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Why Yard Signs?

A 4X8 foot yard sign along Rockwood Blvd devoted purely to name recognition. The candidate doesn’t bother to mention he is running for Spokane County Treasurer. Apparently he doesn’t even wish his audience to know he is running as a Republican. That information and the reminder that he ran (unsuccessfully) for U.S. Senate in 2012 (in the middle of his Washington State LD6 Senate term) is provided courtesy of back lighting from the afternoon sun.

Dear Group,

It is hard to miss the bloom of political yard signs this year in Spokane and all over eastern Washington. For me, the first hint of where we might be headed in 2016 came from a 4X8 foot red “Make America Great Again” sign in a field west of Moses Lake along I-90. In view of that uncomfortable memory. the sheer number of residential yards with Lisa Brown signs in Spokane, eastern Washington’s most populous county, is a hopeful sign that speaks of enthusiasm and change.

Especially in midterm (non-presidential) elections turnout depends on awareness of the existence of a real contest. The greater the rivalry in a sporting event, the more people attend, the same with voter participation. Yard signs increase the awareness of rivalry…of possibility. Beyond rivalry comes simple name recognition, especially for down ballot candidates. There is no clearer example of name recognition as a tactic than in the race for Spokane County Treasurer, a race between David Green, a man thoroughly qualified for the job, and Mr. Baumgartner, a career politician looking for a temporary place to light before his next conquest. I have yet to see a Baumgartner yard sign advertising more than his name. 

There is a another utility of yard signs. Yard signs informed me that many of my neighbors I imagined were straight-ticket Republicans are actually supporters of Lisa Brown…and staunch critics of the incumbent. People who put out yard signs have an opinion, they have some political awareness, and they are often open to conversation. I am aware folks displaying yard signs for the incumbent have an opinion, too, an opinion to which I am happy to listen, not with much expectation of changing a mind, but to better understand their position. A yard sign can facilitate conversation.

Clusters of yard signs can send several different messages. I have one neighbor who displays a dozen or so political signs in advance of every election. For years they have helped me recognize the names of those for whom I do NOT wish to cast a vote. This year they added the flag-draped cross of a We Believe-We Vote yard sign. For me that sign speaks of a closed mind, a far right ideology that taints the candidates on the associated signs.

I especially notice mixed clusters of signs on residential property. I find it instructive when I see signs in one yard for candidates of both major political parties. Makes me go, “Hmmm.” I’ve met more than a few thoughtful Republicans who could place a sign “Republicans for Lisa Brown.”

I have friends who deplore the clutter and visual confusion of political yard signs. Once upon a time I might have agreed with them. No longer. I now view yard signs as promotion of name recognition, and name recognition is the first ingredient to political discussion and awareness.

Joyously add to the clutter! Visit the office at 1507 E. Sprague, make a small donation, pick up a Lisa Brown sign, and display it proudly. Then discuss with your neighbors why you put it up. 

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

P.S. I have a Mary Kuney (R) for Spokane County Commissioner in my yard as by far the better candidate than her opponent, Mr. Chase, a man entwined with the white supremacy of Northwest Grassroots.

P.P.S. I also have a David Green (D) for Spokane County Treasurer sign. His opponent, Mr. Baumgartner, a man of minimal qualifications for the job, is relying solely on name recognition using yard signs recycled from his campaigns for prior offices. Don’t let Mr. B get away with it.

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WeBelieveWeVote.com, What is it?

 

A 4X8 “yard” sign just east of Applebee’s near Lincoln Heights on the north side of 29th. This and a bevy of signs presumably for like-minded Republicans are firmly affixed on a lot privately owned by Grapetree Village, LLC. The “registered agent” of Grapetree Village, LLC is Pamela Cloninger, widow of Glen Cloninger (1944-2010). [Update: By early October this WBWV 4X8′ “yard” sign had been removed from this location. Two smaller ones along with a McMorris Rodgers signed appeared on church grounds of the ‘Berachah’ Church of Blessings at 25th and Grand. Could this church be more blatantly involved in candidate advocacy?

 

Dear Group,

The Christian values with which I was brought up were tolerance, forbearance, respect for my fellow man, justice, charity, non-violence, stewardship of God’s creation. Still ringing in my ears from my mother are sayings from the Bible, “He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword,”  “It is more difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle,” and “turn the other cheek.” [paraphrased here from memory]. 

