Election 2012: Eerie Evergreen endorsements
Ah, late October…leaves turning into a riot of wondrous color, kids turning into ghouls, political yard signs springing up like unholy daffodils…
…former sponsors and endorsers fleeing from Lance Armstrong and the Tea Party like the Black Plague.
Voters here in Washington State and all across the land have finally torn the mask off the allegedly “grassroots, anti-tax†Tea Party and revealed the zombie within: a corporate-bankrolled Trojan Horse of frightened white folks who would rather suffer lower wages and no benefits than possess the common sense to support workers’ rights through unions; who honestly believe that women ought to lie back and enjoy it when it comes to anything from rape to unequal pay; who worship their religious and corporate overlords to the point of backing another U.S. invasion of the Middle East; and who don’t want no more of them there gummint taxes but demand all the protections and benefits that government provides.
At least Lance helped raise millions of dollars for cancer awareness and research. And, sponsors be damned, he deserves high praise for that.
The Tea Party simply is a cancer on the American body politic. Which is why Republican candidates nationwide are now disavowing their very own Tea Party-inspired platforms faster than Willard “Mitt†Romney can flip his next flop.
And that brings us to a select few endorsements of honest, down-to-Earth candidates here in Washington State who’ll keep our state Evergreen with respect to both the environment and the economy:
- Jay Inslee, Governor: By most accounts, Republican Rob McKenna is a nice enough fella. But he’s been backpedaling from the State GOP’s platform faster than Lance Armstrong on a downhill hairpin turn. McKenna embraced the crazed Tea Party agenda two years ago. Now? Not so much. Inslee has always been a champion of high-tech jobs, green energy, and equal rights. There’s no telling what a Governor McKenna might do, but we do know that a Governor Inslee will promote both healthy job growth and a healthy environment.
- Bill Finkbeiner, Lieutenant Governor: OMG, he’s GOP! Finkbeiner is that rare species, a true old-school Republican who favors individual civil liberties rather than Tea Party anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-minority government legislation. Democrat Brad Owen has held this office since the Jurassic Era, and, other than being a huge proponent of the failed War on Drugs, has little to show for his tenure.
- Denny Heck, 10th Congressional District: A strong advocate for the middle class, veterans, jobs, and the environment, Democrat Heck stands in stark contrast to Tea Party darling Dick Muri who apparently stands for nothing but less government. Whatever that means.
- Suzan DelBene, 1st Congressional District: Democrat DelBene, a true “job creator†unlike GOP job out-sourcers and down-sizers, is opposed by perennial loser John Koster whose only job appears to be running for Congress on behalf of the Republican right wing year after year after year after…
- Natalie McClendon, 42nd District State Representative: This local race is elevated to statewide importance by the fact that Democrat McClendon—a consensus-builder and longtime proponent of beneficial community causes—seeks to unseat Republican Jason Overstreet, a right-wing radical who’s so far out there that he might as well be Representative from Mars. That is, if Mars had no women, minorities, or common sense.
Originally published at examiner.com.