My local paper endorsed Mike McGavick

i hate that smarmy prick. his whole nonsense about "I'm going to change the tone" and he posts ads without identifying himself as a republican. however, he supports the same old tired song and dance bullshit. So our local paper here in Yakima, not surprisingly since its red-Eastern WA, endorsed him. the sad thing was they themselves lied in their endorsement, using basic republican talking points. It pretty much sounded like a speech from Norquist. Anyways, their original endorsement is here http://www.yakimaherald.com/page/op/287267147318602

and even though my rebuttle is long and won't be printed, I still felt compelled to give it to them with both barrels. I also am emailing a copy of my rebuttle to the local county democrats. So here is that, hope you enjoy.








Well, unfortunately the Yakima Herald has chosen to endorse Republican candidate for the Senate, Mike McGavick. This is, as one would say, a sad decision. Judging by the campaign issues that the editorial board chose to run with, it also shows a heavily conservative bias in the editorial board itself, as well as a general lack of knowledge of the issues. It chose to endorse McGavick on three main issues, and these amounted to nothing more than GOP talking points.

The first issue, the war in Iraq, the editorial board adopted the White House talking point calling anyone who thinks it was a mistake as "cut and run." Unfortunately, the editorial board seems to have missed that this is a position of leaving Iraq adopted by Republican senator John Warner after his recent trip to Iraq. Indeed, Senator Warner was echoed by this by Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a man who many feel is a fair and moderate Republican voice, himself a military veteran. The second part of this was when the editorial board, in a blatant and misleading form of dishonesty, chose to equate the War in Iraq on the War On Terror. It never was. Time and time again, there was shown to be no link between Iraq and Al Quaeda. Furthermore, the idea of withdrawing troops as quickly as possible has been taken up by a man well qualified to say so: General Sir Richard Dannat, the current head of the British army. His comments about Prime Minister Tony Blair and the disconnect between their leadership, and the Bush administrations, left many to wonder about those who use the "cut and run" label are really smoking. But, for the sake of argument, The Seattle Times in their own analysis identified McGavick and Cantwell, who voted for the Iraq war, as having similiar positions on the Iraq war. That we can't just get up and leave, but should work towards phase withdrawls. McGavick, while trying to appeal to the Republican base, understands the reality of it. That poll after poll has shown the American people, by a majority, understand that the war in Iraq was presented as a sham. McGavick has stated its "not appropriate" to discuss this while troops are there, but we should hardly expect anything short of accountability from the GOP anymore. That in itself shows how McGavick isn't so willing to change the tone, as just to give us the same old thing. So when the argument of being "held hostage" by the most liberal forces comes to mind, this is hardly the case. In fact, there are two candidates who support immediate withdrawl from Iraq, those being the respective candidates for the Green and Libertarian parties. However, there has been one group in Congress who has decided that the War On Terror is unwinnable: Republican leaders in the Senate. Perhaps the editorial board missed the part of Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist stating that its time to do business with the Taliban. While Iraq was never a part of the War on Terror, nor responsible for 9-11, the Taliban and Al Qaeda was. While the Yakima Herald has chosen to link Iraq and 9-11, it has ignored while endorsing McGavick, the fact that he would be part and parcel to a party that believes we SHOULD be doing business with the very terrorists responsible for 9-11. This bit of dishonesty on the part of the editorial board means they have chosen to either divorce themselves entirely from the facts and reality as presented by Generals, Republican Senators, and Congress itself, or just to outright lie.