I do not recognize my mother’s values, the Christian values with which I was brought up, among the “Evaluation Criteria” at WeBelieveWeVote.com, the voters guide advertised on yard signs on lawns and some churchyards in eastern Washington. Anyone who uses this website and considers themselves a Christian ought to consider the specifics of what the folks behind this Political Action Committee called “We Believe-We Vote” actually believe. Christianity is not a monolith, it never has been, and the folks who put together this website are using selected material, the majority of it from the Old Testament, to sell their version of politics. We Believe-We Vote is a gross attempt to weld together a fundamentalist interpretation of the Constitution, an armed, closed-door nationalist view toward the world, and a particularly narrow fundamentalist version of Christianity…and sell it as a voters’ guide to local Christians. 

I cannot resist some irony here. Who knew that articles of Christian belief included “a well run campaign”, “references to God in government”, “the right to keep and bear arms”, fealty to the electoral college system, “strong national security and borders”, opposition to recreational marijuana, and a cherry-picked literal interpretation of the Bible? You have to dig a little on their website to find these criteria and the churches and pastors who subscribe to them. (Scroll to the bottom of the second link to see if your pastor is among them.) Without that diligence the Christian is invited to simply fill out their ballot with assurance the recommended candidates share “Christian” values the PAC wishes you to believe are universal.

I am reminded of the saying, “When Fascism* Comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” Could the imagery on the We Believe-We Vote yard sign be more obvious?

While we still have federal and state campaign finance laws in place it is possible to learn quite a lot about a political action committee like We Believe-We Vote from the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, pdc.wa.gov. (Forces within the Republican Party are actively engaged in repealing such campaign finance law…but save that for another day.) 

Political action committees (PACs) like We Believe-We Vote (WBWV) do not appear out of thin air. WBWV first appears at the Public Disclosure Commission in 2013 as “We Believe-We Vote Barbara Lancaster Sponsor” with an address on Farwell Road, just southeast of Green Bluff. Two years later, in 2015, Ms. Lancaster’s name was dropped (the address stayed the same). Also in 2015 WBWV broke the PDC threshold both for more than $5000 total donations and no single contributor donating more than $500 in aggregate. They broke into the big time with a $3000 donation from Northwest Trustee and Management and total donations of $10,335.00. As a result we can see where WBWV spent its money that year: on radio ads, Facebook ads, and “digital marketing management.” 

We Believe-We Vote pops into general public view with its flag-draped cross in 2018 with a $1741.89 purchase of 4X8 foot and 1.5X2 foot yard signs, part of a budget now swelled to $32,967.26. Without these yard signs most eastern Washington Catholics, Methodists, Congregationalists, Episcopals, Presbyterians, and Unitarians, among others, would not have guessed that gun rights, strong borders, and fealty to the electoral college system were articles of Christian faith. Without the outbreak of yard signs WBWV might only have festered on right wing radio, Facebook and the web.

I know people who attend the churches and listen to pastors who have signed on to the We Believe-We Vote voters’ guide. I have attended services at some of those churches. Much of what is preached there is familiar fare. But with endorsement of the WBWV website these pastors subscribe to a profoundly disturbing brand of Christianity I do not recognize from my upbringing, a Christianity that is a mockery of the values by which I try to live. Explore the website for yourself, see what you think.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

*From my online dictionary: Fascism tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one national or ethnic group, a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader, and a strong demagogic approach.

P.S. I would be interested to hear from other parts of U.S. Congressional District 5 (eastern WA, the domain currently “represented” by McMorris Rodgers, a product of Stevens County). Does WeBelieveWeVote have signs up in Walla Walla and in Pullman? I ask because the pulldown menu at  WeBelieveWeVote.com under “Voter Guide” suggests it is tailored for just two counties, Stevens and Spokane. 

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The Doorbell and What’s Behind It

Dear Group,

People confide, “I just couldn’t go doorbelling. I don’t know enough. I don’t know how I could do that.” 

If you had told me two years ago that a year hence I would be knocking on doors, introducing myself, listening to, and chatting with people I’d never met I would have thought you were nuts. 

