If you haven’t been keeping up on the current ‘kerfuffle’s’ ongoing in politics locally, the Lazy C’s Greg Jayne reminds of them in his Sunday editorial, It’s hard to see the humor in strident political agendas.
While primarily pointing fingers at the current “write-in” effort in the county council chair race, Jayne does mention the recent matter between the Clark County Democrat Party and the Young Democrats of Clark County when they endorsed separate candidates, the party getting behind Democrat Mike Dalesandro and the Young Democrats endorsing Independent Marc Boldt who has previously ran and won elections as a Republican.
I’m particularly struck by that as I read over on the C3G2 facebook page from Roy Valo, “Yeah, in the Dems we came up with a logical compromise that both the CCDCC and the YDs were satisfied with because we sat down and discussed the issue like adults.”
They dealt with it like adults, huh?
Of course, the indication here is that when former commissioner Marc Boldt was “sanctioned” by the former leaders of the Clark County Republicans, they apparently didn’t act like adults.
I must assume that as the headlines from the Lazy C then labeled those sanctions on Boldt as “a self-inflicted wound.”
Jayne indicates in today’s editorial that they reached “a compromise to prevent the Young Democrats from using party resources to support Boldt.” You can read more on the ‘particulars’ of that “compromise” at the Lazy C article, Clark County Democrats, Young Democrats reach deal.
In a nutshell, the compromise amounts to a “sanction” of the Young Democrats in that they “may not use the Clark County Democrats’ office or resources…”
Clark Democrat Chair, Deanna Pauli-Hammond stated, “The Young Democrats violated the Clark County Democrats’ policy by endorsing Boldt over the Democratic candidate,” and “Our main mission is to get Democrats elected.”
I am reminded of when it became known the Clark County Republicans sanctioned Boldt and all hell broke loose over it, those sanctions amounted to “denying him a speaking position at the County Convention, blocking his using Party resources and voter lists in his campaign and removing his photo from website and wall of the Party headquarters.”
Sounds to me like it was pretty close to how the Clark Democrats reached their “compromise” with the Young Democrats, but their similar effort seems to be “like adults” where the GOP’s effort was “a self-inflicted wound,” with the Lazy C adding, “Criticizing your own is no way to act as the campaign season approaches.”
Apparently, their ‘sage advice’ is only for Republicans as for years they have completely ignored egregious actions by the Democrat Party in the State against Democrats that dared get out of lock-step with the party.
I am reminded of the words of former state senator moderate Democrat Jim Kastama, from a speech offering his reasons for crossing the aisle when he said, “My colleagues made it very clear to me that my career was over. ‘The only job you’ll ever get is as a gas station attendant’.”
He ended up not running for reelection.
Such scorn is not unknown within the Democrat party, although you will hear little of it from the Lazy C. We read from the Seattle Times Dec 2012 article, Aisle-crossing senators have rankled party loyalists before of two other Democrats, Tim Sheldon and Rodney Tom that worked across the aisle for betterment of the people,
“State Senators Rodney Tom and Tim Sheldon have been known to buck their parties and side with Republicans at times. Their plan to join with Republicans in a new Senate majority coalition marks a culmination of their efforts to be aisle-crossing mavericks — or traitors, in the eyes of some.”
Feb 15, 2013 saw then Democrat party chair Dwight Pelz send out an email titled “Send Rodney Tom Packing” where Pelz said, “We’ve shown State Senator Rodney Tom the door – now it’s time to send him packing.”
MacKenzie Fuentes of the Washington Democrats included in her Mar 20, 2014 membership drive email under planned actions, “care of unfinished business – Defeat Rodney Tom.”
We read in a January 10, 2013 Seattle PI editorial, Home district Democrats: Damn you, Sen. Tom!
“By a 30-8 margin, the party organization in Tom’s Eastside district said he will be “ineligible for our future endorsement and support under our bylaws” unless Tom repents and submits to the leadership slate selected by State Senate Democrats.”
When State Republicans proposed a “power-sharing” arrangement, we read Democratic Caucus Answers Power-Sharing Offer in Senate – Nothing Doing where the Democrat leader stated “No Power Better Than Some Power.”
By February 2013 we read of another email sent out by Dwight Pelz, No Longer Democrats! State Chairman Pelz says Tom and Sheldon Aren’t Invited to the Party with “It might be the first time a political party has used a party-building email to give a couple of its own members a swift kick in the rump.”
February 2013 also saw the State Democrats issue a RESOLUTION to Censure State Senators Rodney Tom and Tim Sheldon
About this same time we saw Sen. Tim Sheldon’s wife Linda fire back, telling Pelz to “put on big boy pants.”
Retiring after 40 years in public service and as State Auditor, Democrat Brian Sonntag joined the conservative Think Tank Freedom Foundation that drew the attention of former Washington State Democrat Party chair Dwight Pelz that saw Pelz immediately declare Former Auditor Brian Sonntag No Longer a Democrat.
But, none of that was ever a “self-inflicted wound.”
No, bringing these points up in the past results in claims of it isn’t local, even though it is the state party.
But we have seen local Democrats act in such a manner. Long time Democrat PCO and 49th Legislative District State Committeeman, Noland Hoshino announced on his facebook page, June 8, 2015 that he resigned from his positions under pressure from the Clark County Democrats for having “other than Democrats” as customers in his company, High Five Media. Hoshino said,
“Political parties in Clark County have become entrenched and focus more on what divides us than where we can find common ground to move forward. And when party insiders begin attacking each other because certain people don’t meld to the ideas and beliefs of certain others, the party devolves into eating its own.”
Back in the 2012 election for 3rd Congressional District, currently held by Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler, we saw local Democrats withhold support for their candidate, Jon Haugen based on pleas from 49th legislative district Representative, Jim Moeller due to Haugen not being in full support of the CRC light rail project.
Of the Marc Boldt sanction, Jim Moeller said, “I can understand your frustration with some of Mark’s positions,… but to sanction him and to expect him to heel to the party platform is political lunacy!”
The Lazy C did not see that rise to a “self-inflicted” wound, but just a “fairly horrible experience.”
From where I sit, even though I have my own deep divisions with the Clark County Republicans, Democrats have no room to claim how well they deal with matters by “compromise like adults” while crying how bad the GOP is.
As Noland said above, both parties have a long way to go to where they actually represent the people of the county instead of their own personal agendas.
Time for both of these parties to grow up!
As for the Lazy C, I’m afraid they are a lost cause.
