Friday, October 23, 2009

Dave Reichert, Referendum 71

This morning, I received email from my Congressman, Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) about his "fight" for health care reform:
I am eager to adopt reforms for health care that make sense, and to strengthen our health care system without raising costs, reducing choices, or bankrupting or nation. I'll keep fighting to make that happen.
Now, if Reichert has actually proposed anything along these lines, he's been might quiet about it. But, giving him the benefit of the doubt, I wrote back giving him the chance to clarify his assertions:
Specifically, what reforms do you recommend? Specifically, how have you been fighting to make those happen? What is your evidence that any of the proposed legislation will "bankrupt our nation?"

We'll see how he replies. Reichert has generally been an ineffective, intellectual embarrassment to one of the most highly educated districts in the country. He has successfully positioned himself as a moderate while generally following the Republican party line...

On November 3, Washington voters will vote on Referendum 71, which, according to Wikipedia, would
re-confirm the expansion of domestic partnership rights and obligations in Washington's originally limited domestic partnership legislation. The expansion (SB 5688) was signed by Governor Christine Gregoire on May 18, 2009.

The referendum was actually submitted to the ballot by anti-gay groups like Protect Marriage Washington, which campaigns to reject the referendum and thus invalidate the law. Enforcement of SB 5688 is suspended pending the outcome of the referendum.

Supporters of the referendum have been running this simple yet forceful television ad:




Protect Marriage Washington, of course, resorts to wrapping itself in the flag, AIDS hysteria, and nativism (homosexuality, it appears, is an un-American and a peculiarly Scandinavian perversion):





The anti-71 crew's latest gambit is a lawsuit that would lift state limits on last minute contributions and throw shadows on Washington state's sunshine laws...


Friday's Choice: The Byrds sing "Turn! Turn! Turn!" on the Ed Sullivan Show:


6 comments:

Roy said...

The anti-marriage equality people are such sleazy scumbags! They're pulling the same stunts in Maine, where the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has filed a lawsuit in US District Court in Bangor claiming that the state's financial reporting requirements are unconstitutional. Why? Because the law limits how much out-of-state funding they can bring in to finance their anti-equality campaign. It seems that the people of Maine aren't donating to their cause in sufficient numbers to run all the scummy, manipulative, lying TV ads they want to run, so they want to bring in outside money. But Maine's campaign laws specify that campaigns in Maine need to be primarily funded by Maine voters, not voters from Idaho and Utah and Texas... And somehow these jokers think that's unconstitutional. Feh!

Thanks for the Byrds video! I remember watching that on Ed Sullivan.

Frank Partisan said...

I heard on Daily Kos, that in Maine, the gay movement is well organized and financed.

K. said...

Roy: I had to sift through three videos of "Turn! Turn! Turn" before I found one that wasn't lip-synched and that included McGuinn's rousing guitar solo. They all made for great listening, though! IMHO, The Byrds are almost criminally forgotten, despite their prodigious critical reputation.

Ren: My experience is that the gay community tends to be well-organized and politically very savvy. I find it somewhat hopeful that an ad like the pro-71 ad would even be run on television. I doubt that it appears in Eastern Washington, but even in Western Washington, its appeal to basic fairness probably wouldn't have been politically possible fifteen years ago.

Editilla~New Orleans Ladder said...

What is it with these Freak'O'Lay vile, heinous people!
Grrrr, but of course right here in the... whatever century this is... anyway, NOW in Louisiana we have a Judge who has refused to marry inter-racial couples for the past 34 YEARS?
Fuck me Jesus! Whoa!
And Senator David "Vitty'cent" Vitter (R-Pamper) has what to say?
"Uhmggg, errah,oof! I wear this Plug you see... ahem yes, well it didn't happen that way... arf ughmfkxoehigy... Depends?"
Shirly everyone has seen this by now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbbgJwtFxWE&feature=player_embedded

But you did turn it at the end thanks youz very much, K!

Steven said...

I really like your comeback questions to your congressman, Mr. Reichert. Please keep us posted as to his reply, if any.

I plan to do the same thing with my congressman, the Honorable Wally Buffoon of the Second District here in CA.

K. said...

Editilla: It beats me what's up with them. This is such -- or should be such -- a nonissue.

Steven: Thanks! It was the comment about "fighting" for health care reform that got me. Neither Reichert nor any other Republican is doing any such thing.