Readers Roundtable with Candidates:
For this year’s primary races, our readers are invited to ask candidates questions and add comments in an interactive exchange below. Here’s your chance to probe local office-seekers in a relaxed public forum where you’ll even get the chance for a couple rounds of follow-up questions!
Participating candidates have agreed to engage with commenters for at least three days following publication. Candidates can expand upon and clarify their views; voters can get a deeper look into what they have to offer. The candidate will reply daily to each posted comment during the 3-day period. Candidates can reply as expansively or as briefly as they want, optionally writing collective replies to multiple similar comments or commenters who post multiple times during the same day. Comments that violate PTFP commenting policy will be blocked or removed by moderators so won’t qualify for candidate replies.
All contenders in local primary races with at least three candidates were invited to participate in these roundtables —
Jefferson County Commissioner:
Jon Cooke, Greg Brotherton, Marcia Kelbon
WA State Representative, District 24, Position 1:
Sue Forde, Mike Chapman, Matthew Rainwater
WA State Representative, District 24, Position 2:
Steve Tharinger, Darren Corcoran, Brian Pruiett
———————————
M A T T H E W R A I N W A T E R
Who am I?
Hi, my name is Matthew Rainwater, and I am running for the Washington State House of Representatives in the 24th District, Position 1. As an Army Veteran, and a retired Border Patrol Agent, I have the strength and the resolve to fight for the needs of our District, instead of our current “representatives” who vote for what is good for Seattle.
My friends, I have jumped out of airplanes. I have had criminals hit me with a car. I have been shot at more times than I care to remember. I have stared death in the face quite a few times in my life — both while I was in the Army, and as a Border Patrol Agent — and have been victorious each time.
Jim Walsh, JT Wilcox, Joel McEntire, as well as a few others, have been asking me to run for office for a few years now, and I always told them the same thing — I wanted to run, but I needed to retire from the Border Patrol first.
The people of the 24th have been poorly “represented” (and I use that term loosely) by my opponent. During his tenure in elected office, he has been a regular vote for more government interference in our everyday lives. During his time as our “representative”, inflation, gas prices, crime, drug abuse, homelessness, a disregard for our law enforcement, taxes and attacks on our Constitutional Rights have all been on the rise.
That is NOT the representation we need.
Ladies and gentlemen, my opponent has a history of showing he is not for the values of the 24th, but rather those of Olympia and Seattle. He has shown he is not willing to fight for what is right. Instead, he is in lock step with his fellow liberals.
Thanks to those liberals, we now have kids being taught about “gender identity” as young as the 3rd grade. We should allow the parents and the local school boards to decide what our kids are taught, instead of progressives in Olympia.
The cost of building new houses is increasing due to government regulation, yet the government is taking more money out of our pockets through taxes to help “affordable” housing.
We have families struggling to put food on the table, and gas in our cars, yet he is calling for higher gas taxes.
We are living in a society where the left feels they have the power to take away our constitutional rights. The democrats attacked the 1st Amendment by introducing legislation which would criminalize certain types of speech.
With the blessing of Governor Inslee, bureaucrats who don’t answer to the voters, were able to enact policies like vaccine passports which allowed only those they thought were worthy to be able to gather with friends and restricted our right to peaceably assemble.
The entire time, our “representative” was silent. He either agreed with those actions, or he cowered in fear, and refused to stand up for the people of the 24th.
As someone who has looked death head on, and lived to tell the tale, I can assure you I will not be silent, I will not cower in Olympia. I will stand up for the values, and for the rights, of all those in the 24th Legislative District.
As I have done my entire adult life, I will fight for our Constitutional Rights. I will fight to lower taxes, or at a bare minimum to keep them from rising. Especially the property and the sales taxes, which affect the most vulnerable in our district disproportionately.
I will fight for deregulation, and for lowering the costs of permits that make the American dream of buying a house out of reach for the average person.
I will fight to repeal the absurd laws restricting the rights of those who wish to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.
In short, I will fight for real solutions to the problems we face.
