Voting YES on 1098, YES on R52 and NO on all the rest can help stop these painful cuts and put money back into our communities where it belongs.

Visit the Protect Washington website to find out more.

Same Old Same Old from the Party of NO

2010-09-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

Congressional Republicans today released their “Pledge to America” – an agenda that simply repackages the same failed Bush-era Republican economic policies that helped cause the economic crisis: tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires; fewer regulations governing corporations and special interests; and just leaving middle class families to fend for themselves.

Rather than charting a new course, Republicans are simply doubling down on those same failed policies, policies that hurt America’s middle class. Republicans’ priorities are clear:

Hold tax relief for middle class families hostage in order to pass tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires by borrowing $700 billion America can’t afford – despite the fact that the nonpartisan CBO says passing those tax cuts for the wealthy would be one of the least effective ways to grow the American economy or boost job creation.

Increase taxes for 110 million middle-class families and tens of thousands of American businesses by ending Recovery Act tax cuts and cutting off tens of thousands of Recovery Act projects – projects ranging from highway construction to clean energy to environmental recovery – and thereby putting hundreds of thousands of American jobs at risk.

Putting insurance companies back in the driver’s seat of Americans’ health care by working to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act – if they succeed, they’ll roll back the new Patient’s Bill of Rights, increase seniors’ prescription drug costs, eliminate safeguards that protect Americans from unfair premium increases, and force small businesses that offer health insurance to their employees to pay higher taxes.

Take us back to an era of recklessness and irresponsibility by slashing regulations and the oversight of special interests including big oil, big insurance, Wall Street banks, and credit card and mortgage companies.

Increase America’s deficit by trillions of dollars by going back to the same failed economic policies that turned a record surplus into a record deficit – all while making drastic cuts to government services that would force Head Start to drop 200,000 children, end child care subsidies for 110,000 working parents, and cut 3,800 correctional officers at federal prisons.

Republicans’ “Pledge to America” is also notable for its omissions. It doesn’t talk about:

Protecting Social Security and Medicare from privatization,

Making investments in high-quality education for America’s children.

Working to grow critical industries like clean energy and manufacturing.

Or working to rebuild America’s crumbling roads, rails, and runways.

The “Pledge to America” is quiet simply a repeat of the same agenda that caused the worst recession since the Great Depression, resulted in the loss of 8 million jobs, wiped out trillions of dollars of American families’ savings, and set middle class families backward. Instead of making a pledge to the American people to do better, Republicans have made a pledge to special interests to bring back the same failed economic policies that benefited them at the expense of middle class families.

Thanks Dwight Pelz, WSDCC Chairman

http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/09/22/gop-pledge-to-america-looks-unlikely-to-inspire.html?ocid=twitter

http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/120523-boehner-offers-no-solutions-on-medicare-social-security-reform

Sign of the Times

2010-09-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

This morning, the first of several 4x8 Patty Murray signs went up in Klickitat County. Using their best engineering and mathematical skills, Jim Minnick and Lloyd DeKay fabricated a frame and stand for the sign on location at the Milestone Nursery on Hwy 14 in Lyle using scrap 2x4s and plywood. The proprietors wisely marked the property line so we would be sure to be legal!

Now the well constructed Victoria Allen for Assessor sign will have some company! Here is the view looking westward ho:

And here is the perspective heading eastward, out of town:

We have several more of these large signs, and they need good spots as soon as possible! If you have a place for one, contact Bob Hansen, bobhansen@gorge.net or Lorrie DeKay, lorriedk@gmail.com.

Fact Check on Tea Party Rally Untruth

2010-09-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

This was published in the Goldendale Sentinel, and carried in the White Salmon Enterprise this week ('Tea Partier says soldiers overseas won't be able to vote'), right next to the article on Sunday's tea party in Dallesport (with no photo by the way). Time to demand truth from these righteous and indignant folks. We can start with the estimates of the crowd. Klickitat Democrats who attended estimated quite a bit less than the 1500 plus organizers touted. One of our own even bothered counting cars in the parking area (about 200). They must have all been full SUVs and minivans to reach those numbers.

Thank you, Mr. Marzeles. Keep up the honest and factual reporting. It's just too bad that most people who were there will remember what Mr. Smith said rather than the facts published later. Maybe it's a good thing there were fewer people there than they claim. Let's hope they didn't spread the bad info. This pattern of ignoring facts while spouting inflammatory rhetoric to win votes for your far right candidates is truly evil.

While you're checking things out, take a look at Jesse Burkhardt's editorial in the Enterprise this week.

Military votes will count this fall

Lou Marzeles
Editor

It was a day of speeches and a day of a few surprises—and a day of a surprising speech.
At Sunday’s Tea Party event, speaker Jerry Smith told the crowd that Washington State residents serving in the military overseas might not be able to vote in this year’s election, a comment which astonished many.
Smith says he was passing on what he’d learned in news media. “It was all over the major media,” he says, “The Washington Times and others.” When he heard of adverse reaction to his comment, Smith says he checked online on Monday. “I Googled ‘military voters plus Washington,’” he reports.
What he discovered was that a number of states were struggling to get extensions on their federal deadlines for overseas military ballots because of how late many elections were certified. Washington had been one of those states, but it has succeeded in securing an extension.
In Washington, ballots go out next week to overseas military personnel who are legal residents of the state. The move is designed to ensure that Washington military voters have ample time to record and return their votes.
The state applied and was approved for what is called an undue hardship waiver for military personnel, to allow them adequate time to vote. In a letter dated Aug. 27 of this year, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Lynn S. Simpson wrote to Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed acknowledging approval of this waiver.
“Under delegated authority from the Secretary of Defense,” the letter states in part, “I have reviewed the State’s application, consulted with the representative of the Attorney General of the United States, and find it meets the requirements for a one-time undue hardship waiver… Accordingly, I approve the State of Washington’s request to waive the application of Section 102(a)(8)(A) of UOCAVA” for this year’s election. “UOCAVA” is the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act as amended by the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE Act) governing such matters.
Essentially, the waiver permits Washington to allow overseas military voters to get their votes in time to be counted in the fall general election. Ballots returned electronically may be received up to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Altogether 33 states have moved to ensure that their military personnel will be allowed to vote in this year’s general election, according to various news reports. The total number of military personnel accommodated by these states is close to three million. Most states have taken steps to accommodate overseas military voting through the internet. This comes after some 22 percent of military votes were unable to be counted in time during the 2008 election because of delays in retrieving votes from great distances.

What's Up with I-1082?

2010-09-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

Over the next few weeks we'll be posting links about the Initiatives and Referenda on the fall ballot.

Let's start with this one, since it's gotten less attention than some of the others! At the Washington State Democrats Convention in June, a NO vote on I-1082 was endorsed.

The ad clip is REALLY hokey. I really don't like things that yell at me like a used car or mattress salesman doing his own homegrown ads. Who makes these things? I know kids in middle school who do better video production. I hope they didn't pay much for it. Anyway, check out the link for more info. It's more sane.

Why you should vote NO on I-1082:

Five Facts About I-1098

2010-09-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

Five Facts Every Voter Should Know About I-1098:

1. I-1098 would finally reform our state's outdated tax system by establishing a progressive income tax on the wealthiest 1.2 percent of households.

2. I-1098 would generate $2 billion per year dedicated to a trust fund for education, the top priority established in our state constitution, and critical health care programs.

3. I-1098 would cut state property taxes for all Washingtonians by 20 percent and eliminate B&O taxes for 81 percent of small businesses.

4. Even the wealthiest households would pay taxes on only income earned above $400,000 a year for couples or $200,000 for individuals.

5. The recession has forced devastating cuts to education and health care services that threaten our state's future. More than 40,000 Washingtonians have lost basic health coverage and 2,600 education jobs have been eliminated in the last two years. Initiative 1098 will help reverse these cuts and put Washington back on track.

Please share with your friends and neighbors!

Update:
The SeattlePI.com editorial board came out strongly in favor of I-1098 today, in its first ever editorial, calling it a "watershed on who we are and where we want to go as a state."

Hey Doc, Let's Debate!

2010-08-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

Here's the letter Jay sent, via email and certified mail, to Rep. Hastings yesterday:

Dear Congressman Hastings,

In the past decade, never has there been an election year with such strong public sentiment for accountability from those who represent the citizens of the United States of America. You yourself characterized this race after the primary as a "choice" for the voters of Central Washington. We owe it to those voters to give them as clear a picture of that choice as possible.
I have secured three venues for a series of debates across the district. The organizer of the Wenatchee Valley Community College candidate forum has offered to bill the October 12th forum as a debate between you and I. The Benton PUD auditorium has been reserved for October 15th from 7-9pm for the same purpose. The North First Street conference room in Yakima has been reserved on October 22nd, from 7-9pm as well.
I understand, as a working man, how difficult it can be to balance campaigning with other obligations. With that in mind, these dates were specifically chosen to allow you to fulfill your congressional duties. If you wish to augment or amend these three dates, I invite you to do so. We have no greater duty in this election than to educate the voters across Central Washington, and to that end I will meet you for debate anywhere, any time.
I look forward to receiving your confirmation for these dates, or your changes if necessary. I look forward as well to a spirited, open, and honest debate on the important issues facing our district, our state, and our nation today.
Sincerely,
Jay Clough.

Jay needs our help to ensure that at least ONE of these debates takes place. Please take a moment to call Congressman Hastings' office at (509) 736-1510, email hime at info@dochastings.com or send him a letter, PO Box 2926, Pasco, WA 99302.

You could also write a letter to the editor of the Enterprise or Sentinel, publically encouraging Rep. Hastings to debate Jay.

We need to put as much pressure on Mr. Hastings as possible. He does not get to slide by unchallenged as he has in years past. Please help Jay show the voters of Central Washington what the choice they have this year looks like.

Restoring Honor: Look in the Mirror

2010-08-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

After all the hoopla this weekend about Glenn Beck's rally in DC, the calls for restoring honor seem a little shallow. We've seen improved relations in the world since the administration changed, though those who seem to think we should reverse gear make us look a little crazy again...here is some food for thought from a fellow blogger in another state on what is honorable, and what is not.

In less than two short years, much has been accomplished, without ANY help from the party of NO. The hole dug by policies of the last decade will take years to climb out of. We cannot go backwards. It won't be easy in our county to overcome the demographics that bode success for the Republican candidates. But it CAN be done. Klickitat County was the only county east of the Cascades to put Obama in the WIN column. Please do not sit out this election. Do your homework, attend Candidates Nights, meet the Candidates and talk with them about your concerns.

The next opportunity to meet Democratic Candidates will be the Huckleberry Festival. Stop by the Klickitat Democrats booth there for more information, and visit our website regularly, and if you are on Facebook, become a fan of Klickitat Democrats.

Klickitat County Fair

2010-08-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to swing by your Klickitat County Democrats booth while visiting the Klickitat County Fair in Goldendale!

This is also a great opportunity to meet the democratic candidates. Tom Silva, running for State Representative for LD 15, stopped by this morning and we are expecting many others through Sunday.

Also, a big thank you to Bob Hansen and Rosemary Hoyt who set-up our booth. And, thank you Mary Pierce who has been busy organizing and recruiting for this years fair.

We have staff at the booth today thru Sunday and the fair runs 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Thanks but NoThanks

2010-08-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

Guess what some local Democrats found in their email today? Invitations to Tea!

You are invited to attend the Gorge Constitutional Tea Party at the Maryhill Winery Amphitheater on September 12, 2010 from approximately 2 pm to 4pm. Lars Larsen will be our keynote speaker and we can accommodate up to 4,000 patriots from all over Washington and Oregon.

I don't know about you, but there is NO amount of Maryhill wine that would make me listen to Lars Larson (the email spelled his name wrong). Warning: if you click this link, be prepared to be appalled at the anti-Obama visuals.The invite included a huge photo of Maryhill Winery's amphitheater showing throngs of people. It was OBVIOUSLY not a Tea Party gathering. Wonder if they'll use it in their post event press? Keep an eye on it...You can check it out on their new website, gorgepatriot.com

The other thing that I really object to is the implication that if you are a patriot, you will go to this event. In my warped mind, Tea Party gatherings have been anything BUT patriotic.

The Gorge Constitutional Tea Party which is a non-partisan group of people who are dissatisfied with the direction our elected representatives are taking our country. At our last Tea Party on May 15, 2010 and we featured speakers ranging from Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders to Dave Hendricks running for Congress in District 3 to Tom Hann from We the People and more. We also had a roving mike that allowed between 700 and 1000 people from all over Klickitat County, Skamania County, Wasco County, Hood River County and beyond to share their concerns about the transgressions against our constitutional rights. We received excellent coverage on our event in all of our local papers as well as on Oregon Public Broadcasting radio.

I don't see nonpartisan here in any of the speakers...except a strong right wing Republican and Constitution Party lovefest. Does inviting Democrats and mentioning coverage by OPB make it so?

We hope that our events will help educate, motivate and spread our message to the people in our area.

Educate???? Really????

Now, you might wonder who is behind this Tea Party extravaganza, which follows on the heels of the well signed May event in Dallesport. Key word. Signs. Someone must have stock in a sign company....Have you guessed? None other than Assessor Candidate Darlene Johnson. The woman who stood at a recent candidates night telling us disingenuously that she wasn't political. The same one that has been pushing misleading statistics on a state report to further her campaign.

She asked for an rsvp so I had to send regrets.

Thanks but No Thanks.

No thanks because I strongly feel there is nothing constructive about the Tea Party. It is a vehicle to anger, inflame and divide, and the results of all this 'pot stirring' are far from Patriotic.

There seems to be very little (non)partisan* about The Tea Party except to join together rightwing Republicans and the Constitution Party. There is no hint of compassion, respect for diversity, for our President or our shared responsibility as Americans for The Common Good, in Tea Party gatherings. That doesn't look like Patriotism to me. One need only look at your speakers representing far right Republicans and the Constitution Party. My time is too precious to spend a second of it listening to Lars Larson and his ilk.

Thanks , because I am more inspired and energized than ever to work for and elect/reelect hard working, forward thinking (and patriotic) Democratic Candidates from the top of the ballot on down.

