November 01, 2006
"Closed Cantwell"

Josh Feit at The Stranger blog writes about the Cantwell campaign's response to last week's Bellevue Community College incident.

The Stranger has endorsed Cantwell and Feit has been the primary reporter covering this race. Today he characterizes Cantwell's response to the BCC incident matter as too late, "overwrought", "defensive" and "lame". He also notes that this is consistent with his overall experience covering the Cantwell campaign, while the McGavick campaign has been more open. Read the whole thing.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at November 01, 2006 11:28 AM | Email This
Comments
1. If McGavick loses, that is the reason for his downfall. He was too accessible and eager to please the press. He calls Postman to complain or discuss something and Postman goes ballistic (for Postman it was ballistic).

Cantwell is more media savvy and keeps her mouth shut. For example, she ignores Kerry's gaffe when he was here for her campaign.

A wise old politico (donor) once told me "never trust the press". I said "why not? they like me and write good things." He says, "like death and taxes, the press will be nicey nicey to you but will turn against you just like that." I would have thought McGavick knew that already.

Many, many apologies to our own 'reporterward', though.

Posted by: swatter on November 1, 2006 11:47 AM
2. From Cantwell's PR: "Our campaign invited our supporters to come, students were certainly welcome to attend - and many did. Over 2,500 people did attend to support the Democratic ticket."

This is exactly why the students had those t-shirts, they wanted Cantwell to know that, while they were attending and listening, they were not "supporting the Democratic ticket".

Democrats are showing, by their actions, that they do not, and will not, tolerate dissenting voices. Yet they want to proclaim their saintliness in expressing their "dissent".

Posted by: SouthernRoots on November 1, 2006 11:54 AM
3. Josh--
Thanks for this perspective. It is telling that the Cantwell crowd screams about the Patriot Act & worries about their idiotic phone calls being monitored....and then condones this?????
I thought the Cantwell crowd was pro-tolerance & pro-diversity??? Obviously not the case is it. Do as Cantwell SAYS....not as she does.

swatter--
I believe McGavick is wise to be accessible. The problem I have with his campaign was he wasn't aggressive enough in challenging Cantwell on her voting record, character & finances. McGavick was always on the defensive. Not where a challenger ought to be. That said, John Kerry handed him a real gift.....a tiny crack of opportunity. McGavick was toast before Kerry started babbling. What a fool Kerry is. Not enough for him to just blow the 2004 campaign. Oh no....he may have just blown the Dems 2006 chances to control both Houses! What a dork.
Republicans should be accessible...especially as CHALLENGERS WHO ARE BEHIND!!! What do they have to lose? McGavick lacked name familiarity. However, McGavick learned too late about being on the offense instead of the defense.

The other interesting thing is the huge number of undecided voters today. It's huge. McGavick should not give up and should pound away the next 6 days.

Posted by: aaaaaargh on November 1, 2006 11:56 AM
4. Did you guys see Goldy's fairy tales and threats in there?

BD... I'm not saying that the Cantwell folk should have kept these protesters out -- if it was me, I would have let them in -- I'm just saying that I have absolutely no sympathy for them.

I say, next time, let them in. And if they disrupt the event, beat them within an inch of their life. In fact, next person to blow an airhorn in my ear is going to find it shoved so far up their ass that they'll be farting like a foghorn.

I'm just sayin'.

Of course, by keeping the protesters out, the Cantwell folk avoided a potential violent clash... the type of clash that will eventually start happening as Dems grow sick and tired of being demonized as cowards, traitors and appeasers, and then ridiculed as a bunch of pussies for not fighting back.

So now the head Horseass is advocating violence. I don't believe his story for a microsecond, by the way.

Posted by: Steve (was Steve_Dog) on November 1, 2006 01:07 PM
5. Sorry, Goldy's comments with proper formatting:

BD... I'm not saying that the Cantwell folk should have kept these protesters out -- if it was me, I would have let them in -- I'm just saying that I have absolutely no sympathy for them.

I say, next time, let them in. And if they disrupt the event, beat them within an inch of their life. In fact, next person to blow an airhorn in my ear is going to find it shoved so far up their ass that they'll be farting like a foghorn.

I'm just sayin'.

Of course, by keeping the protesters out, the Cantwell folk avoided a potential violent clash... the type of clash that will eventually start happening as Dems grow sick and tired of being demonized as cowards, traitors and appeasers, and then ridiculed as a bunch of pussies for not fighting back.

Posted by: Steve (was Steve_Dog) on November 1, 2006 01:08 PM
6. Steve @ 5.
I have to wonder about that Rossi protest story that Goldy is telling now. I looked in his archives and found not a word about any such confrontation. It's impossible to believe that he wouldn't have carried on and on about it at the time if it had actually happened.

Posted by: Lynne on November 1, 2006 02:00 PM
7. Sarah Mirk has a story in the print edition too, it's titled, "Cantwell Clampdown." Anyone else think a good new symbol for Cantwell should be a clam shell?

Posted by: Patrick on November 1, 2006 10:17 PM
8. As Josh Feit's report makes clear, the students were denied their legal rights to attend the event. We in the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State took up their cause, because Americans' civil rights do not exist at the whim of any politician. We're glad to see that everyone here agrees. We look forward to your support, should President Bush ever attempt to exclude protesters from one of his "public" events, as he has in many places across our great country.

Posted by: Paddy Mac on November 4, 2006 10:48 AM
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