Was/is it easy to get started? No. Every time I go I still have to give myself a talking to. Every time there are things I’d rather be doing, and yet each time the experience is rewarding. Each time I gain fresh insight on people, life, politics, and the neighborhoods I’ve driven through for years. 

We are all just people. We are fundamentally social. We live naturally in social groups where we interact face-to-face every day. It was a very short time ago, within my lifetime, we quit interacting, we quit sitting on our porches on summer evenings, and we began spending more time in front of TVs and computers than we did seeing each other face-to-face. Conversing with another person on a doorstep is far more natural and genuine than passively receiving tribal information from a screen. Most people respond very well to friendly social contact.

First, let’s dispel a few worries. You’re not out there by yourself. It is a group effort with at least two in a group. You start shoulder-to-shoulder and after a while start knocking singly but on the same street. The doors you knock are selected, By and large you are contacting people whose profiles suggest they are neither committed Republicans or committed Democrats. Once in a while the data is wrong, but that’s a valuable contact to record either way.

No one bites. There is no need for confrontation. You don’t need to have a detailed grasp of every position. You’re not there to argue. That’s pointless and counterproductive. A lot of what you do is listen. Listening is always educational. With a committed, engaged Republican a bit of listening is informative, but mostly you smile and thank them for their time. “Bless and release” is a great strategy. A few of your contacts may benefit just from meeting a non-confrontational progressive. Most committed Republicans (especially the “old school” Republicans) are as pleasant as we try to be. You quickly realize the very few gruff folks you meet are gruff because of who they are, not because of who you are. Smile and move on. It’s not personal.

By now I’ve knocked on several hundreds of doors and chatted with at least a hundred people. On any given day a quarter to a third of the doors are opened. Behind the doors that do open nearly everyone is willing to chat for a few minutes. 

Remember the old adage “Never judge a book by its cover?” Knocking on doors quickly teaches you to make no assumptions. I’ve met elderly grandmothers who major concern is preserving second amendment rights and I’ve knocked on doors draped in bunting and flanked by flags and behind them met vets whose main issue was thwarting privatization of the Veterans Hospital. Never assume.

We’re not going to make a change in our politics by sitting at home, listening to pundits and pollsters on TV, wringing our hands, and lamenting to our like-minded friends. We’re not going to change things only by contributing to campaigns (although that is important, too). The way we’re going to pull this out of the fire is by interacting with and listening to people we don’t know or hardly know and by expressing our concerns, worries, convictions and hopes for a better future. This change isn’t going to happen overnight or with the election of one or a few candidates. It is going to take a sustained effort over years. Too long we have been asleep at the wheel. Change is going to happen because we interact with our fellow humans, because we pay attention, because we recognize twisted hate, shine a light on it and call it out. Forces in the Republican Party have bent it over decades. I no longer recognize the party I once knew. It needs to wander off in the wilderness for a while before it will find its way. 

This week is time to get started. This Wednesday, August 15th, from 6-8PM come on down to the DCCC Headquarters at 1507 E. Sprague for Canvass Training. Food provided. Get more details and RSVP here.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

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More on Nunes’ Spokane Revelations

Dear Group,

Here is a bit more background and consideration of the Nunes recording with McMorris Rodgers at the Spokane Club fundraiser. I wrote this around noon yesterday in response to the question, “Who is Rosenstein?” I later read an analysis in the Washington Post, that came to many of the same conclusions. 

Rosenstein is the United States Deputy Attorney General with jurisdiction over the Mueller investigation. (He has jurisdiction over Mueller because Jeff Sessions, the Attorney General of the United States (and Rosenstein’s boss), has recused himself from overseeing Mueller’s work on account of his (Sessions’) contact with some of the Russians under investigation. Trump has repeatedly criticized Mr. Sessions for choosing to recuse himself, and Trump has openly called for Rosenstein to step aside. Both Sessions and Rosenstein are lifelong Republicans appointed by Trump, and yet they have been the target of Trump’s wrath for thwarting his autocratic tendencies.

Rosenstein is the current obstacle in the way of the rabid Republican majority intent on silencing Mueller, as exemplified by Devin Nunes (and, apparently, Cathy McMorris Rodgers) in the recording. If they could impeach (and convict) Rosenstein, getting him out of the way, then Trump would presumably appoint someone to Rosenstein’s position who would end the Mueller investigation.