Lorrie DeKay
Klickitat County State Committeewoman
N. Fruit Valley PCO
Patriot

*had to fix a typo...had put bipartisan when I should have put non-partisan. Forgive me.

One last thing. If I find out that Maryhill is sponsoring this event by not charging a normal fee for use of the grounds, I will boycott their wine and their events from now on, and urge other like minded folk to do the same. There's a lot of other great wine in the Gorge.

UPDATE: Due to a "scheduling conflict" the tea party event will be held at the Dallesport Airport instead of Maryhill. What a relief. I have no reason to ever go to Dallesport Airport.

Wiggins for Supreme Court Race

2010-08-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

This just in from the Wiggins campaign:

As ballots arrived late last week, Republicans and Democrats heard very different stories from embattled Justice Richard Sanders—now employing a duplicitous strategy to try and win at all costs on August 17 and avoid a November runoff.

While Democrats received campaign and fundraising mailings touting Sanders as a champion of civil liberties and claiming widespread Democratic support, Republican inboxes received breathless support from ultra-conservative minister Joe Fuiten. Conservative mailboxes were also filled with a letter from controversial State Representative Matt Shea from Spokane, extolling Sanders first speech as a Justice to an anti-abortion rights rally, and praising him as the “deciding vote” in the 5-4 Anderson decision that denied same sex couple the rights of marriage equality.

Despite claiming support from— and support for— Democrats and issues associated with progressive causes, the Shea letter (which has a portrait of Sanders and was issued by his campaign) attacks Charlie Wiggins as a “liberal Democrat” while the mailing to Democrats casually omits that Sanders is endorsed by the State Republican Party, while Wiggins is endorsed by the State Democratic Party and the Democratic parties of a number of counties and many legislative districts (as well as GOP and Democratic prosecutors, and many political leaders).

So… is Sanders the quirky Libertarian he portrays to the press, or simply a conservative opportunist telling different things to different constituencies? Certainly Democrats would appreciate knowing that he is boasting about his opposition to reproductive freedom and marriage equality? (Apparently, defense of civil liberties do not extend to the realm of personal privacy)

Richard Sanders is hoping Democrats and Progressive voters aren’t paying attention and he can win it all on August 17.

Don’t let him! Vote Charlie Wiggins for Justice.

Fan Mail from Some Flounder?

2010-08-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

With apologies to Boris and Natasha, here's a message from our CD4 Fear(ing)less Leader. Highlights pertain to our ballot.

Central Washington colleagues:

Primary ballots have arrived throughout central Washington. Best wishes to our candidate, Jay Clough, and to other Democratic candidates in central Washington: United States Senator Patty Murray; Carol Moser, candidate in the 8^th Legislative District; Ed Lisowski, candidate in the 14^th Legislative District; Paul Spencer candidate in the 15^th Legislative District; Tom Silva, candidate in the 15^th Legislative District; Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Andy Miller; Douglas County Auditor Thad Duvall; Franklin County Treasurer Tiffany Coffland; Franklin County Auditor Zona Lenhart; Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Lowe; Franklin County Clerk Mike Killian; Kittitas County Treasurer Jerry Pettit; and Skamania County Commissioner Jamie Tolfree.

Jay Clough travels to the other Washington this week to raise money and introduce himself to his new home.

A curious Washington statute reads that, if a candidate for judicial office receives more than fifty percent of the vote in a primary election, the candidate gains the judicial seat without the need of a general election. Therefore, votes in the primary for judicial positions are critical.

Judicial seats are nonpartisan. Nevertheless the Building Industry Association of Washington, through donations and seven-figure ad campaigns, has purchased two seats on the Washington Supreme Court. The two seats are held by Judges Richard Sanders and Jim Johnson. Sanders and Johnson routinely decide important cases on the side for which BIAW files amicus briefs. Both are respectively challenged by fair minded, ethical judicial candidates, Charlie Wiggins and Stan Rumbaugh. Please encourage your friends and neighbors to vote for Rumbaugh and Wiggins.

George Fearing, 4th CD Chairman

Ballots Have Arrived

2010-07-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

Primary ballots arrived in the mail yesterday (in White Salmon, anyway). Our votes are critical to getting our candidates through the Top Two Primary, so PLEASE be sure to vote. The Republicans are counting on us to give up on this election, and we will start with the Primary to show them we mean business. You can learn about the candidates via the Online Voters Guide.

The first item on the ballot is the Library Levy, for which we urge a YES vote. Details on the Library Levy appear in the previous blog post to this one.

On the county candidate level, Dani Burton is running uncontested for County Treasurer, but Victoria Allen has two Republicans vying for the County Assessor position. If you missed the recent Candidates Nights, Victoria did very well conveying her vast experience in the Assessor's Office. She will not need to spend any time learning the job, and already has working relationships up the line to the State and down the line to the taxpayers. She has played a key role in reorganizing the operation to perform annual assessments instead of the 4 year assessments that caused so many problems with recent valuations.

One of her opponents has experience in only one facet of the operation, as an appraiser. The other has multiple degrees and business experience, though not as an Assessor. Though her credentials are undeniably impressive, in this writer's opinion, she has shown that she is willing to manipulate statistics to mislead the voters in order to make political hay with a 2008 report. Both Victoria and Dell responded to the Enterprise to set the story and accompanying letter to the editor straight, but even at the Candidates Night, this candidate and her supporters (with handouts) continued to repeat, as gospel truth, misleading facts. If you'd like another view, check out the analysis done by Dell Rhodes on the Klickitat Democrats website. Victoria needs our support, so please mark your ballot for her, and encourage your family, friends and neighbors to do the same. We will get her through to the general election, but it is going to take a lot of work to put her over the top in November. She won't win the 'sign battle' but she sure can win the race with our votes.

Candidates on your ballot endorsed by the Washington State Democrats Central Committee include:
Senator- Patty Murray
Congressional District 4- Jay Clough
Supreme Court- Stan Rumbaugh and Charlie Wiggins

We have a local running for LD 15 position 1, currently held by Bruce Chandler. Paul Spencer lives in Skamania County and is making his first bid for elective office. Learn more about Paul and his views on the Klickitat Democrats Election page.

Our next meeting of the Klickitat Democrats is on Tuesday, August 3rd, 6:30 pm at the Columbia Bank meeting room in White Salmon. We will have a guest speaker about the Library Levy, and a representative from the Coordinated Campaign coming from Yakima. The main focus will be on the primary election, and getting out the vote. We will also be making plans for our booth at the Klickitat County Fair. Please join us.

Signs Signs Everywhere Signs

2010-07-19T17:34:00.001-07:00

Our sign supply is growing! We now have Allen for Assessor signs and Library Levy support signs available at Dell's in White Salmon and Jim's in Lyle. Let us know if you need a sign, and we'll get you set up!

Where can you place signs? This handy guide was in the Enterprise recently. Signs are valuable, so please don't put them someplace illegal. They'll be confiscated! Also, our Democratic candidates look bad if we put signs where they don't belong...

Under WA Administrative Code 468-66, temporary political signs are allowed on private property visible from state highways. The property owner must consent, and the sign must comply with the WAC, as well as any local regulations. They must also meet the following requirements:

Maximum size of 32 square feet in area
Removed within 10 days following the election

Keep in mind that signs are NOT allowed in the state highway right of way.

Utility poles are typically located inside the right of way. So, NO signs between the pole and the state highway.
Where a fence separates the right of way from private property, NO signs between the fence and the state highway.

If you are not sure about the boundary lines, you can check with WSDOT Outdoor Advertising Specialist Pat O'Leary at OLearyP@wsdot.wa.gov. You will need to provide the state route number and the name of the nearest intersection or approximate milepost.

2010-06-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

Vote YES for libraries
On the August 17 primary ballot is a measure which will lift the lid of the current library levy. If the measure passes, libraries within the Fort Vancouver will be able to restore lost operating hours and purchase new books. In order to pass, the measure requires a 50% plus 1 voter approval.

Below is a Q & A provided by the Fort Vancouver Library District. Additional information on how to be involved in the campaign is available at http://voteforlibraries.com/.

Q. Why are you asking property owners for more money?

A. FVRL, along with most other public agencies, is facing declining revenues and increasing costs for maintenance and operations. The decline is in part due to a severe reduction in construction, which in the past provided the district a cushion against tax limitation measures through taxes collected from timber sales and new construction.

Declining revenues are especially concerning for libraries. In hard times more people turn to public libraries to cut household costs such as book purchases, magazine subscriptions and Internet access. They also need libraries more than ever to sharpen marketable skills and search for employment. More people are using FVRL libraries: circulation increased 8 percent in 2009 and continues to rise.

We implemented severe spending reductions in 2009, but we also need to address long-term funding. The only operational funding tool available to libraries is the levy lid lift.

The library board voted in late 2009 to accept a decrease in base property tax funding for 2010 rather than invoking a clause in the state's tax limitation laws that would have allowed us to raise property taxes a small amount without voter approval. Putting a levy lid lift measure on the ballot lets voters have a say in whether the library will make further cuts to services, hours and book purchases.

Q. What would the tax increase pay for, and how much will you collect?

A. Raising the levy rate to the allowable $0.50 per $1,000 assessed valuation would provide approximately $3 million in 2011 to fund:

District-wide restoration of library hours that were lost in 2009
The purchase of additional books and other materials to keep the library's collection up-to-date and sufficient to meet growing demand. The district's book-purchasing power has been stagnant for about 10 years.

All FVRL libraries would benefit from the increased revenue, with restored hours and/or more books.

We expect that a levy increase at this level will cost the owner of a $250,000 house approximately $20 more per year.

Q. Will you be adding movie DVDs, music CDs and downloadable e-books?

A. Our focus for building up the collection will be on existing types of materials. We haven't added entertainment DVDs and music CDs in the past due to the high initial cost of acquiring a reasonable selection. A successful levy will allow us to consider new formats and types of materials, as well as fulfill unmet needs for current types of materials.

Q. What will happen if the measure fails?

A. Without additional maintenance and operations funding, we won't be able to restore library hours cut in 2009 or increase the book budget. We also won't be able to hire the staff required to open the larger new main library with the current six‐days‐a‐week schedule. The new building will be open only five days a week. Additional cuts in the future to hours and services across the district are very likely.

Q: Why has the library district picked this time to announce a new tax measure?

A. Library funding constraints are a long-term problem that reached a critical point in 2009. Over the past year, the library district has had to reduce its operational expenses to a level that impacts basic library access (hours) and services. The situation is not anticipated to improve in the foreseeable future. The district is now giving voters a chance to decide whether to restore library funding to a higher level.

Q. When did FVRL last go to the voters to ask for an operating tax increase?

A. 1993 - 17 years ago.

Q. What other solutions have you implemented to address reduced revenues?

A. FVRL substantially reduced its operating budget in 2009 -- including cutting 10 percent of staff positions and reducing hours at seven libraries -- in response to severe revenue declines.

The district's ability to purchase books and other items has diminished over the years due to rising costs that have exceeded revenue growth. For example: the number of items purchased for the collection in 2008 was less than the number purchased in almost any year in the past decade. This situation has made it difficult to keep pace with a growing population's increasing demand for library books.

The district has made more than a dozen other cuts or service reductions in the past few years in its efforts to work within available revenue.

Q. What makes you think you can win with a tax measure, given the bad state of the economy?

A. In a district-wide poll recently conducted by the political action committee Citizens for Better Libraries, 62 percent of voters indicated that they would vote 'yes' for a library levy lid lift, which requires 50 percent + 1 to pass. The survey results were made available to the library board of trustees as they considered whether to proceed with a funding measure. The success of the February 2010 school levies also provided a timely indicator that voters might be willing to invest in the future by supporting a library measure.

Q. Who gets to vote on the library measure?

A. All registered voters who live withih Fort Vancouver Regional Library District can vote on the August 17 library measure. The district encompasses all of Skamania and Klickitat counties, all of Clark county except the city of Camas, and the city of Woodland in Cowlitz County.

Spotlight on Victoria Allen

2010-06-04T11:35:00.001-07:00

Those who have been following all the hoopla about property assessments will be happy to know we have an excellent candidate for Assessor this election. Over the last 7 years, Victoria Allen has worked every job in the Assessor's Office except actually going out to assess property. She knows where operations need improvement, has ideas about how community relations can be improved, and is enthusiastic about educating county residents about the assessment process. She is shown in the photo answering questions at the County Nominating Convention, where she was formerly nominated as the Democratic Candidate in this race.

Victoria moved to the county with her husband and daughter in 2003 to take a job in the Klickitat County Assessor's Office, and to be closer to her parents in Kennewick. They live on 7 acres about 10 miles outside of Goldendale and enjoy the rural lifestyle. Besides learning every aspect of the Assessor's Office, she has volunteered on the levy committee for the Goldendale School District and on the youth soccer board. She also sings in her church choir and with the Community Cantata during the holiday season. Victoria can also be spotted at her daughter's sports events, band and math competitions.

If you are one of the lucky people who have heard Victoria speak about her potential candidacy in recent months, you know what we're talking about. Her years of experience interfacing with the public on assessment matters show in her calm ability to explain a sometimes complicated and baffling process. If not, look out for your opportunity to talk with Victoria during the upcoming election season.

If It Isn't Broken, Don't Fix It

2010-05-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

There was a misleading and poorly thought out editorial in the Thursday Seattle Times regarding our method for re-dictricting in Washington. Luke Esser and Dwight Pelz wrote the following letter-to-the-editor as a response. It will run next week.

Washington should enact changes to rules governing legislative redistricting

Letter To The Editor

The guest editorial on legislative redistricting by Bill Finkbeiner and Krist Novoselic emits an hysterical alarm for a phantom problem. They charge that “Washington needs to put in place safeguards against the abuse of our imperfect system. . . . .and wrest control of our democracy from the hands of the political parties.” They refer to the political parties’ “raw lust for heavy power.” It sounds like a steamy romance novel.

The calm truth is that Washington has a balanced, bipartisan redistricting system that is the envy of the nation. It was brought about as the result of a citizen initiative passed overwhelmingly in the 1980’s, and it has served our state well in the years since. Each majority and minority leader of the State Senate and State House appoints one member of a civilian Redistricting Commission. A fifth, nonvoting member is appointed by the four voting members to serve as chair. The result historically has been a fair map which favors neither party.

