Washington '12: Getting Stoned at our Gay Weddings

[Meeker]

I actually assumed he was crazy because of the letter he sent to Dale Woodard. 

So, the guy isn't actually a McCain supporter?  Now I'm really confused.

Yea, I don't quite understand why they were trying to knock Woodard out of the race. It seems like having him would split the Republican base and make it easier for Smeall to advance to the general.

But no, he's not a McCain supporter. He's listed as a Likely Democrat in our database.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

I actually assumed he was crazy because of the letter he sent to Dale Woodard. 

So, the guy isn't actually a McCain supporter?  Now I'm really confused.

Yea, I don't quite understand why they were trying to knock Woodard out of the race. It seems like having him would split the Republican base and make it easier for Smeall to advance to the general.

But no, he's not a McCain supporter. He's listed as a Likely Democrat in our database.

Yeah, he voted D in the primary (hence the Likely D designation - it's the only thing causing that), but all of his ballot statements go on about "McCain, Rossi, Wiley for a better future!"  He totally has me confused.

Unless he went to the caucus and really wanted to vote in the advisory primary (and legally), it don't make much sense to me.

[Meeker]

I actually assumed he was crazy because of the letter he sent to Dale Woodard. 

So, the guy isn't actually a McCain supporter?  Now I'm really confused.

Yea, I don't quite understand why they were trying to knock Woodard out of the race. It seems like having him would split the Republican base and make it easier for Smeall to advance to the general.

But no, he's not a McCain supporter. He's listed as a Likely Democrat in our database.

Yeah, he voted D in the primary (hence the Likely D designation - it's the only thing causing that), but all of his ballot statements go on about "McCain, Rossi, Wiley for a better future!"  He totally has me confused.

Unless he went to the caucus and really wanted to vote in the advisory primary (and legally), it don't make much sense to me.

He's only pretending to be a Republican so he can sap votes from Woodard, thus causing Smeall to make it November with Flannigan. It's all a ploy.

[bgwah]

I got my ballot today.

[Meeker]

I got my ballot today.

Who're you voting for SPI?

[Grad Students are the Worst]

I got my ballot guide today (and voter registration card -- again?  whatever).  I realized that the only race I genuinely care about is having Sohn beat McIntire.  Otherwise, this is all just advisory crap.  I'm thinking I just may vote for my favorite kook in all of the other races.

If WA-27 was competitive, I'd vote Woodard...but it's not, and D vs. D would just be so funny.  Maybe I should vote Smeall just for the hilarious remote chance?  Who's with me?!

[Meeker]

I got my ballot guide today (and voter registration card -- again?  whatever).  I realized that the only race I genuinely care about is having Sohn beat McIntire.  Otherwise, this is all just advisory crap.  I'm thinking I just may vote for my favorite kook in all of the other races.

If WA-27 was competitive, I'd vote Woodard...but it's not, and D vs. D would just be so funny.  Maybe I should vote Smeall just for the hilarious remote chance?  Who's with me?!

Definitely vote for Smeall. I just talked to her today and she's very excited. She's also the only non-crazy sounding candidate in the TNT's questionnaire.

I think I mentioned this before, but I grow more confident that Sohn will win everyday. McIntire's people are going bezerk, and McIntire himself is getting pretty pissed off.

Make sure to vote in SPI though, that's a very important contest. And the Judicial races will be decided in the primary.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

What are your feelings on SPI?  I just know Otherphil's opinion and he's pretty damn adamant.  I hate SPI votes because it's so much guilt by association.  It's the kind of thing where I wish I knew the candidates instead of just what everybody says, because of who is endorsing them, etc. ad nauseum.

Edit: And I forgot to request an absentee!  Damn it.  I'll have to remember to trek down to the County Annex. 

[bgwah]

I'm thinking I'll vote Dorn for SPI... Not positive though.

I saw some Sohn signs today between Woodinville and Redmond. I also read that Sohn has raised the most money of any of the three candidates.

