Campaign ‘96
Republicans running rampant
Don’t be surprised to hear a Republican candidate on talk radio later this week, or even to bump into several downtown. Spokane will be full of GOP hopefuls this weekend because the county party holds its annual Lincoln Day dinner on Saturday. (Yes, we know Lincoln’s Birthday was last month, but the party is nothing if not flexible on scheduling to attract the widest array of candidates, who will have about two minutes each to address the crowd.) … Expect at least six GOP gubernatorial hopefuls, a pair of lieutenant governor wannabes, a smattering of aspirants to other statewide offices and two congresspersons, George Nethercutt and Linda Smith. (No, we are not counting Smith twice, as a candidate for Congress and governor.) … Smith will be plugging one of her favorite topics, campaign finance reform, at a 3:30 reception prior to the 7 p.m. dinner … All this takes place at the downtown Red Lion Hotel. Dinner tickets go for $30; reception tickets for $50, by calling 838-6162.
Caucus followups
Even some Democratic stalwarts could be heard calling for an end to the precinct caucus system last week, after months of scheduling, site selection and planning still resulted in an abysmal turnout. But North Side Demo David Frederick found a ray of hope at the caucus he chaired. Seems a teenage student attended the meeting as a class assignment and brought along her disinterested boyfriend. When the activists found out the young man wasn’t even registered, “We took care of that in a hurry, and got him to participate,” Frederick said … County Republicans took issue with the newspaper’s estimate of attendees at the Lewis and Clark High School caucuses. They say they counted 140 in the cafeteria, double what the newspaper reported. The newspaper’s count may have occurred after some precincts moved to other rooms, they said.
Rumor of the Week
U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt will get a second announced Democratic opponent by the end of the week.
Words to live by
We make no judgment on the truth of the following comment by the Mainstream Republican Committee in its ongoing battle against Pat Buchanan. We simply offer it as the most bizarre verbal image of the week: “Mainstreamers represent the connective tissue between the Washington state Republican Party and the traditional conservative-to-moderate Republicans and independents.” … Connective tissue? Ewwww.
Web site of the week
Here’s an Internet resource worth checking for the politically active or curious: ElectionLine (http://www.electionline.com/) … Sponsored by ABC News and The Washington Post, it offers the day’s political headlines, plus links to the standard campaign calendar features. The graphics aren’t as glitzy as some - which can be a plus if you hate waiting for pretty pictures to load - but it has a few interesting features. A few clicks on the mouse can reveal all candidates’ stands on any of 27 different issues in an easy-to-compare format. And the Search icon will lead the patient surfer to the political archives of The Post, Newsweek and ABC News … Be prepared for some downloading delays unless you have fast modems and processors.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Raising campaign funds
MEMO: Campaign ‘96 is published regularly during campaign season, and is compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports. To submit information on a political event or a question you think the candidates should answer, write us c/o The Spokesman-Review, Box 2160, Spokane, Wash., 99210. Or e-mail to jimc@spokesman.com. Or fax to (509) 459-5482. Or call Cityline at 458-8800 on a Touch-Tone phone, the press 9893 to leave a message.