As I travel throughout the district and meet the voters, I have had the opportunity to talk to people from all walks of life. Republicans, Independents, Swing Voters and Democrats. I am proud to say that, as I speak to them, I have been able to get people from all those categories to declare their support for me. They all are sick at what has become of this great state, and this great district. Just the other day, I was talking to someone, and the conversation started out with “I like the Democrats”, however, by the end of the conversation they were agreeing the democrats have got to go!
What is it about me that makes people decide to support me?
Maybe it is my background. The fact I am a Veteran, or retired Federal Law Enforcement. Maybe it is because I have proven my compassion by my ongoing efforts to house homeless veterans. Maybe it is because I know that no one side has a monopoly on good ideas, and that I am willing to speak with anyone in order to find effective, real solutions to the challenges we face.
Or, maybe, it is because they know that I have a quality that is lacking in everyone else in this race.
Leadership.
If you want to find out more about me, please feel free to reach out. You can also check me out on facebook at Rainwater for Washington, or on the internet at Rainwaterforwa.com or on twitter at Rainwater4wa.
State Representative Jim Walsh and Congressional candidate Elizabeth Kreiselmaier with Matthew after he threw out the first pitch at The Lefties baseball game at Civic Field.
All photos provided by Matthew Rainwater
Top photo: Matthew with his wife Debbie
Co-editors Ana Wolpin, Stephen Schumacher and Annette Huenke have a combined history of more than 120 years in Port Townsend. See the “About the Free Press” page for more about the editorial team.
It IS time to dethrone King Inslee and his amoral, corrupt courtiers who are hell bent on destroying individual freedoms and creating a two class society – the elites and the rest of us – by stealing our hard earned money and forcing mandates that have now been scientifically proven to be ineffective.
Hi Patriot, thanks for posting this comment. I definitely agree there is a motivation to how the democrats are behaving, and the “rules for thee but not for me” attitude they brazenly display. They are always looking to either increase the taxes, or implement policies which increase costs, and fees (just another term for a “tax”). When I am in Olympia, it will be one of my highest priorities to see how we can deregulate and decrease costs across the board. I will also make sure we hold the bureaucrats accountable. If a bureaucrat tries to impose another vaccine passport, I will make sure everyone knows I am against it, and will for sure let the county health officer know they will have to answer for it. I am also an advocate for a 1 year “gas tax holiday” and think we need to lower taxes. I hope I get your vote!
Hi Matthew, thanks for participating in this reader roundtable and your firm stand against vaccine passports!!! Would you oppose mask mandates as a precondition for entering schools, receiving medical treatment, etc., and have any thoughts on the costs/benefits of masking (which came up on an earlier roundtable thread)?
Hi Stephen,
I am against mask mandates. It has been proven the average cloth mask simply is not effective against Covid. The N95 mask is better at stopping it, but people have to be properly fitted and wear the correct size mask. If they don’t the effectiveness decreases. I am providing a link to show how the test is done in case you wanted to know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI_wtU-wJp0
Thank you for participating in this forum, Matthew. I have two questions for you.
Displaying the height of hubris, John McCain infamously quipped “Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country.” His arrogance was/is illustrative of America’s centuries-old attitude toward other nations’ resources. Toppling democratically elected leaders around the globe in order to install puppet regimes — including in Ukraine — is the U.S. rule, not the exception. Yet we dare to criticize others for defending themselves and their critical national interests. The level of hypocrisy and lack of introspection is as stunning as it is disgraceful. Tragically, the majority of Americans seem to be fully on board with it.
What is your view today of the U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan? (I’ll keep that very long list this short for purposes of brevity here.)
Someone more clever than I said “if you want to follow the science, follow the silenced.” Have you spent any time investigating the writings of scientists and investigative journalists who disagree with the prevailing climate change narrative? Some good examples are Steven E. Koonin’s book Unsettled, and the websites Real Climate Science and Watts Up With That? Are you open to considering a change in stance?