I'm almost definitely voting Fairhurst for Supreme Court... Not sure what to do about the other the SC race. :\

[Meeker]

Bergeson isn't as evil as some (including Otherphil) make her out to be. She's made some mistakes and we've got quite a few problems still to solve, but everything Dorn is saying he wants to change is basically already being worked on by Bergeson's office.

The local candidate for State Senate is a public school teacher and knows more about our school system than anyone I've ever met. She says that on a 1-10 scale of awfulness Bergeson is a 9.5 and Dorn is an 8. She wanted Semler until he dropped out.

I passively favor Dorn, and would suggest voting for him if only to keep Bergeson under 50% and thus send them both to the general where you would then have more time to think.

Sohn has signs up all over the state, and he's been getting some surprising support from within the party that I wouldn't have expected even a couple of weeks ago. I'm pretty sure my LD is going to endorse him this Thursday. I also learned the other day that the reason he didn't attend the State Convention was because a family member was sick, so the anger at him from within the party from "blowing them off" is really quite unfounded.

Fairhurst is wonderful and absolutely deserves re-election. Johnson isn't wonderful but he's better than the other two.

[Meeker]

Another random suggestion to Alcon: Vote for Richmond. He's been working hardest of all the candidates and deserves to be in the general.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Richmond has been working his ass off, and he seems like a good man.  I'm not voting for him in the General, but it would be nice.  Cloud isn't so bad as to deserve getting clobbered by Will Baker margins.  He's a lazy campaigner, though, and hopeless anyway.  The Dicks incumbency racket is just that strong, I guess.  I'd still prefer Dicks over Richmond ideologically, but I'll probably throw him a bone.

Other random notes I took:

That Blomstrom guy for SPI...crazyyyyyy.  It's a shame we'll never know what Javier O. Lopez's "air engine" is like, too.

My arbitrary reason against Hansler was that he wanted me to email him so he could snail-mail me plans, instead of putting it on a web site.  I assumed he was a joke.

Anyway, here's my tentative ballot:



pretty much means I have no idea which way is up.

Governor: I want to write in "Dino Rossi with a less crappy transportation plan," but I probably won't.

CPL: Goldmark's a cool guy, but how qualified is he?  What's up with this sexual harassment stuff surrounding Sutherland?  I'll have to look into it more.

[Meeker]

Goldmark is outstanding. I had a chance to talk with him at a Conservation Voters meeting, and I've never meet anyone who knows more about land conservation and development. Besides, Sutherland is an idiot who knows nothing about our environment, is in bed with the timber companies, and fondles his employees breasts.

If you're looking for a crazy to vote for in the SPI race, pick Hansler. I met him at the 27th LD meeting (which shows he's actually trying unlike the others) and he gave me a copy of his book "Purls of Wisdom". It's about 70 two page essays about his views on things, including how AIDS can be spread like influenza and how there are two types of X genes - the talking gene and the shopping gene - which explains why girls are the way they are.

He's a winner.

[Meeker]

Bergeson scored the endorsement of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Major coup.

[bgwah]

I just read Rossi's statement in the voter's pamphlet. I was honestly a little nervous at first that it might be something good, but now I'm wondering how the heck this guy isn't trailing by 20 points.

[Meeker]

Preliminary data I'm seeing says that Democratic turnout is much, much higher than Republican.

[Frodo]

A question for Washington residents:

What are the prospects for Sound Transit 2 passing muster with voters this November?  Do you think it will suffer the same fate as Proposition 1 (combining mass transit expansions with highway construction) did?

[Meeker]

Difficult to say. There were two distinct coalitions that killed the first one - the environmentalists and the anti-tax faction. The environmentalists claim it was their doing, but I think the exit polling and common sense makes it clear that it wasn't them. They'll vote for this one, but will they be able to make up the 5% it lost by in 2007? And will some voters be turned off by the lack of highways in the new one and switch to the "No" side?

