v. velasquez vs. j. hague - can voters please apply ethical standards evenly?

[maxsolomon]

one is arrested for DWI. election campaign goes down in flames.

another is arrested for DWI, and LIES ABOUT HER COLLEGE DEGREE, spends $400,000 on her campaign, and is re-elected.

what conclusion are we to draw? here's mine: "liberal" seattle voters are MORE JUDGEMENTAL & LESS FORGIVING than the conservatives in Jane Hague's eastside district. or the eastside is way more gullible. because lying about having a college degree gets you FIRED in other jobs.

[Fenris]

1. There are many reasons Hague retained her seat.

She is a long-serving member in a solid red position. Like it or not, Hague is apparently what her constituents want. Pope was a laughable long-shot candidate - he's now lost 11 races in the last 13 years 10 of those as a Republican. Had a more viable candidate been put up against Hague, he or she might have beaten the incumbent. If you look at the results, Pope actually got a respectable 41% to Hague's 56%. Nearly 3% of voters chose to write in someone instead. Not a ringing endorsement of Hague by any stretch, and she should be wary of a more serious challenger next time.

As for the Velazquez race, I voted for her opponent on the basis of his strengths rather than her weaknesses. Perhaps others did as well.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. Two entirely different constituencies

Hague ran as a Republican in a largely Republican district. As long as she is white, Christian and heterosexual, who cares how many crimes she commits? Also, she was running against a Democrat that even the Democratic Party was denouncing; the Democrats could not be bothered to field any candidate, much less one with a snowball's chance in Hell of winning, which got Pope on the ballot by default.

The race between Venus Velasquez and Bruce Harrell was nowhere near as clean cut. Both candidates had strong points and weak points. In the end, I voted for Harrell. Why? Because drunk driving is a deliberate choice to commit a felony. Unlike most Republicans, willingness to violate the law and then call it "a regrettable lapse" after being caught is a deal-breaker with me.