More of the usual Columbian idiocy

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In the bizarro world of our local stain on the science of journalism, the Columbian apparently believes that they and they alone hold the corner on what is and is not the practice of democracy in this country.

When or how people choose to "jump" into congressional races is really none of the editorial page's business.

That decision is made by the people and the people alone... not the morons writing these editorials.

While there is certainly something to be said about the courage and perseverance of those who announced months ago as opposed to the political opportunism that marks the cowardice of those jumping on Baird's still warm corpse (Herrera) that lack of character on her part will be addressed at the polls.

In this instance, we have something on the order of 10 candidates for the job. Almost sadly in an election where democrats need not apply, and the most pretentious with delusions of grandeur line up to get whacked, my study of the Constitution of the United States seems to indicate that as long as they meet the requirements of citizenship and age, what a local left wing organ thinks is, well, pretty much irrelevant.

So, we get nonsensical pap like this:

Jeers: To Democratic and Republican apparatchiks for jumping too quickly into the burgeoning campaign to succeed Congressman Brian Baird. When Baird, D-Vancouver, announced he wouldn’t run for re-election in November 2010, it rapidly drew even more candidates into what was already becoming a good-sized field. That, in turn, immediately attracted some political hit pieces from the political parties.

The Democrats attacked state Rep. Jaime Herrera, R-Camas, with state party Chairman Dwight Pelz calling her “Palinesque” and “long on style, short on substance,” conveniently ignoring her legislative service and congressional staff work with Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Colville.

The National Republican Congressional Committee attacked state Rep. Deb Wallace, D-Vancouver, as a “just another tax-hiking, job-killing Democrat” apparently without researching her pro-business voting record and background working for business and economic development organizations.

The carelessly thrown mud will make very little impression on the local voters who sent both women to Olympia.

Now, self-delusion plays an important part of the Columbian's persona.

For example, Herrera's experience as a career intern and a go-fer for McMorris no more qualifies her for Congress then it would the moron who wrote this particular "Jeer."

Except for one other empty suit, Jon Russell, Herrera has the least substance and experience of any announced candidate. In fact, I characterized the "much ado about nothing" aspect of this brouhaha thusly:

Herrera has neither style nor substance. And she's not fit to carry Palin's luggage.

Pelz played the GOP like a fish. And he reeled them in that way as well.

In short, she'd be as worthless a member of congress has she has been a worthless member of the legislature. Pelz was more right than wrong.. although giving her so much credit made him wrong as well.

And, after she loses in 2010, we'll all be better off without her, and she can go back to picking up Starbucks orders for McMorris back in DC or something.

Now, Wallace, on the other hand, has never done anything to create a private sector job in her life. She IS personally responsible for wasting over $100,000,000 taxpayer dollars on a pile of paper for a bridge replacement that nobody wants while she and her fellow leftists are working REAL hard to force an additional $1300 a year fee on those who commute to the Portland area every day... a fee she and the other bridge cheerleaders won't have to pay... a $100,000,000 sucked out of our community every year... a $100,000,000 that COULD have gone to businesses and jobs over HERE.

So, that makes the RNC's response directly on target as well.

What's it all mean? The usual.

Whoever wrote that pig feces on the editorial page, as usual, had no idea what the hell they were talking about; and were, in fact, merely filling up space on the page because, well, they HAD to print SOMETHING.
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What do Stacy Sellers and Jaime Herrera have in common?

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Who here isn't familiar with the Sellers debacle?

Sellers, who, at the time was mayor of Washougal, felt compelled to go to Vegas on "official business." While she was there, she decided that the taxpayers of the city of Washougal should pay for her alcohol, and some high priced meals.

Stacy Sellers is having a tough week. Perhaps she deserves one, since, according to the local version of Pravda, Sellars charged, among other things, a "...$57 'surf and turf' dinner. An $88 bottle of wine. A $72 bill at the Eye Candy Lounge & Bar." while on some sort of "official trip" to Vegas.... although why a trip to Vegas for the mayor of Washougal would be official is, perhaps, a subject for another post. (Take some time and run a google search on the "Eye Candy Lounge & Bar" for pictures of others engaging in some distinctly "non-mayor" like activities. I guess what happens in Vegas is reported in the Columbian.)

Just yesterday, KOIN 6 reported on Brian Baird's abuse of the travel system where he decided he needed to spend a fortune to go on vacations masquerading as a "fact finding trip," a trip that a local travel agent booked for roughly one half the cost charged by Baird.

Erstwhile political opportunist Jamie Herrera seems to share the traits of both Baird and Sellers.

In August of 05, Herrera went on one of these "fact finding trips" to Spokane, where Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA05) maintains a district office.

Instead of sending one of her own staffers already in Spokane for this "fact finding," McMorris-Rogers instead seems to have sent Herrera. That sending Herrera was apparently a complete waste of money is a subject for another post. That issue aside, here is the rather disturbing travel voucher, filled out by Herrera and signed off on by her boss and mentor, Congresswoman McMorris-Rogers.



Now, the questionable aspect of this trip aside, where the main issue of concern for me comes to the fore is here:

Somehow, Herrera managed to spend $475.48 for meals on a 3 day trip to Spokane... and her boss, McMorris-Rogers, approved that cost!

