What is “a Biblical Worldview”?

WBWV’s narrow Christian Fundamentalist orientation

My favorite negative voting guide, WeBelieveWeVote.org (WBWV), purports to rate political candidates “based on how well a candidate aligns with a Biblical worldview & Biblical principles.” The inherent supposition is that everyone who self-identifies as Christian (and perhaps even non-religious people who respect some idea of Christian values) all subscribe to the same “Biblical worldview” and ought to vote accordingly.

The trouble is that Christianity does not now and never has consisted of a single unified “worldview.” Specific doctrinal differences among nominal Christians, many of which distinctions we would now consider arcane, have been the basis for Christians killing other Christians for two millennia. 

For those behind WeBelieveWeVote.org the primary criterion for a “Biblical worldview,” as explained on the WBWV website, is this:

The Holy Bible is the supernatural, full, and inspired Word of God; it is inerrant, supreme, and final.
– II Timothy 3:16-17

Never mind, of course, that the cited Bible verse from 2nd Timothy was written before there was any general agreement as to what writings would later constitute the Bible. In addition, that passage from 2nd Timothy fails to specify which of the at least twenty-five different English versions of the Bible should be considered definitively inerrant. The Fundamentalist believer is asked to suspend all disbelief to the notion that whatever they are told by their pastor (or come to conclude on their own) is the literal Biblical truth to which they have been guided by God.

It should be no wonder then that some of these same people can be led to believe all manner of fantastical ideas, including, for example, that Donald Trump is actually part of God’s plan to bring about their salvation or that Democrats control the weather.

The conviction that “the Bible” (version-unspecified) is the inerrant word of God is the central tenet of Christian Fundamentalism. Wikipedia defines Christian Fundamentalism as:

…a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism.[1] In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and American Protestants[2] as a reaction to theological liberalism and cultural modernismFundamentalists argued that 19th-century modernist theologians had misunderstood or rejected certain doctrines, especially biblical inerrancy, which they considered the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

Most Protestant denominations have among their parishioners those who adhere to a strain of Christian Fundamentalism that stretches back to the tent revivals of the 1800s. Certainly there were Fundamentalists among the congregation of Methodists in which I was raised, people who taught Bible stories in Sunday School as the not-to-be-contested literal truth. 

Even as a ten year old I recognized there were people among these folk who insisted that some sort of fossilized version of Noah’s Ark had been found on the side of Mt. Ararat in modern-day Turkey; people who insisted that humans had cavorted with dinosaurs and that the dinosaurs had only perished in The Flood—concepts that ran ever more contrary to the physical evidence of geology, biology, and archeology that I read in books from an early age and, later, saw in the laboratory and in the field.

WBWV’s central tenet of Biblical inerrancy leads directly to the seven day creation story of the Book of Genesis as the literal truth. It follows, based on the seven day creation and the “begats” of Genesis, that the entire universe must be only a few thousand years old. In the Fundamentalist belief system it also follows that much of modern science taught in public schools is a threat to one’s faith. 

It should be no surprise, then, that another of the WBWV Fundamentalist criteria of alignment for candidates is a commitment to the Republican talking point of “school choice,” the idea that public funds should support private schools and homeschooling where the Fundamentalist worldview can be taught—rather than “woke” public schooling that teaches modern science. Of course, WBWV couches that 19th century Christian Fundamentalist for religious schooling more subtly:

It is the fundamental right and responsibility of parents to direct the education of their children.
– Prov 22:6Eph 6:1-4 [those underlined references link to the Biblical passages WBWV rather bizarrely uses to justify the statement]

The Christian Fundamentalism of WBWV’s “Biblical worldview” is further on display in their “Position” on “The Environment” [the bold is mine]:

God’s creation should be properly protected and stewarded. The environment is provided for our use to produce food and provide resources for an abundant life. We have a duty to protect the environment for its beauty, provisions, and sustainability.
– Genesis 2:15Ezekiel 34:18 [links]

Note the orientation. The environment exists solely for the benefit of humanity. Humans are central. All of creation revolves around human needs “to produce food and provide resources.” It follows that God put coal, oil, and gas in the ground as a resource for the benefit of us humans, no geological processes or associated modification of the atmosphere or climate need be contemplated. Humans have no agency in the atmosphere or the climate. As one Fundamentalist Facebook commenter put it, “God is in charge of the climate,” i.e. we humans can and should ignore climate warnings and just “drill, baby, drill.”