Re-districting can be a shameful exercise in partisan political power in other states. In overwhelmingly Republican states the Republican majority can draw the new districts with no input from Democrats. In overwhelmingly Democratic states the Democratic majority can draw the new lines with no input from Republicans. But in Washington neither party can force their will on the other. The bipartisan members of the Redistricting Commission either have to agree on a map that is fair to all, or the responsibility for drawing the lines is turned over to our State Supreme Court. It’s hard to imagine a system that could be more fair or ethical.

The voters got it right when they passed our current redistricting system into law. This system promotes openness, cooperation and bipartisanship. Our state’s process for redistricting not only isn’t broken, it’s a shining example of good government that other states would do well to copy.

Dwight Pelz is the Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party

Luke Esser is the Chair of the Washington State Republican Party

May Meeting in Goldendale

2010-05-05T10:32:00.001-07:00

Klickitat Democrats are invited to the May meeting at the Goldendale Library, 5:30 pm on Friday, May 21st.

The program will include a brief business meeting, introduction of Tomas Villanueva, candidate for State Senate in the 15th LD, a video message from Sen. Patty Murray, and the History Channel's production "Renewable Energy". Please join us for this timely discussion!

From Netflix:

Renewable Energy(2006) NR
With an eye on the future, this thought-provoking History Channel special examines the potential of wind, water and the like to literally change the way we live. The higher gas prices climb, the more people look to alternative energy sources that are reliable and renewable. Could harnessing the power of biofuels, geothermal energy, the sun and shifting tides be the key to humanity's long-term survival?

Press Release from CD4 Caucus Chair

2010-04-14T11:31:00.001-07:00

You've probably all heard about the threats to Patty Murray and the subsequent arrest of Charles Wilson for making them. Lest anyone think this is making a big deal out of nothing, George Fearing lets us in on the content of these threats, and calling on our Congressman to step up and call for civil discourse. Our CD4 Democratic Candidate, Jay Clough, also had a letter to the editor printed this week. You can see it here. Following is George's press release:

Last week’s news propelled central Washington into the national spotlight when federal authorities charged Selah resident Charles Wilson with threatening to assault and murder Senator Patty Murray in an attempt to intimidate her in her official duties and to retaliate against her for her Health Care Reform Act vote.

From March 22 to April 4, central Washington’s Charles Wilson inundated Senator Patty Murray’s Seattle office voice mail box. During a March 22 message, Wilson intoned:

There are many people out there who want you dead. Just remember that as you are politicking for your election. It only takes one piece of lead.... Kill the f***ing senator! Kill the f***ing senator! I’ll donate the lead... Now that you have passed your health-care bill, let the violence begin. Let the violence begin.... We are not a country of cowards, as one of the high ranking people of this administration says. You’ll find out how f***ng cowardly we really are, my dear. Better get under your desk, get on your (unintelligible). [Expletives modified]

On March 23, alliterative Charles Wilson boasted God and guns as his bedrock beliefs:

With the passing of your health-care bill, it is living proof that ... This great country that believes in God and guns. Since you’ve done this, there’s going to be some bigger targets on your f***ing back.... I hope somebody kills you, and I hope somebody kills [the President]. Yes, die dead. You’re signing my death warrant, so I want to sign yours, f***ing b****.

A later message on March 23 read:

By your attempts to overtake this country with socialism, somebody’s gonna get to you one way or another and blow your f***ing brains out, and I hope it does happen. If I have the chance, I would do it.... I hope you f***ing die. I want to f***ing kill you. I hope somebody f***ing hangs you, blows your f***ing brains out. We will not be socialized, you f***ing c**t.... You are a marked person for the rest of your f***ing life, you f***ing slut.

Apparently not satisfied with his earlier barbaric broadsides, Charles Wilson, who happens himself to benefit from Social Security, Medicare, government roads, and socialized education, added a third message on March 23:

Kill the f***ing Senator! Hang f***ing Senator! I hope somebody puts a f***ng bullet between your f***ing eyes. Far left liberal socialist democratic b****. I hope someone f***ing [sic] erasers your f***ing life. Yes, I hope somebody f***ing assassinates you, you f***ing bitch.

Then during an April Fool’s Day conversation with an undercover agent, Charles Wilson boasted carrying a .38 revolver; registration records confirm that Wilson owns such a gun. Wilson told the agent he would “not blink” to use it. Even before the threats of violence, Wilson, while cowardly blocking his telephone number, devoted months to leaving off-hour vulgar voice mail messages to Senator Murray’s office.

On April 1, Tea Party emissaries assembled outside the Yakima Red Lion to protest the presence of Patty Murray. In an April 4 message to Senator Murray, Wilson confirmed his participation in the protest. My son and I were present at the protest to raise signs in favor of Murray. We were met with insults from Tea Party acolytes, including taunts about Democrats too vulgar to quote here, from a man who met the description of Charles Wilson.

Republican leaders accuse Democrats with advertising, for political gain, the reprehensible threats issued by people like Charles Wilson. Although purporting on the one hand to denounce the threats, Republican leaders add on the other hand that the American people are angry over the health care bill. For his part, our central Washington congressman hasn’t gone even that far, choosing instead simply to remain silent about the obscene and savage comments of his constituent, Charles Wilson.

Central Washington Democrats implore our Republican, Libertarian, and Independent neighbors and friends to respect our Democratic President, Senators, and other government officials. Please use the ballot box, not hate and violence, to meet your political goals. We Democrats are also Americans and have more in common with you than differences with you. Please also remember that you benefit from programs begun by Democrats, such as Social Security, Medicare, and agricultural subsidies, which were earlier denounced as socialism. Also, Democrats built irrigation systems that water our central Washington crops, dams that bring our region cheap energy, and the Hanford site that employs thousands of our neighbors.

For eight years, central Washington Democrats persisted under the rash and reckless policies of the Republican Bush administration. We endured a stolen presidential election, tax cuts benefiting the wealthy, ruinous economic policies favoring the rich, deregulation of the financial industry that brought a financial crisis, growing budget deficits, lies leading to a costly and deadly war, appointment of ideological judges, and torture in the name of Christianity. For the last sixteen years, we have also endured a robotic, ethically challenged Republican congressman, purchased by big oil and large corporations. Despite strong disagreement, we never issued threats of violence against a government official. Instead, we successfully worked to overturn wrongs through the ballot box.

George Fearing, Chairperson

Fourth Congressional District Democrats

Successful Convention

2010-04-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

Klickitat Democrats gathered in Dallesport on Saturday for the County Convention.
Convention Chairman Jim Daniel lead us as we elected three delegates and two alternates to the State Convention in June during the LD 15 subcaucus portion of the agenda. Five people ran for delegate positions.

Elected as delegates were Mary Pierce (Lyle), Steve Crothers (White Salmon) and Ann Stephenson (White Salmon). Alternates, both from White Salmon, are Brooke LeBlanc and Shelley Baxter.

During the Nominating Convention part of the agenda, PCOs present (from Trout Lake, N. Fruit Valley, Lyle, and Goldendale) voted Victoria Allen as the Democratic nominee for the Office of Assessor.

The assembly voted to endorse Jay Clough as our 4th Congressional District candidate, as well as Victoria Allen for Assessor.

Pat Arnold led a spirited discussion of our County Platform. A draft of this document will be posted on the main website, and voted on at future meeting.

Making News-Not in a Good Way

2010-04-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

One of our members has a friend in Texas who writes a non-blog that is just a hoot. Juanita Jean, of the World's Most Dangerous Beauty Salon, has decided to give a Washington resident a very special award.

Charles Alan Wilson of Selah, Washington, is this week’s winner of the Wee Winkie Contest.
The Wee Winkie Contest was invented by Juanita many years ago when rewarding local county commissioners for their need to have their seats in the commissioner court room site exactly three inches higher than everybody else. She still contends that they came up with that number while sitting around playing with rulers in their laps.

Patty Murray knows why Charles Alan Wilson won the prize. Now people everywhere will know, too. Read all about it here and enjoy Juanita's special brand of humor, Texas-style.

Fair and Balanced? Not in Goldendale.

2010-04-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

Condolences if you are Democrat living in the Sentinal distribution area. Be assured that the Klickitat Democrats send press releases to the White Salmon Enterprise and the Sentinal at the same time. The Enterprise prints our news, event notices and letters to the editor. The Sentinal? Not so much.

Last week we sent a press release about our County Convention to both papers. We are required to give public notice. Our members saw it in the Enterprise. But, surprise surprise, nothing in the Sentinal. For some reason, anything that remotely resembles something from the Democratic Party ends up in the circular file. We are not paranoid. We've been keeping count for a while.

So Klickitat Democrats: it's up to us. If you are a Democrat in the Goldendale area, let the Sentinal know what you think about their censorship. Check the Klickitat Democrats website regularly. Sign up for our newsletter and emails. If you have friends in the Goldendale area, forward your Klickitat Dems emails. Because information won't get to them via their neighborhood newspaper. Sad, but true. It's a small effort on our parts; let's not leave the Goldendale precincts in the dark!

CALL TO MEETING

2010-03-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Every two years, the Washington State Democrats host Caucuses, County Conventions and a State Convention. These events play a big part in defining and building the Washington State Democratic Party.

By taking part in the Caucus and Convention cycle, Democrats define what the Party stands for by helping to develop the platform. They meet with other Democrats and work together to make the Party stronger. Becoming involved in the Party lays the groundwork for further political work in the community.

The Klickitat County Democratic Party will hold its County Convention, Legislative District 15 Sub-caucus and Nominating Convention on Saturday, April 10, 2010 at the Dallesport Elementary School, 6th Ave and Central Ave, Dallesport. All Democrats residing in Klickitat County are eligible to participate.

The primary purpose of the convention is to shape the County Party Platform to address issues of importance to local Democrats. The LD15 Sub-caucus will elect 3 delegates and 2 alternates to the Washington State Democratic Party Convention, to be held June 25-26 in Vancouver. Interested Democrats are encouraged to run for delegate positions. You must be registered to vote in Klickitat County to run and/or vote. The Klickitat Democrats will also hold their Nominating Convention at this time. All Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs), elected and appointed, are eligible to vote for Party nominees to County Partisan offices.

Doors will open at 9:30 for registration. The Convention will commence at approximately 10:00 am. There is no fee to participate but donations are appreciated. No advance reservation or registration is required to participate. A $50 State Convention Registration Fee will be requested from each delegate upon election. However, no person shall be excluded on the basis of non-payment of this fee.

For more information, visit www.klickitatdemocrats.org.

State Democratic Party Lauds Health Care Reform

2010-03-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

The most critical piece of domestic legislation since Medicare

SEATTLE – The Washington State Democratic Party today congratulated Congress for passing “the most critical piece of domestic legislation since Medicare.”

“For Democrats, Health Care Reform is the Holy Grail of progressive change," said Dwight Pelz, Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party. “Despite the unconscionable opposition of the Republican Party, the Democrats in Congress have prevailed and passed the most critical piece of domestic legislation since Medicare.”

“History will judge Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid as courageous leaders,” said Pelz. “McConnell, Boehner, and Congressional Republicans will be seen as a herd of ostriches with their heads in the sand and their hands in the pockets of the insurance companies.”

With the vote of the House to concur with the Senate bill, the focus now turns to legislation before the Senate to fix the weaknesses in America’s newly adopted health care policy.

“For weeks all we have heard about from Senate Republicans is the flaws in the Senate legislation. Now it is their chance to vote through reconciliation to repeal the Louisiana Purchase and Cornhusker Kickback and other obvious errors in the original bill," said Pelz.

Please take a moment and go to the Washington Democrats website to thank our delegation for supporting health care reform.

And while you're at it, go to Jay Clough's Campaign and make a donation. Our current Congressman voted NO in unison with his fellow travelers. We need a Congressman who cares about the people in CD 4.

BECOME A DELEGATE TO THE STATE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION!

2010-03-05T13:31:00.000-08:00

Every two years, the Washington State Democrats host Caucuses, County Conventions, and a State Convention. You are invited to take part in these events, which play a big part in defining and building the Washington State Democratic Party. This year, the State Convention will be held on Saturday, June 26th, in Vancouver, Washington.

By taking part in the Caucus and Convention cycle you can define what the Party stands for by helping to develop our platform. You can meet other Democrats and work together to make the Party stronger. You can become involved in the Party and lay the groundwork for further political work in your community.

In 2008 we began the Caucus and Convention cycle with over 6,000 precinct caucuses across the state. Because this is not a Presidential election year, we will not hold precinct caucuses. This year, the first step to be a delegate to Vancouver will be the Legislative District Caucuses on Sunday, March 14th. These are followed by the County Conventions on April 10th and our State Convention on June 26th. The Klickitat County Convention will include the LD15 Sub-caucus instead of having a separate LD event.

You may run for Delegate if:

You are a resident registered voter in Klickitat County.

You are available to serve at the State Convention June 26 in Vancouver.

To run for Delegate:

Sign the nomination list at the registration table at the County Convention. No second for nomination is needed.
If you cannot be present at the Convention/LD subcaucus, submit a written statement thatyou will serve if elected, and that you are a Democrat and willing to be known as such. Your letter will be read by the sub-caucus chair and shall constitute a nomination.

At the Convention/LD Sub-caucus:

Each candidate will be given one minute for speech on their behalf.

Voting is by signed ballot.

Delegates and alternates will be selected from the same set of ballots, in order of vote tally. Each delegation will be equally divided between women and men in both the delegate and alternate categories (unless there are insufficient nominees from one gender to fill available positions).

Once elected:

Delegates and alternates will be given a certificate of election.

Each delegate will be requested to pay a $50 state convention registration fee. No person shall be excluded or disqualified at any level on the basis of non-payment of the fee.

The delegates and alternates elected at the County Convention will join the Klickitat County Delegation to the State Convention, including the State Committeeman, State Committeewoman, and County Chair. A strong Democratic Party is the foundation for election of our candidates, and your participation will help build and strengthen the Party. The work we do now will lay the groundwork for Senator Murray's reelection in the fall, and President Obama's in 2012. Consider running for a delegate position on April 10th.

