Best of the Northwest (5/26/04)
As I watched the local election results Tuesday with Frank Henderson, Prosecutor Bill Douglas, Commish Gus Johnson & Co. at Templin's, I heard several comments about the low voter turnout. Which was a lousy 24.14% here in Kootenai County. At one point, Frank, who has traveled to several eastern European countries as an economic consultant, shook his head. Eastern Europeans, he said, wouldn't understand our low turnout. To them, voting is a privilege. But how do you drill that fact into the heads of us fat, dumb and lazy Americans? On a brighter note, my Amy Dearest, now 18, voted for the first time. I'm as proud of her as I am ashamed of those who couldn't be bothered. Here's your Best of the Northwest roundup:
1. Cartoonist Milt Priggee and David Horsey provide our Best of the Northwest cartoon roundup here and here.
2. The Idaho Statesman provides all kinds of good political stuff in today's edition: Columnist Dan Popkey predicts Idaho D's will pick up a half dozen more seats here; Wayne Hoffman analyzes the primary results Tuesday here; and the paper provides a rundown of Kingdom of Ada results here.
3. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, co-chair of J. Flipflop Kerry's Washington state campaign was crowing after a Seattle affair raised an approximate $2 million for the prez race. Sez she: "If you can raise $2 million in five weeks in Seattle for this guy, it's because America thirsts for what he has to say." The Seattle Times provides the rest of the story here.
4. Boeing reacts to news that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has delayed orders for 100 aerial-refueling tankers for at least six months here.
5. In a radio ad, King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng has added his voice to the growing list of individuals who are warning Washingtonians to beware of signing initiative petitions. Sez Maleng: "Ask questions. You have a right to know the truth about what you are signing and who is asking you to sign it." Click here.
6. About 30 new businesses have opened shop in downtown Boise in the last eight months, changing the face of the skyscape around the Capitol. Click here.
*The Seattle Times sez Kerry should reject a proposal to hold off accepting the Demo nomination in order to raise more money here.
*Across the state of Idaho, 70 percent of the voters stayed home yesterday, which means 3 in 10 voters decided the final lineup for this fall's election. (In Kootenai County, only 24-plus % turned out.) F'shame. Click here.
*Somehow, I missed a column by Joel Connelly of the P-I, who's rapidly becoming one of my favorite Northwest columnists. In his May 14 column, Connelly sez U.S. Sen. Patty Murray shouldn't "misunderestimate" U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt in their 2004 Senate race here.
*The Oregonian opines on the ordeal of former terrorism suspect Brandon Mayfield here.
