Defeat pro-abortion 2nd Congressional District Larry Klepinger (Vanity)

self | 15 September 2004 | self

[Lexinom]

Washington State held its primary yesterday, and Larry Klepinger barely edged out Suzanne Sinclair for the nomination to challenge Democrat Rick Larsen for the 2nd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House in November.

In a 10-minute conversation with Larry Klepinger at a state fair in August, the discussion ended abruptly when he said "You and I may not agree on this, but I believe a woman should have the final say on abortion." I responded, "Then I think Hitler should have had the final say on the Jews" and wandered off.

Now that he is the Republican nominee, I want to ensure his swift and sound defeat in November. The reasons for this stem not from any special affinity for Larsen, but from the need to send a resounding message to Washington State Republican candidates: Don't get the idea that we are ever going to give up and accept little babies being ripped out of their womb limb-by-limb. Don't think for a second that decent, God-fearing conservatives will opt for "the lesser of two evils." We will not abate in our struggle for the helpless until our laws reflect the spirit of the Pledge of Allegience embodied in the simple concluding phrase, "with liberty and justice for all."

It is perhaps better to let the libs pick off a few RINOs, assume a firm grip of control in the state (at the state and federal levels), and let matters degenerate into muck than to win on a platform of compromise when it comes to key issues. Such could set the stage for a future political revolution. Compromise and moderation are fine and even good on most issues; never, though, on policy affecting the life or death of innocent, helpless human beings. We have lied to women and slaughtered their children for too long with passive acquiescense.

Therefore I must support Klepinger's opponent, reprehensible though his views may be. A Klepinger victory would be a victory for Repblicans but not for true conservatism.

[Lexinom]

PING

[Libertarianize the GOP]

Rick Larsen is Pro-life?

[Lexinom]

No, he's batting about 1 for 11 (9% pro-life). He doesn't have anything to say on abortion on his website, so at least he doesn't flaunt his pro-choice credentials.

[zbigreddogz]

Sinclair wasn't pro-life either.

The real reason to not vote for Klepinger (SP?) is the fact that he wants a 6% national sales tax to pay for socialized medicine.

I am not kidding.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

Larsen will win anyway but do you really think he is better for America than Larry Klepinger would be?

[zbigreddogz]

Oh, and if it's any consolation, Rick Larsen will beat him by 20 pts. None of the candidates in this race were viable.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

The inept Chris Vance sure found a bunch of real winners to run for congress.

[Lexinom]

Neither are very good, and on more than just life-and-death issues.

[Lexinom]

Coggleshell was the only pro-lifer then. That's sad - Klepinger and Sinclair combined for 41+38=79% of the GOP vote.

Larsen is going to kick butt in the general, but it doesn't make me particularly glad.

[zbigreddogz]

True, he didn't get any strong challengers for any of the House races, but eh, I don't really think it's Chris' fault.

He got screwed in the 1st CD, he actually recruited a really strong candidate (King County Councilwoman Jane Hague) that dropped out really late, and this after he had asked Dr. Stark to step aside for her. That one really wasn't his fault, and I should have the right to bitch about it more then anybody, I live in that district. Truth of the matter is that we probably wouldn't have picked up any of them anyway, so I'm more interested in other races, where things are going well.

We have excellent candidates in the open congressional seats, good candidates in all the key legislative races, and great statewide candidates in Nethercutt, Rossi and McKenna. So overall, I'm happy.

[zbigreddogz]

Coggshell is also a nut. Heck of a nice guy, but a nut. He's the kind of guy who if elected would come to Congress in shorts and a t-shirt and listen to old Lynard Skynard tapes on a walkman.

[Lexinom]

so I'm more interested in other races, where things are going well.

We have excellent candidates in the open congressional seats

Reickert (sp?) looks very promising. After years of listening to overtly biased opinion from Dave Ross on KIRO, I'm salivating at the prospect of him facing a resounding defeat.

[zbigreddogz]

Reichert is very promising. He's going to be a superstar. He cruised to an easy win in a 4 way primary against strong opponents, and a poll just released shows him with a 16% lead over Dave Ross, 52%-36% with the rest undecided. I think he's got 90% chance at keeping the seat for us.

From there, who knows? He's got wide bi-partisan appeal and celebrity from his strenght during the WTO riots and capture of the Green River Killer, and he's good looking, got a razor sharp personality. He could easily make a run for Senate or Governor and would be in excellent shape to win.

Anyhow, I'm also extremely hopeful about Nethercutt and Rossi. Rossi has about the best personality and resume for a Republican politician as this state has ever seen, and Gregoir is already bruised from the primary fight. Nethercutt is a terriffic campaigner, and Murray is below 50%. Last Independant poll had it at 48%-41%. That's very winable. Even Murray's spokespeople admit their poll has Nethercutt gaining 10pts during the same time Murray has spent $2.7 million (although they say she's above 50%).

And then there is the AG race. McKenna has one big advantage: His opponents. It's still too close to call for sure (It's Senn for now, but late returning Absentees could very realistically swing it for Sidran), and the thing is, both of them have distinct vulnerabilities. Senn is seen by people on both sides as a grandstanding radical, i.e. why Gary Locke endorsed Sidran, and business hates her guts, and will undoubtedly dump money to defeat her.

