Posted on 01/11/2005 3:57:22 PM PST by MissouriConservative
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Hundreds of chanting partisans staged dueling protest rallies at the Capitol on Tuesday, many demanding a revote in the state's closest governor's race in history.
Police estimated more than 1,000 protesters massed on the Capitol lawn. A no-man's zone staffed by at least a dozen state troopers kept a larger pro-revote crowd separate from a pack of Democrat Christine Gregoire's backers.
Cries of "revote" and "revote or revolt" rang out as lawmakers inside the Capitol prepared to debate a GOP motion to delay certification of the governor's election for two weeks while the courts and lawmakers deal with reports of voting irregularities.
A similar move by Senate Republicans failed by a single vote on Monday, the opening day of the new 15-week legislative session.
The pro-revote crowd was decked out in orange attire popularized by protesters in Ukraine. One speaker after another demanded a revote of Gregoire's ultra-close contest with Republican Dino Rossi.
"If it's good enough for Ukraine, it's good enough for us," one speaker yelled.
"The crowd took up the chant, "The whole world is watching!"
The pro-Gregoire contingent didn't have microphones or a list of speakers, but hoisted signs and yelled their replies to nearly every Rossi rally speech or taunt.
When the Rossi crowd yelled "Revote!" the Gregoire people retorted "We won!"
A Rossi sign read, "Gregoire: You're fired," a la "The Apprentice" TV show. A pro-Gregoire sign said "Sore loser."
The 1996 GOP candidate for governor, radio talk show host John Carlson, said the noisy opening week rallies reflected the public's desire to be heard on this unprecedented election and aftermath.
The session opened Monday on a sharply partisan note as the still-unsettled governor's race spilled over into the Legislature in a prelude to an all-out court battle.
Majority Senate Democrats rallied around their embattled governor-elect, Christine Gregoire, refusing to let Republicans delay certification of her election. Gregoire won the third vote count - a hand recount - by just 129 votes out of 2.9 million ballots cast. It was the narrowest margin in state history.
Minority House Republicans planned the same gambit Tuesday - with the same outcome expected - during a joint House-Senate session just before lame-duck Gov. Gary Locke was set to give his final State of the State Address.
Gregoire will be inaugurated on Wednesday, even though Republican rival Dino Rossi and the state Republican Party are challenging the election in court, seeking a statewide revote.
Republicans said the gubernatorial election was riddled with errors serious enough to undermine voter confidence and to throw the outcome in doubt.
Monday's flare-up provided an unusual start for the 15-week session. The day typically is devoted to bland speeches, swearing in members and electing the majority's pick for officers.
In the Senate, maverick conservative Tim Sheldon was the only Democrat to vote with the solid bloc of Republicans on the two-week delay motion. Sheldon supported both Rossi and President Bush in the fall election.
Minority Leader Sen. Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland, led the charge.
"Every day more issues come to light and more rumors abound," with reports of dead people and felons voting, lists of votes not matching voter lists, and hundreds of provisional ballots illegally run through voting machines, he said.
He conceded that suspending the election certification for even a few weeks would be "a monumental step that has never taken place in our state's history." But he said it's warranted.
Democrats urged the Legislature to butt out and let the court challenge proceed. Senate Judiciary Chairman Adam Kline, D-Seattle, said it would "stop the cogs of government" and greatly hurt Gregoire if she has to delay taking office.
"There is a time for partisanship and politics and there is a time for governing," said Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane. "We are a state that is governed by constitution and laws, not by chanting crowds, rumor of the day or, frankly, making it up as we go along."
The Legislature's best route would be to pass a strong election reform package, said Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, chairman of the panel that will consider such legislation.
Could it be a sign that the PI sees the writing on the wall? That this was so brazen that even they can't cover it up? Or are they covering their bases to show that they aren't "biased" toward Gregoire?
Yes.
Yes.
Time will tell. They haven't had any bases that needed covering for so long ... I think they're trying out Transition Mode. hehe
Testing pictures
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/wash1/Rally1.jpg
Well I do hope for the best for you all in Washington. We here in Missouri just installed a Republican governor after 12 years of democrats in the office.
We stand with you....in the words of John F. Kennedy..."Today, I am a Washingtonian."
Well, many of us WA FReepers were there today, and I never heard "we won", and only saw a smattering of anti-revote people; their presence was barely felt, except by the poor fellow whose "Revote"-riddled truck they vandalized.
More accurate police estimates than "over 1,000": 1,700 pro-revote, 300 anti-revote. Pretty evenly matched, IOW ;-)
Thanks. I was beginning to feel like the only one who didn't know who the tiger was.
This is the same media that gave us the Million Man March that gathered a few hundred thousand...the Million Mom March that was less than a few hundred thousand.....
The media can't count.
BTW "If We Wanted Communism We'd Move To China" was one of our signs! Freedom12 held it (he and I were togother). The other was "Count Every Living Voter / Revote: $4M. Fair Democracy: Priceless", held by yours truly.
What a shame... I was really hopeful for a Rossi victory. :-(
Rally on TVW right NOW. tvw.org for non locals
We are privileged to have you join us...in spirit! BTTT
BTT!!!!!!
Sorry we didn't MEET!
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