What is The Constitution Party?

2010-03-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

Following the announcement that Mary Ruth Edwards would be challenging Doc Hastings (see previous post), we got this from DM via our CD4 Chair to educate us on what she's about:

Mary Ruth Edwards announced Monday that she would run as a "Constitution Party" candidate for Doc Hastings' seat in the U.S. House. On her website, Mary Ruth says:

“We need to start our own party and name it the Constitution Party.” She went home from one meeting and googled “constitution party.” To her surprise, she discovered there already is a Constitution Party. While reading their platform, she kept thinking, “Wow! These guys think exactly like I do!” She soon became a card-carrying Constitution Party member and currently acts as the Benton County Coordinator."

In case you are wondering what people "exactly like" Mary Ruth think, here are some items from the Washington State Constitution Party's Platform taken directly from their website:

Core Principles
The goal of the Constitution Party is to restore American jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations...
The U.S. Constitution established a Republic rooted in Biblical law under the authority of Jesus Christ...

Social Security

The Constitution grants no authority to the federal government to administrate a Social Security system. The Constitution Party advocates phasing out the entire Social Security program...

Health Care

We denounce ... socialized medicine, e.g., Medicare;
We advocate ... the elimination of the federal Food and Drug Administration

Choice

Abortion may not be declared lawful by any institution of state or local government - legislative, judicial, or executive ... without exception (including cases of) rape and incest...

We also oppose the distribution and use of all abortifacients. (birth control pills)

Representative Government

...it is also vital that we repeal the Seventeenth Amendment and return to state legislatures the function of electing the U.S. Senate.

Military

We reject the policies and practices that permit women to train for or participate in combat. Because of the radical feminization of the military over the past two decades, it must be recognized that these "advances" undermine the integrity and morale of our military organizations by dual qualification standards and forced integration. (Mary Ruth Edwards advertises on her website that she is a former Marine).

Medicare, Federal Highways, Dams, etc.

Domestic federal "aid" not authorized by the Constitution is not only illegal, it is immoral. We call upon the states, therefore, to decline to accept all monies from the federal government for any purpose...

Education

All teaching is related to basic assumptions about God and man. Education as a whole, therefore, cannot be separated from religious faith.
(Mary Ruth Edwards is currently a public school teacher in Prosser).

Election Reform

The Voting Rights Act should be repealed. The Federal Election Campaign Act, including its 1974 amendments, and the Federal Election Commission should be abolished.

Energy (Hanford)

We call for abolishing the Department of Energy.

Gay Rights

The law of our Creator defines marriage as the union between one man and one woman. No government may legitimately authorize or define marriage or family relations contrary to what God has instituted. We oppose any legal recognition of homosexual unions.

Foreign Policy

(We) call upon the President, and Congress, to terminate United States membership in the United Nations...bar the United Nations, and its subsidiaries, from further operation...

NATO, for instance, serves no defensive purpose for the United States, and this country should withdraw from it.

The Judiciary

We particularly support all the legislation which would remove from Federal appellate review jurisdiction matters involving acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government.

Taxes

We propose legislation to abolish the Internal Revenue Service, and will veto any authorization, appropriation, or continuing resolution which contains any funding whatsoever for that illicit and unconstitutional agency.

There is substantial evidence that the 16th Amendment was never legally ratified. When elected, we will act to cease collection of direct Federal personal income taxes.
Source:

http://www.constitutionpartyofwa.com/platform.html

CD4 Gets a Little More Interesting

2010-03-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

Conservative sets sights on unseating Doc Hastings

By PAT MUIR
Yakima Herald-Republic

Hoping to capitalize on the burgeoning conservative grass-roots movement, Mary Ruth Edwards announced Monday that she would run for Doc Hastings' seat in the U.S. House.

Edwards, a 49-year-old Prosser elementary school teacher, will run as a Constitution Party candidate. She announced her candidacy with a news release, joining a race that includes Democrat Jay Clough, who announced in November that he was running.

Hastings has not announced plans for a campaign but is the Republican Party's presumptive candidate in the 4th Congressional District, which he has represented since winning election in 1994.

Edwards is a former Marine and a single mother of two, who advises the drama department at Prosser High School along with her job teaching at Whitstran Elementary School. In 2009 she founded a local group within the 912 Project -- the grass-roots movement led by conservative commentator Glenn Beck. She is running on a platform of state sovereignty and strict constitutionalism.

"Our constitution has been virtually shredded," she said by phone Monday. "In the last 100 years, our Constitution has been under attack."

Edwards is concerned with the federal government's assumption of duties not expressly bestowed upon it by the Constitution. As a teacher, she's been particularly frustrated by federal
education policy.

"Mary Ruth will work to repeal all federal legislation regarding education," her campaign Web site says.

She's also big on gun rights.

"She stands against all laws which would require the registration of guns or ammunition," the Web site says.

Hastings has never come close to losing the U.S. House seat he took from Democrat Jay Inslee in 1994. He has garnered at least 60 percent of the vote in every election since 1998, including in 2008 when he beat Democrat George Fearing, 63 percent to 37 percent. Congressional Quarterly, which keeps tabs on elections nationwide, lists his 4th District seat as "safe Republican."

Edwards, who has never held elected office, said she chose to go after the federal seat rather than a local elected office after praying for guidance on the matter.

"If I'm going to do anything, I'm going to do it big," she said.

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/03/02/conservative-sets-sights-on-unseating-doc-hastings

Well Said

2010-02-23T11:08:00.000-08:00

Two good columns in the Oregonian this week, and it's only Tuesday!

First was Leonard Pitts' from Monday about facts being stubborn things, but they are facts.

To listen to talk radio, to watch TV pundits, to read a newspaper’s online message board, is to realize that increasingly, we are a people estranged from critical thinking, divorced from logic, alienated from even objective truth. We admit no ideas that do not confirm us, hear no voices that do not echo us, sift out all information that does not validate what we wish to believe.

Read the whole thing here. BTW, His Valentine's Day column on Sarah Palin was quite the read.

Today, E. J. Dionne addresses "The Elephant at the Health Care Summit".

Obama is saying: Look -- he always says “look” when he’s impatient -- Democrats have already included a lot of Republican suggestions in these health reform bills, and here they are. What more do you want? If the only way to get Republican votes is for moderate and liberal Democrats to enact conservative Republican ideas into law, that’s not bipartisanship. That’s capitulation. Can’t you see that?

The Polling Has Begun

2010-02-22T15:10:00.000-08:00

One of our Klickitat Democrats was called the other night.

I got one of those “taking a poll” calls on Saturday. The primary focus of the call seemed to be that they were polling people to see If they thought it was a good idea to get rid of 800-900 union jobs for the State Liquor control, close all the state liquor stores and put the sales of liquor in the grocery stores. For some reason, I tend to think the poll might have also been related to Safeway, Costco or Walmart, because my attitude toward all three was asked.

I don’t agree with putting liquor sales in the stores. Too little control on who buys it….

We've got some serious budget issues in our state, as do most of the lower 48. There will probably lots of polls coming to take the pulse of the people. Usually you can't figure out where they are coming from until near the end, when more questions are asked about your reaction to specific companies, people or products.

So it would be interesting if our readers would send in their polling experiences. Gives us all something to think about (in case we get called). Feel free to share comments and experiences.

As for the State Liquor stores, this writer has lived in half a dozen states with laws that range from all alcohol, including wine and beer, sold in liquor stores only to all alcohol sold everywhere and you can drink it in public as long as it is in a plastic cup (think French Quarter). I have no problem with WA having State Liquor stores, for control purposes as well as the alcohol awareness programs they fund. Alcohol abuse is a serious problem, especially among our young people. I drink mostly wine and beer anyway, conveniently available in grocery stores. Getting rid of state liquor stores is not high on my priority list of issues, though I'm sure the big chains which would like to get a piece of the action disagree.

Klickitat County Supports Education

2010-02-12T11:55:00.001-08:00

Latest election results:

Election Results

February 9, 2010

Certification Date:	02/24/2010
Number of Precincts:	24
Number of Registered Voters:	9177
Total Ballots Cast:	4776
Ballots Left to Count:	-
Next Ballot Count On:	Feb 23 2010 5:00PM
Last Tabulated:	Feb 11 2010 2:11PM
Voter Turnout:	52.04%

SCHOOL DISTRICT # 116/219

Prosser Consolidated School District No. 116-219 Proposition No. 1 Replacement Of Expiring Maintenance And Operation Levy

Combined County Results

Candidate

Votes

Votes %

Yes

65.22%

34.78%

SCHOOL DISTRICT # 215

CENTERVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 215 PROPOSITION NO. 1 EXCESS LEVY FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION LEVY

Candidate

Votes

Votes %

Tax Levy Yes

125

62.50%

Tax Levy No

37.50%

SCHOOL DISTRICT # 401

Glenwood School District No. 401 GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES LEVY

Candidate

Votes

Votes %

Tax Levy YES

118

65.92%

Tax Levy NO

34.08%

SCHOOL DISTRICT # 402

Klickitat School District No. 402 MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION LEVY

Candidate

Votes

Votes %

Yes

125

70.22%

29.78%

SCHOOL DISTRICT # 404

Goldendale School District No. 404 Replacement Maintenance and Operation Levy

Candidate

Votes

Votes %

Tax Levy-Yes

1,480

64.04%

Tax Levy-No

831

35.96%

SCHOOL DISTRICT # 405

White Salmon Valley School District No. 405/17 REPLACEMENT MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION LEVY

Combined County Results

Candidate

Votes

Votes %

LEVY...YES

996

52.98%

LEVY...NO

884

47.02%

Don't Kill the Gorge Commission

2010-02-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

Heads up from Friends of the Gorge:

Bad news.  A bill has popped up in the Washington
legislature to repeal the Columbia Gorge Compact,
which would effectively put the Columbia River Gorge
Commission out of business. It is fromRep. Kevin
Van De Wege, a democrat from Sequim who doesn't appear
to have anything in particular against the Gorge,
he just wants to cut costs. However the savings,
which would amount to 1/100th of 1% of the current
deficit in Olympia, is wiped out by the one-time
costs to pay off the lease and pay insurance and
unemployment costs.

The Columbia Gorge is one of the most beloved treasures
in the Pacific Northwest. This bill puts in jeopardy what
everyone wants: a beautiful Columbia Gorge for
generations to come.

Friends of the Gorge is asking that you take one
minute to email or call your State Representative and
ask that they contact the Speaker of the House to pull
this bill before it goes for a floor vote.

Please visit this website to take action:

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5111/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1878

We Have Issues...

2010-02-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

We get lots of emails about issues and proposed legislation from national, state and local entities. We'll be posting some of the local and state issues in this blog to help you make your voice heard. Today we got mail from our State Vice Chair, who is doing a great job fostering communication between the State Party and local Democrats, helping us focus our efforts.

Lawns are not big deals here in the gorge. Most of us know about water shortages, watering restrictions, the negative impact runoff has to fish and water quality, and the benefits of native plantings. But not everyone is as savvy when it comes to lawns and fertilizers. There is even a sample letter you can copy and paste.

From Sharon Smith:

Yesterday we received something really shameful. Senske Lawn & Tree Care sent out an email (we received it forwarded to us) opposing some really important legislation. Go to http://cforjustice.org/2010/02/10/lawn-services-in-a-lather/ to learn more about the email.

We need to take action to support these bills that are very important to us. A coalition of environmental groups, water quality professionals, industry and municipalities have proposed a bill that would restrict the use of phosphorus in lawn fertilizer. Phosphorus impacts water quality in our waterways by increasing algae blooms and noxious weeds and reducing oxygen levels that is necessary for fish. The chemical industry is in Olympia confusing the issue and we’ve got to clear it up before the bill gets killed.

Please write your Senators and Representatives and tell them to pass SB 6289 and HB 2744. There’s even a letter below that you can use so it’ll only take a minute!

Go to http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx to find your elected officials and send them an email as soon as possible. Also, copy Senator Marr and Representative Ormsby. As two of our sponsors, they want to know that this bill is supported! Chris Marr: marr.chris@leg.wa.gov Representative Timm Ormsby: Ormsby.timm@leg.wa.gov.

Dear XX:

Please support Senate Bill 6289 and its companion bill HB 2744, an act protecting lake water quality by reducing phosphorus from lawn fertilizers. The chemical industry has mounted a strong campaign encouraging you not to support it, but I am here to tell you why you should support it.

Our lakes and rivers are under incredible stress from excess phosphorus sources. It causes all kinds of water quality issues such as increased aquatic plant growth, decreased dissolved oxygen levels and increased algae blooms.

This bill is good for Washington waters:

You do not need phosphorus to control lawn disease

The opposition says that by limited phosphorus you encourage ringspot disease in lawns. This is not true. Washington State University states that ringspots are caused by too much or too little water and not too little phosphorus.

By taking phosphorus out of fertilizer you control a difficult source of pollution.

The opposition states that phosphorus is actually coming from other sources like pet waste, septics, and decaying leaves. That is true, BUT the actual amounts coming from these sources are not quantified and they are all sources which are very hard to control. However, taking phosphorus (which isn’t even needed) out of lawn fertilizer is an effective way to reduce the amount reaching lakes and rivers. It also helps all the companies who are charged with trying to reach prescribed phosphorus levels such as Inland Paper Company and Avista, both are companies that support this bill.

The science shows that decreasing phosphorus in fertilizer protects our water quality. A study in Michigan has seen a decrease up to 28% in phosphorus in stormwater runoff thanks to the ban in place.

Soil tests can cost as little as $30

The opposition is saying that the soil tests are cost prohibitive to citizens. This is simply not true. There are plenty of labs that run soil tests for around $30. The bill only asks for a soil test when a resident wants to apply fertilizer containing phosphorus. People can use the phosphorus-free fertilizers according to label application rates without a soil test.

Plenty of phosphorus in soil and when extra is applied, it runs off

It has been show that Washington soils generally have plenty of phosphorus in the soil. When a soil has enough phosphorus, extra phosphorus can not be bound to the soil particles and with watering of the lawn the excess phosphorus just runs into the nearest lake, river, or storm drain.

