"More water in a broken bucket will not fix the bucket." ---Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington, D.C.-based group opposing Initiative 884, which would boost the sales tax to raise $1 billion more per year for Washington's education system.
Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi were apparently holding their fire for Seattle.Tuesday night's debate in Yakima was surprisingly mild-mannered, with few direct clashes. (Maybe it was the environment -- the Yakima Herald-Republic held the event inside the city's ornate Capitol Theater.)That changed Wednesday night, however,…
"Listen, Vance -- the way things are going, we don't need to steal." -Washington Democratic Party spokeswoman Kirstin Brost, gloating over GOP chairman Chris Vance after a series of recent Republican campaign setbacks. Vance alleges that a break-in and computer theft at Bush-Cheney re-election headquarters…
"We've talked about identity theft. We've talked about...uh, uh, uh...I'm so tired I can't remember. (turns to staffer) What's my other issue? Identify theft, predatory lending, prescription drugs...Oh, and domestic violence. Protecting women and children." Attorney General candidate Deborah Senn, exhausted on primary election night,…
"There's a lot of thought right now about getting some rest. I'm exhausted from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet." -Ron Sims, who lost in the Democratic primary to gubernatorial candidate Christine Gregoire
"I'm an advocate of orbital colonization...Although I was born in Minneapolis, Minn., I consider Spaceship Earth to be my home." - Libertarian candidate for governor Michael Nelson
Gov. Gary Locke leaves next week for another trade mission, this time to China and Vietnam. The 10-day trip is his fifth trade mission to Asia -- previous stops have included Japan (three times), China (twice) and Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He's also visited…
"No interviews will be allowed in Building 2027 without prior permission...witnesses at the trial should not be interviewed...no other (legal) personnel...will be interviewed or asked for an interview until ALL action in the case, including any appeals, has concluded, and then only if they agree.…
"I'm from the old school. A real old school. If you don't respect me, you will rue the day. If you decide you will walk over me, I will roll over you." --Democratic candidate for governor Ron Sims
"You know, I think I was told by my colleagues `Get ready for things that you couldn't anticipate. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever anticipated anybody suggesting that I am a racist. Nothing could be further from the truth."--Attorney General Christine Gregoire,…
The political arm of the Washington Education Association, the state's 77,000-strong teachers' union, this week endorsed Judith Billings, the former Superintendent of Public Instruction who's challenging incumbent Terry Bergeson.Billings, who stepped down after two terms in 1997 to deal with her AIDS infection, jumped into…
"Capping a busy campaign Saturday, (George) Nethercutt and gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi road the Nether-copper to the King County GOP Picnic in Bothell." -- The opening sentence in a press release Monday from U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt's campaign. They meant -- we think -- that…
"The message is clear and we believe it will resonate well with voters. The woman who plays Lady Liberty, the elephant, and the donkey all met our expectations." Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed, describing a series of state TV ads explaining the state's new…
Today we'll take a short respite from political stuff to briefly note the general wailing, rending of garments and gnashing of teeth in Puget Sound over the fact that, gasp, for the next couple of days, temperatures are expected to soar into the 90s! "If…
Here's an online cartoon that's been circulating widely among politicos for the past week. It lampoons both Bush and Kerry. Make sure you have the volume up -- the lyrics, sung to the tune of "This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land"…
"You make government feel. You make it real. That's the deal." U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, rallying state workers outside the National Governors' Association meeting in Seattle Saturday.
"Gov. Locke, we were here when you came. By God, we're going to be here when you go. In fact, you're going to leave and nobody's going to miss you. But if we leave, everyone's going to miss us. This state wouldn't run without us."…
"Stay. And of course go to the Nordstrom Annual Sale." Gov. Gary Locke, in full booster mode, welcoming the nation's governors to this past weekend's National Governors' Association conference in Seattle. The governor also took pains to point out that Seattle last summer had something…
In two months, Washingtonians will do something they haven't done since the mid-1930s -- vote from among just one party's candidates in the primary. The courts have thrown out Washington's "blanket primary," which allowed people to pick among Democrats, say, for one position and Republicans…
If nothing else, the U.S. Senate race between George Nethercutt and incumbent Patty Murray is bringing in a steady flock of big-name boosters.Last week, President George Bush had a dinner fundraiser in Spokane for Nethercutt. Next week, former First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton will have…
All the recent talk about Ronald Reagan's optimism was apparently not lost on the Bush campaign, which on Tuesday issued a "statement regarding John Kerry's pessimism."It said that Kerry's unfairly talking down America's growing economy.
"If I thought I could be more articulate off-the-cuff, I'd be happy to talk with you." -tax foe Tim Eyman, referring a reporter to his written statement, rather than taking questions.
"I am the only candidate in this race who rides a Harley-Davidson." -former insurance commissioner Deborah Senn, who's now running for attorney general.