The Christianity in which I was brought up in the Methodist church understood that the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, represented the world as seen through the prism of one culture, that of the ancient Hebrews; that the creation story in Genesis was to be interpreted allegorically rather than as literal truth; and that God granted humans the intelligence to understand the world through observation and experiment and to act in the world toward our fellow humans according to the precepts taught by Jesus of Nazareth. All of my upbringing stands in contrast to the Christian Fundamentalism of WBWV’s largely Old Testament-based “Biblical worldview & Biblical principles.”

Visit the “Core Values and Positions” webpage of WBWV and see for yourself what they are selling as a Biblical worldview. I pose WBWV’s worldview as a rejection of reason and of science, a rejection that threatens the continuation of the human species on this planet. 

Study the “alignment ratings” in the WBWV voter guide and vote like your life—and those of your children and grandchildren—depended on it. 

Take note that in each and every contest the candidate more highly “rated” by WBWV is the “Prefers Republican” candidate on your ballot, although WBWV avoids saying so. This should come as no surprise. The Republican Party has been systematically courting the doctrinaire Christian Fundamentalist vote for decades while hinting (and sometimes declaring) that harboring anything less than what is a Fundamentalist belief system is God-less and perverse—essentially “other”. 

Brought up in the New Testament Christianity of the Methodist church of the 1960s I recognize far more in the way of Christian values among Democrats than among modern-day Republicans—and certainly more respect for reason, rationality, and science.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

P.S. Somewhere in my early teens one of my teachers put up a geologic timeline. It ran around the upper part of all four walls of the classroom. The time during which we modern humans have existed on planet earth scaled to a minuscule sliver at the end of the timeline. For me it was a vivid and memorable illustration of what I’d been absorbing for years already.

Imagine being a WBWV Christian Fundamentalist parent faced with a child who had been introduced to such a timeline in what they might characterize negatively as a “woke” classroom. Horrors. How would you shield your child from these ideas that contradict the received “truth” that the earth was created in seven literal days around six thousand years ago? Seen in this light public education is an agent of brainwashing one’s children and a mortal threat to one’s faith. It is no accident that WBWV “alignment” verges on a call for “school choice,” a euphemism for public funding for religious schools or religion-based home schooling.

State and County Judge Elections

On What Basis to Cast a Vote?

For most of my life I believed that judges did their work above the political fray, discharging their judgements based on dispassionate interpretation of the law. Of course, counter to that and like many in my age group, I was exposed to the John Birch Society’s billboard campaign to “Impeach Earl Warren,” accusing Warren, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1953 to 1969, of “legislating from the bench.” The call for impeachment began with his writing of the majority opinion in 1954 Brown v. Board of Education declaring segregation of public schools unconstitutional. Even so, judicial appointments never seemed to be partisan issues. A “well qualified” rating by the American Bar Association (ABA) seemed to be a sufficient proof of integrity of a judicial nominee to merit bipartisan support for federal judicial appointments. 

In contrast, the last two Republican federal administrations (George W. Bush and Donald Trump), made it clear that for federal judicial nominations they would rely on the imprimatur of the Federalist Society. Founded in 1982, the Federalist Society is a group of conservative and libertarian lawyers and legal scholars founded in 1982 and funded by a who’s who of wealthy members of the Koch donor group. The Federalist Society is dedicated to enhancing the supply and support of lawyers and judges who favor limiting the role of the federal government in regulation of business as well as the judiciary’s role in guaranteeing certain civil rights. Of course, all of this is glossed over in terms like textualism, originalism, and judicial restraint. Currently six of the nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court, a robust majority thanks to the dishonest political machinations of Mitch McConnell, are justices put forward by the Federalist Society. We see the results in the overturning Roe v. Wade’s half century of reproductive freedom and the less noted undercutting of the power of federal agencies to regulate (Chevron Deference). 