Established lawns don’t need phosphorus

Established lawns are desired for the beautiful green color, and that comes from the additional nitrogen not phosphorus.

Thank you for your time and consideration – I urge you to support Senate Bill 6289 and its companion House Bill 2744.

Senate Race Competition

2010-02-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

A message from our CD4 'Fearing' Leader:

In addition to working for the election of Jay Clough this fall, we will also be working for the reelection of Washington’s best United States Senator ever, Patty Murray. Below is a link to speeches delivered by Republican challengers to the little lady in tennis shoes.

The Reclining Chair (aka George Fearing)

http://washingtonpatriothub.org/CampaignCentral/SenateCandidates11610/tabid/349/Default.aspx

Message from George Fearing

2010-01-25T15:19:00.000-08:00

For an entire decade during my teenage years, the Democratic Party held Central Washington's seat in Congress. As recently as the 1990s, Democrats, north and south, also served Central Washington in the Washington State Legislature.

Unfortunately, Republicans have held the congressional seat of the Fourth Congressional District since 1994. No Democrat living in the Fourth CD has served in the state legislature for the past 8 years. A handful of Central Washington's Democrats hold local offices, both partisan and nonpartisan, but the number is few and wanting.

The Democratic Party built Central Washington's dams, irrigation projects, and the Hanford site. The region's agricultural economy and energy industry prosper more under Democratic Party governance than Republican Party rule. The Democratic Party should be the party of Central Washington.

The time for the Democratic Party to promote its message throughout Central Washington-- and in turn, elect members to Congress, the Washington State Legislature, and local offices-- is long overdue. Please join me in rebuilding the Democratic Party in Central Washington.

I urge you to donate to the Fourth Congressional District Democratic Committee for party building efforts. The money will be used to spread the message of the Democratic Party throughout Central Washington, including radio spots, billboards and other communications. The Fourth Congressional District Committee will approve specific projects. I also urge you to become involved in and attend meetings of the Fourth Congressional District Democratic Committee. Not only will you have a say in how the money is spent, but you will earn the satisfaction of making changes in Central Washington.

Please make your check payable to the Fourth Congressional District Democratic Committee, address 2415 W. Falls Avenue, Kennewick, WA 99336.

Let's make Central Washington red, white, blue and green again!

Democratically yours,
George Fearing, Chair
Fourth Congressional District Democratic Committee

Congressional District Meeting

2010-01-25T14:55:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, the 4th Congressional District Democratic Committee met in Ellensburg, WA, chaired by George Fearing (our 2008 CD 4 Candidate). There were 48 PCO's and members in attendance, including two from Klickitat County and 4 from Skamania County. The main order of business was discussion and action regarding the 4th CD Candidate Endorsement. Last week, the 15th LD endorsed Jay Clough as their 2010 candidate for the 4th CD. The State Committee is meeting this coming weekend, and candidate endorsements will be on the agenda there.

The first vote was whether the 4th CD should ask the WSDCC to postpone its Jan 30 choice or to approve the selection on Jan 30. The next possible dates for a vote to endorse would be June 26 at the State Convention, or in September, after the primary. The majority of those present decided that the early endorsement date would benefit our candidate the most.

The second vote was should the 4th CD recommend a nominee to the WSDCC for the Jan 30 meeting. Again, the majority voted yes.

The third vote was for a nominee. There were two potential nominees present: Lewis Picton and Jay Clough. Both gave 7 minute speeches to the group, followed by a question and answer period. Mr. Clough had three people speak briefly on his behalf. Signed secret ballots were cast, and Jay Clough was nominated by more than the necessary 2/3 majority. His name will be forward to the State Committee by both the 4th CD and the 15th LD for endorsement on Saturday.

In other business, by-laws were readopted, and a proposal for office space rental at the Yakima Democrats Headquarters was approved.

Any Democrat living in the 4th CD may join this District Committee by paying dues of $15 ($25 per couple). Dues paying members become voting members. PCO's are automatically voting members. Any Klickitat County PCOs who are interested in participating at this level are welcome at the meetings. They will be launching a website soon, and the link will be posted when it is available.

State Legislature Is Open For Business

2010-01-13T12:20:00.000-08:00

Governor Gregoire opened the new legislative session with her State of the State Address, which can be viewed on video here, and read here.

Fuse Washington (www.fusewashington.org) has placed a great staffer on the ground in Olympia to work on a number of aggressive Progressive projects. As part of the coalition mentioned in the previous post, thousands of petitions urging tax increases were delivered to Governor Gregoire, Senator Brown and Speaker Chopp (Senator Brown has scheduled a follow up meeting with the presenters this week to discuss more deeply). Also this week, Fuse faced off with Tim Eyman as he was proposing his latest initiatve. The video of the encounter is worth the watch.

As we gear up for the elections, it's a little comforting to know there are some extra forces at work legislatively this session.

Stand with the Governor

2010-01-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

The next 60 days will define what Washington State stands for.

The 2010 Washington State Legislative Session begins today in Olympia, and lawmakers face the difficult task of closing our state’s $2.6 billion budget gap. They have two options: make more spending cuts or raise more money.

Governor Gregoire and Democratic leadership know we can’t afford more spending cuts. They know that an "all-cuts" budget would severely damage our state’s core services like education, health care, and programs for the poor and elderly -- services already hurt during last year’s budget process. That’s why they’ll propose a more balanced approach to closing the shortfall, which will include finding new sources of revenue and closing tax loopholes.

However, they are under tremendous pressure to cave into "Eymanomics" - to slash funding for critical services, hurt millions of people and put our economic future at risk.

The budget process will be a battle. We need to stand behind Governor Gregoire and Democratic leadership. Please sign this petition telling them that we support their opposition to an all-cuts budget and favor their balanced approach to the state’s financial problems:

http://www.fusewashington.org/page/s/wademspetition

If the culture of Tim Eyman wins, the results would devastate our state and hurt our kids, our jobs, the vulnerable, and the environment. Governor Gregoire understands this. Last month, she released a supplemental budget that was required by law to include no new sources of revenue.

Her all-cuts budget eliminates the Basic Health Plan, an insurance program for the working poor. It also eliminates the General Assistance-Unemployable (GAU) program, a safety net for the disabled. It suspends funding for school-levy equalization, which aids poor school districts, and all-day kindergarten.

An all-cuts budget is not acceptable, and Governor Gregoire agrees. That’s why she’ll release a new budget tomorrow that will restore those services.

We need you to take action and show the governor that we support her opposition to an all-cuts budget. Please click on the following link and sign the petition:

http://www.fusewashington.org/page/s/wademspetition

New Year, New Election Season

2010-01-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

The Klickitat Democrat Executive Board celebrated with a meeting today to remedy a few pressing issues. First and foremost, we regretfully accepted the resignation of our chairwoman, Lea Rachford. Lea has a new full time job, and will be unable to put her usual energy into the chair position. State Committeman Bob Hansen has stepped up as Acting Chairman, and State Committeewoman Lorrie DeKay will fill in as Acting Vice Chair until a Vice Chair is found.

If anyone is looking for a new volunteer opportunity as a New Year's Resolution, our merry band of Democrats could use you! Besides the open leadership positions, we could use help in several areas:

PCO's (Precinct Committee Officers)
Platform Coordinator
Yard Sale Coordinator, or other fundraising help/ideas

We will be posting details on these positions on our website in the days to come. Please think about joining us in moving our Democratic agenda forward in Klickitat County, Legislative District 15, Congressional District 4 and the State of Washington. To improve the odds of getting more involvement, we will have our next Excomm meeting on Tuesday evening, February 9, at Los Reyes Restaurant in Bingen, 6:30 pm. We'll have a bite to eat and work on the agenda for the next few months. With a Congressional race shaping up, and the State Convention coming up in June, we'll have lots to talk about.

If you are interested in joining us, you can email info@klickitatdemocrats.org and let us know. Someone will call you!

DNC Presidential Primary Rules Changes

2010-01-04T15:56:00.000-08:00

From Dwight Pelz, State Party Chairman:

I thought you would be interested in this summary of the recomendations of the Change Commission of the DNC regarding Delegate Selection in 2012. The major impact is to drastically reduce the number of Super Delegates, and have them instead vote to reflect the results of their state's primary or caucuses.

For Immediate Release

December 30, 2009

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine Issued the Following Statement on the Democratic Change Commission's Recommendations to Improve the Presidential Nominating Process

Washington - DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement after the Democratic Change Commission this afternoon voted to approve its recommendations to the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee designed to improve the Presidential nominating process. The Commission was created as a result of a resolution passed unanimously by the delegates in attendance at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. The Commission made its recommendations to the Rules and Bylaws Committee by unanimous agreement.

The recommendations include pushing back the window of time during which primaries and caucuses may be held; converting unpledged delegates (DNC members, Democratic Members of the House and Senate, Democratic Governors and Distinguished Former Party Leaders) to a new category of pledged delegate called the National Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official (NPLEO) delegates, which will be allocated to Presidential candidates based on the state wide primary or caucus results; and establishing a best practices program for caucus states to improve and strengthen their caucuses. Under the Commission's recommendations - the pre-primary window could not begin until February 1st or thereafter, and the primary window could not begin until the second Tuesday in March or thereafter.

The recommendations come after nearly a year of discussion about how best to improve the system to make it as accessible and open as possible.

The Democratic Change Commission was tasked by a resolution passed during the 2008 Democratic Convention with recommending changes to the Democratic Party's rules for the 2012 Presidential nominating and delegate selection process.

By appointing the Change Commission this spring, Gov. Kaine has followed through on President Obama's promise made during the election to reexamine and improve the Democratic primary process.

Gov. Kaine, President Obama, and the Democratic Party believe that improving the primary system is an important priority, and that the process should be as inclusive and accessible as possible.

The Democratic Change Commission was tasked by the delegates to the 2008 Democratic Convention with doing three things:

1. Changing the window of time during which primaries and caucuses may be held

2. Reducing the number of super delegates

3. Improving the caucus system.

The Commission is made up of 34 members and two co-chairs (for 36 members total) and represents a diverse mix of DNC members, elected officials, representatives of State Parties, academics, organized labor officials, grassroots activists, and other Party leaders.

The Progressive Predicament

2009-12-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks to RB for sharing this, from The Weekly Sift.

The Progressive Predicament

Watching the ever-shrinking reform of the health-care system has made a number of progressives ask some bigger, harder questions. Thomas Shaller wonders why

the bar to clear for public support seems to be asymmetrically higher for progressive agenda items than conservative agenda items. ... the political reality that less support is needed, say, to pass a tax cut for rich people or start a war than is needed to expand health care coverage or raise the minimum wage

And John Aravosis asks:

how was George Bush so effective in passing legislation during his presidency when he never had more than 55 Republicans in the Senate?

DailyKos' thereisnospoon says outright that Obama and the Democrats in Congress sold us out on health care and financial reform, and delivers this wake-up slap-in-the-face:

He hasn't done this because he's a bad guy. In fact, he's a great guy. I think he's doing pretty much the best job he can. He's sold you out because he's not afraid of you. And really, if I may be so bold, he shouldn't be afraid of you. You don't know who really runs the show, and you're far too fickle and manipulable to count on.

S/he (I'm not sure) laughs at the idea that Democrats could elect a president and 60 senators and then expect that they will go off and work our will. It's more difficult than that.

The Right has built vast networks of think tanks, newspapers, periodicals, cable news channels, and political advocacy organizations to spread their finely tuned, well-honed messages. Their politicians may fail them, and their actual policies may be deeply unpopular, but their message machine nearly always works its magic to get them what they want, even when Democrats are in power.

That's partly because the American political Right never quits and never gives up. They know that organization is the key to their success, and they don't trust politicians to do their work for them. Democrats, on the other hand, get disappointed and quit when our politicians don't pan out the way we wanted. That's why we lose.

Until liberals have an equivalent level of organization, s/he claims, our agenda will always fall by the wayside.

OpenLeft's Paul Rosenberg pulls a bunch of this together, and then makes some very good observations about structural problems in the American political system.

We are the only advanced industrial nation with a pronounced and persistent class skew to our rates of voter participation-a skew that persistently under-represents progressive views, and like any feature of the political system that has endured this long, there is nothing accidental, incidental, casual, or individual about this.

Sure it's specific individuals who are not voting, but their non-participation is not fundamentally a result of individual choice. They are responding rationally to the fact that their votes don't make a difference, that politicians don't listen to people like them, and that paying attention to politics only gets their hopes up in order to dash them--an extra helping of bitter disappointment that they really don't need in their lives.

He proposes an agenda to change the nature of the political process: election reform, strengthening unions, immigration reform so that we no longer have a non-voting underclass, and so on. Democrats pay lip service to this stuff, but haven't put any real muscle behind it.

It all comes down to the difference between corporations and people. Corporations are rich, they're totally amoral, they never take their eyes off the ball, and they don't get discouraged. People aren't like that. So a political movement that looks out for people is disadvantaged when it faces a political movement that looks out for corporations. This doesn't mean that people can't win, but they've got to face their disadvantages squarely.

Good Read for the Day

2009-12-21T09:52:00.000-08:00

E J Dionne has a thoughtful column today on the Senate Health Care Reform situation. Urging progressives "don't scream, organize", he warns now is not the time to throw up our hands.

Of course what has happened on the health care bill is enraging. It's quite clear that substantial majorities in both houses of Congress favored either a public option or a Medicare buy-in.

In a normal democracy, such majorities would work their will, a law would pass, and champagne corks would pop. But everyone must get it through their heads that thanks to the now bizarre habits of the Senate, we are no longer a normal democracy.

Because of a front of Republican obstruction and the ludicrous idea that all legislation requires a supermajority of 60 votes, power has passed from the majority to tiny minorities, sometimes minorities of one.

Worse, more influence in this system flows to those willing to kill a bill than to those who most devoutly want to pass one. The paradox in this case is that senators who care most passionately about extending health coverage to 31 million Americans have the least power.