Nunes, who, we might presume, is likely privy to more information about Mueller’s investigation than we are, must be really, really worried about what Mueller knows. 

At one time, sober Americans discounted presentations like those of Nunes at the Spokane Club as political theater. Why? Well, with only a one vote majority in the Senate the Republicans in Congress have zero chance of actually removing Rosenstein. (Impeachment is only an indictment, the “trial” would be in the Senate. In the Senate a two thirds majority of those present is necessary to convict. [67 if all the Senators vote]) Nunes’ statement at the Spokane Club is absolutely correct that impeaching Rosenstein now would distract the Senate from the Republican/Libertarian’s most important goal of this entire administration: putting in place a youthful majority of oligarchy-friendly Supreme Court justices. This is the Holy Grail of the Republican/Libertarian revolution. This opportunity must not be missed, so any impeachment will have to wait.

Nunes at the Spokane Club holds out the idea that retaining a Republican majority in the House is essential to blocking the Mueller investigation. Without a House Republican majority the Republicans will be unable to impeach Rosenstein, he properly suggests. He then implies the whole Republican/Libertarian revolution, “all of this,” will collapse if Mueller is allowed to continue. Of course, Nunes is right that Mueller’s sober, methodical investigation is a major threat to the complete Republican takeover of government, but holding out the impeachment of Rosenstein as a way of silencing Mueller is Constitutional poppycock. Impeachment of Rosenstein is theatrics worthy of Trump. 

Nunes and McMorris Rodgers are banging the drum, rousing their base, preparing them for confrontation over whatever Mueller ultimately presents, actively working in support of the Trumpian takeover of the Republican Party and the U.S. government. 

Do not discount the power of Nunes and McMorris Rodgers’ closed door theatrics. We are now in the age of Trump. Trump is a throbbing embodiment of political theater and breathless antics, a man who actually could fire Rosenstein but won’t yet for fear of precipitating a Constitutional crisis or worse. Nunes, McMorris Rodgers and the rest of the Republicans are whipping up the political drama to make firing Rosenstein and silencing Mueller seem acceptable. 

I remember thinking during the Nixon Presidency that justice would prevail, that our institutions of government would weather the storm, that the rule of law would deal with Nixon’s corruption. Back then, though, the commitment to a full investigation was a bi-partisan enterprise. Now with Nunes and McMorris Rodgers and company trying to push justice to the curb I am losing my confidence that our institutions of government can withstand the onslaught. We are at a dangerous time. Vote these people out before it is too late.

Back on Monday. Have a restful weekend, but stay tuned.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry 
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Devin Nunes in Spokane/What He Said

Dear Group,

During Devin Nunes’ fundraiser for McMorris Rodgers held at the Spokane Club on July 30 the proceedings were recorded. Selected contents of that recording were presented last evening on the Rachel Maddow show. You can listen to all 20 minutes of the show here. What we know so far all comes from there, although by the time you read this there will be a story on every network and most newspapers.

Much of what is revealed is not really all that surprising. We have to assume that behind closed doors most Republican Representatives and Senators at times wish Trump weren’t Trump. Many undoubtedly wish they had achieved a Republican congressional majority with someone like Ted Cruz as President, someone who would not engage in daily political theater, someone a bit less flamboyant, someone whose actions did not so obviously merit legal scrutiny.

But Trump is what they have. The recording presented on the Maddow Show makes it clear Nunes, and, apparently, the Republican leadership are willing to do nearly anything to keep Trump where he is and their agenda rolling along. It seems it is a question of the order of things. No. No. It would be bad to impeach Rosenstein now. No, it is more important to get Kavanaugh confirmed first. Nunes does not say so in the recording I’ve heard, but it seems clear there are two reasons: 1) Even if the current Republican house of cards collapses at the midterms another staunchly conservative Supreme Court Justice will change the direction of the Court for decades to come. 2) Kavanaugh’s writing suggest he would tend to support a President against investigation, certainly something useful to have in place before attacking Rosenstein and then taking down the Mueller investigation. 

Implied in the Nunes recording is that the House leadership will proceed to a Rosenstein impeachment if it looks necessary to protect Trump from the Mueller investigation. After all, justice, it appears, isn’t important, what’s important is this chance to advance the Republican/Libertarian agenda at all costs, the “all of this” that “goes away” in the following Nunes quote.