I no longer believe that judges come to conclusions based solely on dispassionate interpretation of the law. Their worldview and 

Washington State Judge Elections 2024

In the judicial system of Washington State, unlike the federal judiciary, judges are elected by the people. This fall three of the nine Washington State Supreme Court justice positions are on the ballot, but only one of them, Position 2, is contested. Position 2 is for a seat to be vacated by Justice Susan Owens, who, at age 75, faces mandatory retirement at the end of 2024. The ProgressiveVotersGuide recommends voting for Sal Mungia, and has this to say about his opponent:

Federal Way Municipal Court Judge Dave Larson is also in this race. Before joining the Municipal Court, Larson worked as a trial attorney. Larson is the endorsed candidate by Washington state’s MAGA Republican Party, known for its far-right positions and aggressive opposition to abortion access. Progressives are backing Mungia in this race.

For me the right wing endorsement of Dave Larson was sealed by a fundraising letter for Mr. Larson I received with the signature of Spokane Prosecutor Larry Haskell. From my perspective that is a strong negative endorsement. 

In Spokane County we have two contested Superior Court Judgeships. Both feature challengers to incumbent judges, Marla Polin and Timothy Fennessy. The ProgressiveVotersGuide recommends retaining both incumbents. From what I can gather from talking with friends who understand the county court system and from briefly meeting both of the incumbents I agree that the incumbents should be retained. 

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

Our Local Negative Voting Guide

WeBelieveWeVote is b-a-a-c-k!

Spokane County Elections (part of the Spokane County Auditor’s Office) mailed out ballots for the November 5th General Election late last week, a week earlier than the deadline. If you live in Spokane County and you haven’t received your ballot, first check your ballot’s status at vote.wa.gov. For voters in Spokane County there is more good information here. If you’ve already filled out and returned your ballot, check at vote.wa.gov to confirm that it has been received and accepted. 

Still, you’re not done. Encourage like-minded people to cast their ballots, too. Offer help. Encourage voter registration (still doable online at vote.wa.govuntil October 28th—a week from Monday). Recommend the progressivevotersguide.org. It’s a great, rational resource for candidate information including links. 

To access past posts from this blog, check the searchable archive at jxindivisible.org.

My Favorite Negative Voter’s Guide

WeBelieveWeVote.org finally posted its voting recommendations this last Monday, October 14th. In the past, WeBelieveWeVote relied on candidates to return a questionnaire asking for their level of agreement with a series of rigid statements like “The duty of civil government is the protection of innocent human life from conception until natural death.” Candidates’ “alignment” was rated accordingly. If you took time to tour the website back then it was possible to see each candidate’s questionnaire. Perhaps for that reason increasing numbers of candidates were nor willing to participate.

This election cycle, the folks behind WeBelieveWeVote rate candidates based on “how well a candidate aligns with a Biblical worldview & Biblical principles,” that is to say, a particular Christian Fundamentalist, Christian nationalist, very current-day Republican worldview and principles you can read here. Since when, you might ask, is every Christian required to subscribe to this: 

The Tenth Amendment of the Constitution reserves “to the states…or to the people” all powers not expressly delegated to the federal government. Therefore, state and local governments comprise the vast majority of governmental functions? 

Really? States’ Rights is a Biblical precept with which every Christian worth their salt must agrees? I invite skeptical readers to look up the Old Testament references WBWV offers as proof: Ex 18:14-25; Deut 1:13-17. As a Christian, review WBWV’s “principles.” Know the basis of their rating system.

You are asked to blindly accept the judgement by the WeBelieveWeVote team of candidates’ “alignment” with the team’s bizarre list of “Biblical principles.” Then, rather opaquely, the team bases its rating on “a variety of sources, including candidates’ websites, social media posts, endorsements, voting records (if applicable), news articles, interviews, etc.” 

Equally telling is the link WeBelieveWeVote provides to guide your vote on the four Republican Greed Initiatives that appear on your ballot: the link leads straight to multi-millionaire Brian Heywood’s “Let’s Go Washington” website—as if voting for the repeal of, for example, the Washington State capital gains excise tax were based on “Biblical principles”. That is preposterous on its face—and demeans the words of the Bible I grew up reading.

