Spokane7
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February 20, 2011 in City
Spin Control: Politics in how state Senate seat was filled? Of course
Now that most dust has settled from filling the Spokane Valley’s 4th District Senate seat, it may be safe to answer the question of who was guilty of committing politics to fill that spot.
Answer: Everyone.
While it’s generally true if everyone’s guilty, no one can claim the moral high ground, the problem seems to be that some people don’t like to be thought of as resorting to politics to get what they want. They believe there’s something inherently evil or icky about it. For them, here are two words of advice: Grow up.
We’re talking about a political party trying to fill a partisan position in a body where politics is described as the art of the possible and serves as the oil that lubricates the process.
In the five weeks between Bob McCaslin’s retirement and Jeff Baxter’s appointment, everyone who had a stake in the outcome was politicking, but not everyone was willing to own up to it.
The cries of foul came loudest from people who may be newest to the process, the wing of the Republican Party that might belong to members of the Libertarian Party if the Libertarians were in some way, shape or form a viable vehicle to elect people to office. Many also have some affinity with the tea party, although that party is such a wide and interesting amalgam of philosophies that its membership can be hard to define.
Tea partiers seem to share a belief that the status quo must change and politics as usual must end. So they were duly incensed after hearing that some current and former legislators discussed favorites for the nominee list to fill McCaslin’s seat. They may have been rightly alarmed that their preferred pick, Rep. Matt Shea, wouldn’t be the county commissioners’ pick.
Their first reaction was to warn the commissioners about being unelected for dereliction of constitutional duty. They then engaged in political maneuvering of their own, arranging a slate designed to make Shea the obvious choice and pushing through rules for the nomination process to shut out anyone else. This produced complaints from the other side, followed by retorts from the Shea supporters that this was just democracy in action.
Were politics being committed when current and former legislators met over a meal to discuss potential replacements to McCaslin? Yes, but there wasn’t anything immoral or illegal about that.
Was it politics when tea partiers tried to intimidate the commissioners into choosing their favorite for the opening? Yes, but as long as they didn’t threaten violence, the commissioners are big boys and can handle it. When one throws around the constitution, however, it’s always good to read it and realize there’s nary a word about commissioners having to take the precinct committee officers’ choice. In fact, it says nothing about precinct committee officers, period; they’re a part of the process by party rules, not the constitution.
Did the Libertarian wing of the local GOP engineer a backroom deal to put Shea on the nominee list with Jeff Baxter and Roy Murry? Yes, and it included a certain amount of recognizable payback for what happened to them at the county and state GOP conventions. There’s nothing wrong with that unless you are categorically or vocally against backroom deals. In that case, you may have some uncomfortable ’splaining to do.
Was it democracy in action that Shea supporters could change the rules for electing nominees and push through their slate by the sheer force of numbers? Maybe, but it’s important to remember that we don’t live in a democracy but a republic, which is probably why the founding fathers wanted the party to nominate three, and the commissioners choose one.
The commissioners chose Baxter, and he began work in the Senate last week. One might think the waters will now calm, former adversaries will have a Kumbaya moment and unite against a common enemy, the Democrats.
Probably not. Republicans aren’t much for Kumbaya moments. There are still people who hold grudges from the 2008 John McCain-Ron Paul fight, the 1996 Bob Dole-Pat Buchanan contest, the 1988 George Bush-Pat Robertson split, or the 1976 Gerald Ford-Ronald Reagan contest. There may be some still around with a score or two to settle from the 1964 Barry Goldwater and Nelson Rockefeller battle, although they probably refer to McCaslin as “that young whippersnapper.”
That’s another thing about politics. It attracts people with long memories.
Spin Control also appears online at www.spokesman.com/blogs/spincontrol.
Supermajority for taxes unconstitutional, judge rules 
ChefGus/ John Olsen on February 20 at 7:37 a.m.
Great article Jim… a small but cogent piece of the “politics” of this circus was those of us on the other side rolling on the floor…. and also being publicly supportive of what ever convoluted process the Republican Party chose to use and then abuse…. It means that we may have a chance to be a “second choice” in the “best of two” Primary system we use….
