Is McKenna really a "moderate"?

AP reporter Mike Baker weighs in on Rob McKenna's ties to not-so-moderate groups and individuals. 

 

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Before casting himself as a moderate in the campaign for governor, Rob McKenna met last year with members of a conservative group that has been targeted by activists as being too extreme.

The invitation-only dinner allowed McKenna to speak with a small gathering of corporate and political leaders, and he focused his remarks on efforts to combat President Barack Obama's health care law. After the event at an Olympia restaurant, the Republican sent a note to an organizer for the American Legislative Exchange Council.

"Thanks again for the opportunity," McKenna wrote to Dann Smith, according to records obtained by The Associated Press under public records laws. "Congratulations on the success you're seeing with ALEC in Washington."

Over the past decade, McKenna has portrayed himself as a centrist fit to lead this Democratic-leaning state. At the same time, he has worked closely with conservatives who might give some independents pause: He raised money for President George W. Bush, touted his work for ALEC members and has attended tea party events to talk about the Constitution.

Now, part of McKenna's quest for governor has been a public relations battle over whether his views are too conservative for Washington state.

A political action committee funded by unions has been running attack ads with the message that McKenna is "not who he says he is." A recent ad from the group tries to tie McKenna - in misleading or incorrect ways - to Republican positions on abortion, the national budget and health care.

McKenna, meanwhile, has worked to tout the support he has from some Democrats, a union of public school employees and an independent education group.

He has also staked out positions that don't align with typical Republicans. He supports the state's current laws on abortion. He believes illegal immigrants should qualify for in-state tuition. He believes women should have access to emergency contraception at all pharmacies. He says more revenue will be needed to fund future transportation projects. He supports the state's domestic partnership law - though he opposes gay marriage.

McKenna's campaign declined to comment on his work with conservative groups, but his work for Bush is detailed in archived records from his stint at the King County Council. At the time, he touted his work as a fundraiser for Bush on his resume, saying he raised $15,000 at three fundraisers before the 2000 election and volunteered at a phone bank, according to documents reviewed by the AP. Other records indicate McKenna later raised money in 2002 to support Bush's agenda as president.

ALEC has been the target of liberal activists in recent months for its support of voter ID laws and so-called "Stand Your Ground" self-defense laws, coordinating a campaign against the group in the wake of the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. The organization brings together companies and lawmakers to jointly develop model legislation that the lawmakers then bring back to their states to pass - and that closed-door coordination irks open government advocates.

Several companies have dropped participation in ALEC in recent months amid public pressure.

McKenna spoke to ALEC in March at the Waterstreet Cafe in Olympia, according to documents. ALEC organizers touted that members in attendance included Walmart, AT&T and Koch Industries - the latter being another flashpoint in politics because the Koch brothers are major funders for conservative causes.

Records suggest McKenna focused his remarks on his involvement in a lawsuit challenging Obama's health care law.

McKenna's appearances at tea party events also focused on the health care issue and whether it was constitutional. Still, McKenna was never really a tea party favorite - and another Republican, Shahram Hadian, ran in the primary with support from the far right side of the party.

Unlike his Democratic counterpart Jay Inslee, who spent more than a decade in Congress, McKenna lacks a long track record of votes that can help people discern his political leanings, said Matt Barreto, an associate professor of political science at the University of Washington. That's left a sort of information vacuum that opponents are now trying to fill with the new ads.

Barreto said McKenna needs to have broad appeal. Since Obama is expected to win the state by a wide margin, McKenna needs to persuade some of the president's voters to support a Republican later on their ballot. McKenna has clearly been trying to distance himself from contentious Republican leaders like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, but Barreto said his ties to groups like ALEC can create problems.

"That framing of McKenna's politics could end up being extremely important," Barreto said. "For a Republican to win here in Washington state, they absolutely have to convince voters that they are a moderate - that they are centrist."

Comments

[KS blathers]

Anyone who is a Republican is not a moderate, according to the Seattle aristocratic elites.

What constitutes a moderate is in the eye of the beholder. Dino Rossi could be classified as moderate as he almost became Gov. in 2004. Can anyone make a substantive case for McKenna being less moderate than Rossi ? I would call Inslee a leftist or a liberal progressive, who is not a moderate.

[Todd]

Like Rmoney, this guy is doing too much to attract extremists.

[sparky]

The difference is Inslee is proud to be a liberal. McKenna tries to come off as moderate, while hanging out with far right people like the Kochs. There are plenty of true moderate Republicans who support same sex marriage (McKenna does not) and other issues that make them unelectable in this current climate so they dont even enter the race.