Furthermore, consider that your tax dollars help fund WeBelieveWeVote. These folks, none of whom even pretend to the clergy, began claiming tax exempt status after 2021. “We are a 508(c)(1)(a) ministry, contributions made to We Believe We Vote are tax deductible.” For more on the history of this WBWV tax dodge, check out the “Notes” at the bottom of this post from JULY 21, 2023. For some coverage of races outside Spokane County WBWV links to “iVoterGuide.com.” It is interesting to note that iVoterguide IS registered as a Political Action Committee [501(c)(4)] with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission and states (accurately) that donations are NOT tax deductible. 

Bottom line: Visit WeBelieveWeVote.org for a reliable NEGATIVE voting guide. You can be assured that candidates with high WBWV “alignment” rates will NOT defend a woman’s right to make her own reproductive medical care decisions, will NOT support efforts to combat global heating, and WILL work to dominate government based this group’s particular twisted idea of Christian law and doctrine. 

DO YOUR HOMEWORK, FILL OUT YOUR BALLOT, TURN IT IN. DON’T DELAY. Your freedom to manage your own life according to your religious values depends on your diligence.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

P.S. The counter to anyone advocating, as WBWV does, for electing only for those who optimally share WBWV’s narrow idea of Christianity and, meanwhile, essentially claim the U.S. Constitution as an article of faith ought, instead of twisting Bible verses to suit their fixed beliefs, to actually read the Constitution. The third (and last) paragraph of the U.S. Constitution, Article VI[the bold is mine] reads:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Granted that this passage prohibits a law or regulation that would require a test of faith in a particular religious belief system, the sort of law that at the time of the founders had been responsible to religion-based warfare that had riven Europe for centuries. WBWV wishes the voter to select candidates willing to adhere to WBWV’s particular religious dogma and legislate to impose that dogma on the rest of us by law.

Pam Kohlmeier and the 9th LD

Time for a Change

The Washington State legislative district map in eastern Washington (and around Yakima, but that’s another story) underwent substantial revision between the 2020 and 2024 elections due to re-districting. The electoral maps for state senators and representatives have changed, few more so than Washington State legislative district 9. Washington State senators stand for election every four years. As a result, some voters will find names of Washington State legislative candidates on their ballots that are unfamiliar. 

The Washington State 9th “LD” is one such changed legislative district. LD9 is vast. It covers most of southeastern Washington State, including Pullman and Asotin. During the redistricting process that occurs every decade, LD boundaries must be adjusted to maintain close to the same population in each district, currently about 137,236 residents (RCW 44.05.090). To encompass sufficient population, LD9 now includes new parts of southern Spokane County, including Cheney (which was in LD6). (Check out these interactive maps comparing the boundaries before and after re-districting.) LD9 now includes people living south of 53rd Avenue, east of Manito Blvd and west of Regal who were previously accustomed to seeing LD3 state senate candidates on their ballots.

All of this to introduce you to a terrific candidate for the Washington State house of representatives for Legislative District 9, Dr. Pam Kohlmeier. Dr. Pam is a newcomer to politics, but her preparation is deep. She has a degree in medicine with years of experience in healthcare and a 2018 degree in law from Gonzaga Law School. She is very active in the fields of public health, mental health, and addiction. Her experience, enthusiasm, and passion would be a great addition to the Washington State legislature. Check out her campaign website—and share with friends and neighbors.

The guest opinion by Dr. Pam Kohlmeier copied below appeared in the Friday, October 11th, Spokesman:

Suicide has rocked my family. In memory of my child, Katie Thew, who battled chronic pain and died by suicide on Oct. 6, 2022, I offer these words to help other families avoid this grief.

Rampant mental health challenges including depression, along with more and more communities recognizing they lack adequate resources to help those in need, inspired the creation of a month devoted to suicide prevention. Suicide Prevention Month (September) has just come and gone, and now our family is mourning another milestone, the two-year anniversary of Katie’s death.

