Jamie Herrera Beutler is welcomed to DC
Representatives Herrera Beutler, McMorris Rodgers, Hastings, Reichert and Dicks
The Seattle Times has the story: Photos taken from Cathy Mcmorris Rodgers Facebook Page
Back of Painting with all the signatures
On her first day in Congress, U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler received a welcome gift from her fellow House members from Washington state: a painting of a just-hatched chick that’s been bestowed on the newest member of the delegation since the 1970s.
The painting was purchased by then-U.S. Rep. Joel “Art Expert” Pritchard in 1972. Pritchard paid $50 — or 50 cents, no one seems certain — and passed it on to Rep. Norm Dicks when he arrived at the Capitol in 1977. The painting subsequently passed through Mike Lowry, Dan Evans, Brock Adams and more than a dozen others. All of them signed their names on the back of the canvas.
Obama and Cantwell insult Fallen Hero’s Family
Sgt. Sean Collins
Sgt. Sean Collins of Yelm was an American Hero who sacrificed everything for his country and was buried in Tacoma on Wed Dec. 29th. But given the treatment he received from Senator Maria Cantwell and President Obama you never could have guessed that he was a hero. The TNT reports:
“One slight came in a letter of condolences the family received from the office of Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
At first, the Collins family appreciated that Cantwell had taken the time to send a letter acknowledging their son’s sacrifice.
But the letter misidentified the slain soldier in its last paragraph, which reads:
“Again, please accept my warmest condolences. May your memories of Bryn and the knowledge that he made a positive impact on the lives of so many serve as a source of comfort to you during this time of sorrow.”
The letter was dated Dec. 20 and delivered to Sean Collins’ mother, Linda Collins of Yelm. The error conveyed to the family that Cantwell had sent a form letter.”
“They couldn’t even proofread it,” she said. “I’m sure if her son had died, she would’ve at least wanted his name spelled correctly.”
“That’s just sloppy staff work, that’s an embarrassment,” Patrick Collins said. He has not yet called Cantwell’s office to ask for an apology
The other insult came from even higher up, all the way from the top. The story continues
The other slight came when Patrick Collins called the White House and asked to have President Obama call his ex-wife, Linda, to talk about their son.
He was told that Obama did not regularly make phone calls to the families of fallen soldiers.
Later, Patrick Collins read a story about Obama’s phone call to Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie. Obama reportedly praised Lurie for giving quarterback Michael Vick a second chance to play football after serving time in prison for running a dog fighting ring.
“That burns,” Patrick Collins said Thursday.
“Any soldier that gets killed in action, you’d think the president would be calling someone in the family. There’s no politics in it. His predecessor did it,” Collins said.
Evidently the fact that dog fighter Michael Vick was given a second chance matters more to our President than Sgt. Collins a hero from Washington who sacrificed everything for his country and was treated with disrespect by our selve serving politicians.
Read the full story from the Tacoma News Tribune Here By Adam Ashton:
Dino Rossi Is Making the Rounds In DC
Dino Rossi is meeting people in Washington, D.C. discussing the upcoming Senate race against Patty Murray. The fact that he flew out to DC for a couple of days clearly shows that he is more than moderately interested in this race. Here’s hoping…
Is he getting closer to running?
Dino Rossi Stops By The NRSC To Talk Washington Senate Race
Former state Sen. Dino Rossi (R) stopped by the National Republican Senatorial Committee Wednesday to meet with Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) about a bid against Sen. Patty Murray (R-Wash.).
NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh confirmed Rossi’s meeting, but it’s not a big surprise given that he met Tuesday with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.
“Senator Cornyn continues to meet with a number of potential candidates in Washington,” Walsh said. “We believe and her poll numbers confirm that Sen. Murray is vulnerable, and we intend this to be a very competitive race in November.”
The NRSC believes Rossi could wage a competitive campaign against Murray, but since the filing deadline isn’t until June, he has said in interviews that he will take his time deciding.
Earlier is better for Senate Republicans, who are otherwise faced with a crowded primary of little-known GOP candidates. If Rossi doesn’t run, former local newscaster Susan Hutchison is waiting in the wings.
Rossi is making the rounds with pollster Hans Kaiser of Moore Information.
Update: this story would seem to eliminate a story on Washington’s premiere leftist blog, Horses Ass, that hypothesized that Rossi was going to run for governor in 2012 which is why Rob Mckenna was pushing this lawsuit. Their logic does’t really add up, but either way I think Rossi is a much more likely candidate against Patty than for governor in two and a half years.