If Sessions won’t unrecuse and Mueller won’t clear the president, we’re [the House Republicans] the only ones. Which is really the danger, I mean we have to keep all these seats. We have to keep the majority. If we do not keep the majority, all of this goes away,

I suppose you could argue that Nunes is just trying to impress and strike fear in the hearts of the monied donors in the audience. After all, the plea he makes is to contribute to help us keep our seats because if we lose the House majority we will no longer be able to impeach Rosenstein and protect the President. Then, heaven help us, “all of this goes away.”

Isn’t it fascinating that McMorris Rodgers, nominally part of House Leadership herself, brings Nunes to Spokane to provide this closed-door briefing to her donors? Remember McMorris Rodgers is fond of telling her constituents she “supports” the Mueller investigation. Yet here she stands with Nunes, now revealed as planning to impeach Rosenstein if necessary in his quest to protect Trump (and the Republican agenda) from Mueller. I don’t see that as “support” for the Mueller investigation. 

Time for McMorris to think of packing her bags? This is not the way I want my Representative (and Spokane) in the national news. 

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry 
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Trump Psychology and a Correction

Dear Group,

Correction: In my email yesterday in the first postscript I incorrectly suggested that Sheriff Knezovich subscribes to the chemtrail conspiracy theory. I wrote: “Even a man who buys into the “chemtrail” conspiracy, as Mr. Knezovich apparently does, (go to the end of the article at the link).” One of my readers followed the link and pointed out I had misread Daniel Walters’ article. My reader was correct. It was NOT Sheriff Knezovich, it was Cecily Wright, the former chairwoman (recently resigned) of the Spokane County Republican Party and continued web-mistress of the Northwest Grassroots website. I have no evidence to suggest Sheriff Knezovich subscribes to chemtrails conspiracy . However, a visit to Wright’s Northwest Grassroots website should make any voter pause and consider the mindset of local Republican fellow travelers of NW Grassroots like Matt Shea, Rob Chase, Rod Higgins, Arne Woodard, Sam Wood, and “Pastor” Pace. 

The Primary Results will be the subject of evaluation for a few days. Surely, the trends will be widely report in the local media. I plan to wait until they are all tallied before I comment.

Trump Psychology. I want to take a break today and encourage you to read a piece from USA Today from July 30 entitled “What’s going on with Donald Trump? Psychologist explains the president’s lies, reversals” by Robert Epstein, senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology. For me the article shed some light on my feeling we have an impulsive two year old for a president, a two year old with no grasp of much of anything but what he is fed by the ignoramuses on Fox News. The two concepts Epstein presents are “sympathetic audience control” and “small time windows.” I’m not sure Epstein quite captures all the pathology but it is an interesting point of view. What I’ve read of the Bannon and his relationship with Trump suggests that Bannon recognized in Trump all the maddening traits necessary to provoke the cataclysm we are now living. Mightier governments have fallen to lesser demagogues. I hope we survive this one and emerge, having heaved out the current mess that is the Republican Party, as a “kinder gentler nation.” Is it really possible that a Republican President uttered those words? (George H.W. Bush) The Republican Party of that president no longer exists.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry 
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The Local GOP and the Alt-Right

Dear Group,

I do not willingly associate with white supremacists, anti-Semitics, John Birchers, or the “alt-right” (see the P.P.S. for a definition). I do not willingly suffer wild-eyed conspiracy theories. Much less do I attend small gatherings to listen quietly to invited speakers express such views. It is all I can do to read their material on the internet, but I do read it in order to be informed. I find its abundance on the internet and the glossiness of its presentation disturbing. When I attend any small group meeting I exercise enough diligence to know something of the background of the people to whom I will be listening. If I knew a video of the meeting were going to be posted on the internet I would pay even more attention. Ignorance is not a valid excuse for having attended and applauded at these events. Cecily Wright and Rob Chase are quoted in the Spokesman falling all over themselves feigning ignorance. Take a tour of northwest grassroots.com for a flavor of what they peddle and consume.

I support the First Amendment right to free speech (with at least the standard caveats about not shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theater, of course). If some people feel the need to hold racist and/or anti-Semitic views and engage in wild conspiracy theories, then they are entitled to do so. Moreover, they are entitled to get together and discuss whatever festering ideas they wish. 