The Democratic party’s use of the Caucus system in lieu entirely of the very expensive 10 million dollar Presidential Primary is another example of the “will of the people” being subverted by the political mavens. J
hawken on February 20 at 9:02 a.m.
The Tea Party process worked pretty well last November with the Democrat “shellacking.” Out front and in the open,. by everyday Americans. It’s called a “grass roots movement.” A better term would be a “ground swell” movement. Or, “The Voice of America Movement.” Whichever tag one wants to use, it shook the halls of DC, most prominently, the left side.
Camden’s article is self-contradictory.
He goes to great lengths to defend politics as usual, and then tells the Tea Party to “grow up” for doing the very thing he justifies.
The Tea Party is not only growing up, but also growing larger, changing the face of American politics. So, once the “dust settles” in 2012 we’ll revisit the writings of Mr. Camden on this topic.
Meanwhile he and others can try all they want to minimize the Tea Party. What we know is, that hasn’t worked so well to date. The good news is that growing up brings more positive, creative change and energy, than growing old.
Patanjali on February 20 at 4:34 p.m.
I am counting on the TEA party to split the Republican Party. The TEA Party is an interesting group of people who seem primarily concerned about their own self interest in reducing their tax obligations, even though they live in a country with one of the lowest tax rate of any industrialized country. There are racist and sexist and homophobic elements within the party and these seem to surface every now and then.
I have a copy of the Republican “A Pledge to America” which was signed by Cathy McMorris-Rogers and most Republican prior to the 2010 elections. What is interesting about this document, is that there are no people of color in any picture within the booklet and there are very few young people. So the good news is that as the population of people of color increases the Republican party as well as the TEA party will die. This “pledge” is a scary piece of propaganda, with lies and half truths and misinformation throughout the document.
hawken on February 20 at 6:59 p.m.
People of color are overwhelmingly committed to the liberal left.
You wonder why there are not more participating in the Tea Party movement?
greenlibertarian on February 20 at 9:35 p.m.
That’s another thing about politics. It attracts people with long memories.
For the smart ones, very true.
mmspowaus on February 21 at 6:21 a.m.
Mr. Camden neglected to mention WHY a majority of the duly elected precinct committee officers (PCOS) made a slate of candidates.
One must ask why did the PCOS fear that most qualified person in the entire 4th district of the State of Washington, Matt Shea, would not be given fair consideration for the position of state senator by the Board of County Commissioners BOCC.
-An excellent, but still unasked question.
Since this was an in session appointment for the lone voice of 4th district in the state senate; getting the appointment completed was in the best interest of the citizens of Eastern Washington.
It was also a priory of the Spokane County GOP (SCGOP). (Their contribution to the process completed by January 15th.) The SCGOP desired a replacement that would most likely be unopposed in an election in November, 2011. (Elections are expensive and time consuming.)
In any replacement appointment for a state senator, the first choice is always one of the two state reps from the same district. It makes sense since they are already setup in Olympia and have the logistics of functioning there already established.
Considering Shea won his last two elections in the 4th district by large margins, ran unopposed in 2010, and is already doing an outstanding job in Olympia, he was the best choice bar none for the senate seat. NO OTHER CANDIDATE OR PERSON IN THE 4th DISTRICT IS BETTER CREDENTIALED FOR THE POSITION.
Instead, the BOCC decided that they would insist on background checks and drag out the selection for another three long weeks+.
The goal of the BOCC apparently was not only to find a replacement for Bob McCaslin but also to take extra time in an attempt to discredit State Rep Matt Shea.
Mark Richards commented on a S-Review blog about the modified selection process for the 4th district senate seat:
“I have stated I disagreed with some of the tactics taken in this office… Just because they were not printed in this paper does not mean they did not happen. I have prevented several steps that would have made this worse; you just dont know about them because they never happened.”
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/feb/11/senate-candidates-will-interview-under-oath/
Camden’s comment about the Tea Party mission is correct; “…the status quo must change and politics as usual must end.”
This kind of politics of personal destruction using the resources of a public office is unacceptable behavior. The BOCC took longer than necessary to make less than the best choice available. They failed their party and they failed the electorate. The also confirmed the PCOS worse fears that Matt Shea would not be given a fair chance for the appointment.
That’s the real story here Jim Camden….yet unreported…