On July 3, 2009, Sarah Palin announced she was resigning as governor of Alaska on July 26. Speculation immediatly centered on Palin’s presidential ambitions. Not being tied to Alaska for the next few years will free her up to…http://www.worldbiography.net/palin_sarah.html

The election race for Auburn’s mayor just became a LOT more interesting.  Incumbent Mayor Pete Lewis is running for a third term, and as of Thursday, June 4, 2009, three challengers have emerged to oppose him.  The most interesting of the three, to anyone who follows Auburn politics, is City Councilmember Virginia Haugen.  Haugen has been a long-time vocal critic of Mayor Lewis and the way Lewis and the Council run Auburn. 

She is joined in the race against Lewis by Shelley Erickson, owner of Shelley’s Total Body Works, a tanning and beauty salon in south Auburn, and by Frank Lonergan, an Auburn Locksmith who has served as Treasurer for the Northwest Locksmith Association.

It is well-known that Haugen and Lewis do not see eye-to-eye on many matters related to business development in Auburn.  In October, 2008, Haugen “stormed out” of a Council meeting, later explaining that she believed Mayor Lewis was not being truthful in relation to City involvement in the failed Ace Hardware Project that effectively killed off a historic business that had served Auburn for 114 years. 

This election season in Auburn will be VERY interesting to watch…

http://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2009/06/filing-week-2009-look-at-whos-filed-in_04.html

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/aub/news/30811219.html

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/aub/community/44931842.html

http://mynwla.com/treasurer.html

President Obama picked Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his Supreme Court choice, not Governor Gregoire, as editorialized on this website back on May 3 (see: http://www.washingtonstatepolitics.com/2009/05/03/why-gregoire-is-a-great-pick-for-obama-to-make-for-the-supreme-court/). 

That having been said, Obama’s choice of Sotomayor makes sense; she is a veteran judge, has a compelling personal history, and in this era of identity politics, the fact she is a female hispanic makes sense.  For more info on the coming confirmation battle, go to:

 http://www.historyguy.com/supremecourt/sonia_sotomayor_supreme_court_appointment.htm

With a brief mention in a New York Times article that she was a possibility for appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court as a replacement for the retiring Justice Souter, a bevy of possible scenarios opened up for Gregoire and for Washington State. 

For Governor Gregoire, the timing is perfect, with a highly unpopular budget just passed by the Legislature, most Democratic constituencies in the state unhappy with her (social workers, teacher unions, unions in general, government workers, health care activists, etc.), now is a great time to bail out of a foundering ship of state, and leave the mess to the Lt. Governor, fellow Democrat Brad Owen.  Unless things turn around quickly, and with little pain ( not a likely possibility), Gregoire, should she choose to run for a third term, would likely face a bruising campaign.  With the current Senators from Washington, (Murray and Cantwell), not making noises about retiring, there literally is no where else for this ambitious woman to go.  She has extensive legal experience, served three terms as State Attorney General, and would have the added quality of being, if appointed and confirmed, the only Supreme with elected political experience.  A definite plus if serving in any capacity in Washington City.  Plus, President Obama is a very astute politician, and Washington has firmly been in the Democratic fold in Presidential elections since 1988.  This would be good, quality payback for this state’s firm liberal loyalty.

Washington State would gain advantages from a Gregoire nomination to the Supreme Court as well.  The state has not had a native son (or daughter) on the Supreme Court since William O. Douglas retired in 1975.  Also, given the budget issues mentioned above, a new governor could probably effectively govern better without the baggage of the budget wars recently fougtht in Olympia.  A new Governor Owens would start off fresh, without the leftover detritus that Christine Gregoire will have to deal with the remainder of her term.  If I were the head of the state Democratic Party, I would be actively lobbying the Obama Administration to select Gregoire for all of the above reasons.  Just good politics, you know.

Gregoire has issued the ususal denials, saying things such as ‘thank you, it is such an honor, but…’ which is only par for the course in politics.  You can’t look eager to want something like this.  Playing coy is just part of the game, and Obama certainly knows this. 

Plus, wouldn’t it be cool to see a native of little old Auburn, WA make it all the way to the Supreme Court?

So, wait and see…What do you folks think?

Leave a comment or two…

With a brief mention in a New York Times article that she was a possibility for appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court as a replacement for the retiring Justice Souter, a bevy of possible scenarios opened up for Gregoire and for Washington State. 

For Governor Gregoire, the timing is perfect, with a highly unpopular budget just passed by the Legislature, most Democratic constituencies in the state unhappy with her (social workers, teacher unions, unions in general, government workers, health care activists, etc.), now is a great time to bail out of a foundering ship of state, and leave the mess to the Lt. Governor, fellow Democrat Brad Owen.  Unless things turn around quickly, and with little pain ( not a likely possibility), Gregoire, should she choose to run for a third term, would likely face a bruising campaign.  With the current Senators from Washington, (Murray and Cantwell), not making noises about retiring, there literally is no where else for this ambitious woman to go.  She has extensive legal experience, served three terms as State Attorney General, and would have the added quality of being, if appointed and confirmed, the only Supreme with elected political experience.  A definite plus if serving in any capacity in Washington City.  Plus, President Obama is a very astute politician, and Washington has firmly been in the Democratic fold in Presidential elections since 1988.  This would be good, quality payback for this state’s firm liberal loyalty.