Hi Annette,
Thanks for the questions. I was 100% in favor of going into Afghanistan. I still am. I was working the night shift on 9/11, and I remember sitting on the border as Osama Bin Laden’s terrorists attacked the Twin Towers. Then the Pentagon, and then heard about the heroes of Flight 93 as the day went on. That day, I watched as flights left the airport in Tijuana, flew into our airspace, and then turned around. I remember wondering if any of them were hijacked, and if so, where were they headed? I was also in favor of going into Iraq, although (admittedly) not as resolute as Afghanistan. If Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, then he could not be allowed to maintain them.
As for “climate change”? Like you, I was NOT a fan of John McCain’s politics. I honored his service, and his his time as a POW, but his politics were not good. That being said, he did say one thing I agree with: We only have this one earth, and we are called to be good stewards of it. I think we need to do all we can to reduce pollution, and to keep this paradise we live in as pristine as possible.
However, NOT at the cost of jobs, or livelihoods for the people in the district. We can have a balance of being conscientious about pollution, and still have a thriving, industry friendly economy here. the “Climate Action Plan” and the “Cap and Trade” policies are forcing businesses to either not come here, or those businesses which are already here to shut down. I know of one power plant that is poised to lose 26 high paying (6 figure salaries) jobs directly due to the democrat policies. To me, this is unacceptable.
Yes, I am always open to changing my stance on topics. If I find out I had wrong information on something, then I owe it to myself and my constituents to follow the truth and act accordingly.
Hi, Matthew – I appreciate your nuanced environmental approach and openness to change when given wrong information! It’s interesting to read you weren’t quite as enthused about invading Iraq. As one born in NYC who worked next door to the World Trade Center, I was horrified how this assault on my birthplace under Bush’s careless watch was misused as a “Patriot Act” pretext for clamping down on American liberties at home and invading a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, resulting in massive destruction of Iraq’s people, cultural heritage, and ancient Christian community. Americans were given wrong information about weapons of mass destruction existing in Iraq, because “Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy”, according to CIA Director Tenet. So did you afterwards change your mind about Iraq? Did this failure or betrayal at the highest levels increase your skepticism about government propaganda?
Hi Stephen,
I didn’t change my mind based off what we found out afterwards, as there was nothing to change. I was never a fan of fighting two wars on different fronts, and I think it could have waited.
Hi Matthew! How are you with term limits and ranked choice voting?
Hi John,
I think the Governor should be limited to two terms, and will support a State Constitutional amendment to do that. I am opposed to rank choice voting.
Hello again! How are you with split electoral votes like Maine and Nebraska?
Hi John,
I am going to answer both of your questions here.
I am for a state constitution amendment to limit the governor to two terms. If it is good enough for the President, it is good enough for the Governor.
I am against ranked choice voting. I believe the state should get away from being a “Top 2” primary, and go to a “Party” primary. Then the candidates from the parties who advance compete in the general election.
I think splitting the electoral votes has potential, and I would support a bill that does that. In a state where the biggest population centers lean either left or right, splitting the electoral votes so the voters in the rural districts still get some say in elections just makes sense. I would like to explore an “Electoral College” of sorts for Statewide elections as well. Although, that would be a much longer process and a lot harder to get through, I think.
Matthew, thank you for your service in the Army & Border Patrol. I have several questions:
1. By repeatedly electing Mike Chapman, district voters have repeatedly reaffirmed that he represents majority views. So, why do you put scare quotes around the word “representative” as it applies to him? Was his election somehow illegitimate? Do you regard voters in our district as confused fools for having elected him repeatedly?
2. How did Mike Chapman cause soaring world fuel prices & global inflation? As state representative, how will you solve these problems?
3. How did Mike Chapman increase crime, drug ab.use, & homelessness? As state representative, how would you reduce these problems?
4. How did Mike Chapman–a former law enforcement officer–cause increasing disregard for our law enforcement? As state representative, how would you change that?
5. What taxes did Mike Chapman raise? What taxes would you cut? What state spending would you reduce to pay for those tax cuts?
6. Given that Mike Chapman is on record for maintaining our current gas tax (https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/politics/district-24-candidates-spar-over-issues-facing-state/) and recently cited not raising the gas tax as an achievement (https://housedemocrats.wa.gov/chapman/2022/05/12/2022-legislative-update/), what is the source for your assertion that Mike Chapman “is calling for higher gas taxes”?
