Home | MAKUPFRONT: UP FRONT WITH ROBERT MAK

The new owner of a liquor store on Seattle’s Capitol Hill is the owner of the Bergman Luggage chain.

Hardial Gill says he had seven people on seven computers to make sure he could compete in the state’s online auction of state liquor stores.  He won the right to operate the Capitol Hill store for $500,000. 

As part of a voter initiative to get the state out of the liquor business, the state auctioned off rights to take over 167 state-run liquor stores.  Store bids ranged from $50,000 for a store in Spokane to $750,000 for one in Tacoma.  For that price, winning bidders only get the right to sell liquor at that location or within a one-mile radius.  They must purchase inventory and negotiate leases with landlords on their own.

“It’s a great business opportunity, great investment opportunity,” Gill says. ”We are thinking that we’ll get our money back in two years.”

Winning bidders will have to compete with larger grocery stores and Costco, which will be allowed to carry hard liquor under the voter initiative. Gill also bid successfully for stores in Bremerton and Silverdale.  He says he used to own liquor stores in California.  Other bidders were mostly in-state, but some list addresses from California, Canada, even Brazil.  Bidders can get a small rebate if they agree to hire state workers who are now employed in the liquor store.

State officials say the auction brought in a total of nearly $31 million.  The money goes mostly toward the general fund and state lawmakers say they didn’t expect this windfall.  State House Ways and Means chair Ross Hunter says it will provide added cushion to the budget as the state braces for another revenue forecast in June.

The latest squabble in the governor’s race raises the question of which is worse:  Causing a special election, or a special session?

Last week, Republicans blamed Democrat Jay Inslee for causing a special election by resigning his seat in Congress early.

This morning, the Inslee campaign held a conference call and blamed Republican Rob McKenna for causing a special session in Olympia.

Cliff Notes’ version of the Democratic claim:  McKenna held an Olympia press conference in the middle of the special session to lay out positions on the state budget, which slowed budget negotiations and spilled over a day into another special session.  “It just wasn’t helpful,” said State Sen. Ed Murray, Seattle Democrat and chair of the Ways and Means Committee, who asserts key Republican negotiators weren’t available for three days after McKenna’s event.

Reader’s Digest version of the Republican claim:  Inslee didn’t do enough research to realize that by resigning in a redistricting year, the state would still be required to hold a special election in November to fill Inslee’s seat for the month of December.

Folks paying only slight attention to the squabbling could easily get confused over who caused what, and how much the consequences of each might cost. 

Inslee communications director Sterling Clifford opened this morning’s conference call criticizing McKenna: “To really participate in a standoff that forced an unnecessary special election…”

Of course, he meant special “session.”  (It’s Inslee who Republicans are blaming for a special election.)

First take on the day’s political news from the Up Front team.

Hypocrisy on all sides:  As the U.S. Supreme Court hears the case on health care reform, the politics are swirling and NBC’s First Read looks at the hypocrisy on all sides of the issue. 

Where’s public opinion?  Our KING 5 polling as well as Gallup nationwide, suggests voters are very evenly split on this issue.  When Gallup asked if health care reform should be repealed, it was 47% in favor, 44% opposed to repealing the law.

Effect on the governor’s race?  Neither McKenna or Inslee are shying away from talking about the issue.  Both are making themselves available to state their respective positions.  The Seattle Times’ Jim Brunner had a interesting analysis over the weekend on how the lawsuit could play out politically. Inslee told us today, the individual mandate is the “pole” that holds up the health care reform tent. McKenna maintains the individual mandate can be ruled unconstitutional without striking down the entire law.

Today’s arguments: This morning’s hearing focuses on whether the Supreme Court actually has the authority to hear the case.  The Justices appear inclined to take the case, which could mean a ruling by summer—giving plenty of time to debate on the presidential campaign trail.

Replacing Jay Inslee in Congress may have just gotten more complicated.

Inslee is resigning his 1st Congressional seat effective March 20th to focus on his race for governor. Because Inslee waited until March to resign, state law dictates that his seat remain vacant until the general election on November 6th. More than a half-dozen candidates are competing to fill Inslee’s seat.

