Smoking Gun, and Comments from several on SoundPolitics...."That was then, this is now"
You can't get any more hypocritical than this.
Christine Gregoire and the Sorelosercrats are now filing suits to change the vote counting rules for their second recount. But during a 1996 recount, Attorney General Christine Gregoire advised the Secretary of State that state law did not provide for the very changes that she's now demanding. The Rossi campaign just issued this press release:
In 1996, Gregoire said not to change recount rules
That was then, this is now
Bellevue, WA – A 1996 document emerged today that reveals Christine Gregoire’s hypocrisy on the issue of changing the state’s recount rules midway through the recount process.
Papers filed in the state Supreme Court this morning by the Secretary of State’s office include a November 1996 memo from then-Secretary of State Ralph Munro regarding a manual recount in a state legislative race. The memo says that Attorney General Christine Gregoire’s office told the Secretary of State that previously rejected ballots could not be brought back into the recount process.
Here is what the memo says:
“Challenge of Ballots Not Allowed. We are advised by the Attorney General that state law makes no provision for the challenge of ballots or voters (as provided in RCW 29.10.125) during the recount. The recount procedure provided for by statute is a mechanical function of re-tallying the ballots cast and accepted as valid by the precinct election officers or the canvassing board during the canvass of the election. The decision of the canvassing board with respect to the inclusion or exclusion of a particular ballot during the canvass is not open to question during the recount.”
Governor-elect Dino Rossi’s spokeswoman Mary Lane said Gregoire will have a hard time explaining why she wants to change the rules now, when as Attorney General she supported them.
“With each passing day, Christine Gregoire’s hypocrisy is being revealed more and more,” said Lane. “In 12 years as Attorney General, she signed off on the recount rules she now wants to change. This 1996 memo makes it even more clear that the only reason she wants to change the rules now is because she’s lost twice and she isn’t willing to accept the voters’ decision.”
Yesterday the results of an Elway Research poll showed that 68 percent of Washingtonians oppose Gregoire’s attempt to change the rules and bring previously rejected ballots into the recount.
The first two pages of the 1996 memo are posted : here [large PDF]
Comment on Entry: "That was then, this is now"
WOW
A HUGE SMOKING GUN.
That is brighter than the billboard on I-5 in Fife begging Christine to CONCEDE.
Posted by Jeff B at December 7, 2004 02:32 PM
Gregoire voted against changing the recount rules before she voted for them.
No wonder Kerry gave her $250,000 for the recount.
Posted by Jeff B at December 7, 2004 02:40 PM
This BOMBSHELL of a memo speaks for itself. Gregoire should call this recount off.
Posted by Seth Cooper at December 7, 2004 02:43 PM
Heh heh heh.
I expect we'll witness some Clintonian moments.
Posted by South County at December 7, 2004 02:55 PM
"Your honors, the Defense would now like to call our expert witness; the Plaintiff."
Posted by Roland Patrick at December 7, 2004 03:01 PM
Whatever Rossi is paying his opposition research team, it isn't enough. Booyaahhh!
Posted by Marc at December 7, 2004 03:19 PM
BEAUTIFUL!!! What a complete and total hypocrite. After working at the State for four years previously, this doesn't surprise me at all. I hope it makes the MSM but somehow I doubt it will.
Posted by megs at December 7, 2004 03:44 PM
The complete silence on this matter from the usual leftist trolls speaks volumes, does it not?
Posted by Kevin S at December 7, 2004 04:08 PM
Lefty here...
That is a damning document, for sure. I agree that the position is going to be hard to defend.
Bout the only thing she can go with at this point is that she was wrong in 1996 to issue the opinion.
Similar to many things that happen in real life, i.e. the Supreme Court overturning the ban on sodomy that they affirmed over a decade earlier, they overturned themselves, segregationists admitting that they were wrong when they voted for the things they voted for, etc.
But yes, this lefty agrees, that's a crappy skeleton to have in her closet.
