Washblog

The monthly campaign expenditure numbers came out last night and are reported on the Washington Public Disclosure Commission's website.  As predicted, radical-right extremists have dumped last-minute money into the race.  Family Policy Institute of Washington plopped $200,000 into the mysterious new PAC called "Vote Reject on R-71" that appeared late last week.  FPIW bills itself as an affiliate of James Dobson's Focus on the Family and Tony Perkins' Family Research Council.  Dobson is famous for advocating the paddling of children, and Perkins for his connections to the Klan.  The Vote Reject PAC is run by Dave Mortenson, a seasoned and savvy conservative campaign consultant.

Referendum 71 is the Washington state ballot measure asking voters to approve or reject the domestic partnership law passed by a wide margin by the Washington Legislature in May and signed by Gov. Gregoire.  The law makes domestic partnerships parallel to civil marriage at the state level, providing vital rights to straight senior and same-sex domestic partners that married people have like pension inheritance and the right to use sick leave to care for a seriously ill partner.

First glances indicate that the Approve Referendum 71 campaign has greatly out-fundraised the opposition, and sure enough the David and Goliath comparisons are already being made by Larry Stickney.  But don't get too comfortable just yet.  Campaigns have 5 days to deposit donation checks, so we won't know until perhaps Tuesday, October 20th just how much the opposition really raked in right before the large donor ban took effect on October 12th.  The large donor ban means that the most money any individual can donate after Oct. 12th is $5,000 (regardless of how much they donated before Oct. 12).  There is also the distinct possibility that an out-of-state enterprise like National Organization for Marriage will swoop in an provide tv time and ads for the opposition "unasked".  You know I've been right about these things before.  The Approve 71 campaign still needs your support.

Half of Reject's $200,000 has already been spent on radio ad time.  Seven local stations have accepted money to run these anti-child, anti-family radio ads.

Meanwhile, true to form, a substantial proportion of expenditures made by Larry Stickney's Protect Marriage Washington and Gary Randall's Faith & Freedom PAC have gone to salary for Stickney, attorney's fees and maintenance of Randall's redundant website.  However, Stickney has spent about $10,000 on yard signs, and Randall about $500 on postage.  It isn't entirely clear who paid for Protect Marriage Washington's lurid fliers or theocratic tv ads (here and here).

On the Approve Referendum 71 side, Washington Families Standing Together has received just over one million dollars in cash contributions to date.  WAFST has invested about $400,00 of this into tv ad time and smaller but substantial amounts into mailings and phone banking costs.

I've posted a few of the radio and tv ads from both sides below the fold.  As you listen and watch, notice how the Approve 71 campaign found real Washingtonians to speak for the domestic partnership law.  The opposition had to hire actors.