He notes how dysfunctional the Senate is, and if you read the comments on this article in the Oregonian, the writers miss the fact that the D's do NOT have 60 votes.

What transpired was thus not the product of some magic show in which more conservative senators are endowed with mysteriously ingenious negotiating abilities while liberals are a bunch of bunglers. The whole system is biased to the right because the Senate itself -- a body in which Wyoming and Utah have as much representation as New York and California -- is tilted in a conservative direction. The 60-vote requirement empowers conservatives even more.

Democrats have no purity pledge when they run as Democrats. Indeed, there are Democrats in some states which shall remain nameless but you know who they are, who would be R's any place else. The presence of only a few 'centrist' R's, like Maine's senators, underscores the vanishing species of 'just right of center' politicians in the GOP.

This whole process is very frustrating. Op Eds bash 'Obama's Health Care Bill' when in fact it's been castrated by the GOP efforts to stop any reform at all. But we progressives need to get over our anger, and resist walking away from this mess. No excuses. We should join the likes of Jay Rockefeller and Sherrod Brown, and ramp it up.

In the meantime, progressives such as Brown and Rockefeller are right to be fighting with all their might to push through this less than perfect but still remarkably decent proposal.

To vote against it, Rockefeller said when I caught up with him recently, "you have to be for not covering 30 million people ... you have to be for denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions ... you have to be against helping small businesses buy health insurance." His list went on and on and on, making the point that this bill represents rather astonishing progress.

Brown is of the same view, and also points to where progressives now need to direct their energies. Senate passage of this bill is not the final step. The Senate proposal, Brown said in an interview, can still be improved.

Let's urge our Senators and Representatives to get the final bill closer to the House bill than it is to the Senate bill and keep the pressure on to constantly improve it. If we'd had imperfect health care legislation back when the Clintons were working on it, think of how it could have been morphed into something GOOD by now. Inaction is not an option.

It's a lot easier to improve a system premised on the idea that everyone should have health coverage than to create such a system in the first place. Better to take a victory and build on it than to label victory as defeat.

Victory for Democrats

2009-12-01T09:54:00.000-08:00

Dwight Pelz
Chair, Washington State Democratic Party
November 21, 2009

If the Democrats get 60 votes for cloture this week, then a health care bill will probably pass the Senate. The bill will go to Conference Committee, and a new health care bill will emerge which can be expected to pass both houses and be signed by the President. When that happens, it will be a great victory for Democrats and working families in America.

When Congress passes a health care bill it will be declaring that health care for Americans below the age of Medicare is now a federal responsibility. Health care will join the list of issues "federalized" in the last 75 years by Congress: unemployment, retirement, and health care for seniors. Congress created unemployment insurance and Social Security in 1935, and Medicare in 1965.

The fierce battle taking place in America over this issue is actually a more critical battle of whether it is the role of government to solve problems facing our nation. This opposition is spearheaded by forces and ideas that have not accepted, and still seek to roll back, the New Deal.

For the greater part of the 20th Century it was the clear understanding of both political parties that the role of government was to solve problems, and that taxes were to be collected to finance these solutions. Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon were classic New Deal American political liberals in this tradition. Eisenhower had utilized the full power of the American government to defeat Hitler; then directed the government to build the Interstate system and to respond to Sputnik by investing in education. Nixon was the greatest environmental President of all time, responding to Rachel Carson and the first Earth Day by passing the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and creating the Environmental Protection Agency.

Kennedy thrilled America with his challenge, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Lyndon Johnson was the last New Deal President, passing the Great Society, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and Medicare.

It was Ronald Reagan and his right wing oil patch patrons that declared war on the role of government in America. Reagan announced that "government is the problem, not the solution.", and promised that the way to improve government was to starve it of its funds. He cut the top income tax rates for his patrons from 70% to 28%, and launched an era of 25 years in which the income for the median American family remained flat while the top 1% doubled, and top .01% quadrupled.

GW Bush picked up Ronald Reagan's torch and carried it with a vengeance. He almost repealed Social Security, the New Deal bulwark once considered untouchable by American politicians. He became the first President to cut taxes during a war, reducing the rates for his friends in the top one percent by $930 billion, while creating a $1 trillion deficit in the midst of a growing economy. Bush asked his political base, “What can your country do for you?”

To illustrate how far we moved on the role of government, take the issue of poverty. When Michael Harrington's 1962 book "The Other America" identified destitute families and communities in America, his findings shocked the nation. In 1964, Congress, on a bi-partisan vote, quickly declared "War on Poverty". In George Bush's America we came to accept the homeless sleeping on the streeet, and beggars on every freeway ramp. These were simply the "have nots" in Bush's "Ownership Society".

Barack Obama has challenged the Reagan/Bush doctrine that the government should not confront the myriad problems facing America. In his Inaugural Address he said, "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified." Obama has called on the government to end the Recession, enact health care reform, curb global warming, and boost clean energy jobs.

The opposition to the health care bill is fierce because the stakes are so high. FOX News commentators and Right Wing intellectuals lie daily about the basic facts of our health care system and the proposed legislation. Republicans in Congress offer no solutions because they do not believe the federal government should play a role in fixing the health care system.

If Congress enacts health care reform in the weeks ahead, the legislation will not be perfect. But once it becomes a federal policy matter, Congress will be forced in the future to improve the system and root out the inefficiencies and inequities. As that happens, it will be a great victory for Democrats and working families in America.

Holiday Party Time

2009-11-19T12:35:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars for Sunday, December 13th. The Klickitat Democrats will be hosting a party at the Lyle Lions Club, 5th St and State Hwy 14, from 1:30-4:30 pm. Wear your dancing shoes because The Old Time Fiddlers will be there playing some lively tunes for us.

The food theme for the pot luck will be salads and pies. Get creative!

We are asking everyone to bring canned goods for the Food Bank to help those less fortunate than ourselves during the holiday season.

Powerdale Dam Decommissioning

2009-11-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

With our own Condit Dam project in the works, some might be interested in the project across the big river. Note that the Columbia Land Trust sponsored Powerdale Open House event will not be a traditional meeting format. It will be a true open house, which means you can show up at any time between 5 and 7 pm to learn about the coming land transfer and make your recommendations on the future management strategy. Show up at 5, however, to hear a welcome and introduction by the CLT staff. Thanks to Pat for keeping us 'in the know'.

PacifiCorp Powerdale Dam Decommissioning and Land Transfer

Community Information Meeting

When: Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 5:00 pm

Where: Hood River Valley Adult Center

2010 Sterling Place Hood River, OR

Kathleen Room

Columbia Land Trust is hosting a community meeting to discuss transfer of the lands associated with the Powerdale Hydroelectric Project and proposed management strategies for those lands.

In 2012, it is anticipated that PacifiCorp, owners of the project, will transfer their associated project lands to Columbia Land Trust, Hood River County and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to ensure a future that benefits fish and wildlife, and retains existing recreational uses.

Overall management strategies, restoration project goals and activities, and recreational uses will be discussed. Please come share your thoughts. A representative from PacifiCorp will also be in attendance to discuss the decommissioning of the Project.

For more information contact Brad Paymar at 360-213-1208

Doc Watch

2009-11-16T13:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to The Other Side Online for keeping us up on Doc Hastings' voting record.

In the House of Representatives, there were four votes recently concerning various aspects of our military where Dick Hastings just didn’t vote:

H RES 868- Honoring and Recognizing the Achievements of Women Who Are Current and Former Members of the Military.

S 509- Authorizing a Major Medical Facility Project at the Walla Walla Department of Veterans Affairs facility

H R 1168- Veterans Retraining Act

H RES 291- Recognizing Service and Assistance Dogs in Helping Disabled Veterans Live More Independent Lives.

More on the Walla Walla facility and Doc's inaction here.

Thanks, Yakima Democrats. We'll be keeping an eye on your blog!

Add this Blog to Your Favorites!

2009-11-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

Just found this great blog to keep us up to date on wider CD 4 issues. Now that Jay Clough has announced he's running against Doc, we need to keep up! Check out The Other Side Online and put it on your favorite links!

Institute for a Democratic Future

2009-11-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year…the Institute for a Democratic Future (IDF) is officially accepting applications for the class of 2010!

Do you know any talented adults, ages 21-36, who might be interested in this coming year's class?

IDF is a six-month long civics program for men and women focusing on three core areas: public policy, the legislative process and campaigns/elections. The program is entering its 13th year and we are looking forward to hope to have another excellent class who will continue to do great things post-graduation: working for our Democratic allies, moving public policy mountains, shaking up the Washington establishment, running campaigns and running for office.

Our six-month program, which will start in January 2010, will take next year's class all over the state and to Washington DC. We will hear from elected officials, alumni, policymakers and local leaders. To see the program calendar click here.

We're proud of our alumni:

Mark Rupp (‘01) is an attorney who worked for State Rep. Ed Murray and US Sen. Maria Cantwell and currently serves as Gov. Gregoire’s federal liaison in Washington, D.C.

Kevin Van de Wege, (’02), a firefighter from Sequim, was elected to represent the 24^th District in the Washington State House of Representatives in 2006.

Sudha Nandagopal (’08) and Kelly Drake (’07) work with Washington Conservation Voters to keep our elected  officials green and moving a green, pro-environment agenda forward.

Jennifer Estroff (’09), a community health educator in Ellensburg, got involved in politics through the Obama campaign and currently is the Kittitas County State Committeewoman and a member of the WSDCC Rules Committee.

These are just a few of our graduates who are changing the political landscape. IDF can count among its alumni labor leaders, congressional staff, policy analysts, campaign workers, political consultants, lawyers, fundraisers, and engaged citizens who volunteer on campaigns and in their communities. We are proud for our small part we play in these successes.

Can you help us build our next great class? Do you know someone who might be interested in our program? Send them our way!

For more detailed information on the program and to apply visit our website at www.democraticfuture.org. We'll be accepting applications through November 20. Please feel free to forward this email to anyone else who might be interested. If you have any questions or comments please call 425-395-4330 or contact me atovrobinson@gmail.com.

Olivia Robinson

Board Chair, Institute for a Democratic Future

Calling All CD 4 Democrat Writers

2009-11-09T16:15:00.000-08:00

On Being a Democrat in Central Washington: An Essay Contest
All too often, the majority of voters in Central Washington cast their ballots for Republican candidates and causes. We Democrats must do a better job of communicating our message.

To help shine a brighter light on our party’s principles and priorities, the Fourth Congressional District Democratic Committee is sponsoring an essay contest. Interested participants should answer this question: “What does it mean to be a Democrat in Central Washington?”

Qualifying essays must contain at least 300 words; there is otherwise no word limit, but clarity and brevity will be considered. The three judges will be Norman Luther, of Skamania County; Elaine Smith, of Yakima County; and Barbara Newman, of Kittitas County. Only those residing within the bountiful boundaries of Washington’s unrepresented Fourth Congressional District may enter this contest. Officers of the Fourth Congressional District are disqualified from entering the contest.

All entries must be submitted by midnight, Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Entries should be submitted to George Fearing, Leavy, Schultz, Davis & Fearing, P.S., 2415 W. Falls Avenue, Kennewick, WA 99336, or by e-mail to gfearing@tricitylaw.com.

Most, if not all, essays will be posted on the Fourth Congressional District Democratic Committee website.
Prizes will be awarded to the authors of the first place essay and the two runners-up.
Get your Democratic fingers punching the keyboard!!

Jay Clough Announces CD4 Run Today

2009-11-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: See today's Yakima Herald.

This was in Saturday's Yakima Herald.

If you were at the October meeting of Klickitat Dems, you got to meet Jay, who attended with George Fearing. The announcements were made today during a pair of campaign kickoff press conferences, one at Columbia Park in Kennewick and the other at Millenium Plaza in Yakima.

Jay graduated from Central Washington University with degrees in Pacific Asian studies and Chinese language. He served in the Marines from 1995 to 1999, attaining the rank of corporal. He is married and has lived in China, Japan and Korea.

Though he has no prior experience in local elective office, he feels international experience and younger perspective will have the greatest impact in Congress.

“With my international experience and my education, my desire was to serve my state and represent my state to the nation,” he said.

Look for more from Jay Clough in the coming months!

There may be another candidate making a formal announcement soon...stay tuned.

One Year, Looking Back

2009-11-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening, a dozen Klickitat Democrats met up at Everybody's Brewing to commemorate the one year anniversary (just a day late) of Barack Obama's election. It was a great turnout, with PCOs from White Salmon, N. Fruit Valley, Lyle and Trout Lake among the attendees. Everyone enjoyed the casual conversation, and we all got to know one another a little bit better.

We also checked election results online, and looked for some silver linings in the nonpartisan races. Among them: White Salmon city council and several fire district results. We all had a good laugh about 'Jobs' getting a 1300 votes in the LD race he withdrew from, then unwithdrew, then conceded well before election day. What else could we do? We couldn't help but notice the percentage of the vote was a little bit enhanced. There were actually 800 undervotes, so his percentage was actually 23%, not 27%. At least there were 800 voters who knew the score.

The statewide ballot initiatives were headed in a progressive direction in Washington as a whole, though results in our county were as expected. I1033 won (61-38%). Slightly more encouraging was the vote on R71 for enhanced domestic partners: (58% against-42%for).

Then we all got to thinking about how we felt a year ago.
Barack Obama told us on November 4, 2008:

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government cant solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way its been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand."

These words are honest and true today. He has done a remarkable job in the face of incredible adversity in the nearly 10 months he has been in office. All present stood by their votes, and we have recommitted ourselves to doing the hard work it will take to make our country the best it can be. And to having more of these informal gatherings!

People, Get Ready

2009-10-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

Folks,
When the Republican Senate filibuster begins, what a moment in history that will be.
Wealthy Republicans with government provided quality health insurance denying Americans basic health coverage.
I hope we are ready. We need to be mobilized.

Imagine:
-100,000 on the Mall and in front of the Capital in Washington, DC, while the filibuster is underway

-thousands at every Senator's office participating in the filibuster,

-the senate chamber filled with folks denied health insurance or not able to pay the exorbitant premiums

-protests outside every Senator's state offices

Let the TV cameras capture this moment in history,as they did with the civil rights marches and Viet Nam war protests

This is our moment in history and it is fast approaching.