Are you kidding me?

I used to LIVE in Spokane. That much money would feed a family of four for three weeks, and Herrera went through that BY HERSELF, in THREE DAYS?

Shades of Stacy Sellers.

And, just like Jon Russell, who approved Seller's charges since he was in overwatch of the credit cards for Washougal, McMorris Rogers approved this outrageous charge paid for by the taxpayers of the United States.

It seems to me that Sellers and Baird and Herrera are all the same... and Russell and McMorris-Rogers blow off this kind of stuff all the time.

As for me, I don't want any of them either in my government... or in elective office.

Because if any of them gave a damn about us... we wouldn't have heard about any of this.

Russell is still in: clearly he doesn't get it.

but then, he's obviously a glutton for punishment.

It's clear to even a blind man that Russell has precisely zero chance of winning. The moment Baird announced he was running for re-election because he knew he would get clobbered if he did, Russell became toast in a way that must still have him reeling.

That said, I almost lost my breakfast when I read this nonsense in the Chronicle up north, who, for whatever the reason, apparently felt compelled to do a sickeningly cloying puff piece on Jon Russell.

Russell an Old Timer in an Increasingly Crowded Field

The bizarro money quote?

So why vote for Jon Russell? He said he has something none of the other two Republicans who entered the race before Baird dropped out have — a voting record.

Although his experience is at the municipal level, Russell is touting his record on proposing local tax cuts and a pay cut he and other councilors recently accepted in light of the recession.

“People know what they’re going to get from me in regards to my voting record,” Russell said.

Really, Jon?

Do they know that all your grandstanding votes on tax cuts and pay cuts are mere props for your congressional campaign?

Do they know YOU ran the Port of Vancouver's campaign effort to ram the largest tax increase in our area's history so YOU could make a few bucks?

Do they know you failed in your job as a city councilman with oversight over Washougal's credit cards and how fast you tossed Stacy Sellers under the bus to save your own ass?

And if they don't, since people are "going to know what they're getting," then how come they don't know THAT?

Yes, I indicated early on that Russell was going to jump ship. Yes, he's stayed in so far. But then, after all of this, it seems I've given him far too much credit in the brain dome department.
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Ever the political opportunist, and seeing the writing on the wall, expect Jon Russell to bail from the congressional race so he can get clobbered....

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...running in the 18th.

Russell had zero chance anyway. But with the advent of another empty suited opportunist, Jamie Herrera, Russell now has LESS then zero chance of winning in the WA 03.

Ahha! So, the beatty little mind of Russell thinks, "gee, I know... I'll just run in the 18th! I carried Jamie's water like Gunga Din once SHE got the appointment. There's no way she wouldn't endorse ME to take her place."

Wrong.

Herrera, Orcutt and Zarelli are out there beating the bushes for somebody who can get elected who will do precisely what Zarelli and Orcutt TELL them to do.

Herrera, unfortunately, is like one of those puppets you've got to run your arm up to the head... Kinda like Jeff Dunham. (In this case, Cathy McMorris plays the role of Dunham; Achmed the Dead Terrorist plays he role of Herrera.)

If Herrera ever had an original thought, it long since died of lonliness.

Nevertheless, Russell knows he's over, because Herrera will vacuum up the few people supporting Russell like a shop vac picks up sawdust. Unfortunately for Russell, he's over in the 18th as well.

There are actual adults interested in replacing the professional intern.

There are actually people of character and integrity taking a look.

Any one of them is more qualified then fake fiscal conservative Jon Russell, and none of them tried to ram the biggest tax increase in SW Washington history down anyone's throat.

Nope... that was Russell.

So, stand by. Any second now, when Herrera announces AGAIN, expect Russell to dump the few people who supported him for Congress and try to lower his sights a little bit.

I, for one, can't wait.
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Gee... things sure got bleak for Jon Russell in a hurry, didn't they?

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Over the next few days, the Congressional race in the 3rd will shake itself out a little more as egos demand that efforts at least be made... since it will probably be decades until a better opportunity for the GOP presents itself.

For Jon Russell, the announcement of our local opportunist, Jamie Herrera, to run for the job was the death-knell.

Russell's campaign was going no where fast, and Herrera just nailed it with a sledge hammer.

I freely admit that I oppose Russell: I don't believe he should hold a position in elective office anywhere. In fact, Russell, who had been carrying Herrera's water like Gunga Din, now has come to understand the depths of that woman's ability to toss allies under the bus as she fulfills her destiny... no matter how many bodies she has to climb over to get it done.

But the problem here is that the only suit emptier than Obama's in politics is Herrera.

There's no there, there. And, over time, as I know every aspect of how Herrera came to be appointed; how the political process of her replacement of Richard Curtis was corrupted and how outside influences were used to foist this clueless idiot on an unsuspecting populace, when the timing is right, she'll come to be confronted with her corruption of our process along with that of her mentor, Cathy McMorris.

That said, Russell is now toast. He stood little chance anyway, but now, he would be best served to stay in his little Podunk town and actually get down to finally doing the job he was ELECTED to do... and to stop making excuses when he's caught not doing it.

More to come. Stay tuned.
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