Crazy Ad
Washington Supreme Court Justice Gerry Alexander is running for re-election (yes, we have elected judges here) and an ad against him ran tonight about a comment he made three-and-a-half years ago when a colleague on the Court, Bobbe Bridge, was arrested for drunk driving (with a blood-alcohol content of 0.219).
What was his comment? "I told her we were fully supportive of her. ... I think she's going to handle it in a forthright and honorable manner."
The ad says: "The very next day, Chief Justice Gerry Alexander publicly expresses supports for Bridge. Alexander backs bridge, despite her driving drunk with a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit."
Then it shows former Lewis County Sherrif John McCroskey saying, "What Gerry Alexander did was wrong. Justices must live by the same laws as everyone else."
Voiceover returns: "Gerry Alexander: Justice for who?"
I am not voting for Alexander. But where in the quoted story, or anywhere else, did Alexander even remotely imply that Bridge should not held accountable for her violation of the law? That she didn't have to "live by the same laws as everyone else"? That she should somehow not receive justice?
Alexander's opponent is John Groen. I don't believe he had anything to do with the ad. It was funded by "Time for a Change," the BIAW's PAC. The BIAW is a developer lobbying group that often funds and campaigns for Republicans and other conservatives. I can't find the ad online, though they do have this pro-Groen ad, which I have no problem with. It's straightforward and not deceptive.
But the one I saw tonight about Bobbe Bridge sure looks deceptive to me, and way below the belt.
On a related matter ... local Judge David Hulbert was cited for DUI a couple of years ago (although he refused breathalizer, because he said he was on meds that could confuse the machine, and he lost his license anyway); Senate candidate Mike McGavick recently made an admission that he was arrested for DUI 13 years ago. What is it with drunk driving officials in this state?
If I ever run for office, I can say: "Vote for me! I am a teetotaller, so you know I'll never drive drunk!"
What was his comment? "I told her we were fully supportive of her. ... I think she's going to handle it in a forthright and honorable manner."
The ad says: "The very next day, Chief Justice Gerry Alexander publicly expresses supports for Bridge. Alexander backs bridge, despite her driving drunk with a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit."
Then it shows former Lewis County Sherrif John McCroskey saying, "What Gerry Alexander did was wrong. Justices must live by the same laws as everyone else."
Voiceover returns: "Gerry Alexander: Justice for who?"
I am not voting for Alexander. But where in the quoted story, or anywhere else, did Alexander even remotely imply that Bridge should not held accountable for her violation of the law? That she didn't have to "live by the same laws as everyone else"? That she should somehow not receive justice?
Alexander's opponent is John Groen. I don't believe he had anything to do with the ad. It was funded by "Time for a Change," the BIAW's PAC. The BIAW is a developer lobbying group that often funds and campaigns for Republicans and other conservatives. I can't find the ad online, though they do have this pro-Groen ad, which I have no problem with. It's straightforward and not deceptive.
But the one I saw tonight about Bobbe Bridge sure looks deceptive to me, and way below the belt.
On a related matter ... local Judge David Hulbert was cited for DUI a couple of years ago (although he refused breathalizer, because he said he was on meds that could confuse the machine, and he lost his license anyway); Senate candidate Mike McGavick recently made an admission that he was arrested for DUI 13 years ago. What is it with drunk driving officials in this state?
If I ever run for office, I can say: "Vote for me! I am a teetotaller, so you know I'll never drive drunk!"
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."
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