[KS blathers]

HA - true moderate Republicans - only in your imagination - possibly Scott Brown, who is good for MA. Most of the so-called true moderate Repugs are progressive republicans like Arlen Specter, Lincoln Chaffee and Charlie Crist who are Democrat lite.

Funny, Democrats are becoming less electable outside of the west coast. Both sides are polarized against each other - no compromise from either faction. Until there is a change and there is bipartisanship, we are all in deep shit !

[Gentlemen Rouge]

McKenna should not have gone against Obama care.

[T-S]

That's the bottom line, Sir Rouge. It says everything.

Scott Brown - apostle of Scalia - a moderate? I don't think even Scalia would call himself a moderate.

Obama won in 2008 by sounding like a true progressive. He was elected. I keep hearing how we are a centrist country. But it is propaganda. We are not centrist and we yearn for someone to take us back to the left. But ads and lying keep emotional people voting against their own interests. They want a social safety net but they can't allow themselves to take it if it means sounding like all those McCarthy words. Words are powerful indeed.

Jean Valjean stole bread to feed his sister and her family. Today, he would steal bread, watch some ads on TV proclaiming it a sin and un-American and socialist, and he would refrain from feeding his family and they would all starve.

So it is with Americans today.

[The Better Chuck.]

This state needs people like McKenna in office just to moderate all of the leftist loons that just don't understand budget limits.
Gregoire finally came to her senses this last year or two and ended up doing a pretty decent job.
Inslee just owes too many debts to too many groups to focus on what is best for the state rather than what is best for Inslee and those that have purchased him.
Besides, I am really sick of Inlee's attack ads. He is full of shit.

[Cueburner]

I swore off the two major political parties years ago upon realizing both receive the majority of funding from corporate interests. As such too many politicians are beholden to monied interests over those of the common voter.
My yardstick now is based the past actions of the individual candidates. In the case of McKenna, I got a good idea where he's coming from by looking into his performance on the task force of the nation's attorney generals formed to investigate mortage fraud.

[Observer]

That he is a 'moderate' (in terms of politcal stance) is immaterial; it's the pragmatist in him that I see as tempting my vote. IMO, this state needs a 'practical thinker' who is not swayed by lobbiest groups. Our best chance for that just may be someone who is not afraid to find practical and sensible solutions to this State's problems. The approach that I see Mckenna taking is one of straight-thinking problem-solutions and I'm leaning in his direction at this point. Will listen carefully to debate tomorrow night and see if that influences my thinking at this point.

[T-S]

And his performance on that task force was . . .? Can you link a source, cueburner? I'd like to read about it.

My performance test is still his commitment to overturning Romneycare for the rest of us.

Having said that, I listened to the Jill Stein/Rocky Anderson debate on Democracy Now. Stein, a doctor in Massachusetts says that Romneycare doesn't even work there. She says the rates are so high many people cannot afford them or that coverage is so poor they end up going into bankruptcy anyway. She also said that the poor (under $20K)have pretty good care but middle class families are suffering. Even in Massachusetts. And Massachusetts got a special deal that the rest of us can never get because it involved an agreement obtained with the help of Ted Kennedy regarding medicaid that can not be replicated. Man, nothing is as it seems. Everything is smoke and mirrors these days.

I might just throw them all to the wolves and vote Stein.

[Preston]

Carter had a plan to expand medicare but Kennedy led a coalition to vote it down as the 2 were running in the primaries in 1980. It's too bad, we could of had something the right-wingers on here would be willing through clinched teeth, to defend.

[T-S]

When you tell that story about Ted Kennedy, it just proves how selfish all politicians can be. I wouldn't have thought that of Kennedy. I was wrong. I don't think Carter would have done something like that. He was a patient man who got us through a tough four years without much pain. All the hostages returned. All of them.

Good article analyzing the debate here. Ted Kennedy called Mitt "multiple-choice Mitt." Funny.

[sparky]

' IMO, this state needs a 'practical thinker' who is not swayed by lobbiest groups." Except for the Koch brothers, right?

[T-S]

Umm, that wouldn't be ALEC you're thinking of, would it, Sparky? Practical thinking if you're a corporatist or monarchist or plutocrat.

[Hedge Fund Hal]

T-S do you really believe that Obam will win the next two debates or even one of them? I'm going on record as stating that I believe Obama will lose both with clear decisions against him made by the American public. Some of the analysts are changing their tunes now , saying that it wasn't so much that Obama was so bad last week,although he WAS bad, but that Romney was just so much superior as a debater. Remember how awful McCain was in 2008? You could argue that the Obama of last week could still have beaten the 2008 McCain. Obama last week was similar to McCain in 2008 in that he would mostly never look at Romney and seemed to hold Romney in contempt, as someone "beneath" him.