Are you ready?

COLLAPSE on Thursday Night

2009-10-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

Need something different to do on Thursday night? Concerned about where our economy is going and the future of our country? Head across our favorite bridge to Hood River and the Skylight Theatre to preview Collapse, the 82 minute 'buzz film' of the Toronto Film Festival. Read a review here and see a clip here.

Show times are 6:30 and 8:30 pm. Get there early enough to buy a beer and a slice of pizza. After the show, there will be a film crew there interviewing people's reactions!

Colbert Report Weighs in on Referendum 71

2009-10-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

If you missed the Colbert Report last night, here's what you missed:

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Word - Don't Ask Don't Tell

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Religion

Public Option Annie

2009-10-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

The Billionaires for Wealth Care have struck again, infiltrating Friday's conference in DC of the American Health Plan Insurers. This creative protest is worth a look.

Got Your Ballot?

2009-10-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

Good. Now Mark It and Drop It Off! Better yet, see if any of your friends or neighbors need theirs dropped off, and run a Ballot Carpool!

Need suggestions? The WA State Democrats endorsed a NO vote on I-1033, which is listed right below the instructions on how to fill out the ballot. Also endorsed was a YES vote on I-71 to uphold the domestic partners legislation.

If you'd like some discussion first, be sure to head on over to Dallesport for tomorrow night's Klickitat Democrats meeting. It will be a full night, with presentations on the ballot issues, health care reform, and introduction of a 2010 LD candidate by none other than George Fearing, who ran against Doc Hastings last time around.

Finally, Klickitat Democrats now have a Facebook Page! Come visit, we need all the fans we can get.

Ballots On The Way

2009-10-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

A Message from the WA State Democrats:

Today, ballots are available for the 2009 General Election. Absentee voters should be getting their ballots this week or early next week.

There are two items on the ballot that you should pay close attention to:

Vote YES on Referendum 71. If this measure fails, important protections will be taken away from Washington's domestic partners.

Vote NO on Initiative 1033. Tim Eyman's Initiative 1033 will hurt our communities by taking away needed resources.

These races are hotly contested, and your vote and support are needed!

Also, did you know that there's still time to register to vote for the 2009 General Election? For this information and answers to more of your questions, visit our Voting Information page:

http://www.wa-democrats.org/2009votinginfo

OCTOBER MEETING

2009-10-02T13:15:00.001-07:00

Mark your calendars:
Friday October 23rd
Dallesport Community Center

5:30 pot luck
6:15 business meeting
7:00 program

Due to scheduling difficulties, we are postponing the meeting with Sharon Smith but are working on a future joint meeting with Skamania Democrats. With the election upon us, there are a few initiatives and referenda on the state ballot to discuss, as well as some more local items. The health care reform debate is ever evolving, and we will have a panel discussion on that as well. Please join us for an evening of information and Democratic fellowship.

Democrats Convene in Walla Walla

2009-09-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

The WA State Democrats met this past weekend in Walla Walla. Klickitat State Committee reps Bob Hansen and Lorrie DeKay were there, and report some highlights.

Friday night, after a quick pizza dinner with the Skamania County delegation, Lorrie attended a Votebuilder workshop, and has some good info to share with PCOs on how to use this valuable tool. Bob sat in on the Executive Board meeting, so he had a preview of what was to come on Saturday. Both of us joined the 4th Congressional District Caucus, where George Fearing was elected chair in a unanimous vote. You may recall that George ran for Congress in the last election. We'll have more info soon on potential candidates for the next election. We adjourned to the only hospitality suite for a taste of some local wine, fruit and cheese. Since we had an 8 mile drive to our 'homestay' in Milton-Freewater OR that night, and because it was SO crowded in the hotel suite, we headed out early.

Saturday morning, Skamania State Committeeman Paul Spencer made a presentation to the Rural and Agriculture Caucus on Forest Utilization. We have a copy of the speech and will post it to the main webpage shortly. While Bob attended the Eastern Washington Committee meeting, Lorrie went to the Technology Committee meeting, where more discussion of Votebuilder training and authorized use of Votebuilder took place.

Following that session, Bob went to hear an update of Organizing for America efforts, and Lorrie sat in on the Chairs Meeting, since we didn't have a chair with us. The most interesting part of the Chairs Meeting was an excellent presentation by Dr. Susan Plymate on health care reform. She referenced Sept. 2009 article in the New England Journal of Medicine , Getting Past Denial-The High Cost of Health Care in the United States. She reminded everyone that the TIME IS NOW to contact all of your representatives to insist on health care reform. For more information on Health Care Reform, see the WA Democrats website.

We also heard from the Approve 71 Campaign to preserve the Domestic Partnership Law. Please go to their website to see what you can do to help.

Sharon Mast gave a summary of the Caucus Improvement Team Report. Both primary format and caucus format have their plusses. One of the interesting ideas presented was to use the primary results to determine number of delegates, and caucuses to choose delegates and discuss platforms.

We joined the Skamania delegation for lunch and talked about doing some joint events with them. Then it was back to the hotel for the Central Committee Meeting. The main discussion and action was about Rules for the Selection of Candidates and Nominees for Public Office, and the 2010 Delegate Selection and Affirmative Action Plan. We also had a number of resolutions that were voted on as recommended by the Resolutions Committee. The location of the 2010 State Convention will be Vancouver, WA. Fortunately for us, the meeting was over by 5 pm, and we made it safely back to Klickitat County Saturday night.

If you'd like to know more about the WSDCC meetings, ask Bob or Lorrie.

Next Meeting: October 23rd

2009-09-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

REMINDER:
There is no scheduled meeting for September. Our State Committee representatives will be attending the WSDCC meeting in Walla Walla on Friday and Saturday. The next scheduled meeting of Klickitat Democrats is Friday October 23rd. Save the date.

The MYTH of 60

2009-09-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Governor Dean laid out the strategy for passing the choice of a public option this year and contrary to the conventional wisdom in Washington D.C. and the media, the Senate doesn't need 60 votes to make change happen.

The Senate only needs 50 senators and Vice-President Biden to pass -- by majority vote -- healthcare reform including a public option in a budget bill this year. Thanks to you, we have 50 senators on record ready to vote for real reform.

The budget process can start as soon as October 15. We need to hit the critical mass of at least 250,000 signers by then to make sure our call to action has an impact on every member of Congress nationwide. We're already off to a great start with over 10% of our goal in just 24 hours. If we work together, I think we can double it and gather 50,000 signatures by Monday.

As the President said in his speech to Congress last week, this is the season for action. The majority of Americans want the choice of a public option and majority votes in Congress will pass it. Join me in calling on Congress to get the job done this year.

ADD YOUR NAME RIGHT NOW

The myth of 60 is pushed by those who want to kill reform.

But the foundation of American democracy is based on majority votes and the United States Congress is no exception. While Senate rules allow a procedural tactic known as the filibuster to block most bills without the support of 60 senators, there are exceptions -- because Senate rules also ban the use of a filibuster to block budget reconciliation bills. That means, if the Senate can't pass healthcare reform including the choice of a public option with 60 votes, they can still pass it in the budget bill this year by majority vote.

As I mentioned above, your hard work has identified a majority of Congress in both chambers -- at least 218 House Democrats and 50 Senators -- who will vote for the final healthcare bill if it includes the choice of a public option rather than vote against the bill and kill reform. So Congress has the majority votes needed to pass a public option.

The question is do they have the political will to fight back against right-wing fear mongering and misinformation to deliver real reform?

It's up to us to demand action. Let's work hard to get 50,000 signers by Monday.

ADD YOUR NAME -- THEN PASS IT ON

We're winning because you know it takes action to succeed. You don't sit back and hope for change, you deliver results and get the job done. That's why we're going to win.

I know I can count on you to deliver. Thank you for everything you do,

-Jim

Jim Dean, Chair
Democracy for America

Tell Harry Reid It's Time To Lead

2009-09-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

It's time for Harry Reid to step up to show leadership and pass the public option through the Senate.

A strong public option is overwhelmingly popular with the public, the House has the votes to pass a bill with a strong public option and President Obama says that he wants to sign a bill with a strong public option.

Yet in the Senate, some Democrats have been allowed to stall reform by fruitlessly trying to attract the votes of Republicans who want nothing more than to see any healthcare reform effort fail. It's clear that getting even a single Republican vote would require unacceptably weakening the bill. Bipartisanship is simply not worth it.

We have the votes to win on the public option. Unlike other types of bills in the Senate, the public option can be passed as a "reconciliation bill" that cannot be filibustered and only requires a simply majority to pass.

Tell Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid he must do whatever it takes, including passing health care reform as a reconciliation bill, to ensure Congress meaningfully addresses the health care crisis we are facing.

Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/reid_publicoption/?r_by=5995-1998074-GAm67Tx&rc=confemail1

Would YOU Give Glenn Beck the Key to the City?

2009-09-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Any city? Well, Mt. Vernon mayor Bud Norris wants to. And it will happen next week, so join other Washingtonians who think this is a disgrace, including Dwight Pelz, WA State Democrats Chair:

Our country is lead by a racist who is turning America into a fascist state.

That's what FOXNews's Glenn Beck is saying about President Obama, and that is the kind of fear mongering that will be honored later this month. Bud Norris, the mayor of Mount Vernon, Washington, plans to give the key to the city to Glenn Beck on September 26th.

If all politics is local, then we're in trouble. We need to all do our part to fight Glenn Beck's brand of politics. Our partner Fuse Washington has created a petition asking the Mount Vernon City Council to overrule this decision.

Please click right now to sign or read the email below for more information. Don't forget to pass this on to your friends and family too.

http://www.fusewashington.org/page/s/GBeck

Many thanks,

Dwight Pelz, Washington State Democrats Chair

A Message from Barack Obama

2009-09-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone heard the speech last night. He said what had to be said, and stood tall for health care reform. Now it's our turn. So go to the link and let our senators and representative know you want them to vote YES on health care reform.

Dear Klickitat Democrats,

I just finished laying out my plan for health reform at a joint session of Congress. Now, I'm writing directly to you because what happens next is critical -- and I need your help.

Change this big will not happen because I ask for it. It can only come when the nation demands it. Congress knows where I stand. Now they need to hear from you.

Add your voice: Ask your representatives to support my plan for real health reform in 2009.

The heart of my plan is simple: bring stability and security to Americans who already have health insurance, guarantee affordable coverage for those who don't, and rein in the cost of health care.

Tonight, I offered a specific plan for how to make it happen. I incorporated the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans to create a plan that's bold, practical, and represents the broad consensus of the American people.

We've come closer to real health reform in the last few months than we have in the last 60 years. But those who profit from the status quo -- and those who put partisan advantage above all else -- will fight us every inch of the way.

We do not seek that fight, but we will not shrink from it. The stakes are too high to let scare tactics cloud the debate, or to allow partisan bickering to block the path. Your voice, right now, is essential.

See my full plan and call on your representatives to support it:

http://my.barackobama.com/SupportReform

Ours is not the first generation to understand the dire need for health reform. And I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Return of The Gotts

2009-08-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

Is it 2012 already? Did I go into a Rip Van Winkle-like sleep? Is there no end to this nightmare? Or to John Gotts' ego?

Apparently Gotts got in the top two of the primary, even though he withdrew from the race.
He posted on his web blog on Tuesday:

I'm finding that the Palo Alto lifestyle is the only lifestyle for me. I will be here the rest of my life or will at least have a home here. I have to return to Washington to full-fill the promise I made to my 4th Congressional District but I will ALWAYS have a home here in Silicon Valley.

Dig that!

Sorry, John, I don't dig it at all. You don't HAVE to come back. Really. LD15 will be just fine without you. You obviously want CA to be your home. We're good with that. Especially since the last 'promise' you made was that you were withdrawing from the race to move to sunny California. Do us all a favor and stay where you are.

You can bet your many bottom dollars that your Republican opponent will point out the obvious flaws in your candidacy.

The Yakima Herald's question of the day:

Would you vote for a candidate, regardless of political affiliation, who entered a race, withdrew and then re-entered?

The response should not surprise anyone.
Except for John Gotts.

http://www.yakima-herald.com/polls/149

Maybe THIS is why he won't call us back...

2009-08-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

All is becoming clear. Repeated calls for the Democratic Candidate for Legislative District 15 to provide more information on his candidacy have gone unanswered. The Yakima Herald reports this week on a possible explanation. I guess we won't be getting any recommendations from his previous employer...

Hold Dem Caucus Committee Chairs Accountable

2009-08-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

At a time like this, you have to wish the Democrats were more like the Republicans. In one specific way, that is - the Republican Party term limits its committee chairs in Congress, whereas Democrats award chairmanships based on seniority. No wonder that Democrats are stuck with Senator Max Baucus to chair the pivotal Finance Committee. Baucus has been in the Senate since 1978, representing a great state, but one with a tiny share of the U.S. population. Not surprisingly, the drug and insurance industries are huge contributors.

Sen. Baucus, as you probably know, has used his chairmanship to put the brakes on health care reform in the Senate, and may ultimately succeed in killing a public health care option almost singlehandedly.There's no excuse for Sen. Baucus to wield this kind of power. Luckily, there's a way to fight back.

Some members of the Democratic caucus are discussing putting chairmanships to a secret ballot vote every two years - that is to say, every two years, all the Democrats of the Senate would get to vote on whether committee chairs get to keep their seats.

Here is a petition to tell the senators of the Democratic Caucus to institute some accountability for their committee chairs. Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/chair_rules2/?r_by=5487-1998074-LUTPX8x&rc=confemail

Five Lies About Health Care Reform and How to Fight Back

2009-08-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

The health care fight has turned ugly, fast. And lies about reform are spreading via anonymous email chains. Here are the real facts that you need to know:

Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!

The truth: These accusations—of "death panels" and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill."1 What's the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans.2

Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!

The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama's reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options.3 Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down.4 If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them.5 But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can't afford health care now.

Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!

The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.

Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage.6 And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.

Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!!!

The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits.7 Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.8

Lie #5: Obama's health care plan will bankrupt America!!!