7. Washington has the one of the most regressive tax codes in the US. How would you change this?
8. What constitutional rights has Mike Chapman attacked? As state representative, how would you defend those rights?
9. Do your concerns about “more government interference in our everyday lives” and rising “attacks on our Constitutional Rights” extend to the US Supreme Court’s recent erasure of women’s constitutional right to bodily sovereignty? As state representative, will you preserve abortion rights for women in our state?
10. Above, you wrote, “we now have kids being taught about ‘gender identity’ as young as the 3rd grade.” Since that’s not in the state health education standards (see https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/healthfitness/standards/healtheducationk-12learningstandards.pdf), what is your source for this assertion? When and where is this happening? How is Mike Chapman responsible?
11. Why did you falsely assert that “progressives in Olympia” are deciding “what our kids are taught” when those decisions in fact still belong to “parents and the local school boards”? (See https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/aug/01/truth-tester-no-sex-ed-will-not-be-taught-to-kinde/)
12. What state regulations would you repeal to decrease the cost of building new houses?
13. You accused Mike Chapman–a fellow former law enforcement officer–of having “cowered in fear” because his views differ from yours. Should all moderates (Chapman is no liberal) be dismissed as mere cowards, or can moderates and liberals be people of courage and principle? As representative, would you continue to spew uncivil, poisonous rhetoric like this?
14. Which “absurd” gun control laws would you repeal? What effective gun control measures would you propose to reduce gun violence in our state?
15. You cited Jim Walsh as a political mentor. Do you endorse his stunt of wearing a Star of David in the legislature & likening our state’s treatment of vax deniers to Nazi genocide?
16. During your proposed 1-year gas tax holiday, would we also suspend all road projects the gas tax currently funds? If not, what else would we cut?
17. If not cap & trade, then what should Washington State do to fight climate change?
18. COVID has now killed more than 1,000,000 million Americans. The percentage of Americans killed by COVID in 2 years now exceeds the percentage of Americans killed by World War II over four years. Given that death rates are highest in Trump-voting areas with the highest rates of vaccine denial & mask refusal, why do you wish to fuel continued COVID deaths by denying the indisputable efficacy of face masks (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7106e1.htm) & by rejecting mask mandates?
19. Were Joe Biden and Jay Inslee legitimately elected president & governor in 2020? Please explain.
Hi Brian,
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to further inform the voters on why I believe my Democrat opponent needs to be replaced. I have numbered my answers according to the order of the questions you posed.
I’m sorry if putting quotes around the word “representative” scares you. Most people look at that and recognize my meaning to be that Mike is not “representing” the needs of the district. Mike’s record of voting for issues that are favorable to Seattle elites but not for rural communities is clear.
The premise of this questions simply is not correct. Please show me where I stated high gas prices and inflation were my democrat opponent’s fault? Indeed, when posed this question at the Port Angeles Business Association’s candidate forum, I stated there was not much the state can do to change these issues. Instead, what the state CAN do is reduce taxes, fees, and regulation to make it easier for people to keep more of their hard earned money during this period of inflation, record high gas prices and the possible upcoming recession.
The increased crime, drug abuse and homelessness is a DIRECT result of the failed policies of the Democrats in Olympia. To not recognize how defunding the police and passing laws which keep Law Enforcement from being able to investigate crimes and arrest criminals, or to pursue those criminals when they flee, is simply putting blinders on. But I won’t ask you to take my word for it. The Sheriffs of both Whatcom and Spokane directly blame the democrats for the situation we see as well. https://www.q13fox.com/news/sheriffs-blame-wa-lawmakers-for-increase-in-crime-loss-of-officers-statewide
Just recently Mr. Tharinger equated police involved shootings to “homicides”. For a sitting “representative” to equate police to acts of criminals committing murder is disgusting and disrespectful to our men and women in Law Enforcement. I asked my opponent to denounce this language by Tharinger. Mike has yet to do so. Which tells me he either agrees with his seatmate, or he is too afraid of him to stand up for those who protect and serve us. The “anti police” culture needs to be changed. This can begin by rescinding the laws that handcuffed the Law Enforcement community, especially the laws keeping the police from being able to pursue criminals. Everywhere I go, and every person I speak to in Law Enforcement or in city government tells me they can no longer meet the needs of the community due to it being hard to get people to enter the Law Enforcement profession. This is a DIRECT result of the laws crafted while Seattle burned and the Chaz/Chop zone was allowed to be ruled by crime lords.