Sidran on the other hand, faces other problems. He's not well known outside of King County, and he's very polarizing inside his own party. The green faction and the hard left faction didn't like him telling homeless people not to accost people, i.e. why he lost the Seattle Mayor's race, so a good portion of them might sit on their hands.

Either way, McKenna has a really good shot at winning.

[Bill the old sailor]

Larsen is nothing to get happy about but Mr. Klepinger is all for amending the Constitution to can the Electoral college!

[Lexinom]

Now that you mention it I remember reading something about that or hearing it from the man himself. We've got to defeat this man party labels notwithstanding.

[zbigreddogz]

I agree. I never thought I would say this, but if I were in the 2nd Congressional, I would vote for Larsen.

[Clintonfatigued]

Voting for Rick Larsen is a bigger mistake than supporting his opponent. Larsen supports partian-birth abortions, if I'm not mistaken. If the abortion issues is that central to your vote, you should support a third-party pro-lifer or abstain in the Congressionial race.

Not that it makes much difference in this race. Larsen has it locked up now.

It's too bad that Suzanne Sinclair lost her primary. Not only is she pro-life, but she's an accountant, and we need more accountants (and fewer lawyers) in Congress.

[Clintonfatigued]

WHOOPS! Suzanne Sinclair isn't pro-life? My mistake. But I stand by the rest of the posting.

[Clintonfatigued]

"We have excellent candidates in the open congressional seats, good candidates in all the key legislative races, and great statewide candidates in Nethercutt, Rossi and McKenna."

Don't forget state Rep. Cathy McMorris, who's running to succeed Nethercutt in the House.

[zbigreddogz]

Umm, I thought I covered that when I said "We have excellent candidates in all open congressional seats"

But yah, McMorris is good, and has a bright future.

[zbigreddogz]

I'm a very pragmatic republican, and I don't mind voting for republicans I disagree with on almost any issue as long as I agree more often with them more often then their opponents, that said, I would still vote for Larsen.

Kleplinger is pro-abortion, pro-GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE, and a big tax raiser (he plans on creating a national sales tax to pay for his Government Run Health Care).

He's only a Republican because the incumbent was a democrat. Larsen is actually more conservative, which is basically saying, like Scoop Jackson once said, "I'm a liberal, but I'm not a damn fool." He was talking about foreign policy issues, but anyhow, Larsen at the very least isn't pushing for Hillarycare. The state party hasn't even given Kleplinger access to the voter-vault. They basically wrote this district off when Sinclair went flaky and decided to basically not campaign. It's a travesty we don't have a realistic candidate in the most conservative Democratically held district in the state, (Rock-ribbed conservative Jack Metcalf served from 94-00, and term-limited himself, he would easily have won again), but we don't, and honestly, Larsen is more conservative then Kleplinger. Even still, I might vote for Kleplinger if I thought the House majority might be at stake, but it isn't, so I wouldn't.

But it's all a moot point anyway. Larsen will win by 20pts.

Actually, now thinking about it, I might just write-in Norma Smith's name. She lost a fairly close race to Larsen in '02, and is a class act. Hope she comes back sometime.

[Lexinom]

I may just follow zbigreddogz lead and write in Norma Smith if she's a class act like he says (wasn't living here in '02 to missed that stretch of elections. Also, one of Metcalf's young proteges, Chris Strow, looks promising for the 10th state district for State House. There are still plenty of races to be excited about. I just want to make sure Vance and co. put stronger candidates - ones who aren't ashamed of conservitism - forward for the next cycle, so Klepinger must go.

[Clintonfatigued]

If I'm not mistaken, Dr. Stark decided to run for the state legislature this year.

[zbigreddogz]

Yep, although he appears to have lost in the Primary. The whole Inslee challenger position got royally screwed up. Stark would have been a decent challenger, but instead, he ended up wasting his time running for State Legislature. It's a shame.

[zbigreddogz]

Vance had nothing to do with Kleplinger. Sinclair was probably his choice (although he didn't recruit any strong challengers), I know the WSRP wants NOTHING to do with him. The only reason he won, was that Sinclair went flakey and literally didn't campaign in any visible way. Kleplinger was the only one to have signs!

But yah, Strow is good, and I hope he wins. I hope April Axelhelm can take out Mary Margret Haugen in that same district for State Senate. Haugen has won close races before, so it'll be tough, but April seems to have her stuff in gear, and it's an R leaning district.

Again, like I said, we have good candidates in all of the key State Leg races, good candidates statewide and in the open congressional seats. We just don't have good challengers to D seats.

[howzer]

I have a question for those of you out there bashing Larry Klepinger, do you know him? I doubt so. I'm writing because I do. I've known him for several years. I'm a Republican that wishes to convey that Larry is a decent, hardworking American with strong values.

