Green Party’s David Cobb hits Spokane

The Inland Northwest pops up again on the presidential campaign trail this weekend. But it’s unlikely that today’s visit by David Cobb will create quite as much upheaval as a stop by President Bush or Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic nominee.

Cobb is the Green Party’s candidate for president, having garnered that party’s nomination earlier this year at its Milwaukee convention. The delegates chose Cobb, who is a member of the party, over Ralph Nader, who had asked for their support for his independent campaign, even though he ran as the Green candidate four years ago.

It’s true that Cobb doesn’t have the name familiarity of Nader. Nor does he have a public relations machine that sends out at least one missive a day on his activites.

This just in: Nader wants press credentials to the GOP National Convention in New York under the theory that he is a widely syndicated columnist. This despite the fact that real journalists were required to apply for their credentials months ago. And real journalists give up their credentials when they become candidates, because at that point, they are no longer real journalists.

But we digress.

Delegates decided to go with Cobb, who is dedicated to building the Green Party into a political force for progressive issues.

What progressive issues might those be?

He’ll be explaining that at 3:30 p.m. today in City Park in Coeur d’Alene, and at 7:30 p.m. in Coeur d’Alene Park in Spokane’s Browne’s Addition.

You do the math

Cobb’s stop in Coeur d’Alene (the city, not the park) points out an interesting bit of election math. The visit is part of his effort to collect 10,000 voters’ signatures to get his name placed on the ballot in Idaho. He’s already assured of a spot on Washington’s ballot, where the threshold is 1,000 signatures.

Think about it: Washington has about 4.5 times the population as Idaho, but requires one-tenth the number of signatures to qualify a presidential candidate for the ballot.

Who’s got the better idea here?

Guess who’s coming to dinner

Also coming to Spokane this week is homegrown hero Scott O’Grady, a former Air Force fighter pilot who was shot down over Bosnia in 1995 and survived for a week before being rescued by U.S. Marines. O’Grady, who is now retired, is coming to tell folks at a Republican National Committee dinner why he’s supporting President Bush.

He’s at the Forestry Shelter at Riverfront Park at 5 p.m. Monday.

More fun from Senate trail

When Sen. Patty Murray made her “grand entrance to the campaign” speech Thursday in Seattle, putative GOP foe George Nethercutt was nearby for a little counterprogramming. She had 1,500 of her closest friends and admirers at Seahawks Stadium; he was across the lot at Safeco Field – in the press box used for folks covering the Mariners – to welcome her to the campaign.

Nethercutt noted he’s been wearing his soles thin out in the hustings, at every Middlesex village and farming festival, and it’s about time Murray joined him.

OK, let’s review. Both Nethercutt and Murray have been running for this office for more than a year, raising millions of dollars. Nethercutt had his “kickoff” in May. Murray has hers in August, and Nethercutt “welcomes” her to the campaign with a mock scold about how she hasn’t been campaigning hard enough.

Whatever.

Nethercutt’s refrain was pretty familiar: She won’t debate. She’s weak on defense.

So familiar that Murray was ready with answers: She’ll debate the winner of the GOP primary, she told reporters. She supports the troops on the field, their families at home and former troops when they become veterans in need of medical care, she said in her set speech.

His campaign also had a counterdemonstration across the street from the entrance to the Ridpath Hotel for Murray’s Spokane leg of the trip, too, but Nethercutt didn’t make it back to join in. A spokesman said he had hoped to pop into the city on the way to a fund-raiser in Wyoming with Dick Cheney, but ran into a high-octane, low-flying obstacle. The Blue Angels.

The Navy aerial demonstration team is rocketing in and around (and over) Seattle this weekend for Seafair. The airspace was closed at the time Nethercutt wanted to take off to make the Spokane stop, spokesman Alex Conant said.

His Seattle event got mixed reviews. At least two reporters noted that Nethercutt’s deal was at Safeco, the home of a team that is 20 games out of the winning their division. Murray’s was at the home of the Seahawks, who have some hopes of making the playoffs.

Yeah, and hope always springs eternal this early in the season.