It's not my party but I'll still cry if I want to
When George W. Bush was first elected president I was inconsolably sad and when, after 4 years of what I considered dismal job performance on his part, the American people didn't see fit to fire him, I swore I'd never vote for a republican (out of spite). I'm going to have to eat those words now.
A tragedy stuck King County a while back. Norm Maleng, King County's long time prosecutor passed away earlier this year. He was well liked and respected by all of his colleagues and employees, and by voters. He was a republican, but he was elected to the post almost 30 years ago and easily won re-election in the overwhelmingly democratic King County repeatedly, often running unopposed.
In the aftermath of Maleng's death an interim prosecutor was appointed. Dan Satterberg, also republican, was Maleng's chief of staff and has now been acting prosecutor for several months and is also very well liked and respected by his colleagues and employees (both democrat and republican alike).
I've never paid much attention to the elections for King County Prosecutor, primarily because by the time I was old enough to vote no one was running against Maleng anymore. So, I was kind of shocked to learn it was even a partisan race. I assumed that, like judges, prosecutors were nonpartisan.
My previous declaration would prohibit me from voting republican in this race, but my general rule with nonpartisan races is to learn as much as I can about the candidates to make an educated choice and my primary tool in doing that is to turn to people I know who know more about it than I do. If that were the case here, as with the elections for judges, I'd ask lawyers I know what they think, have they been up against the county prosecutors office, do they know people who work there, etc. If you know someone who works there that's ideal because you can just ask them who they would rather have as a boss. There's also always the voter pamphlet, but knowing someone who is familiar with the candidates and the race is preferable in a nonpartisan race.
This, however is not a nonpartisan race, a fact which the democratic candidate is eager to point out (see this article in the Seattle Times). If I hadn't sworn never to vote for a republican again (out of spite), this wouldn't be much of a problem for me. Satterberg is respected, as Maleng was, and he puts professionalism ahead of politics in the work place. Norm Maleng believed that the office of county prosecutor shouldn't be a partisan race, because partisan politics don't have any more place in the prosecutors office than they do on the judge's bench. I agree, and it seems like Satterberg agrees too, as he's pledged to lobby the legislature to make it a nonpartisan office (should he win the election).
I'm consoling myself for having to break my no voting for republicans pledge with the fact that this really isn't a partisan race, or shouldn't be, and it's the republican in this case that seems to be arguing that point. Sure, it's in his interest to argue that it should be nonpartisan (since he's a member of the minority party) but I don't think that's the only reason he's doing it and since it's an argument that I happen to agree with I'm not inclined to pick apart his motives for making it.
A tragedy stuck King County a while back. Norm Maleng, King County's long time prosecutor passed away earlier this year. He was well liked and respected by all of his colleagues and employees, and by voters. He was a republican, but he was elected to the post almost 30 years ago and easily won re-election in the overwhelmingly democratic King County repeatedly, often running unopposed.
In the aftermath of Maleng's death an interim prosecutor was appointed. Dan Satterberg, also republican, was Maleng's chief of staff and has now been acting prosecutor for several months and is also very well liked and respected by his colleagues and employees (both democrat and republican alike).
I've never paid much attention to the elections for King County Prosecutor, primarily because by the time I was old enough to vote no one was running against Maleng anymore. So, I was kind of shocked to learn it was even a partisan race. I assumed that, like judges, prosecutors were nonpartisan.
My previous declaration would prohibit me from voting republican in this race, but my general rule with nonpartisan races is to learn as much as I can about the candidates to make an educated choice and my primary tool in doing that is to turn to people I know who know more about it than I do. If that were the case here, as with the elections for judges, I'd ask lawyers I know what they think, have they been up against the county prosecutors office, do they know people who work there, etc. If you know someone who works there that's ideal because you can just ask them who they would rather have as a boss. There's also always the voter pamphlet, but knowing someone who is familiar with the candidates and the race is preferable in a nonpartisan race.
This, however is not a nonpartisan race, a fact which the democratic candidate is eager to point out (see this article in the Seattle Times). If I hadn't sworn never to vote for a republican again (out of spite), this wouldn't be much of a problem for me. Satterberg is respected, as Maleng was, and he puts professionalism ahead of politics in the work place. Norm Maleng believed that the office of county prosecutor shouldn't be a partisan race, because partisan politics don't have any more place in the prosecutors office than they do on the judge's bench. I agree, and it seems like Satterberg agrees too, as he's pledged to lobby the legislature to make it a nonpartisan office (should he win the election).
I'm consoling myself for having to break my no voting for republicans pledge with the fact that this really isn't a partisan race, or shouldn't be, and it's the republican in this case that seems to be arguing that point. Sure, it's in his interest to argue that it should be nonpartisan (since he's a member of the minority party) but I don't think that's the only reason he's doing it and since it's an argument that I happen to agree with I'm not inclined to pick apart his motives for making it.
posted by Beth at
5:43 PM
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