But here is where I draw the line: When a candidate or an elected official goes to the trouble of attending and applauding at Cecily Wright’s Northwest Grassroots’ hosting of James Allsup they demonstrate character and beliefs that should disqualify them for public office. Yes, it IS labelling. Labelling is absolutely the proper response. Consistent affiliation with a group like this should be widely noted. Rod Higgins, currently the mayor of the City of Spokane Valley, not only attended but took to the podium in the video (at 38:00 minutes) to demonstrate his scheming against and lack of respect for fellow elected council members. He acts like an autocrat, not the cooperative, thoughtful official voters have a right to expect. He shows a complete lack of respect for the people of Spokane Valley who voted these council members in. Rob Chase (current Spokane County Treasurer and candidate for Spokane County Commissioner) is a frequent attendee at NWGrassroots and a member of the audience appreciatively clapping Wright’s introduction of Allsup and Allsup’s speech. City of Spokane Valley council members Arne Woodard and Sam Wood and former council member “Pastor” Ed Pace are frequent attendees at the NW Grassroots meetings. 

Sheriff Knezovich speaks of a rift in the Spokane County Republican Party. Sheriff Knezovich is on one side and points to Matt Shea and Rob Chase on the other. I highly encourage you to read Daniel Walters’ coverage in the Inlander of Sheriff Knezovich calling out the far right ideology of Northwest Grassroots Knezovich says splits the local GOP. Now that the story broke his political instincts are nimble. He even coaxed a few young red-shirted McMorris Rodgers supporters to come with him to the anti-hate rally in front of the Court House last Thursday. I have a little sympathy for him, but not much. Where was he when the local GOP was showing all kinds of rot before this story broke, and how does he still support a president who panders to racists, a president dependent for his election on the votes from the alt-right that Steve Bannon stirred up?

McMorris Rodgers is not an overt racist or white supremacist, herself, but she sticks like glue to a Republican Party led by a man who cannot bring himself to condemn the alt-right, a man who thinks Alex Jones is a hero instead of a deranged conspiracy theorist, a man who continues to preach “It’s all working out. Just remember: What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.” – Donald Trump (7-24-2018)

The Spokesman on Sunday broke the news McMorris Rodgers accepted the endorsement of Matt Shea (R-LD4), a vigorous promoter of the sort of belief system exemplified (according to Sheriff Knezovich) by Northwest Grassroots. A least Ozzie is clear about whose endorsement he doesn’t want. He said he would “never consider asking for an endorsement from the Spokane Valley Republican [Shea].”

A few evenings ago I was told of educated people in the Northwest with a crystal clear understanding of history and a vivid cultural memory of 1930s Europe who have put together emergency “go-bags,” the things they would need, like a passport, to flee in case of emergency. They know the signs. For them a “go-bag” is a prudent investment. We need to pay attention.

I know of many and I hope for many more good, moderate, reasonable Republicans who will vote for Democrats this election in the hope of saving their Party from what it is fast becoming. Heaven knows there are a lot of good, skilled, dedicated Democrats running this fall, many of whom bring a lifetime of expertise from outside of politics. In the context of what I’ve written here, Ted Cummings, running against Matt Shea and Mary May running against McCaslin Jr. come quickly to mind, both for Representative seats in Legislative District 4 (Spokane Valley and a bit north). So do David Green for Treasurer and Michael Kirk for Clerk. 

I have met and talked with nearly every Democratic legislative candidate in Eastern Washington and every Democratic candidate running for office in Spokane County. I am confident that every one of the them is a decent, hard-working citizen with the best interests of the people they serve in mind. Never before in my life have I recommended voting a straight Democratic ticket, but I fervently do so now. It is time to clean house.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

P.S. On my ballot there are two positions for which no Democrat is running, Spokane County Sheriff and Spokane County Commissioner. Mary Kuney for Commissioner is my overwhelming favorite over Mr. Chase. I have one of her signs in my yard. I also cast a somewhat reluctant vote for Ozzie Knezovich. He is preferable to this year’s competition.

P.P.S So we’re clear about what I mean, the alt-right or alternative right, is a loosely-connected and somewhat ill-defined grouping of white supremacists/white nationalists, neo-Nazis, neo-fascists, neo-Confederates, Holocaust deniers, and other far-right fringe hate groups. (wikipedia)