Honorable Republicans

[katster]

There is a legend that there are x honorable men (I've seen different totals for the value of x, but usually 8, 12, or 36) on the planet, and it is that x amount that keeps God from destroying the world for our wickedness.

I see it a little differently. God's looking for honest Republicans.

And in Washington State, there's one, by God. His name is Sam Reed, and he's their Secretary of State. And he certified the results of this last hand count that gave Democrat Christine Gregoire the win over Republican Dino Rossi, even though his party demanded that he not do that. And he said on the matter:

"There are people who think I should be using the position of secretary of state simply to weigh the scales on the side of my own party. I just don't accept that, and it would not be proper," he said.

"There are some people who have been dismayed that I wasn't a Katherine Harris who took the position, 'I'm a Republican, and by God that comes first.' "

God bless you, Mr. Reed.

(Oh yeah, if you haven't, Orcinus is a wonderful blog -- well, wonderful in that it's well-written, but Dave Neiwert, the main writer there, isn't afraid to take on scary topics. Really. Go. Read. Now.)

Comments

[dwhagar.livejournal.com]

All I want to say is, would you like him so much if the republican part had actually won, I mean fairly?

As you'd never know if it was fair or not...

I hear republican bashes a lot given where I live... I hope I haven't judged you wrong in not being a basher.

[katster.livejournal.com]

Well, given that if there had been a clear lead by either candidate in WA State, I'd never have heard of the guy, nor would I have heard of him if Rossi had won, it's hard to say. Sometimes you have no measure of what a man is until he's put in a situation where he has to make a choice.

If Rossi had won the election fair and square, well, better luck next time, y'know? But everything was conducted according to WA State law, and Reed most definitely made the right and proper call here to certify Gregoire as the governor, because when it was all said and done, Gregoire won.

For that matter, I also count Dick Dickerson among honorable Republicans, even though his honorable stance cost him an election.

Geez. I am politically a lefty. I don't agree with a lot of what Republicans want to do to my country because I've seen the results of some of it by living in Redding. And I hate that mendacious bunch in Washington. I mean, stuff like saying that it's okay to torture people. That sort of stuff is outrageous and should be opposed by both righties and lefties. The fact that it isn't sickens and outrages me, and the fact that there aren't more Republicans saying "this is wrong" makes me worry, y'know?

There are lefties who go overboard. Some of them, frankly, haven't lived where there are Republicans. It changes the equation a bit. It's why I wasn't thrilled with some of the ultra-lefties in Berkeley either. In some ways, they're just as blind as some of the ultra-right wingers.

But where, my friend, is the line drawn for bashing? I was joking somewhat when I said God's looking for honest Republicans -- some of it is bitterness about some of the stuff I've mentioned above, but most of it was intended as a joke. If that's bashing, then I guess I'm guilty of it. And mebbe I shouldn't have talked politics here, even though I flagged the post with my politics icon and everything. Mebbe it should have gone to the politics blog, and I thought for a second before I posted it here, and I decided, aw what the hell, my politics is as much a part of me as anything else I write here.

But I was just trying to highlight a guy doing the right thing, doubly so because he's on the other side of the political aisle from me. And the fact that he did it despite threats from his own party. There's power in that. And I wanted to send it to a wider audience than the readers of the NFZ.

I'll let you make the call. If it's bashing, well then, let it be so. I don't think it is. Others might have other ideas. But I honestly thought y'knew me better, y'know?

-kat

[dwhagar.livejournal.com]

I am glad to see that I was right, you will tell me if I say something to offend you. I wasn't calling you a basher, its just that up here in the Island of Humboldt we get a lot of stuff against republicans. So much so that people I know have been thrown out of classes for being Republican and speaking their mind.

I know you're not one of those people, if you were, I wouldn't associate with you. However, you're not and that is that.

I'm glad there are honest people on both sides, I kind of am of the opinion that deception, greed, and such things belittle both sides, righty's and lefty's too much and each side never wants it to be their party. That being said, I'm neither side my views kinda jump the line too often to classify me - I think I like it that way.

I wasn't calling you a basher, but bringing up the point that honor doesn't mean a candidate will win, it just means that they'll get a fair shot and that it is always very easy to consider the possibility of dishonor when the person you don't want to win does win.

Call it devil's advocate.

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

Asking a question makes a statement.

It says "This question is up in the air. I don't know the answer, and I can't just assume the answer."

If I ask a random passerby if that person "approves of the brutal murder of children", that person might be upset. "You have to ask?" the person might say, horrified that I can't assume I already know the answer.

Did you think about that before asking your question?

[dwhagar.livejournal.com]

You have a point, but I am confident that I have known kat for a long enough time to ask a question like that without it being taken wrong.