Sadly, our health care system remains ill-equipped to handle patients with chronic pain and mental health challenges and has somehow even managed to move backward.

The recent closure of the adolescent psychiatric unit at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center is a devastating blow to our community. I am unclear how a hospital whose mission prioritizes caring for our most vulnerable somehow rationalized defunding inpatient care of kids experiencing a mental health crisis. This summer, Providence announced it had decided to close its adolescent psychiatric unit. Providence’s statements implied the closure was necessary because of the national shortage of psychiatrists. I was offended and saddened by these statements because what was implied did not reflect the whole truth. Providence failed to mention that it had laid off all of its inpatient psychiatrists, including the four psychiatrists who specialize in adolescent care, about 18 months earlier. That administrative decision is what then made the national psychiatrist shortage relevant.

According to the suicide prevention QPR Institute [QPR=Question, Persuade, Refer}, suicide remains the most preventable cause of death. Let that sink in. Then consider committing to doing something to help change that.

Our Spokane Regional Health District through the Medical Reserve Corps has been training QPR instructors, like me, and offers QPR courses throughout our community on a regular basis. On average, we volunteer to teach the course once a month. Please contact mrc@srhd.org to request a training for your organization or to learn of upcoming courses available in our community. All QPR participants receive a booklet with materials on mental illness, suicide prevention, and how to address a mental health crisis. Taking this course could help save a life of someone you love.

Learning about suicide prevention is key to reducing suicides in our community. As an emergency physician, I am a proponent of science and math education, but I also recognize that few young adults die because they somehow failed to learn calculus. Yet today, our education system prioritizes teaching high-level math over basic psychology and life skills, including coping strategies. As a parent, I will attest that my child’s perfect math score on the SAT offered them zero protection against suicide and continues to offer me zero consolation from the pain of grief.

For anyone grieving the loss of a loved one by suicide, there is a support system available. Survivors Of a Loved One’s Suicide support group meets 5:30-7 p.m. every Tuesday at Hope Haven Counseling, 323 S. Pines Road. It is a free support group that has helped many, including me. While it is normal to hope to never need a support group such as this, if you or someone you love has been touched by the debilitating pain of suicide, I highly recommend joining.

Additionally, there are state and local organizations that help support individuals and families affected by the challenges of mental illnesses and avoid the tragedy of suicide. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (commonly known as NAMI) has national, state and local branches (including one located downtown in Spokane in a beautiful new space) that help individuals and families learn how to understand and address the challenges of mental illnesses. The public is encouraged to visit the NAMI-Spokane website at namispokane.org to learn more.

Additionally, Prevent Suicide Spokane Coalition, a group of individuals and organizations in behavioral health, education, government and the private sector, collaborates to help decrease the risk of suicide in the Greater Spokane Area. The public is encouraged to visit its website at spokanesuicideprevention.org.

Even with organizations like NAMI and PSSC, suicide prevention remains challenging in our community. So, what can each of us do to help? We can become trained on how to help prevent suicides. We can push school boards to prioritize mental health education. We can demand health care systems improve access to mental health services. In short, we can and must keep pushing to help those who may not be able to advocate for themselves.

Dr. Pam Kohlmeier is a candidate for Washington state representative in the 9th Legislative District, position 2. Kohlmeier is dually licensed as a physician and attorney in the state of Washington. In Washington, Kohlmeier previously served as an emergency physician for the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center pediatric emergency department, then as lecturer for the Master of Public Health Program at Eastern Washington University. Most recently, Kohlmeier served as the policy manger for the Washington Medial Commission which licenses and disciplines doctors and physician assistants.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

Republican Greed Initiative Lies and Misinformation

Capital Gains Excise and Climate Commitment

Republican operatives know that in order to sell a repeal to the average voter of the Capital Gains Excise Tax (I-2109) and the Climate Commitment Act (I-2117) they must, to put it in the kindest of terms, twist the truth. Brian Heywood, the wealthy venture capitalist who hatched and then funded the signature gathering for the four Greed Initiatives, and Jim Walsh, the Washington State GOP chairman who worked with Heywood to get them on our ballots know that to sell these repeals to the voters they must instill fear. All four of these statewide Greed Initiatives are sold as threats to the earnings and savings of the average voter. 

