Tuesdays are Muppet Days
Seattle to Remain Famous for Coffee and Rain
Thanksgiving Pairing Suggestion: Dessert Isn't Just a Meal
Eight Things A Seattle Sports Fan Can Be Thankful For
Mayor-To-Be Schedules Town Halls for Input and Companionship
Claiming that the Republicans did not show "clear and convincing" proof Judge John Bridges sided with the Democrats in the governor’s election trial.
In his closing statement he said that the Republicans had failed to prove that illegal votes were the reason that Governor Gregoire won last November’s election, and furthermore there was no proof that the Democrats and King County Elections participated in voter fraud.
The Republicans' best chance was that the court would accept their argument of proportional analysis. Bridges did not, claiming that, "An election such as this should not be overturned because one judge picks a number and applies a proportional deduction analysis…To do so within the context of the facts of this case would constitute the ultimate act of judicial egotism and judicial activism."
In addressing the Republican claims of fraud in King County he said that the problems involving the ballots and vote counts were not because of intentional manipulation, rather they were the result of human error. Bridges claimed, “The problems in King County are associated with and result from a lack of communication, lack of taking responsibility for action, a lower level of accountability and a difficulty documenting procedures."
However Bridges also leveled sharp words at King County Elections telling them that they were, “Taking our paycheck but not doing the work."
Bridges also discounted claims that the votes of felons cost Dino Rossi the election because the Republicans had no evidence showing who these individuals voted for, making it impossible to tell if these votes were the deciding factor in the election.
At a press conference this morning Gregoire told reporters, "I'm ready to move on…I want the state of Washington to be served by a full-time governor who is not being distracted by anything other than serving the citizens."
Late yesterday afternoon Rossi held his own press conference to announce that he would not appeal the decision, and was ending his bid to become governor. There is now speculation over whether he will run for governor in three years, the Senate next year, or even go after Ron Sims this year.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
This ruling was better than anything that the State Democratic party could hope for. We honestly expected it to be much worse. On Sunday I got to talk to David McDonald the head of the Washington State Democratic Party legal team before Howard Dean showed up and he did not instill any confidence in getting a good ruling the next day. Either he has a killer game face or we had no clue how it would turn out since the Right Wing hand picked the judge and cherry picked the voter data that they were arguing.
Four more years! Four more years!
Wow the P-word name of the card game involving bluffing and betting is a forbidden word due to anti spam measures.
I also think someone should shoot a satirical pseudo documentary/romance about two legal staffers that fall in love despite working on opposing sides of the court fight and recount and call it
"The Bridges of Chelan County"