In today’s economy, with inflation at over 9%, and gas prices an average of $1.20 more today than they were last year, it is incumbent upon the state to help alleviate the strain that is being placed on the average person’s budget. I know and have talked to people throughout the district who are having to decide whether they put gas in their car to go to work, or put food on their table to feed their families. I am a proponent of a 1 year “gas tax holiday”. With Washington being the 2nd highest gas tax in the nation (at $0.54 p/gallon currently. Jan 1, 2023 that is going to increase. Which, combined with the Federal gas tax will raise it to an estimated $1.14 p/gallon), it is something concrete the state can do to help. I am also in favor of lowering the sales tax, which affects those below the poverty line the most, as they have less money to pay for goods/services they need. I would vote to freeze the property tax and make the first $250K of property value tax free.
This can all be done, and the state not lose it’s bond rating (as my democrat opponent tried to claim). The State can shift priorities for certain projects to help offset the lost revenue, if that occurs. As we have seen, the state had a record $15 BILLION surplus last year. It makes no sense for the democrats to NOT want to help the citizens of this great state.
On a zoom meeting with the EDC around Feb 9th, while talking about his failure to get funds to fix Hwy 112 and the annual landslides which shut it down and cut off a big portion of our county’s residents, he was quoted as saying ““Without a new gas tax at which dollars could be bonded, it makes it difficult.” (https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/politics/no-lasting-state-fix-coming-for-highway-112/). Doesn’t get much clearer than that.
The answer to this really depends on what you mean by “regressive”. Suffice it to say I am against an income tax (by whatever name you call it).
During the pandemic the democrats attacked our right to peaceably assemble through vaccine and mask mandates. Gov. Inslee asked for (and received) legislation criminalizing speech he deemed were “lies”. The Democrats are always looking for ways to further restrict our Right to Bear Arms. During all this our current “Representatives” remained silent. If you remain silent while our Constitutional Rights are under attack, you are complicit in the attacks. I will always stand up and fight to protect our God given rights, no matter where that attack comes from. I have spent my life doing that and will continue to do so.
Women’s reproductive rights have been protected in Washington for decades. It was codified in 1991 by a vote of the citizens of this state. As a Representative, if the people of the state have made their wishes known through a statewide initiative, my personal beliefs are irrelevant.
It appears your source may not have the information you need. I have linked to a Foxnews article that highlights the issue (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/washington-state-oregon-kindergartners-many-ways-express-gender). As a Representative I will fight to allow the local parents and school districts to determine what type, and at what age, their children should be taught about the human reproductive system and process. The State Legislature can-and should- pass laws making this happen.
I will simply refer you to my answer above.
The lowest hanging fruit on that tree is the cost of permitting. Those costs can be drastically reduced. Another area to examine is the cost of the “Climate Action Plan”, and how the other liberal environmental policies are affecting the cost of building in the state. One estimate I heard is at least an increase of $80,000 for some commercial and residential buildings.
People of all backgrounds can be people of courage and principals. However, I will state again-if you don’t denounce your own seat-mate for equating police to criminals, then you are either afraid to do so, or you agree with them.
Lets start with the most recent one. I would rescind the laws limiting how many rounds can be in a magazine. The issue of gun violence is another matter. I would be in favor of enhanced sentencing for those who commit violent crimes while in possession of a firearm. I would favor making the gun control laws apply to criminals, but not to innocent civilians. What we really have is a much bigger issue. We have an epidemic of mental health issues, of evil, and a lack of respect for life. Those are all root causes of the violence we are seeing.