Originally, state elections officials thought the law was quite clear. There’s no question that a separate, special election is avoided. State officials originally assumed that because the seat is vacant, the winner of the November election would immediately go to Congress and represent the 1st district, instead of having to wait until the regular inauguration of January 3rd, 2013.

But the U.S. Committee on House Administration raised a red flag. Every ten years, states go through a redistricting process based on population, and the boundaries of the new Washington 1st District are dramatically different—the district for example, loses Kitsap County, gains cities like Bellevue, and now goes up to the Canadian Border. Congressional administrators told state officials, the person elected in the new 1st, can’t be seated—even for a month—to the old 1st District that Inslee represented.

So now, the state has a couple options. First, it can simply hold the election in November and have the new 1st District representative take office in January. That means the seat will be vacant a month longer.

The second would be to hold two simultaneous elections on the November ballot. One race would be for the old 1st District and the person elected would serve only a month. The other race would be for the new 1st district, with a term lasting two years effective January 2013.

Under option two, some interesting scenarios could develop. Interested candidates could have to file for both races, but it’s not clear if all the candidates in the new 1st District would file for the old 1st District. Also, the current 1st District is more Democratic than the the new District, which is drawn to be a swing district, so the two races could conceivably have different outcomes.

And finally, imagine some of the ballots in Kitsap County. There would be an election for the old 1st District to replace Inslee for a month. Then, that same voter could see an election for the 6th District, which now includes all of Kitsap County under redistricting.

The Secretary of State’s office says Sam Reed will confer with the Governor, and make a call perhaps next week:  Leave the 1st District uncovered another month, or open the door to a fascinating but confusing election?

Several Democrats say they had nothing to do with a Facebook page calling for the recall of Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon, despite the fact they were listed as members of the Facebook group.

The Stranger pointed out this morning that members of the page included King County Council member Larry Phillips, 1st Congressional candidate Suzan Delbene and State Rep. Hans Dunshee—all would be noteworthy Democrats if they were calling for Reardon’s recall.

But Phillip’s office says, his name was added to the group without his permission.  Likewise, Delbene’s team says she didn’t join the group, either.  Delbene’s spokesman says, the candidate is naturally concerned about the situation but wouldn’t cast judgment with an investigation still pending.

All three names have since been taken off the group’s list. 

Democratic staffers are still trying to figure out what happened, but individuals can be added to Facebook groups without actively joining, unlike “friending” personal accounts which must be initiated.  The user however, should get a notification that they’ve been added to the group, giving them the opportunity to withdraw.

First take on the day’s political news from the Up Front team.

Arena Proposal inches forward:

Seattle native Chris Hansen is in town and promoting his arena financing proposal.  Tonight the Arena Review Panel will take up his plan. It’s not known if Hanse will make an appearance at the meeting.

Here’s what the panel says it is looking for:

“1) Existing General Fund resources are protected.

 The City and the County provide critical public safety, health, educational,  human  services and other quality of life core services to the public. Any public‐private partnership should not impair the provision of those services directly or indirectly, by creating financial pressure on general resources.

2) The City and County should be significantly protected from any financial risks.

The public should not bear any significant financial risk from the public‐private partnership.

3) The partnership should result in an investment into the community and region.

The City and County each target its limited resources on providing core public services. The arena proposal should offer the City and County with a potential opportunity to leverage outside resources to further enhance the community and region, by creating a new entertainment venue and spurring job growth and economic activity in the process.”

This is a public meeting:

Bertha Knight Landes Room - City Hall

600 4th Avenue

Wednesday Mar 7th, 5pm - 7:30pm

Immovable: The Seattle Times Andrew Garber reports that Democratic State Senator (and candidate for Secretary of State) Jim Kastama says there is nothing Senate Democrats can do to get him to vote for their budget.  Kastama was one of three Democrats who voted for the Senate Republicans budget proposal. that proposal passed 25-24.  There is no word at this time from the other two Democrats who crossed the aisle to vote, Rodney Tom or Tim Sheldon, whether they are willing to make a deal.

First take on the day’s political news from the Up Front team.

Association game:  Is it fair to judge candidates by the company they keep?  Democrats have spent weeks hammering Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna for not endorsing a presidential candidate.  McKenna originally suggested he might choose a candidate by the March 3rd state Republican caucus, but to date, has declined to declare a favorite.  “From health care to the environment to marriage equality, McKenna is more closely aligned with the GOP frontrunners than many voters may realize,” says the latest Democratic Party press release.

