June 3, 2008 - 4:03pm
Osgood runs to the right of Reed
By Wally Edge
Category: LocalTags: Dino Rossi, Chris Gregoire, Secretary of State, Sam Reed, Jason Osgood, Sound Politics, Ralph MunroTop Story: Opinion
While the rest of the Democratic Party is riding a blue wave with Obama at the top of the ticket and strong left-leaning candidates down the ballot, there’s one democrat who’s running to the right.
That’s Jason Osgood, computer programmer and blogger, taking on Sam Reed for the Secretary of State spot. According to David Postman at the Seattle Times, Osgood "says the state Democratic Party will support his campaign."
Despite what he says about the Democratic Party, it’s clear that Osgood is counting on an appeal to republicans still holding a grudge against Secretary of State Sam Reed. Reed was widely criticized by state and national republicans in 2004 for following the law and refusing to create some imaginary issue that would put Dino Rossi into the governor's office instead of Chris Gregoire. Many republicans refuse to believe that the final vote tally was correct, and they have never forgiven Reed for costing Rossi the election.
So-called democrat Jason Osgood is one of those who is still holding a grudge, so he has made Reed his opponent while King County Elections remains his personal nemisis. Osgood disapproves of mail voting, ballot tracking and high-speed vote counting machines; he also wants to protect voter privacy and ensure a fair and accurate count (don’t we all). He’s already earned the endorsement of the right-wing bloggers at Sound Politics.
Secretary of State Sam Reed, on the other hand, has proved that he can rise above petty party politics and do what is right under the law and for the people. He implemented elections reforms to improve voting accuracy and access under federal law. A former county auditor himself, he understands the ground-level details and mechanics of elections, public records and business filings. He saved our State Library and fought to procure a new State Heritage Center to bring Washington history to life for our children. He is liked and respected by county auditors, by former Secretary of State Ralph Munro, by unions, environmentalists, and activists across the board. Secretary of State Sam Reed knows his stuff, voters can trust him and he deserves to win this grudge match.
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the REAL story behind this post
I browsed through the post, looking for the part where speculation would end and facts would be mentioned. Never found it.
My personal belief is that the so-called author of this post is trying to work out his personal grudge against a father who forced him to dress up as a dandelion as a child. Do I need to offer any evidence? Hell, no! I like my story, and I'm sticking by it.
You're kidding, right?
Since when is election integrity a "right" wing issue? Across most of the country, it's been the left leading the charge for accountable elections. If it weren't for the Rossi cry-baby fest of 2004, the right wing in Washington would still be dismissing election integrity as an issue.
To describe Jason Osgood as "running to the right" of Sam Reed is laughable. On every single issue of any significance Osgood is to the left of Reed. Even Postman, in the article that you so brazenly misrepresent, was clear about where Osgood is coming from:
"...He has quietly established himself as the No. 1 opponent of the county's plan for all-mail elections. He's done it from the left, in contrast to the opposition we have come to expect from the right and done much to make the movement a bipartisan success."
So nice try, but no cigar. Reed is out of step with voters of Washington on election integrity and just about everything else. Slandering his real Democratic opponent won't help you change that.
The Pelz-Osgood Connection
So Osgood is the Democrats' and Chairman Dwight Pelz's pick. Good ... not really ... good, meaning for Mark Greene (Party of Commons), another candidate for Secretary of State and Osgood's opponent. Pelz is hostile towards "Top 2" and the Democrats in the Washington Legislature are trying to take apart the Initiative system by piecemeal. That formula won't go over too good with the majority of Washingtonians, especially if they are trying to install the top state elections official. Be wary of the Pelz-Osgood attempted takeover of the Secretary of State's office. (eom)
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