Secondly, the Yakima Herald chose to endorse McGavick on the case of immigration. While immigration reform is central, it also impacts the Lower Yakima Valley, of which I am a native of. McGavick's plan of endorsement for guest worker programs and identification, again, follows a common DEMOCRATIC campaign theme. While McGavick rails against "the partisanship" of Washington, there has been no better illustrator of that than immigration reform. While Democrats presented a comprehensive step in the right direction, in the most partisan manner possible, the Republican leadership worked against it and in fact shot down very moderate and workable proposals put forth by Democrats in Congress. Time and time again, while seeking to move things legislatively forward in the right direction in a fair manner that works for immigrants and such, Republicans have chosen to work against it. From everything from wanting to build an "Iron Curtain" as endorsed by some, including Senator George Allen of Virginia, to Republican for governor, Arizona's Don Goldwater, wanting to hold immigrants in "worker camps." We have, so far, heard nothing but silence from McGavick on these hate filled propositions, instead believing that a wall simply solves an all too human problem, especially in our agriculture fueled economy in the Yakima Valley. The Herald editorial board itself has endorsed the "Iron Curtain" idea as well, unfortunately, that doesn't solve the problem. It does, however, show a complete lack of understanding on the part of the editorial board, and McGavick himself, on a significant portion of Eastern Washington's residents and economy. Instead, McGavick on one hand rails against the partisanship that he is party to, while at the same time seeking to run on, again, a Democratic platform of a fair and just worker program. A platform based on helping those who are here and do contribute, such as many residents of the Lower Valley, to instead become welcome American citizens, instead of being rounded up in cattle cars like fellow Republican George Allen would have done. All while McGavick complains about not having English as our "official language." As a American Indian of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Nation, and a friend of our Valley's hispanics, the idea of a "national language" is both dishonest and unrepresentative of a nation founded on immigrants. On that singular point McGavick has established himself as an enemy of over 39% of the Yakima County's residents alone. The backhanded trickery of that is obvious unto itself in a willingness by McGavick, and the editorial board, to take a firm stance against our Hispanic community here in the Valley. Perhaps they should be focused less on trying to steal Democratic party ideas for real immigration reform, while offering backhanded slaps towards these same immigrants. And while they're at, maybe get a clue as to the makeup of the people of the Yakima Valley.

Various other positions adopted by the Yakima Herald Republic has shown an unwillingness to face facts. While discussing domestic oil drilling in the Arctic refuge, the newspaper fails to notice the statistics behind this, such as we would not see any yield from them till 10 years. Perhaps most telling in this was the fact that oil giants Chevron Texaco, BP, and ConocoPhillips ALL withdrew from lobbying for the opening of the field after it was deemed "unrealistic" and unworthy of exploration. This red herring towards energy independance comes from a party more focused on giving tax breaks to Exxon and the type, while failing to tax them for drilling and using public lands, a practice the Bush administration has supported, of not collecting royalty taxes from using public owned land. McGavick, however, has remained silent on this practice, choosing instead to rail against, as the editorial board chose to, the most "liberal" forces. Instead of worrying that while Exxon can drill on tax payer land and not pay a single dime, the editorial board, like McGavick, have chosen to support "pie in the sky" ideas over the Alaskan refuge which these very same energy companies have themselves withdrawn from supporting. Instead of basing a large portion of their campaign on working towards a renewable energy policy which expands jobs in Washington and does not put us at the mercy of the Saudi Arabians, McGavick and the editorial board instead choose to follow the same tired rhetoric of Republicans in Congress who have chosen to turn a blind eye towards the facts of the Alaska Refuge and its lack of any substantial usage for America's long term energy independance.