Now, it’s the Republicans turning the table on Democratic candidate Jay Inslee, who last night, had a New York fundraiser at the Manhattan apartment of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.  (Watch our story on the fundraiser) Spitzer abruptly resigned in 2008 after revelations that he paid thousands of dollars for prostitutes.  Inslee’s campaign points to Spitzer’s reputation as the “sheriff of Wall Street,” and says Inslee and Spitzer connected previously on issues involving Wall Street corruption.

“You know, I think people will judge Jay by the values he articulates,” says Democratic consultant Christian Sinderman.  “Jay is an outspoken champion for middle-class families, he’s a family man, married for over 30 years, three grown kids, grandkids, people will look at him, they’ll look at his family they’ll look at what he stands for and who he fights for, and he’ll be rewarded and judged based on those issues, and not who hosts a fundraiser for him.”

But Republican consultant Chris Vance questions the wisdom of the fundraiser.  “There are sometimes, when you can raise so much money, that you’re willing to take the bad publicity, but Eliot Spitzer? I mean really?”

The Inslee campaign says later this month, Inslee will have a fundraiser with Gavin Newsom, currently Lieutenant Governor of California.  Newsom made headlines when he was San Francisco mayor, having an affair with his campaign manager’s wife.

Switcheroo: Republican James Watkins has announced his candidacy for Washington State Auditor. Watkins is a businessman from Redmond. This is not the first candidacy Watkins has announced this year. He originally threw his name into the hat in the 1st Congressional District. At the time he was one of three Republicans in the race.  Two if the three have dropped out and John Koster is the only Republican left standing — at this point.  Meanwhile, Democrats have a half-dozen candidates headed for a very competitive August primary.

backpage.com: Attorney General Rob McKenna is in Washington DC today talking to his fellow AGs about backpage.com, the classified personal service linked to child prostitution. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn has led the charge against backpage.com which is a service provided in Seattle by the The Seattle Weekly.

Inslee criticizes Republican state lawmakers: Jay Inslee released this statement yesterday about the budget the state Senate passed over the weekend:

“The Senate Republicans are taking us backwards at a time we must focus on the future and restoring our commitment to our children’s education. I urge legislators to remain steadfast against further cuts to education. And I hope my opponent, Rob McKenna, who has claimed he wants to increase education funding, will join me in urging legislators to re-prioritize funding for our schools.”

An indication that the gubernatorial candidates may be starting to engage over budget issues.

A new KING 5 poll finds Republican Rob McKenna now has a double-digit lead in the race for Governor over Democrat Jay Inslee.

In a poll of 572 registered voters statewide, 49% told SurveyUSA they would vote for Attorney General McKenna, vs. 39% for Congressman Inslee.  The poll reached voters on landlines and cell phones and has a margin of +/-4.2%.

A month ago, KING-TV’s tracking poll had McKenna ahead by three points.  McKenna continues to have a commanding lead among men (51% to 35%), but in this latest poll, he leads narrowly among women as well (46% to 43%).

McKenna holds 92% of Republicans, while Inslee holds 84% of Democrats.  Independents are a key group, and McKenna leads 48% to 34% among independents.

Another key to the race is the central Puget Sound area.  Republicans don’t necessarily need to carry the Metro area to win statewide, but the KING 5 poll finds that in the King, Pierce and Snohomish region, McKenna leads by 8 points.

First take on the day’s political news from the Up Front team.

What’s the plan?  Gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna has journalists scratching their heads today, announcing a press conference tomorrow afternoon to unveil his higher education plans.

One would assume a candidate wants some publicity for his efforts.  But Friday afternoon is typically a poor “news cycle,” as readers and viewers are doing other things on Friday night into the start of the weekend.  Release bad news on a Friday afternoon is the oldest P-R trick in the book, often used by companies trying to bury bad financial numbers after the markets have closed for the weekend.

What makes the McKenna press conference even more noteworthy is that it’s right in the middle of President Obama’s trip to Everett and the east side—a time when every news organization will be following the President’s rally, motorcade and fundraisers.

