All Publicity Is Not Good

          There is a saying that all publicity is good.  Like many witticisms, it is not true.  David Hedrick, recent candidate for congress in Washington State's 3^rd district made headlines recently, but not in the way he would wish.  The Columbian reported today the arrest of the Marine veteran and Tea Party conservative at his Camas home on Sunday morning for domestic violence.  His wife alleges he struck her twice in the back of the head during an argument.  He has already been arraigned and released on bail.  The Columbian states that, if convicted, he faces up to a year in jail and a possible $5,000 fine.  Hedrick is divorced from his previous wife and there is a mutual no-contact order between them that remains in force until 2013. 

          I met David during the campaign and though I did not endorse him, I found him to be an intelligent and likable person.  While I found his libertarian views and social conservatism to be appealing his brash outspoken manner was unlikely to win the substantial following needed to move on to the November election.  That proved true. 

          Still, I hoped that in time he would develop into an accomplished political leader.  Perhaps it is best at such times to remember that we are all flawed human beings.  However, I regret to say that this might well be the end of his political career. 

Primary Endorsements

          The election season is upon us and candidate signs are spreading like spring flowers.  Don’t despair, the primary will soon cut the number of candidates to a more manageable level.     To assist you in weeding out some of the candidates here we have the RuminationsBlog endorsements for the Washington State August 17, 2010 primary election.  As you would expect, all my endorsements are on the right of the political spectrum, but people are conservative to varying degrees and in differing ways so, I include a brief explanation.  Finally, while I have voiced my support for several people in my local area I have not included them in this posting because their candidacy would be of no interest to the wider RuminationsBlog readership. 

U.S. Senate
Dino Rossi 

          He has pledged to cut federal spending and pass a Balanced Budget Amendment. He wants to revamp the tax code, “reward work, saving, and the investments that create jobs while closing special interest loopholes that favor the politically connected.”  He wants to reform Obamacare by limiting the power of the federal government and insurance companies and, “giving it back to patients and their doctors.” 

          Rossi is clearly a fiscal conservative, but in this race, Clint Didier is the true conservative.  Either would be a vast improvement over Patty Murray.  Dino Rossi has an excellent chance to defeat Murray, in this left leaning state I do not believe Didier would be able to win. 

U.S. Congressional District 3 Representative
David Castillo 

          He described himself as a conservative and went on to say he was, “conservative of conscience and character.”  When I heard him speak his answers were specific. Regarding Social Security he favored reducing the rate of benefit growth, indexing benefits to life expectancy and offering younger workers improved IRAs.  He favors a flat tax to replace the income tax, local control of schools and the abolition of the federal Department of Education.  I appreciated the well thought out and detailed answers he provided.

          Castillo is a solid conservative and can win in this district.  Another candidate, David Hedrick, favors even smaller, more limited, government and greater reductions in taxes.  I like Hedrick’s ideas, but remain concerned about his ability to win this district.     

State Representative, 20^th Legislative District, Position 1
Richard Debolt

            He led the fight for stronger sex offender laws and, believing the state should live within its means, works for a balanced state budget with no new taxes.  Debolt is a smart, consistent, conservative.  

State Representative, 20^th Legislative District, Position 2
Gary Alexander

            He favors reducing property taxes, eliminating the death tax and a constitutional amendment requiring a 2/3 majority to raise taxes.  Alexander favors cutting government red tape while finding market solutions to problems.      

Washington State Supreme Court, Position 1
Jim Johnson 

          Judicial conservative, he has a consistent record of supporting free speech and open government as well as gun and property rights.  In the fight over Gay marriage, Justices Johnson ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits marriage to opposite-sex couples, did not violated the state constitution.

Washington State Supreme Court, Position 6
Richard B. Sanders 

          Generally, he has a libertarian inclination however, he did rule in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act.  The Seattle Times states, “He appeals to a mix of criminal-defense attorneys, gun-ownership proponents, property-rights advocates, anti-abortion supporters and personal-injury attorneys.” Most of that sounds good to me.

Tea Party Ground Swell

            Years ago, the Democrat Party sank into the murky depths of socialist big government. With Obama now as cheerleader, the sinking left now threatens to drown us all in debt.  Through it all, the Republican Party has stumbled right and then left like a drunk.  I’m not sure which way the GOP leadership is leaning at the moment or even if they’re going to stand or fall.  As a conservative in liberal western Washington State, I’ve often felt surrounded and outnumbered. However, with the ground swell of the Tea Party movement, reinforcements have arrived.    

          One person who has answered the call is Marine veteran David Hedrick, candidate for congress in Washington State’s 3rd district.  He rose to public attention when, in 2009, he took Congressman Brian Baird to task at a town hall meeting.  The YouTube video, embedded here, has been viewed over one million times.  However, in addition to his YouTube moment of fame, he has firm conservative credentials.  He is pro-life, favors limited government and a balanced budget.  He support gun rights and opposes the bailout of “too big to fail” companies and amnesty of illegal immigrants.   

          After twice hearing him speak, I can say that he is very witty and articulate. David Hedrick and Kyle Pratt at the Lewis and Clark ForumOne of his favorite quips is, “A politician can bring home the pork, but first he has to steal your pig.” He is a solid constitutional conservative and a favorite of the Tea Party movement. While I have not endorsed him, I like the man and his political positions.  He is young and his prospects are bright.  I look forward to blogging about him and quite possibly endorsing him in the future.