It doesn’t take a brain trust to see that Brian Heywood is most interested in repealing the Capital Gains Excise Tax (I-2109). Heywood is a multimillionaire transplant from California who came to Washington State to “make money” in the money industry, i.e. not by making things but by wheeling and dealing in stocks and bonds to grow wealth in the form of capital gains. For Mr. Heywood a chip of 7% out of that part of his annual capital gain that exceeds $250,000 could still be a substantial sum of money, perhaps enough to curtail an ambition to own a yacht or another race horse, poor fellow. It is tough to drum up sympathy for such ambitions, so Republican rhetoric seeks to focus the voting public on the lie that the Capital Gains Excise Tax is a threat to the personal nest egg of average voter, especially capital appreciation of their home or farm. It’s a lying argument: capital gain on the sales or exchange of real estate (including homes and farms) is exempt. Capital gains made in IRAs are exempt. Even capital gains made on trades and sales of stocks and bonds are exempt up to that indexed $250,000 amount referenced above. The only folks who will pay any money to the State of Washington based on this tax are those like Mr. Heywood who can well afford it. 

Call it a lie, misinformation, disinformation, or just appalling ignorance, but here is the sort of argument for repealing the Capital Gains Excise Tax that Republicans put forward:

When it comes to the ahhh income tax, the seven percent tax, think about that. Most people save and work all their life and they have a home. Not everybody has a home but those who have a home, seven percent is going to be taxed before—when you die—I don’t like that, that’s not right, that should be passed on to the kids, the mother earned it, the father earned it, so let’s make sure we’re taking care of everybody.

Those are words spoken by Republican Tony Kiepe in a KPBX Inland Journal interview by Doug Nadvornick of Kiepe and Natasha Hill. Kiepe and Hill are the two candidates vying to represent Legislative District 3 (much of the City of Spokane) to the Washington State Legislature. Mr. Nadvornick asked Kiepe and Hill what their thoughts were on “the four initiatives.” (Start at 21:30 at the link for the full discussion.) 

Kiepe either has no clarity at all about the Capital Gains Excise Tax—or he is flat out offering disinformation. First off he calls it an income tax—which the Washington State Supreme Court has declared it is not. He correctly identifies the tax as 7%, but rushes to suggest that it applies to everyone’s home equity—an obvious misreading of the law. Be fearful—be very, very fearful and suspicious! The Gum’mint is after your money! 

Natasha Hill says she’ll vote a resounding “No” on all four initiatives—as will I—correctly identifying these four repeal proposals as antithetical to the common good and serving only corporations (especially fossil fuel corporations) and a few of the exceptionally wealthy. Kiepe declares he will vote “Yes” on all four initiatives arguing that with his vote he will be, thereby, protecting “the most vulnerable.” Horse manure.

Vote “No” on all four of these initiatives along with me. 

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

P.S. Republicans selling this repeal to the general public also studiously avoid mentioning that the Capital Gains Excise Tax only applies to certain capital gains above $250,000—and that the exemption is indexed to inflation (specifically, the “consumer price index,” see RCW 82.87.150). For example, for tax year 2023 the exemption from the tax had already risen to $262,000

P.P.S. Here are the rest of Kiepe’s comments about the other initiatives. Note how he confidently puts dollar values to supposed and often non-existent perils like an imagined, hyperbolic threat to keeping your gas stove. Awww. Such concern for the poor. Is it possible that Mr. Kiepe actually believes his own rhetoric?:

All four initiatives I’m gonna vote yes and I’ll tell you why. The Carbon Commitment Act…the most vulnerable people that live on minimum wage, they have a monthly set income they’re paying forty to fifty cents a gallon it’s a hidden tax on your gasoline. Look at your utility bill, how much more you paying on your utility bill. I mean they don’t show how much more—it’s about forty percent. It should be transparent so you know exactly what you’re paying on your natural gas and electricity on a utility bill

But I want to help everybody, especially those who can’t afford these extra taxes. Can you imagine if we lose our natural gas and we have to change our stove to electric, we have to change our heaters downstairs to electric? What’s that gonna cost for the people who don’t have the money to do that? It’s not the rich people, it’s the poor people that’s going to pay for this. What’s it, twenty thousand dollars, thirty thousand dollars for a new HVAC system? Two thousand to four thousand dollars for a stove? So you’re gonna have to pay for this? So I will vote yes to make sure we’re protecting you.