How will the strategy play out?  There is a chance it could be a brilliant move.  The press conference could provide an interesting contrast to the politics of President Obama’s visit.  Democrat Jay Inslee will likely get his mug in the news tomorrow, while McKenna could be seen unveiling a higher education plan.  Stay tuned…

New KING 5 poll:  Also stay tuned this afternoon, a new KING 5 poll on the race for governor.  And the numbers show some significant movement from our last poll.  Twitter @makupfront

First take on the day’s political news from the Up Front team.

Republicans put Washington State on the map:  In case you had any doubt, Washington’s Republican March 3rd caucus is officially on the national radar.  Ron Paul will be campaigning in the state Thursday, beginning with a rally in Vancouver.  Earlier this week, Rick Santorum held a rally in Tacoma and more than 600 enthusiastic supporters came to hear him speak.  State Republican Party chair Kirby Wilbur says it’s the first time in his memory that a Republican presidential candidate has come to visit before a caucus (They typically have come out before primaries, but not the caucus he says).  Mitt Romney is scheduled to come for a fundraiser on March 1st, but no public event announced as of yet.

Obama on the road:  President Obama today is in Milwaukee, delivering his economic message at a Master Lock plant.  Then, it’s off to Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Seattle area for a mix of presidential and campaign events.  Thursday, the President comes to Boeing’s Everett plant and has a couple eastside fundraisers.

The changing Ninth:  Congressman Adam Smith announced this morning that he is one of 11 new members joining the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.  His press release notes that the 9^th district is home to more than 60,000 Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and people of Asian descent.   Worth noting that the state Redistricting Committee significantly changed the boundaries of Smith’s district, making it the first majority-minority district starting with this next election.  Smith, who is on the House Armed Services Committee, also loses much of the military constituency in Pierce and Thurston counties as part of redistricting.

McKenna withholds endorsement:  The Associated Press reports that Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rob McKenna will not caucus for any particular candidate on March 3rd.  Says the report: McKenna campaign spokesman Charles McCray said Tuesday that the attorney general plans to visit a few different caucus locations on March 3 to encourage people who are participating. But McCray says McKenna won’t be voting for or endorsing any candidates.

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea for Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign to hold a rally right next to the Occupy Tacoma encampment.

But in many ways, the chaotic event reflected the state of the Santorum campaign and the Republican race for President.

Fresh of victories from Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri, Santorum is surging once again. A couple nationwide polls show him in a dead heat with Mitt Romney. Excitement for Santorum was in the air outside the State Historical Museum in Tacoma. Hundreds of Republicans singing “God Bless America” eagerly awaited Santorum’s speech on a chilly night.

“I’m Catholic, so I’m opposing gay marriages and abortions too. It’s his principles,” said Santorum supporter Peggy Enser.

While Santorum is enjoying a rise in the polls, he clearly lacks the campaign infrastructure in Washington state. Romney’s campaign is boasting about lining up numerous Republican endorsements across the state and Ron Paul’s campaign has been running for months preparing for the Washington Republican caucus on March 3rd.

If Santorum had a campaign advance team, it might have spotted the Occupy movement in the parking lot. Aside from the location problem, Santorum stood some 20 feet above the audience, looking down on the crowd. In the darkness, one light from below lit his face, creating shadows everytime he raised his hands.

It was simply a clumsy event but to his credit, Santorum pressed on as protesters were determined to shout him down. At times, he appeared distracted, but stuck with his conservative message.

“I’ve got to tell you, I don’t agree with these people. But I respect their opportunity to have a different point of view and I don’t think that they’re a hater or a bigot because they disagree with me,” Santorum said.

Santorum struggled to keep going and at one point, just had to stop for a couple minutes, as police arrested a two protesters. The crowd cheered.

“Let’s give a hand to our men and women in uniform,” Santorum said.

The crowd chanted back, “USA, USA.”

Police removed the protesters, but a few others kept yelling. “I think it’s really important to understand what this radical element represents. Because what they represent is true intolerance,” Santorum told the crowd. “We hear people here tonight trying to divide America into one percentage vs. another percentage. That’s not what a leader of this country should do, but Barack Obama has sided with the 99 vs. 1. He supported this movement, this movement that is intolerant and disrespectful.”