How many of you have lived outside the country for more than a year. I'm sure some of you have. Larry lived in Japan for many years. You know what the beauty of this is, the ability to see change. Most people never see it and they adapt. This adaption makes people blind. Larry was able to see the change America has undergone and has ideas on how to make it better.

Another example of living abroad is the ability to compare cultures. Japan is very capitalistic and conservative but it has a national health system and is predominantly pro-choice. There are no long waits and people to get the care they need which some critics argue about. This comparative element is very important and branches off into all areas. Education is just another example in which Japan does things different than America. They both have good and bad points but you don't know until you gain cultural knowledge and compare.

How do I know this? Because I too live in Japan. I too have seen how things have changed in America and am able to compare what works and doesn't. I know Americans in Japan that don't want to return because the "liberal" changes have been so powerful. Larry wants government out of peoples homes.

Abortion is a tricky issue because I see the arguments on both sides. I lean towards Pro-life because I think children are beautiful. Larry might be different, but whether you're Pro-abortion or Anti-abortion, I doubt it will make any difference to the country that has been dominantly pro-abortion for the last several decades. Don't put all your eggs in one basket over one issue. Look at everything.

Larry fought in Vietnam. He understands what our boys are going through in Iraq. He understands terrorism because he's had bullets flying past his ears. He's been following domestic and international news for years. He understands who the enemy is. This is where our concern needs to be.

Larry supports our troops.
Larry supports Bush.
Larry supports Americans.

Yes, I'm biased but I make it a habit to listen to all sides of the story, be it liberal or conservative. I believe in Larry because I know him.

[Lexinom]

I went to school with one of April Axthelm's stepdaughters. Axthelm Construction is a well-reputed business in these parts. Her challenge is name recognition, since people know her by her maiden name Walker. But I can tell you the landscape is peppered with April Axthelm signs.

[zbigreddogz]

Yah, I know. I drove around Mt.Vernon and from Deception Pass to the Mucklteo Ferry, and saw TONS of signs. I was really impressed. Apparently, as a former Mt. Vernon city councilwoman, she's got support there, and the island tends R anyway, so she's certainly got a decent chance at it.

[zbigreddogz]

Yah, I have looked more issues. Hillarycare and more taxes isn't exactly exciting me either.

[Lexinom]

I understand and respect where you are coming from. When you know someone personally and read something unfavorable about them, it can strike a nerve. Larry seems like a nice guy. I've met him and corresponded with e-mail. He's just not someone I want representing the 2nd Congressional District, that's all. Doesn't make him a worthless human being by any stretch.

As far as the abortion issue, I feel strongly about this because I've grown up in WA state and heard "anti-abortion" and "pro-choice" used as the dominant terms in the media, and because I know what it does to women and children. As their side likes to say, I've had their views "shoved down my throat" for 20 years, and it is enough. It's painful to hear such a serious issue discussed in such a cavelier way, as though the "choice" were no different from vanilla or chocolate - never mind the fact there's life involved. People are deliberately kept in the dark - by the media, by politicians - and it's time for this to end, and pro-life people must do their part.

[zbigreddogz]

Oops, looks like we jumped the gun. I just checked the Secretary of State's website. Apparently, late returning absentees have pushed Sinclair over the top.

Republican Votes Party %
Glenn E Coggeshell III 8,825 21.21%
Larry Klepinger 15,847 38.08%
Suzanne Sinclair 16,935 40.70%


Dr. Stark has also apparently pulled ahead, although barely (30 votes!!!). Don't know if there is more votes to count.

Republican
Roger Stark 4,304 50.17%
Jeffrey Possinger 4,274 49.82%

[Lexinom]

Heads up bump!

BTW I found Glenn Coggeshell III's site quite entertaining! You're right about him. Smart guy but can't spell. It's definitely worth visiting for the entertainment value alone.

[bellinghamandeggs]

I saw Larry Klpeinger speak at events at a couple of different junctures in this last primary campaign process and I also heard him mention a 6% national sales tax and I couldn't believe it. At the second event, I was waiting for that line again and didn't hear it. Near the end of the event, I asked him if he was still planning on campaigning as a Republican with a 6% national sales tax. He said that the implementation of the sales tax could only work in conjunction with the full implementation of the Tax Structure Reform that he was proposing. He felt that his proposals needed to be able to stand alone and function apart from each other in able to have a chance to be considered for implementation. Without the major tax relief coming out of the Tax Structure Reform, the 6% sales tax would not be a possibility for the average citizen, so he dropped it from his proposals.

As fas as socialized medicine goes, to some degree we're already there, both on the national and state levels, but with the insurance companies driving the ship and Larry is trying to simplify and streamline that process. Based on his KGMI interview and what the Bellingham Herald wrote up, his plans don't seem much like the socialized medicine our neighbors up North are dealing with. He emphasized a basic plan consisting of a preventative annual checkup if people choose to use it. He also talked about supporting Medical Savings Accounts, which isn't that far away from what George Bush proposed in his Acceptance Speech this year at the convention.

Actually, I know Suzanne Sinclaire has mentioned some interesting ideas regarding government and medicine as well, but I'm not 100% clear on her proposals because I can't find any information regarding them.