Which brings us into another topic in which the editorial board, and McGavick, choose to dwell in Disneyland on and is their third major reason for endorsement: taxes. McGavick, and the editorial board, have chosen to support a full repeal of the Estate Tax, as well as other forms of taxation on unearned income. A tax which, they claim, is unfair. Naturally, McGavick, a recipient of a $17million bonus upon leaving Safeco, sure wants to make sure gets rid of as many taxes on people who make over $100,000 a year as possible. Unfortunately, the paper claims this is "unfair" while failing to acknowledge that the a median income in the Yakima County is only $34,828 dollars. How the Estate Tax and Capital gains taxes effect Yakima families, and others, whos income is TOTAL under $35k is beyond me. How repealing these taxes, which do NOT affect the overwhelming lion's share of Yakima County residents, does affect them is a lack of federal funding in the area and the State. Republicans like McGavick, while railing against the "unfairness" of these taxes, meanwhile, would seek to push the tax burden onto the working families of the Valley, and Washington State as a whole. Other well known proponents of this include billionaire heiress Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, a person who has never worked a day in their life. While the Yakima Valley is full of hard working American people, this shocking disconnect of ideological idiocy perhaps illustrates the largest disconnect by McGavick, and the editorial board, from the average American citizens in Washington State. While we have seen cutbacks on harbor safety, earthquake preparedness, and securing our nation, we see people like McGavick and the editorial board, wish to put the safety from natural and terrorist disasters on the chopping block in favor of giving themselves another round of tax cuts. I for one, do not feel that the safety of the millions of Washington State residents is worth making it easier for people like Alice Walton to inherit $9billion dollars and never have to work a day in their life or pay a dime on it, while Washington State residents will be working in an already stagnating economy for less buying power from a devaluing dollar, seeing their property values drop in the housing bubble deflation, and knowing that their harbors and homes are not secure. While the editorial board choose to call any form of taxation on those who do not work for their wealth as "soaking the rich", they instead ignore the fact that they have taken a stance against the 99% of American people who don't inherit billions: soak the working.

McGavick has further chosen to put forth dangerously radical views such as privatizing social security and tossing the taxpayer's savings onto the roulette table known as Wall Street. He further has championed, in the era of rising costs of education, privatizing The University of Washington and Washington State University. Again, this position, while giving himself another tax break, would make it harder and harder for Washington State students to attend collegiate education, in particular at a top flight college like the University of Washington, ironically of which McGavick is a graduate. The idea that people like McGavick and those who support him believe that billionaires like Alice Walton need another tax break and our Universities are stripped of funding and best turned over to the James Dobsons and Enrons of the country is both shocking and clearly represents a dangerous agenda on the part of McGavick and his endorsers.

In conclusion, in endorsing McGavick, the Yakima Herald Republic has established itself as being a newspaper that perhaps DOESN'T represent the Yakima county people. Theres a myriad of other problems with McGavick, such as possibly using people's personal credit scores to cancel their insurance policies and raise premiums at Safeco, his own personal history conduct, and the fact that while claiming to want to "change the tone" that he and his supporters are running an intellectually dishonest campaign themselves. While it may make lofty claims, like McGavick, of wanting a more moderate position, The Yakima Herald editorial board instead, like McGavick, endorses dangerously radical right wing positions that do not help secure Washington State's harbors and borders, does not support the millions of working class people in Washington state, in particular the thousands in the Yakima valley, does not support advancing ourselves economically and onto a better energy policy not based on wishful thinking. Finally, and most ironically, we have seen in the claim that the Yakima Herald Republic wishes to endorse a "John McCain" style moderate view. We have seen John McCain's "moderate" views come to light recently in seeking the endorsement, and support, of noted Republican hate monger Jerry Falwell. Falwell, a man who blamed 9-11 on "the liberals, homosexuals, and atheists" and who still does not support interracial dating at his college, Liberty University, where McCain gave the commencement address. If that is McGavick, and the Yakima Herald Republic's, idea of supporting moderation and not supporting petty partisanship and radical ideology, then perhaps the people who really need a change of tone are they themselves.

attack ads against Cantwell...her commercials are all about the issues..I haven't seen one that has attacked him....he has nothing...

this foolish endorsement. I hope that people are listening to local opinions such as yours. I can't stand Mike! either. Maybe he's dropped that ridiculous bit of campaign buffoonery--I haven't looked at his literature to know. But those awful tv ads--jeez they are bad. Mike! how could you support mandatory pee tests for welfare parents?

the choice between the lesser of two evils. It's a choice between a good decision and a bad decision. Good post. I hope the Herald has the foresight to do it justice.

that you craft a punchy, publishable letter to the editor of 250 words or less. Please rebut that endorsement! We need all the help we can get. But write something that is short enough to publish. Your letter could change people's minds - but only if people read it.