Santorum’s visit came on the same day that Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law the gay marriage bill in Washington state. Earlier in the day, he met with gay marriage opponents including pastors from across the state. Santorum also met with Republican lawmakers at the State Capitol, just hours after Gregoire had signed the bill.

When asked about gay marriage, the former Pennsylvania Senator pointed out that he had come to talk with lawmakers about agriculture, welfare and many other issues. He called Obama’s new budget proposals a “disaster.” But all the questions from the press came back to gay marriage.

At his Tacoma rally, Santorum went on to talk about cutting regulations and repealing health care reform—with a pointed jab at Romney. “It’s not just controlling what doctors you’re going to see, or what care is going to be rationed. Yes, it is all those things. It is by the way, the same thing that Governor Romney voted for and supported when he was Governor of Massachusetts,” Santorum said.

The crowd gave a “boo” to Romney, and Santorum delivered his punchline: “Romneycare was the model for Obamacare,” he said.

About a half-hour into his speech, the protesters stopped yelling, most likely out of breath from competing with Santorum who had the microphone. Santorum got the biggest applause for holding up the Declaration of Independence and speaking of the importance of the Constitution. Then, he urged Washington Republicans to attend their caucus. “You will be that momentum changer heading in to those Super Tuesday states,” he said.

Afterwards, one protester told us she wasn’t protesting Santorum in particular. She walked over from the Occupy camp to protest corporate America and its influence on all politicians. Meanwhile, some Republicans sitting around the protesters left in frustation, saying they couldn’t hear Santorum for all the shouting.

All in all, a very intense day in the Washington state culture war. Santorum left the podium with this conclusion: “The greatness of our country is not our diversity. The greatness of our country is, in spite of our diversity, we can come together and we can join together and build a great and just society,” he said to a cheering crowd.

First take on the day’s political news from the Up Front team.

All social issues, all the time:  So you thought Decision 2012 would all be about the economy?  Perhaps…but not judging by this week.  The Komen flap stole headlines for three days.  Then, the Obama administration’s health care rule requiring religious institutions like schools to provide birth control coverage, fueled the fire among Republican candidates.  The gay marriage ruling in California also made headlines, as national unemployment numbers dropped.  Throw in Santorum’s sweep in three states last night, and social issues appear to be back in a big way.  Locally, the State House in Olympia votes this afternoon on same-sex marriage, which seems likely to end up on the November ballot. 

The importance of Washington state:  Suddenly, Washington’s Republican caucus on March 3rd is looking more significant with Santorum’s sweep yesterday in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri.  Sandwiched between Arizona and Michigan, and Super Tuesday, how much attention will Washington state draw?  NBC First Read with more on Romney’s difficulty in sealing the deal with Republicans.

First take on the day’s political news from the Up Front team.

It’s caucus day:  Make or break day for Santorum?  NBC First Read breaks down the dynamics of the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses.  Will any presidential hopeful upset Romney?  Also, as Washington state Republicans prepare for a March 3rd caucus, the Republican track record on caucus operations has taken a hit in both Iowa and Nevada.

Jobs, Jobs:  At noon state Democrats Jim Kastama and Derek Kilmer hold a press conference on legislation to create jobs.  This comes a day after Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee launched his first policy announcement yesterday, proposing new tax incentives to create jobs in Washington state. 

Federal Way saga continues: Sound Transit board members propose a $24 million dollar expenditure to get the light rail extension to Federal Way “shovel ready”.  The proposal would create a plan, and pencil out the cost of a project Sound Transit says it cannot currently afford. Elected officials in Federal Way are upset that the extension was part of the original light rail plan that voters passed, but now is off the table. Sound Transit officials say revenue from the South King County sub-area are down almost $900 million dollars. By law, Sound Transit must spend the revenue it raises in a sub-area in that sub-area. Federal Way Mayor Skip Priest’s initial response to the proposal was favorable but he added that Federal Way commuters “can’t ride a plan”.

Paid to stay home:  The KING 5 investigators continue looking into state workers paid to stay at home and do nothing.  The total:  Since 2006, more than 1,000 state workers have been put on home assignment at taxpayer expense, while being investigated for allegations of misconduct.