Baumgartner, “Freedom”–A Designation of Convenience

“Right to Work” vs. Right to Bodily Autonomy

George Orwell, were he alive today, would wryly smile at the Republican devotion to the “right to work.” One would think, of course—and many do—that “right to work” laws are meant to guard the individual liberty of workers to engage directly with an employer. In reality, “right to work” has been, for decades, an ingenious and integral part of the Republican Party’s strategy to divide and conquer labor and labor’s power to bargain. Meanwhile, corporate management consolidates while it provides insanely large executive salaries and benefit packages. It is really all about power and rhetorical cleverness.

So what do “right to work” laws actually seek to accomplish?

Simply put, “right to work” laws undermine union bargaining by requiring unions to tolerate free-riders, employees who benefit from union contracts but don’t want to contribute to the collective effort to negotiate a union contract by paying union dues. Of course, “right to free-ride” wouldn’t have the deceptive Orwellian doublespeak allure of “right to work.” 

Using this deceptive rhetorical tactic, Republicans have sponsored and passed “right to work” rules in twenty-six states (not yet including Washington State and not yet nationally). I was stimulated to write this post after listening to Michael Baumgartner mention his support for “right to work” in the October 8th forum at the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center while his opponent, Carmela Conroy, expressed pride in being a third generation union member. 

Here’s what Emry Dinman reported:

The Republican [Baumgartner] agreed “unions are great” but said they should be optional.

“It’s just un-American to force folks to join any organization to get a job,” he said.

That he thinks “unions are great” is a nice—and totally meaningless—and an unsupported flourish. The second sentence is the very definition of the Republican Party’s decades-long effort to trash union power using “right to work” rhetoric. You can bet that Mr. B. would be delighted to enshrine union-undermining “right to work” into federal law if ever offered the chance to vote to do so. 

Republican dogma only pretends to support “freedom”—and only when such pretense serves Republican purpose. Consider for a moment the blatant inconsistency of the Republican Party claiming to value supposed individual rights such as the “right to work” while simultaneously celebrating state governments that pass laws curtailing a woman’s right to make her own reproductive healthcare decisions. 

In the recent forum Mr. Baumgartner was asked if, in view of his previous opposition to an abortion exception in the case of rape in 2012, if he would vote for a federal law to nationally legalize abortion in that specific case if presented with such a bill in Congress. (See here at about 2:54) He looked quite uncomfortable and a bit sheepish as he ducked the question by insisting, “Well, I won’t vote on any abortion legislation because it is the role of the states.” Based on that answer and his discomfort, if there is anyone who believes Mr. B wouldn’t vote against a bill legalizing abortion in the case of rape, I would like to offer that person a bridge for sale. No one should trust this man in Congress to protect their bodily autonomy. He hides behind “States’ Rights” now—but if he had to vote yea or nay on a federal bill to ban abortion nationwide you know he would vote with his party. 

And Baumgartner’s commitment to “freedom” is entirely malleable. It depends on what his party (and the Washington Policy Center) need him to support. “Freedom” is rhetorically fine, if, by invoking it, they can weaken unions or kill a pesky progressive tax (I-2024), but “freedom” is to be denied for a woman’s right to control her own body.

Vote Carmela Conroy for Congressional District 5 U.S. Representative. You cannot trust Baumgartner to protect your freedom.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

P.S. In general, disingenuously appealing to individual “freedom” is a tried-and-true Republican tactic to undermine any movement of which Republicans disapprove. Consider wealthy hedge fund manager Brian Heywood’s Initiative 2124. Its intent is to bankrupt the collective funding of long term care insurance. The method? Appeal to individual’s “freedom” to opt out of paying a tiny payroll tax of 0.58%—less than a penny on a dollar. Of course, these same Republicans don’t want you to cop a clue that their real objection is that the highest earners will pay, over time, more dollars into the fund than those high earners are likely to get out of it, that is, this is a tiny progressive tax on earnings. OMG! Consider the injustice of that! High earners might provide a net subsidy to low-wage earners to provide some care in the event of medical or physical catastrophe. Heavens! Not that! That would be, dare I say it, dreaded ______ism! [Sarcasm alert.]