Rep. Walsh is a friend and played a significant role in encouraging me to run for office and will remain a friend no matter what happens on Aug. 2nd. As such, I let him know I thought doing that was not his best decision. It should also be noted Rep. Walsh publicly acknowledged it was a mistake and apologized for it.
There are some projects that I would definitely suspend, but there are other projects that must continue. Those projects would continue to receive funding.
We have been given one Earth to live on. As such, we are called to be good stewards of it. I believe we owe it to future generations to not pollute, and to not destroy the earth. However, we also owe it to future generations to provide them the opportunity to build or purchase homes. To be able to provide for their families. The current plan is hurting the business community, and costing people their jobs. I know of one power plant that is having to fire around 20 people (all of whom are earning over $100K a year) due to cap and trade. We need to strive to work out a compromise that is beneficial for both the environment and the working families of today and tomorrow.
The science on the effectiveness of cloth masks is disputable. From an April 2022 article: “While no cause-effect conclusions could be inferred from this observational analysis, the lack of negative correlations between mask usage and COVID-19 cases and deaths suggest that the widespread use of masks at a time when an effective intervention was most needed, i.e., during the strong 2020-2021 autumn-winter peak, was not able to reduce COVID-19 transmission. Moreover, the moderate positive correlation between mask usage and deaths in Western Europe also suggests that the universal use of masks may have had harmful unintended consequences.( https://www.cureus.com/articles/93826-correlation-between-mask-compliance-and-covid-19-outcomes-in-europe). The N95-if properly fitted (There is process to make sure one is wearing the right size mask. This link will lead you to a video on how it is done https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI_wtU-wJp0) is more effective.
19.There is no question there were discrepancies in the 2020 election. You can’t deny the video where the poll worker cleared out the room and then started bringing out suitcases of ballots looked shady and needed to be investigated. I believe the government is obligated to the citizens to do everything it can to assure our elections are secure, and as fraudulent free as possible. Even here in our district we have seen evidence of ballots being cast by quite a few people who were registered to a vacant lot. These issues need to be investigated, and the voter roles need to be updated of all who are no longer qualified to vote. Whether it be due to moving or dying. I would like to see an end to “Ballot Harvesting”. I believe less than scrupulous people can take advantage of it and engage in less than ethical voting practices.
That being said, I do believe the 2020 election was valid.
Matthew, thanks for answering many of my questions.
1. Scare quotes either evince or pander to the kind of emotional immaturity & intellectual unseriousness that have rendered the GOP toxic & politically irrelevant in this state. Same with your repeated but unsubstantiated assertions that Chapman represents liberal Seattle elites instead of local voters; that’s just a cynical bid to stoke bigotry in a homogeneous rural economic backwater against our state’s diverse, urban, thriving economic core. Of course, most of us are far too smart & decent to be so duped. Hating Seattle does nothing to solve problems here. You dodged this part of the question: Do you regard voters in our district as confused fools for having elected Chapman repeatedly?
2. You suggested Chapman’s responsibility for inflation & high gas prices in your opening statement up above, when you wrote, “During his time as our “representative”, inflation, gas prices, crime, drug abuse, homelessness, a disregard for our law enforcement, taxes and attacks on our Constitutional Rights have all been on the rise.” I appreciate your retreat from that irresponsible & factually unsuppotable insinuation.
3. Increasing crime, drug abuse & homelessness are complex phenomena, & state policy has played some role. As a former law enforcement officer, Chapman knows how the Blake decision & some aspects of recent reforms have harmed public safety (see https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/politics/state-reps-speak-on-legislation/), & as a member of the legislative majority, is in a better position to effect change than a less informed & experienced member of the opposition party would be. You should know Chapman does not support defunding the police, & that Washington State has not in fact cut law enforcement funding. Your insinuation to the contrary either evinces or panders to ignorance.
4. That’s it? Chapman increased disrespect for law enforcement by not condemning something you say his seatmate said? (Could you please cite a reputable print or online source to substantiate your claim for what you say Tharinger said?)