[Preston]

"Some of the analysts"...

[Cueburner]

TS-
Use your own search engine of choice, do you own research, be objective, and form your own opinion. By all means, don't allow me nor anyone else sway your opinion by interjecting our interpretation.

[sparky]

Nope, I am referring to the Koch brothers who are dumping millions and millions in cash to Republican candidates.

"The nation's second-largest private company, Koch Industries is headed by the two brothers, who along with their associates and their company's subsidiaries have given hundreds of millions of dollars to Republican interests, including candidates, smear campaigns against clean energy initiatives, and now to McKenna. Koch Industries has given more than $2 million to the RGA during the 2012 campaign cycle, helping the organization funnel more than $5.5 million into attack ads in our state."

"Georgia Pacific, a Koch Subsidiary, gave the maximum $3,600 to McKenna, while the attorney general has also taken $6,400 from two members of the Koch Brothers' $1 million donors club, who also run a coal mining company in Virginia. All told, more than $15,000 has come to McKenna by way of the Koch Brothers, while millions have gone to the RGA and other national Republican organizations."

In August 2012, the Seattle-PI
reported that McKenna was heading to Aspen, Colorado for a meeting with the top donors to the Republican Governors Association and that “a top political aide” to David and Charles Koch would be attending. [Seattle-PI, 8/01/12]

Virginia Gilliam, relative of Robert & Leslie who are members of the Koch Brothers’ $1 million donors club, has given McKenna $3,000 in his campaign for governor. [PDC, accessed 8/14/12 PubliCola, 9/13/11]

Why would anyone think that McKenna would take money from powerful people like the Kochs and they would not have his ear?

[Observer]

That McKenna would take $money from willing donors (as all politicians do) is a far cry from assuming he would let them influence him in a State run matter. I would say he is less likely to be influenced in this way than most candidates. Notwithstanding political parties.

[nameless]

conservitive doners give with the intent to forward their intent, progressive doners give with the intent to forward the greater good. it's the reason you guy's call us socialist.

[Observer]

What are doners?

[T-S]

Use your own search engine of choice,...

Hahaha. Funny. You say it better but you sound just like another on this blog who can never back up his comments. That earns you an incomplete.

Sparky, the Koch Brothers are ALEC. Yes, I was referring to them too. And I agree.

I would say he is less likely to be influenced ...

Another hahaha. Opinions aren't worth much are they. "Mr. Follow-the-lead-of-red-state-repubicans-on-healthcare-and-grateful-ALEC-member" McKenna is just as easily influenced as anybody else. Apparently, you like his influencers. And you ought to be able to figure out what a "doner" is in the context in which it is written. An objective response would affirm nameless' claim whether spelled correctly or not.

[sparky]

So, Observer, you assume that if you give McKenna $50 dollars, he will give you the same attention as he does to someone who dumps millions into nationally funded commercials on his behalf? By the way, he liked Scott Walker before he didn't.

[nameless]

ohhh sorry,i ment conservitive boners.

didn't want to bring on the ire of the grammar police.

[Squeaky]

I don't assume or expect anything, except to possibly (in some small way) help the candidate of my choice get elected. Upon election, I subsequently expect the same attention as any other citizen and member of elected official's constituency.

[T-S]

Where's the vice president debate thread?

[KS blathers]

After watching the Gov. debate tonight, it should be apparent that McKenna is not an extremist. Inslee is an extremist in moderate clothing and with balloon government, while McKenna will improve the economy and reduce the power of teacher's unions and not pick winners and losers like Inslee will. McKenna has more credibility. Will King County be able to manufacture enough votes for him to be denied ? Maybe not, if you want to believe that vote counting is less corrupt than it used to be. Not sure yet.

He'd like to invest in a Solyndra (solar company with a different name). Who in the hell needs that ? He would be more leftist than Gregoire.

[KS blathers]

Anyone who votes for Inslee is a true believer of insanity "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". The problem is that you who vote for him will be enhancing your own insanity. He will be more of the same Gregoire big government- higher taxes and bigger government and less freedom. He will continue to stymie small business and use taxpayer money to invest in green energy schemes that may work down the road, when the cost/benefit ratio is favorable, but that ratio is quite unfavorable now.

The larger the government, the smaller the individual and you can take that to the bank. Not one totalitarian country in history has or can disprove this unassailable fact.