Ballot “Drop”

Today, Tomorrow, and Friday–at least in Spokane County

In 2011, by state legislation, Washington State finished converting to our present Vote-By-Mail system. By state law (RCW 29A.40.070) county auditors in Washington State must mail a ballot to each voter “at leasteighteen days before each primary or election” [the italics are mine]. The November General Election is held nationwide on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November (by federal law). On account of that timing, typically Washington State Ballots are put in the mail just a little more than 18 days before, that is, mid-October, commonly on a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mid-month. This year that would center on Thursday, October 17. However, Washington State’s county auditors have the latitude to mail ballots even earlier—if their homework is done early.

Of course, “mailing ballots” sounds simpler than it is. With our sliced and diced electoral landscape with its many overlying jurisdictions, the printed ballot required for the voters of one precinct may be quite different even from that required in an adjacent precinct. Once the contents of each precinct’s ballots is determined, each county gets in line to have their ballots printed. (I am told that one printing company does nearly all the ballot printing for a slew of western states, so place in the queue matters.) 

Once those obstacles are mastered there is nothing that keeps a county auditor from mailing ballots a week (or more) earlier. This year ballots will be mailed from the Spokane County Election’s office (part of the Auditor’s office) today (Wednesday), Thursday, and Friday, October 9, 10, and 11. If everything is working correctly you should have your ballot in your mailbox by this weekend. (The same week-early mailing occurred in 2020, the last presidential election year.) 

Don’t Wait—Do Your Homework and submit your ballot

Once you’ve filled out and returned your ballot the volume of calls and door-knocks should diminish. Campaigns have access to databases that show whose ballot has been received and accepted—but not for whom you voted. The campaigns use this data to focus their efforts elsewhere. 

Pro-voter tip: At vote.wa.gov you can check to see if your ballot has been “accepted” by clicking the tab “Your Ballot and Voting Materials.” (There you can also read an online version of the Voter Guide. (You should also receive both a state and a county guide in the mail.)

There are good sources of information about the candidates and the ballot measures you will see on your ballot. My favorite source for reasoned, rational information is The Progressive Voters Guide (click to go there). By entering the address of your voter registration (not necessarily the same as the address to which your ballot was mailed) you can see the guide customized to the races that appear on your ballot. 

In past years I have recommended checking out “WeBelieveWeVote,” as a guide to rigidly right wing candidates to avoid. This year WeBelieveWeVote seems to be barely functional, displaying “The Voter’s Guide will return in November,” although I still see an occasional yard sign for the organization. Perhaps publicly signing on to what many voters consider extremist articles of faith is now seen by the more clever right wing candidates as a losing proposition.

Insofar as you might find what I have written useful, for best way to access earlier articles published in this blog, Indivisible—The High Ground, I recommend the archives at jxindivisible.org. I archive there because WordPress has a more robust Search function than does Substack. At jxindivisible.org you can scroll through titles and articles or enter keywords like “Baumgartner” or “French” or “PFAS” in the Search box to call up articles in which that keyword appears. (I use this archive to help bolster my aging memory, especially for links to references.) Looking back, I realize that, with the exception of the post “Carmela Conroy for Eastern Washington” I have concentrated less on the excellent candidates I support than I have focused on the candidates I believe deserve to lose. 

Do your homework, fill out your ballot, turn it in promptly, discuss your voting choices with like-minded friends, and encourage them to register and vote. Most of us understand that Washington State’s electoral votes, to a high degree of likelihood, will go to support the Harris/Walz ticket, i.e. we’re not a swing state. That said, control of the U.S. Congress and that of state and county government is also at stake in this election. Don’t neglect the down-ballot races. 

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry