Washblog

I just got out of a meeting with Rep. Brian Baird and some local Democratic officials that, as you can imagine, focussed almost totally on Iraq. Since it was off the record, I can't tell you anything he said, but I feel comfortable giving you my new impression of this entire episode.

My biggest impression is that he seems totally willing to lose the next election on this issue, which was contrary to what I went into the meeting thinking. I went in assuming he was taking as some level a political position, trying to find a rhetorical middle ground.

My only wish now is that the meeting was on the record.

Update [2007-8-30 18:59:40 by emmettoconnell]: Baird did go on the record with Slog.

Much ado about my congressman Brian Baird the last few days. He's talking a different course that I'd suggest on talking about the war in Iraq, so people are taking him to task over it. Good for them, but it also reminded me of our last Democratic Rep. in the 3rd CD: Jolene Unsoeld.

Rep. Unsoeld was pretty liberal all around, she ended up losing to Linda Smith in the 1994 congressional elections. Hoo boy, remember Linda Smith? Thank God, she wanted to run against Patty Murray in 1998, because Olympia might still be represented by her. Smith was bad in any number of ways (choice, budget, environment, etc...) and she wouldn't have bothered explaining in the Seattle Times how she felt about Iraq. Doc Hastings and Cathy McMorris wouldn't have, why would Smith have bothered?

Anyway, Unsoeld was great on pretty much all the issues, except gun control. In 1993 she was one of 70 Democrats that voted no on the Brady Bill. Despite policy differences, I still wish she wouldn't have lost to Linda Smith.

These pictures are from today's Olympia peace rally. [Note: 1/28/07: Particle Man, in comments below, estimates about 2,000 people participating. Evergreen Emerald at Democratic Underground estimates 200 in attendance. I'd say 700/800 but wouldn't be surprised at 1,200. Lietta notes the local/grassroots quality -- no major presence of the large national organizations.]

Many of the people attending the Washington State Democratic Party Reorganization took school buses over to the rally at noon and joined in. State Chair Dwight Pelz, who spoke at the rally, received public thanks for having arranged the schedule and transportation to make the Democratic participation possible. I plan to post photos and commentary from the reorganization tomorrow. Quick Democratic Party news: The current board of the State Party was re-elected, despite challenges to Vice Chair Eileen Macoll (by Rosalinda Guillen of Community to Community) and to Secretary Luis Moscoso (by Crystal Woods, Chair of Pierce County Young Democrats). Hong Tran was elected Chair of the Progressive Caucus. I had a great photo of her at this rally and must have deleted it. Darn!