Washington 2020: The Calm Before the Drizzle

[Cobbler]

Anyone watch the debates? McKenna won pretty clearly, I'd say. What are the odds that this will have an impact on polling?

[Cobbler]

McKenna attacked constantly and sounded desperate and snarky. Was not a good performance for him.

I agree, he attacked a lot and came off as too aggressive, but I felt he had much more substance/came off as more knowledgeable about the issues and addressed the questions more than Inslee, who I felt said the same talking points almost every question.

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Yeah I figured, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for clearing it up for me.

[Cobbler]

Are there any more debates left in the governor's race?  I'm beginning to lose hope.  I sure hope you guys don't make it 32 years of Democrat governors!

There's one tonight, but I don't think they'll have much of an impact. I'm hoping McKenna can pull it off, but its definitely looking better for Inslee.

[Cobbler]

I'm actually really disappointed that Inslee is beating Mckenna. He would've been a great governor and a good model for future moderate Republican candidates in the state. He was the best chance for a Republican in governor's office and now we'll probably go back to nominating loonies. And Inslee doesn't come off as someone who is very intelligent and is kind of just getting by on being a Democrat, which is also upsetting.

[Cobbler]

Marijuana has been proven to be a gateway to using other drugs. 

No, that has not been proven.  Perhaps, there's a statistical correlation but correlation does not equal causation.  No study has come close to showing that marijuana use causes hard drug use. 

And as for gay marriage, I support equal rights for homosexual couples, but don't redefine marraige to do that.  Call it a "civil union" and give them the rights, but don't be changing a religious definition.

How does changing the law change the religious definition?  We have a separation of church and state and ultimately, nobody can force you to support gay marriage.  And really, if it's the same in everything but name, doesn't that imply gay people's relationships are lesser compared to "real" marriages. 

I might get to pot later, but by sanctioning "gay marriage" you are violating the religious beliefs of those who do not recognize that as a marriage.

In the eyes of the government, all unions between two people should be the same, including called the same thing. Whether you prefer them all to be called marriage, or all called civil unions, they need the same name officially. Otherwise, that implies that they aren't equal.

And as for marijuana, there is no reason to assume its a gateway drug. Plenty of people have tried it, including presidents, and they're just fine.

Our state is a model in terms of letting people live in a tolerant, open environment. There is nothing socially backward about that.

[Cobbler]

Churches are not forced to perform or recognize marriages they do not wish to under the Washington law.  But they don't get to dictate to the rest of us what goes on outside of their chapel doors.

Putting same-sex couples in a separate class of civil unions is a version of the "separate but equal" argument in Plessy v. Ferguson.  It was later correctly declared unconstitutional.

The only thing that would be separate is the term used to describe it.  For me, it's a languge issues, not a civil rights issue.  And besides, all laws "discriminate" against somebody.

Why should the government give them separate names if they are equal? Just because some people have religious views that say that it can only be "one man, one woman" doesn't mean the government should inefficiently label them as separate names.

My opinion is if it looks like a marriage and sounds like a marriage, call it a marriage. Either that or the government calls all heterosexual marriages "civil unions", but since marriage is the more common term, I'd say it would be easier to call it marriage.


If you don't see them as the same thing religiously, good for you. But the government is not a church, and should not distinguish between the two.

[Cobbler]

probably not the right place for this, but...

WE HAVE THE SONICS BACK!!!

It's about time!

[Cobbler]

I am sooo glad I don't live in Washington state, because I don't know how I could stand living in what is probably the most liberal state in the country (in terms of policies.)

Despite the natural beauty, culture, and artistic and economic activity Washington produces, it have gay marriage and marijuana so it is a terrible place to live. [/OldiesFreak]