Posted by DustinJames at December 7, 2004 04:18 PM
Kevin S. I was thinking the same thing. In addition to the deafening silence of the usual trolls, does not seem to be getting the attention of donkey blogs either??
Posted by Jeff B at December 7, 2004 04:28 PM
Kevin.....damning but in the good ol' tradtion of the Democrat party, there will be the ifs,the buts, and the maybe's thrown in to justify their position....
and remember, "yes" doesn't really mean "yes"....
Posted by lee at December 7, 2004 05:19 PM
I can almost hear the Camp Gregoire spin ...
"That was simply an interpretation nearly 10 years ago. The disputed 2000 election in Florida disenfranchised thousands of legitimate voters and underscored the need for public servants to protect the vote of each and every citizen. We must count every vote to ensure the legitimacy of this close election. The public deserves no less."
We're you almost convinced? Dang, me neither.
Posted by Mike at December 7, 2004 06:10 PM
Actually heard a caller on KIRO this afternoon state (I dont remember the exact wording) "The courts interpret law, not the AG. It makes no difference what she may have said"
That's logic for you!
The Dems are hoping that the suit gets thrown out. That will be their justification to contest the election and send it to the legislature.......
I'm thinking Rove could take lessons here!
Posted by Shane at December 7, 2004 06:35 PM
If ever there was a crystal-clear example of a conflict of interest to present to a class on ethics (if anyone still teaches such stuff), it's the gaping difference between the disinterested opinion of one C. Gregoire to the old Secretary of State, and the self-interested opinion of the same C. Gregoire to the new Secretary of State.
If presented as evidence to the Supreme Court, these two(faced) positions should just about kill any chance she has to get those dubious County-rejected ballots re-introduced into the count. Even that gang of judges can't miss the logic here.
Posted by Insufficiently Sensitive at December 7, 2004 07:05 PM
The campaign ended a month ago and she's still letting her campaign staff lie to us. Or in this case her hired gun attorneys (who a week ago she couldn't afford).
How badly would she be trounced by Gov-elect Rossi if a re-vote happened tomorrow? If things keep going downhill for her, only the hardest liners will still be supporting her on Dec. 22, regardless of the recount results. If she has any pride or sense, she'll concede before the recount proceeds.
Posted by zip at December 7, 2004 07:50 PM
"If she has any pride or sense..."
I think we have already established that one. I heard her on the radio on the way home talking about "silencing the rhetoric." Most of the rhetoric I've been hearing has been from her party heads.
BTW, did anyone go to the Dino rally this afternoon?
Posted by Chris at December 7, 2004 08:14 PM
Coming across the AP...
...
Republicans also gleefully pointed out old cases in which Gregoire, as attorney general, advised against considering invalidated ballots in a recount. A November 1996 memo from the secretary of state’s office regarding a close legislative race says: “We are advised by the attorney general that state law makes no provision for the challenge of ballots or voters (as provided in RCW 29.10.125) during the recount.”
Brost said that memo referred to legal advice from previous state attorneys general, not from Gregoire.
...
Posted by DustinJames at December 7, 2004 08:21 PM
Dustin - Gee the way that was slanted I could swear the AP was MSM! Funny that's not what the actual GREGOIRE memo said.
Posted by CP at December 7, 2004 09:03 PM
More to come boys & girls!!
It's called "rope-a-dope". It worked in the election...the Dems believed the polls and a tremendous last week effort was launched as they snoozed on this race.
Now...they shoot off their mouths repeatedly and BAM!!! Rope-a-dope 2!!!!
Be patient Boys & Girls....when you see these cocky Gregoirians strutting around puffing their chests and they are strutting into a big pile of poop, YOU DON'T WARN THEM NOT TO STEP IN THE PILE OF POOP!!!! You let them step into it nice and deep...then you scoop up a big bucket full of it and dump it on their heads!!!!!!!!!
Ready for rope-a-dope 3????????
Posted by Mr. Cynical at December 7, 2004 09:11 PM |
