The local newspaper, the Columbian, better known to locals as “the mouthpiece of the Democratic Party” once again puts their leftwing bias on open display for all to see.
We saw it just days as as they published 10 favorable articles on the local “Occupy anything but a bar of soap” rally at Esther Short Park Saturday, with 3 0r 4 personnel apparently assigned to cover it, including editor Lou Brancaccio, credited for some of the photos taken of the event.
That the April 17, 2010 Tea Party Tax Day event did not merit a single mention in the mouthpiece, even though it drew nearly twice as many participants is overshadowed by Brancaccio’s claim of “we have ‘mentioned’ Tea Party over 800 times.”
I’ll leave it to the reader to imagine whether or not “over 800 times” is a gross exaggeration or how favorable any of those mentions might have been.
Now we see one of the understudies for John Laird, the acerbic political page editor who sees citizens who disagree with having light rail shoved down our throats as “Ankle Biting Hounds from Whinerville” taking yet another shot at the right with the Andrea Damewood piece, How ‘Republican’ are nonpartisan local candidates? They ask, should it matter?
How horrible that, in response to requests from local citizens, the GOP formed a “voter’s guide” listing non-partisan candidates known political leanings. The local GOP boldly states at the top of the “voters guide,” cleverly labeled a “report card” by Damewood, that the GOP is “not endorsing any candidates for non-partisan office this year.”
The guide was compiled by members of the party board as a courtesy to those who call in to ask.
Let’s face it, even though a seat on city council is listed as “non-partisan,” voters are entitled to know if they are voting for a liberal, a conservative, a moderate or whatever partisan leanings any candidate brings to the seat. That is something we all seek to know before voting.
Lest you think the local Democratic Party, who never does anything to merit a critical comment by their mouthpiece the Columbian, has clean hands in such listings, they inform their voters of candidate’s partisan leanings too, just in a more subtle way.
In their monthly newsletter it is not uncommon to find candidates for non-partisan office included in a brief article as “active in Democrat Party events,” or even as a “Democratic Activist” as has been the case with incumbent Vancouver City Council member Bart Hansen and in 2009, candidate for Battle Ground city council, Michael Dalesandro.
The Clark County Democrats July 2011 newsletter lists Bart Hanson as having “been active in the Democratic Party.”
The same newsletter also lists Anne McInerny-Ogle as “an active Democrat.”
Looking back to the September 2009 Democratic Party Newsletter we see mention in that election for non-partisan seats, “Incumbent Jeanne Harris, an active Democrat,” “Anne McInerny-Ogle, who has sought and won some labor and Democratic support. She has also attended many meetings of Democratic groups,” and “Former councilman and sometime Democratic legislative candidate Jack Burkman” all mentioned by their known party affiliation.
Other comments in that newsletter include, “David Michael Heywood, editor of The Democrat and chair of the 49th Legislative District Democrats, is seeking to unseat solid incumbent Councilwoman Jeanne E. Stewart, some of whose campaign materials have identified her as holding ‘Republican values’.”
We also read, “In Battle Ground, Democratic activist Michael Dalesandro is bidding to unseat incumbent Councilwoman Lisa Walters.”
Damewood conveniently leaves all of that out of her hit piece.
Then again, as the mouthpiece for the Democratic Party, why mention that the parties both inform their voters, just in a different manner? After all, the main goal of the Columbian appears to be promoting whatever betters the Democratic Party chances to win elections.
UPDATE: Andrea Damewood took exception to my comment on the obvious bias noted in the Columbian’s article.
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UPDATE: The Columbian makes an attempt to show both parties engage in such a practice in their blog post, Bart Hansen, player
Billed as an effort to point out it is a common practice of both parties by “includ[ing] some pretty strong wording on that, along with saying Bart Hansen’s been deceitfully playing both sides,” once again it is left up to the readers to judge the objectivity n their own.
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