You also have to keep in mind that the voter universe will be vastly different (registered voter turnout in 2007 was around 49% - it's going to be closer to 85% this year).

All things considered, if I had to make a prediction, I'd say it fails narrowly. But I really just don't know.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Preliminary data I'm seeing says that Democratic turnout is much, much higher than Republican.

How could they tell that without having seen ballots?  People in the Dems' database as being Democrats are turning out more, or what?  I think that might be slightly skewed, since the Dems have caucus info for them and not the GOP.  So, there are probably a lot more active Republicans (if they didn't vote in the primary) who fall under the radar.

[Meeker]

Preliminary data I'm seeing says that Democratic turnout is much, much higher than Republican.

How could they tell that without having seen ballots?  People in the Dems' database as being Democrats are turning out more, or what?  I think that might be slightly skewed, since the Dems have caucus info for them and not the GOP.  So, there are probably a lot more active Republicans (if they didn't vote in the primary) who fall under the radar.

Yea, I raised that concern with people as well and we modified our formula to affect % of identified folks turning out instead of raw numbers.

However, "Democratic" turnout is surpassing or very near to surpassing 50% depending on the area, so the unidentified No Data's isn't really relevant in that case.

[Ogre Mage]

This was how I voted in the major races --

U.S. Rep. District #3:  Cheryl Crist (D)
Governor:  Christine Gregoire (D)
Lieutenant Governor:  Didn't Vote
Secretary of State:  Sam Reed (R)
State Treasurer:  ChangMook Sohn (D)
State Auditor:  Brian Sonntag (D)
Attorney General:  John Ladenburg (D)
Commissioner of Public Lands:  Peter J. Goldmark (D)
Insurance Commissioner:  Mike Kreidler (D)
Superintendent of Public Instruction:  Randy Dorn
Supreme Court Justice Pos. 3:  Mary Fairhurst
Supreme Court Justice Pos. 4:  Charles W. Johnson
Supreme Court Justice Pos. 7:  Debra Stephens

[MarkWarner08]

How is Peter Goldmark doing? I read somewhere that the current Land Commish gave an inappropriate back rub to a female staffer.

[Meeker]

How is Peter Goldmark doing? I read somewhere that the current Land Commish gave an inappropriate back rub to a female staffer.

He's outraising his opponent, and the only press Sutherland has gotten recently is the fondling story. Sutherland also has never receive more than 50% in an election.

I'm not quite certain he'll win, but he's doing much better than Ladenburg. I put his odds at a little greater than 50% though.

[MarkWarner08]

How is Peter Goldmark doing? I read somewhere that the current Land Commish gave an inappropriate back rub to a female staffer.

He's outraising his opponent, and the only press Sutherland has gotten recently is the fondling story. Sutherland also has never receive more than 50% in an election.

I'm not quite certain he'll win, but he's doing much better than Ladenburg. I put his odds at a little greater than 50% though.

Thanks for the info. Goldmark reminds me of Ben Westlund -- they're both cowboy environmentalist Democrats from Republican areas.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Here's my ballot (or will be when I go to the office to cast it tomorrow).  Governor's race was a coin-flip and I might accidentally vote for someone else, or if the mood strikes.

Congress: Richmond (D)
Governor: Rossi (R)
Lt. Governor: McCraw (R)
Secretary of State: Reed (R)
Attorney General: McKenna (R)
Auditor: Sonntag (D)
Treasurer: Sohn (D)
CPL: Goldmark (D)
Insurance Commissioner: Kriedler (D)
SPI: Dorn
27th - Senate: Faulk (R)
27th - Rep #1: Smeall (D)
27th - Rep #2: Darneille (D)
SSC Pos 3: Fairhurst
SSC Pos 4: Johnson
SSC Pos 7: Stephens
COA D2P2: Houghton
PCSC: Hecht

Weirdest ballot ever.  A lot of it was arbitrary, too.  Whee.