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WA Electoral College: All 12 votes for Obama

WA Electoral College: All 12 votes for Obama

Reflecting the winner-take-all nature of the Electoral College system, Washington’s electors on Monday awarded all 12 of the state’s electoral votes to the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The event, convened by Secretary of State Sam Reed and Gov. Chris Gregoire, went off the clockwork.  The carefully scripted, time-honored process was much like the one taking place in all state capitals. As flags outside the Capitol stood at half-staff, electors gathered in the State Reception Room and…

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Washington Librarian Goes to Washington

Washington Librarian Goes to Washington

The “other” Washington, that is, Washington D.C. Mark Ray, Washington’s 2011 Teacher of the Year, and a librarian and media specialist from Skyview High School, Vancouver, WA, is currently in the nation’s capitol where he, along with the teachers of the year from the other states, got to visit the White House, and shake the president’s hand. While in town he also plans to meet with Washington’s senators, and others to advocate for school libraries. In this picture, Mark is…

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Bridgeport High School finalist in Commencement Challenge

Bridgeport High School finalist in Commencement Challenge

Bridgeport High School, with 170 students, is one of six finalists in the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. Located near Chief Joseph Dam (Douglas County) with a population of a little over 2,000, it has a chance to win a commencement address from President Obama. Please give them a ‘high five’ at http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/Commencement According to the White House, “hundreds of applications were received and were judged based on the schools’ performance, essay questions and supplemental data. The six…

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Gregoire leaving? Then what?

Gregoire leaving? Then what?

Amid speculation that Governor Gregoire could be President Obama’s pick for U.S. Solicitor General , our elections folks are getting bombarded with questions about succession, special elections and so forth. Here is an internal memo from Elections Director Nick Handy and Assistant Director Katie Blinn: “If the Governor were to resign, the following would apply. The “duties of the office shall devolve upon the  Lieutenant Governor” without any action by anyone. If the Governor were to resign May 31 or…

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‘Obama-bucks’: Show us the money

‘Obama-bucks’: Show us the money

A new 50-state survey gives Washington high marks for giving its citizens a clear view of what’s happening to federal stimulus money. Good Jobs First, a nonprofit watchdog and public policy outfit in DeeCee, is tracking the $787 billion American Recovery & Investment Act that passed last February with a presidential promise of “an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability.”  More than $200 billion is flowing through state and local governments through more than 200 pots of money. The White House has…

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Kick start your ‘One Thing’ tonight!

Kick start your ‘One Thing’ tonight!

Remember all that talk around our office about Finding Your One Thing? Tonight’s your chance to actually do that One Thing to get engaged in your community. In what promises to be a kick of a party tonight from 4 to 7 p.m. at Heritage Park in Olympia, the Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason, and Thurston Counties is hosting an event to get people of all ages psyched about President Obama’s national call for a summer of service. Obama’s United We…

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If Patty or Maria head to greener pastures …

If Patty or Maria head to greener pastures …

If Sen. Patty Murray or Sen. Maria Cantwell moved over to the Obama Cabinet or left for greener pastures  (something we’re not expecting, nor do we liken them to cattle!)  how would their successor be picked? With President Obama already responsible for four U.S. senators moving over to the Executive Branch (can you name them??),  it’s a logical question, since there’s no single preferred method in the USA.   In the case of a U.S. House vacancy, like the one created when Rahm Emanuel’s became White House…

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Must-see TV …

Must-see TV …

One more tidbit, courtesy of The Elway Poll:  Even though it was a work day for most, two-thirds of Washington voters sampled by Stuart Elway said they watched the Obama inauguration on TV or listened to the radio live feed. About 22 percent said they were unable to tune in and 10 percent said they didn’t have any desire to. Large majorities of Democrats (72 percent) watched their guy getting sworn in, versus 56 percent of the self-described Republicans and 64 percent of…

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About that Obama Bounce …

About that Obama Bounce …

What goes up does come down eventually. Independent pollster Stuart Elway says Washington voters’ party preferences are returning to normal “Blue State” range after spiking in favor of the Democrats during Barack Obama’s run for the presidency last fall.  People don’t register by party in Washington, but Elway always likes to ask folks how they describe their own preference.  In the days before the presidential election, a whopping 46 percent said they’d register as Democrats if Washington had registration. The stratospheric number remained…

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