The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy. Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care.9 The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade10—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses.11 Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama's reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit.12

P.S. Want more? Check out this great new White House "Reality Check" website: or this excellent piece from Health Care for America Now on some of the most outrageous lies.

Sources:
1. "No 'death panel' in health care bill," Associated Press, August 10, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51747

2. "Stop Distorting the Truth about End of Life Care," Huffington Post, July 24, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51730

3. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 11, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#i1

4. "Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan," Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51737

5. "Obama: 'If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor,'" Wall Street Journal, 15, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51736

6. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#r1

7. "Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform," CNN, July 28, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51748

8. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#s1

9. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1

10. "Premiums Run Amok," Center for American Progress, July 24, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51667

11. "Medical bills prompt more than 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies," CNN, June 5, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51735

12. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1

Sources for the Five Lies:
#1: "A euthanasia mandate," The Washington Times, July 29, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51732

#2: "It's Not An Option," Investor's Business Daily, July 15, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51743

#3: "Rationing Health Care," The Washington Times, April 21, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51742

#4: "60 Plus Ad Is Chock Full Of Misinformation," Media Matters for America, August 8, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51734

#5: "Obama's 'Public' Health Plan Will Bankrupt the Nation," The National Review, May 13, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51744

Debunking Health Care Reform Myths

2009-08-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ballots are Out!

2009-08-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

It's kind of disappointing, all that expense to send out ballots with only one item to vote on. Even more ridiculous because there are effectively only two candidates, who would have automatically gone to the fall election as 'top two'. What a waste of money and paper.

Just a reminder, everyone: John Gotts is NOT a candidate for Legislative District 15. He withdrew from this race just days after the deadline to pursue other dreams in California. So don't waste your ink on his little block. And as anyone who is active in the Klickitat Democratic Party will tell you, Gotts does not have, nor will he ever have, the endorsement of the KCDCC.

TAKE ACTION

2009-07-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about the six senators who are out to kill health care reform?

Of course, that's not how they'd phrase it. Sens. Baucus, Bingaman, Conrad, Enzi, Grassley and Snowe say they're striving for "bi-partisan compromise." But what they're actually doing is working to make sure reform won't include a public option or mandatory employer-based insurance - two key policies needed for effective reform

.There are 100 members of the Senate, but these six, inexplicably, seem to be holding all the cards when it comes to health care.

So you probably won't be surprised to learn that all six have taken a huge amount of money from the health insurance industry and pharma.

Senator	Lifetime contributions from Insurance/Pharma
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)	$1,203,205
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)	$206,297
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)	$442,165
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-NV)	$342,228
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)	$702,595
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)	$161,706
TOTAL:	$3,058,256

These six senators -- who, by the way, represent only 2.74% of Americans between them -- are writing bad policy, and they're doing it while they take money from the very companies who stand to benefit the most.

Please read over this petition and if you agree, send it off and share it NOW.

Howard Dean with Rachel Maddow

2009-07-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

This is worth the time to watch.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Take Action on Health Care

2009-07-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

Here are a few links to visit and take action on health care reform:

Democracy For America wants to thank those who helped craft the Affordable Health Choice Act with a choice for a public health insurance option for all Americans, including local area Sen. Patty Murray-WA and Sen. Jeff Merkley-OR. Click here.

Add your name to the list of those supporting the President's health care reform here. You can even post it to your Facebook page and let everyone know you support health care reform. If you are like me, your Facebook Friends include people with all points of view. It's important that we come forward at this time and publicly declare our support if we want this issue to stay on the front page.

Women's health is at stake in this debate. There are legislators who are threatening to block health care reform if it includes reproductive health care in a public option. National Partnership for Women and Families has more on this issue. Planned Parenthood has issued a call for action. This is for real, people. We can't go backwards on women's health.

We'll try to keep you up to date on action items. Check back often.

Unsustainable

2009-07-24T13:05:00.001-07:00

Democracy for America Ad Campaign

2009-07-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

Democracy for America has teamed up with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee to run tough ads pressuring Democratic Senators who've taken millions of dollars from health and insurance interests while standing in the way of real health care reform.

The ads don't pull any punches, to make sure Democratic elected officials feel some heat if they're on the verge of opposing the President and 76% of Americans who want the choice of a public healthcare option.

If you are interested in more information about this ad campaign click here

Washington Families Standing Together

2009-07-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

On May 18, Governor Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5688, a law ensuring that all Washington families are treated the same, with the same protections, the same rights, and the same obligations as their neighbors. Under this law, registered domestic partners (same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples over age 62), and married couples, are treated equally under the law in all parts of the state.

Key rights and obligations in the law include death benefits for the partners of police and firefighters killed in the line of duty; pension benefits for the partners of teachers and other public employees; victims' rights, including the right to receive notifications and benefits allowances; and the right to adopt a partner's child without paying for a home study.

These rights and obligations for domestic partners were passed following those adopted in 2007, when the Legislature established a domestic partnership registry and granted registered couples rights to make health care decisions for a sick partner, visit a partner in the hospital, and consent to an autopsy, along with some property rights. In 2008, registered couples gained community property rights, probate rights, joint responsibility for debts, and other protections.

A group has filed a referendum - Referendum 71 - to try to repeal the law. They have until July 25 to collect 120,577 signatures to get it on the ballot. We - and many, many people across the state - worked together to get this law passed. We are now working together to keep it from being repealed.

As was the case in 2006, strategic, early action may help avoid yet another costly campaign battle, which is especially important with all of the needs facing our citizens in these tough economic times.

So many people have asked how they can help, that a coordinated campaign has formed to help keep the law from being repealed. It's called Washington Families Standing Together - a coalition of community partners committed to working together to protect Washington's families.

Please visit their website to find out more about WFST and how you can help. You can start by signing the 'decline to sign' petition!

Support Clean Energy

2009-07-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

Want a FREE sticker supporting CLEAN ENERGY?

MoveOn's partnering with acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey — who designed the iconic Obama "Hope" poster — to offer a FREE "Clean Energy for America" sticker.

Click HERE to order.

How Qualified is Judge Sotomayor?

2009-07-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

Locals March for Single Payer, Saturday June 27

2009-06-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

In support of the National Day of Service for Health Care, Hood River Democrats are organizing a march. Meet 10:30 at Jackson Park (13th and May) to make signs. The march will be to the Saturday Market downtown Hood River.
For more information call 541-386-3542 or 541-354-1036. Bring signs, sign making supplies if you have them. Materials will be available as well.

Health Care In Prime Time

2009-06-24T09:22:00.001-07:00

President Obama will be holding a Town Hall Meeting to address questions about healthcare reform TONIGHT on ABC at 10 PM. Tune in!

National Health Care Day of Service

2009-06-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

Organizing for America is working to ensure Health Care Reform in 2009. Community service is a key piece of that campaign, so OFA has designated June 27th as a National Health Care Day of Service. Volunteers will have a chance to make an impact in their own communities as we fight for long term, systemic health care reform.

Volunteers who participate in the National Health Care Day of Service will be stronger advocates for health care reform. Volunteer projects directly expose participants to the reality of our country’s health care system and the millions of people who it is currently failing.

A few ideas include:
• Volunteer at a Community Health Center
• Coordinate a Community Blood Drive
• Run a Healthy Food Drive
• Provide education to the community on Children's Health Insurance Programs

If you would like more information, or can help organize a project in your area, please go to the Organizing for America National Health Care Day of Service webpage.

The Klickitat Democrats also request that you bring nonperishable food items to the meeting on Friday, which will be donated to the Food Bank in support of this effort. Food items may also be dropped off at Coyote Coffee Shop, 120 W. Main St. in Goldendale today through Friday, 10 am til 3 pm. THANK YOU!

Wind Power

2009-06-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how many windfarms there are now on the east end of the county. We are lucky to have options for clean energy here in Klickitat, with our hydropower and and stiff breezes. Our speaker for this week's meeting will discuss the electric power grid and how our electricity is distributed. How much power can the grid handle? If more wind generators come online, can the grid handle them all? It will be interesting to know how this all works.

The Whistling Ridge Wind Energy Project is a contentious one. This writer is undecided at this point as to whether this is a good or a bad idea. Part of me agrees with Jesse Burkhardt's editorial in this week's Enterprise. He makes some good points. From my viewpoint, I believe I'll be able to see the tops of some of the turbines, at least that's what I think from this simulation. That doesn't particularly disturb me. I'm willing to deal with that in exchange for cleaner energy.

But part of me distrusts that this will be the whole project, that it will grow to be even bigger, with more impact on the aesthetics of the area. What's the impact on the birds in this major flyway? People who live near the proposed development in Underwood and Husum are definitely impacted. Giant turbine towers were not in their vision of what the neighborhood would look like down the road.

How can we make this Wind Power option win/win?

This week's meeting about the power grid is very timely as we all gather information to help make important decisions about the future. We need to be informed, and we need our elected officials to make good choices on our behalf. Join us on Friday in Goldendale!

Meeting THIS WEEK

2009-06-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

Don't forget our meeting on Friday, June 26th at the Goldendale Library Meeting Room!

Members and non-members are invited.

Please bring a nonperishable food item for the Food Bank.

5:30 p.m. Potluck
6:00 p.m. Short Business Meeting
6:30 p.m. Presentation on electric power distribution and the smart grid
by a Representative from the Bonneville Power Administration.
7:00 p.m. Questions and Answers
7:30 p.m. Adjournment

Gotts Gone

2009-06-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Big news from the Yakima Herald this week should make many Klickitat Dems a little happier. John Gotts is leaving Washington.

Of course, his name will still be on the ballot, which probably thrills Marichalar about as much as Gotts' shenanigans last election season thrilled Klickitat Dems. What a coincidence, this opportunity came up so suddenly, just six days after certification. One has to wonder what kind of person runs for State Leg while casting a big net for opportunities out of state?

More good news, looks like he won't be coming back to Klickitat. He's burned that bridge. Heads up to Yakima County Dems if he's serious about Toppenish...vet your candidates well. The 15th LD has two more years to field true Democratic candidates before 'Gottcha' comes back. Maybe he'll run as something else by then.

YAKIMA, Wash. -- State House candidate John Gotts of White Salmon is ending his campaign and moving to California.

Gotts, an Internet entrepreneur and one of two Democrats who filed to challenge Republican state Rep. David Taylor in the 15th District, said Wednesday he’d found backers for a new Web venture in Palo Alto.

“These opportunities don’t come up very often,” the 42-year-old said.

Gotts’ withdrawal from the race came six days after the state Secretary of State’s office certified this year’s legislative candidates. His name will still appear on the ballot alongside Taylor and Donicio Marichalar of Grandview in the August primary.

Meanwhile, Gotts said he’ll launch www.byjobi.com, a Web site designed to simplify Google’s advanced search features.

Gotts, who lost a state House race last year to state Rep. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger, wished Marichalar well Wednesday and said he expects to be back in 15th District politics.

“My intention, when this (Internet venture) is over in two years, is to return and probably live in the Toppenish area and probably be involved in politics,” he said.

Fall Races

2009-06-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

There are still some political offices without candidates after the filing deadline. There will be a special three day filing period for the offices listed below, June 22-24. If you are interested, submit a declaration of candidacy to the Auditor's Office in Goldendale at the County Courthouse by 5 pm June 24th.

Glenwood School Board Positions 3, 4 and 5
Bickelton Fire District Position 3
Dallesport Fire District Position 1
Roosevelt Fire District Position 2
Prosser Fire District Positions 1, 2, and 3
Appleton Fire District Positions 1 and 3
Cemetery District 2 Positions 1 and 2
Cemetery District 4 Postitions 1, 2 and 3
Hospital District 2 Position 1

Meeting Schedule Changes

2009-06-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

This is a time of many important opportunities for Democrats and liberal-minded independents. It is also a crucial time; a time when each of us must stand united against the influence of greed and billions of dollars that would prevent change from taking place. We must be well informed so that we are capable of separating fact from fiction. We also must be ever diligent in our efforts to support Democratic candidates seeking public office at the local, state, and national levels. It is to this end that the Executive Board of the Klickitat County Democrats has designed our general meetings to be interesting and informative. This month our focus will be on energy and how clean, alternative energy sources and a smart grid will move us more quickly to less dependence on the polluting effects of carbon-based and other polluting fuels. Each general meeting will have an educational focus, and our administrative agenda will be kept to a minimum. We believe that you will find our new format to be interesting and informative. Please see the Calendar of Events in the sidebar for the remainder of 2009.

- Loren Johnson, Vice Chair, Klickitat Democrats

Executive Board Met

2009-05-28T15:30:00.001-07:00

The Executive Board met on May 26th to establish the meeting dates listed on the sidebar to the left. Program content will be updated as our featured speakers are confirmed. Minutes are available here and will be posted on our main website.

Upcoming Election Opportunities

2009-05-28T15:09:00.001-07:00

Klickitat County took a big step last November when voters elected Barack Obama in a very close race with John McCain. We can make even more progress by electing DEMOCRATS to our local offices, working from the ground up. If you or someone you know is interested in serving your community, here are some offices that will be up for election in 2009.

School Boards: There are at least two seats expiring in 2009 in each of the Wishram, Bickelton, Centerville, Trout Lake, Glenwood, Klickitat, Roosevelt, Goldendale, White Salmon and Lyle School Districts.

Recreation District: There are two Recreation District Director seats in Goldendale that expire this year.

City Councils: Bingen (4 seats including Mayor), Goldendale (4), and White Salmon (3) will be electing City Council members.

Cemetery Districts 1-4: Two Commissioners each in Districts 2 (Centerville) and 4 (Goldendale), One Commissioner each in Districts 1 (White Salmon) and 3 (Glenwood).

Port District Commissioner: One seat

Hospital Districts: District 1 (Goldendale) 3 seats, District 2 (White Salmon-Lyle) 2 seats

Fire Districts: The 15 Fire Districts have one or two commissioners' terms each expiring in 2009.

For a full list of elective offices for Klickitat County, please click here or visit the Klickitat County Auditor's webpage.

If you or someone you know is interested in running, please contact Klickitat Democrats.

Upcoming Election Opportunities

2009-05-28T15:09:00.000-07:00