Washington State would gain advantages from a Gregoire nomination to the Supreme Court as well.  The state has not had a native son (or daughter) on the Supreme Court since William O. Douglas retired in 1975.  Also, given the budget issues mentioned above, a new governor could probably effectively govern better without the baggage of the budget wars recently fougtht in Olympia.  A new Governor Owens would start off fresh, without the leftover detritus that Christine Gregoire will have to deal with the remainder of her term.  If I were the head of the state Democratic Party, I would be actively lobbying the Obama Administration to select Gregoire for all of the above reasons.  Just good politics, you know.

Gregoire has issued the ususal denials, saying things such as ‘thank you, it is such an honor, but…’ which is only par for the course in politics.  You can’t look eager to want something like this.  Playing coy is just part of the game, and Obama certainly knows this. 

Plus, wouldn’t it be cool to see a native of little old Auburn, WA make it all the way to the Supreme Court?

So, wait and see…What do you folks think?

Leave a comment or two…

As of 9:15, Nov. 4, Gregoire led Rossi 52% to 48 %, on the heels of Barack Obama's sweeping Electoral victory. The race for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction was tied at 50% each between Bergeson and Dorn

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008351683_weblocal04.html

Quotes to help unify the nation on the eve of Barack Obama's historic election victory.

"I didn't vote for him, but he's my president, and I hope he does a good job."--John Wayne, following Richard Nixon's defeat by Senator John F. Kennedy in the 1960 election.

"Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children…

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!…

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day — this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true."–The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement

See the CNN article below. It looks like the McCain camp is not seeing light at the end of the tunnel. At this point (7:28 PT), CNN shows Obama with 207 Electoral Votes to McCain's 135. When the results from Washington, Oregon, and California come in, Obama will be over 270 Electoral Votes. The McCain campaign is over.

From CNN:

November 4, 2008

McCain aides see 'no path to victory'

Posted: 7:23 PM PT

From CNN Correspondent Dana Bash

(CNN) — Two senior aides to John McCain see "no path to victory," given the night's results so far.

The two advisors, who were crunching numbers for the Republican contender, were responding to a question from CNN's Dana Bash, who has been covering the McCain campaign.

The aides asked not to named because the campaign is not commenting on internal discussions.

Three states that went Republican in 2004 have gone for Democrat Barack Obama, according to CNN projections — Iowa, New Mexico and Ohio.

What is the Electoral
College?

In the American Political
System, the true winner of the Presidential Race
is not determined by simply adding up the vote
totals from each of the 50 states plus the
District of Columbia. No, each state and D.C.
hold its own presidential election and the
winner of each of those separate elections (all
held on the same day of course, the first
Tuesday following the first Monday in November
of a Presidential Election year), takes all of
what are called "Electoral Votes" in each state
and district. Main and Nebraska do it
differently where a portion of the electoral
votes goes to the presidential candidate who
wins each congressional district. Nationwide, a
candidate needs to win a total, from among the
states, of at least 270 electoral votes in order
to win the election to be the next President of
the United States.

The The Electoral College, as
the whole group of Electors nationwide is
called, is made up of 538 members from the 50
states and the District of Columbia. When
citizens vote for the presidential candidate of
their choice, in reality they are really voting
for a person called an "Elector" who is chosen
by the candidates' campaign organizations to
represent their candidate. For example, in
Washington State, which has a total of eleven
Electors, there are eleven people representing
the Republican candidate, John McCain, and
another eleven representing the Democratic
candidate, Barack Obama. If a majority (or even
a plurality-but that's another story) of the
state's voters choose Obama, then all eleven of
Obama's chosen representatives become that
state's official Electors. So, what happens
then? On the first Monday following the second
Wednesday in December, the Electors meet in each
state (not as a national group, but as
individual state groups), and formally cast the
"real" votes for President and Vice-President.
The official Elector's votes are then sent to
the House of Representatives where the President
of the Senate (usually the incumbent
Vice-President), officially reads the results
and declares the winner.

The rules governing the
Electoral College are found in the United States
Constitution in Article 2, Section 1, and in the
12th Amendment. Electors meet on the first
Monday following the second Wednesday in
December , which, in 2008, is December 15. These
dates are set by law in the US Code, at 3 USC
7.

A recent poll by SurveyUSA shows Randy Dorn, challenger for the Washington OSPI position, leading incumbent Terry Bergeson 43% to 38%, with 19% undecided. This is interesting given that Bergeson is a twelve-year incumbent, and Dorn got a late start after Richard Semler dropped out of the race for family reasons.

To anyone observing the "WASL Wars" of the past decade however, the poll results are not that surprising. Terry Bergeson has been the standard-bearer of education reform and the WASL exam as a graduation requirement (despite the fact that the WASL was not originally intended to prevent kids from graduating). Many parental and other education advocacy groups, including the powerful and well-funded WEA teacher's union, are in opposition to the WASL and to Terry Bergeson. This is also all the more striking, since Bergeson is a former WEA president!

In addition to opposing Bergeson on WASL issues, Dorn also advocates for greater resources and respect for Career and Technical Education (CTE), which many folks from an earlier era may know as Vocation Education. Many of Bergeson's foes dislike the fact that CTE funding and other resources have faded under her administation in favor of more "college-oriented" academic programs, which the WASL mose definitely favors.

This campaign may be Bergeson's swan song, and all those against the WASL and in favor of more powerful CTE programs are crossing their fingers and voting against Bergeson. Dorn picked the right year to run for OSPI. I wonder what Semler is thinking now…