Update II: Previously Rossi had stated that alot of pople were approaching and calling asking him to get into the race. Rossi has clearly moved to the next level of intrest, if he is willing to fly to DC for a few days he is obviously seriously weighing a run.
The Special Session Grinds On
without much progress…
According to the Tacoma News Tribune
House-Senate impasse over taxes grinds session to near-halt
Top House and Senate negotiators were in Olympia to bring ideas for ending the impasse over how to raise $800 million in new revenue – without the temporary sales-tax increase that the Senate has suggested. But no one publicly offered new ideas, and most rank-and-file lawmakers won’t be coming to Olympia on Wednesday, either.
The House Democrats say they lack votes for a sales-tax increase – even the Senate’s scaled-back plan – as part of their nearly $800 million tax package. And the Senate can’t find the minimum 25 votes of support for substitute taxes the House approved.
The fact that House and Senate Democrats cannot get on the same page shows the mismanagement of the powers that be in Olympia. Frank Chopp, Lisa Brown and Gov. Gregoire are all Democrats but they cannot seem to get on the same page. This also shows how worried many lawmakers are about the upcoming elections. Democrats have massive majorities in both Chambers and Republicans cannot really stop the Democrats as was evidenced by the repeal of I-960.
The goods news for challengers, is that the longer incumbents are in session the longer they have to wait to start raising money for the elections that are fast approaching. Every day the Democrats spend bickering in Olympia is one more day that voters get to see them as ineffective. And that is one fewer day they get to spend on the campaign trail and raising money.
Democrats Go After Mckenna
Democrats ratcheted up attacks on Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna on Tuesday after he made Washington a party to the 13-state lawsuit challenging the health-care bill signed by President Obama.
Democrats in the Legislature are considering a budget proviso to block McKenna from spending state money on the lawsuit.
“We are looking at that,” said Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane. “We’re researching it right now, but there is no decision yet.” In a letter to McKenna, Brown called his lawsuit “far outside the mainstream interests” of the state and asked him to reconsider.
Meanwhile, the state Democratic Party filed a broad public-records request with McKenna’s office, demanding to see all documents related to his decision.
It’s unlikely those actions will have any immediate effect on the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in a Florida federal court. The lawsuit challenges the health-care law’s requirement that every person buy health insurance, calling it an “unprecedented encroachment” on individual liberty.
If you read the article in the Seattle Times and the statements from Gregoire and the leading Dems, they never address the merits of the lawsuit. Instead they claim that the Obamacare bill is a good policy that will help Washington Families. While I strongly disagree with their claims, they are missing the point. The lawsuit is not about policy differences, it is about whether the federal government is acting within it’s constitutional limitations with this bill. AG Mckenna is doing his job in standing up for the Constitution and his opponents are simply playing politics.
State schools chief Randy Dorn arrested on suspicion of drunken driving
From the Seattle Times
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn was arrested early Sunday in Orting under suspicion of driving under the influence, his office confirmed Tuesday.
The traffic stop occurred at about 1:30 a.m. at roughly the 300 block of Washington Avenue North, said Orting Police Chief Bill Drake. That’s the same block as Orting High School.
Dorn said in a statement Tuesday that he and his family were attending a community event Saturday night where he drank beer with dinner. He was stopped by local police on the way home, he said.
He said that he isn’t able to discuss further details of the incident right now.
I am glad we are setting a strong example for our kids.
One thought I had on his statement was that 1:30 AM is awfully late to be out for dinner or for a "community event."
According to the Tacoma News Tribune his blood Alcohol content was 0.11 at 3:00AM which was an hour and a half after he was pulled over. Now I am not going to speculate but why did the police wait over an hour and a half to administer a breathalyzer test? Dorn is from nearby Eatonville so it makes you wonder if the policeman at the scene was taking it easy on the locally elected Dorn…
Also from the TNT
Dorn, 56, was cited for driving under the influence and also received a ticket for driving 10 miles over the speed limit. Though police confirmed Dorn was arrested, jail records show he wasn’t booked into Pierce County Jail. Orting Police Chief Bill Drake said DUI suspects are often released after their arrests if they have no other pending charges. Drake said Tuesday that he couldn’t release more information about Dorn’s arrest because he was still finishing the investigation.
That is where Dorn really blew it. Never go 10 mph over in Orting. Never.