5. You dodged this one: What taxes did Mike Chapman raise? You list many taxes you’d cut, but aside from delaying some road projects, you haven’t specified nearly enough budget cuts to pay for them. So, What other state spending would you reduce to pay for those tax cuts?
6. Chapman observing that funding a particular road project would require a higher gas tax is not the same as advocating a higher gas tax. Especially when the two more recent sources I cited show him as not favoring such an increase. No cigar.
7. Regressive taxation has a clear definition. By employing dictionary technology, anyone can learn that regressive taxes hit the poor harder than the rich (progressive taxes, by contrast, go easier on the poor than the rich). Your staunch defense of our state’s steeply regressive tax structure is noted.
8. Vaccine & mask mandates protect our most fundamental constitutional right–the right to life. Calling them violations of our right to peaceful assembly is dubious, as assemblies that recklessly spread lethal infections can hardly be characterized as peaceful. Democrats & most Americans believe in the whole 2nd Amendment–including the “well regulated” first half that authorizes reasonable gun control to preserve our right to life. GOP Gundamentalists prefer to pretend that first half doesn’t exist, & thus oppose sensible gun control. That unreasoning opposition fuels firearm suicides, increasing mass shootings, surging violent crime, & greater danger to law enforcement officers.
9. Given that GOP legislators across the country continue to vote away women’s rights to control their own bodies, your personal views on this issue matter very much–making your dodge of this question most unconscionable. As state representative, will you preserve abortion rights for women in our state?
To be continued…
Your answer here verged on self-parody. To counter your false claims about our state’s sex ed standards, I shared the link to the actual standards at OSPI. Instead of reading them, you wrote “your source may not have the information you need,” & linked to a slanted article by a notoriously unreliable source. Despite misunderstanding the standards, the Fox News article at least links to its source–the same source I cited in the first place–our actual state sex ed standards at OSPI. The standards approved by 58% of WA voters back in 2020 when Proposition 90 backfired, because most Washingtonians won’t be duped by cynical, deceptive scaremongering. You dodged this part: How is Mike Chapman responsible for our state sex ed standards?
More self-parody: You made a false assertion. I pointed out its falsity, citing reputable authority. Eschewing all possible constructive responses, you simply reasserted the falsehood. Does the truth matter?
Thank you for the helpful answer.
Yes, people from all backgrounds can be people of courage & principle, but I was asking specifically about political ideology, as opposed to background. So, again: Can moderates and liberals be people of courage and principle? And: As representative, would you continue to insult ideological opponents by spewing uncivil, poisonous rhetoric?
Why do civilians–other than aspiring mass shooters–need more than 10 rounds in a magazine? Poor marksmanship? Low testosterone?Zombie apocalypse? If the real roots of gun violence are “an epidemic of mental health issues, of evil, and a lack of respect for life,” how will you address that epidemic as a state representative?
Thank you for the helpful answer.
Vague.
Vague again. Is the power plant you mention getting shut down the coal-fired plant in Centralia?
You cited a dubious study to question the efficacy of cloth masks. Normal academic journals conduct extensive pre-publication peer review by qualified scholars, but Cureus offers only cursory pre-publication peer review, relying instead on post-publication crowdsourced peer review. That crowdsourcing produces a Scholarly Impact Quotient (SIQ), a factual reliability rating on a 10-point scale. The article you cited has an embarrassingly low SIQ–just 5.3/10. (Good Cureus articles score 8/10 or better.) Promoting ignorance that kills people in your own political camp at disproportionate rates is both deeply immoral and strategically bizarre.
You arrived at the factually correct answer in the end, after first pandering to Big Lie adherents. There are irregularities in every election, but the salient point here is that the 2020 election was the freest, fairest, & most secure in US history–according to President Trump’s own election security team, every other credible authority, and more than 60 courts that rejected Trump’s Big Lie for lack of evidence. I get why it’s politically tempting to pander to the 70% of Republicans who persist in believing the Big Lie against all evidence, but is that what’s best for the country you profess to love? For our state? For the GOP? Is it the brave and decent thing to do? Is that the kind of person you want to be?