Whiney, Mud-slinging Republicans

House GOP criticism isn’t ‘mud-throwing’

THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: March 1st, 2006 02:30 AM

House Republicans in the state Legislature are hopping mad about having their press releases censored by the chief clerk, who is chosen by the Democrats.

... Nafziger (House Chief Clerk) described the stricken words and phrases as "“pejorative,"” and said, "You try to maintain a civil debate in Olympia, You don'’t want it to degenerate into mud-throwing."

So it'’s "“mud-throwing"” to call someone's actions "“disingenuous"”? "Shell game"” is a pejorative term? Nafziger - and anyone else who finds those words objectionable -– must not watch much cable TV. ...

...Democrats should remember that what goes around, comes around. They may find themselves in the minority one of these days, and it's unlikely that Republicans will forget how they were treated.

They've GOT to be kidding! Just because cable TV plumbs the depths of inflammatory rhetoric doesn't mean we should abandon civil discourse in the Washington State Legislature. The House Republican Caucus isn't prevented from telling whatever outrageous lie they want, on their own dime. And as far as "what goes around, comes around"... It was the Republicans who started this legislative session with a major smear campaign!... Remember:

House GOP should disavow predator mailings

THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: January 27th, 2006 02:30 AM

State House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt told newspaper reporters this week, "“It'’s important to tell the truth in politics."”

He didn'’t really mean it. If he had, the Chehalis Republican would have condemned one of the more despicable campaign ploys to come out of Olympia in years.

A Republican political action committee recently mailed 25,000 postcards to voters in six legislative districts accusing Democrats of being soft on sex offenders.

The postcards "— labeled ƒÂ‚“sex offender notification"” - displayed a mug shot of a sex offender, with a black bar across his eyes in a feigned attempt to protect his privacy. Printed above the photo was the statement, "“This violent predator lives in your community."”

That might have been helpful information -— if it were true. ...

...DeBolt denies he has had anything to do with the attack ads -— despite the fact that they are the handiwork of the Speaker'’s Roundtable, an arm of the House Republican caucus that DeBolt leads.

But even if he didn'’t authorize the ads, you'’d think DeBolt would take a stand against such deceptive tactics. Nope. "“People'’s awareness has been raised. People have called in. We have moved to the positive,"” DeBolt told The Olympian.

The ads indeed have raised awareness -— about how far some politicians are willing to go for political gain. Although some Republicans have reportedly apologized to Democrats privately, GOP leadership has refused to publicly disavow the ads.

The campaign'’s intended beneficiaries - Republican legislative candidates -— best do better, or risk having their attempt to look tough on crime expose them as gutless.

There's no shortage of reasonableness and good will on the part of Washington State Democrats. The House Republican caucus has become a bunch of fall-down artists, trumping up phoney "issues" and bemoaning their imaginary "victimhood". How can they sleep at night?