The biggest race in Washington State will be the rematch between Governor Gregoire and GOP (not Republican) opponent Dino Rossi. In the highly controversial 2004 election, Gregoire won the third recount by a mere 129 votes. I don't think the race will be that close and here is why:

• Governor Gregoire inherited a $2.2 billion state budget deficit and turned it into a nearly billion dollar surplus.
• Under her leadership, the nonpartisan, independent Pew Center on the States ranked Washington as one of the top-three states for managing public resources.
  
• Forbes Magazine ranked our state as one of the top-three best states for business. The Small Business Council ranks Washington as the fourth-best state for small business.
• When she stepped into the Governor's mansion, Washington had the nation's 2nd highest unemployment rate. Now we are near the bottom.

So on the typical Republican (I meant GOP) talking points of cutting government, being good for business and fiscal responsibility, Gregoire has excelled. And she has made a commitment to improving health care in our state, which will be a major issue in this election. Perhaps the biggest reason is that she learned from her campaign mistakes in 2004. During that election, Gregoire was far too King County-centric. That was safe (Dem-leaning) territory with all the big media outlets. And yet it bit her in the ass. She lost the suburbs big time and was beat in Pierce County, which should never be won by a Republican. But this time around, she is making it a point to be seen across the state, especially outside of King County.

Logan Welfringer, our intern, and I joined a delegation from Washington Public Campaigns in a meeting with Congressman Adam Smith at his Tacoma office on Friday. The purpose of the meeting was to ask for his support of publicly funded campaigns for congressional races. With some races (like Darcy Burner's in Washington's 8th District) approaching costs of $5 million per side, we have to do something about the runaway costs. It was a great half hour session as Smith asked for more details and then stated that Congress needs to do something to regain the confidence of the people. He then agreed to cosponsor legislation that would move toward providing public financing of congressional campaigns. It was a great success, as not that often one walks into a meeting with a member of Congress and you get exactly what you are hoping for.

America In Solidarity is part of the Healthy Washington Coalition, a broad-based group of labor, advocacy groups and business, pushing for health care reform in the state. This summer, Healthy Washington has had a series of public forums to discuss our health care crisis and gauge what the public wants when we talk about health care reform. Part of the program involves a community discussion and vote upon what "values" are important. Overwhelmingly at each of the meetings so far, "cover everyone" is the leading votegetter. 

Hopefully the politicians are listening. 

Keith Olbermann's latest rant on Hillary Clinton should be shown to every remaining Clinton supporter. I've always thought that in her mind, winning the presidency was worth sacrificing everything and anyone. Olbermann calls her out for her remark tying the Robert Kennedy assassination and invoking it as reason for her to stay in the Democratic race. 

If you are still wavering about Clinton as president, watch this video. 

Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) asked me to weigh in on the pending Korea-US Free Trade Agreement. Like most FTA's it is agreed to in closed door meetings and finding out the facts about what it would do is oftentimes difficult to find, if not grasp. I'm still working on an official letter regarding America In Solidarity's position (and please help if you are interested), but here is what I emailed his aide regarding it:

I still have not had time to craft a letter to Adam about the Korea FTA. I haven't had time to do a lot of research to back up with facts my working hypothesis. While I think the KORUS would open up lots of opportunities for some parts of our economy (beef, farming, natural resources), we are concerned that this will result in an even larger trade deficit. The difference in wages will result in even more losses in American
manufacturing and at some point we can't continue to "reeducate" by the millions because there are no jobs to replace those we lost. I hate being against every agreement because there is the simple fact that
my livelihood (as does your husband's, father's, etc) benefits from trade, but I think there has to be a better way because I think these trade agreements benefit only the corporations, infringe upon worker's,
environmental and community rights, and gives too much influence to organizations like the WTO, that don't have our interests at stake.
Sometimes, when its hard to decide which side of the fence to be on, I look at who wants these agreements and who doesn't and I am quite weary of the players that are always pushing fta's and the liberalization of the markets. I recently read Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine" and it scares me that the next wave of profit for the few is the United States. Anyway, I respect Adam's interest and knowledge on the subject, and I really respect that he wants our opinion and seems open-minded on the subject, so I'll craft a letter soon, but if he needs a quick answer feel free to forward him these thoughts.
-Todd

Todd Iverson
President and co-founder, America In Solidarity
www.americasolidarity.org

America In Solidarity co-founder Mike Jagielski forwarded me a great article pointed out that the Bush Administration has followed 14 characteristics common to the fascist regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet. Scary stuff...

http://www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm 

Most that have talked with me about presidential politics know how I feel about Senator Clinton and her bid for the Democratic nomination. But for someone who touts her health care experience and advantage on the subject, I find it funny how she has failed to pay the tab for health care costs of the campaign:

Among the debts reported this month by Hillary Rodham Clinton’s struggling presidential campaign, the $292,000 in unpaid health insurance premiums for her campaign staff stands out.

Read the whole piece.

The left wing pundits called it "the first great speech of the 21st Century" and the right-wing spinmeisters picked it apart and continued to rail on Senator Obama's former pastor and his remarks.

Truth is, Obama had to say it. Someone had to say exactly what he said. "We can get beyond our racial divisions." 

Listen to the speech. Please. 

It's almost 1600 years old but I think it works for what we are facing today.

“Hope has two beautiful daughters: their names are anger and courage. Anger that things are the way they are. Courage to make them the way they ought to be.” - St. Augustine.

Iraq, health care, corporate greed, Blackwater, CEO pay, there is a lot to be angry about. I hope thee will be enough with the courage to do what is right.

In 2004 I was a Kucinich delegate who came within five votes of representing him in Boston. I carried his torch for a while and hoped for a similar run in 2008, but alas it was not meant to be. Here is what I wrote to a Kucinich listserve following the Washington State caucus...

I realize that Kucinich's chance was akin to a blind man shooting in the dark on a stormy night, but for a while we were able to give it our best shot at working on someone who would represent us, restore democracy and the constitution, and shares the values that we do on trade, war and peace, the corporate attack on working Americans and health care.

Despite being discouraged that Kucinich (or uncommitted) failed to generate one delegate from my precinct, I am thrilled that 107 people from a middle/upper class area turned out for a Democratic caucus (probably 4x that in '04). Over half were there for the first time. There were more young people than I have ever seen at anything political outside of a college campus.

I wish I could have spent more time working on the Kucinich campaign (blame getting married during the time). Perhaps all my efforts could have resulted in more delegates across the state, but like I said at the caucus "What can you do when the election is almost decided before we even get a chance to debate?" I think it is a shame that the two candidates with the most money are the ones that escape "Super Tuesday." They did not have the best ideas, merely the most money.