[zibblsnrt.livejournal.com]

I don't like the term "$foo basher" much at all, especially as it's used these days.

More often than not it's a term used to dismiss valid criticism or verifiable facts by somehow implying that it is not. If I make a statement that's critical of, say, American foreign policy, I'm just an America-basher; my dislike of Bush makes me little more than a Bush-basher in the eyes of lots of people. Yes, I've had thoughts dismissed many, many times on those and similar grounds, generally without any attempt to consider the actual arguments.

So Kat mentions a politician who puts some honesty and integrity ahead of his and his party's welfare - in this day and age of questionable electoral politics all over the place - and is justly impressed, not to say surprised. And you go and accuse her of being "a basher" for this?

"You're just a basher" is a silly and spurious thing to say at the best of times; it's just a more dismissive way of saying "I disagree with you, therefore your words are in bad taste." I mean, really, now.

[dwhagar.livejournal.com]

Ok, thats enough...

I didn't dismiss anyone or anything. I'm not going to argue with you or anyone else (except for kat, who has not complained in the least) over this.

Kat knows me, know what I meant, I admire you being protective of your friend. But really, I've known kat since she was in the 7th grade, if she wanted to tell me that it was rude or it hurt her feelings she would. Its not your place, or anyone else's.

I would explain myself to you, but that would dignify this thread, which I don't want to do. I will say, you attribute far more to me than I put in my message. I'm sorry you are dismissed, but don't transfer anger at them onto me because I made a comment to a long standing friend in her journal.

I didn't even know you existed and don't know who you are.

[zibblsnrt.livejournal.com]

I suppose all I can say is that you're dreadfully, spectacularly wrong in assuming I'm not a longtime friend of Kat's, as well as in declaring that I don't have the right to comment on something someone said in a public forum, here or anywhere else.

I'll let her explain that, though. After all, you don't know who I am, so why should what I say matter?

[fearghaill.livejournal.com]

*snickers*

[kuangning]

I'm laughing my ass off over here... ;)

[phenyx.livejournal.com]

De omni re scibili et quibusdam aliis, eh?

[kuangning]

Just goes to show "long standing" doesn't translate to "close" every time. ;)

I just gotta ask, though ... how'd you miss the anniversary announcements? ;)

No, you're not bashing...

[lirazel.livejournal.com]

...although I think God is looking for honest politicians. And CEOs. And parking meter attendants, for that matter.

But yes, I do get a special thrill when someone in public life does the honorable thing at some personal cost. Not just because it goes against the stereotype, but because moral courage is admirable, wherever it is found.

The Jewish mystical tradition is that there are 36 lamed-vov, or Just Souls. They aren't here merely to do justice, but to witness injustice. They don't have a protective cover on their souls--they feel the pain of sin as deeply as God does. (Some Jews hypothesize that Jesus was one such.) And even with the 36, God sometimes creates a special Just Soul for specific times in history.

In this tradition, when a lamed-vovnik dies, that soul goes to heaven as a stone. God cradles it and breathes on it to unfreeze its sorrow, for as long as 1,000 years. Some souls just can't unfreeze even then. When that happens, God moves the date of the Last Judgement up by one second.

(I got most of this out of The Last of the Just Great, sad book.)

[salinn.livejournal.com]

Just for the record - I voted for two republicans this time around. One of them was Sam Reed. I do a lot of work with the Secretary of State's office through my job, and I've been to the office in Olympia many times (my office used to do "incorporation runs" with people - where you'd help them fill out the paperwork, and then discuss all their options, then you'd messenger the papers down to the office so they could do incorporation same-day if they couldn't get down there themselves) and it's one of the nicest places I've been down there and the people are efficient and know what they're doing, I've never had a problem with the way things run down there. Reed has always been extremely fair and non-partisan in every news-worthy event and I've never been anything but happy with him.

Except that one time - where he bought a cadillac with state money to drive around in - but that's water under the bridge, right? I mean, the guy *is* Republican. :)

[archangelbeth]

Hey, he's a politician. And human.

But it is nice to hear about someone who didn't try to fudge a win that wasn't there.

[ms-interpret.livejournal.com]

he's a politician. And human.

What?! You mean they can be both?! ;)

[beki.livejournal.com]

The race here was so close. The first count was at 40 some odd votes for Rossie, the Republican candidate. That led to an automatic recount due to state law. The vote count was different, but still in Rossi's favor. This last time the Democrats paid to have the vote recounted yet again (I dont blame them as the count was different both times) And this time Gregoire won. Mind you that doesnt tell all the political grandstanding etc. I wont bore you with that :)