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Wiggins has run a campaign of ad hominen attacks and every time Sanders has been given the opportunity, I've seen him respond to every one of these allegations.
If you look at the cover of Washington Law and Politics you will see a cover article on the states greatest living civil rights lawyer, Lem Howell.
Howell is also heading Sanders campaign. What does that tell you?
Sanders has been the strongest consistent advocate for civil rights on the court.
Recently in the Fry decision, 4 of 9 of the WA Supreme Court Justices said that if a patient had medical marijuana authorization it was okay for the police to come into their house upon smelling the marijuana, seize it all, charge the person criminally and the most the person could do was offer their authorization as a defense at trial. 4 of the other justices found against this on a technicality. Sanders alone said, no this is wrong.
Wiggins by contrast attacks these very sort of decisions. This is why he is so favored by the prosecutors. Put him in place and we will likely have the 5th vote on this and many others.
From a civil liberties perspective, a disaster.
I welcome more information and opinion on Sanders and his opponents.
SpeechesCompared to the Hospitality Suite parties, the formal speeches were pretty dull.
I heard speeches by US Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), US Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), US Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), US Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA), Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA), US Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA), and Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire. The speeches were almost without exception smart, forceful, and inspiring. They touched on the correct, populist, progressive talking points: regulating Wall Street, making BP pay, the evils of Bush and the Republicans, the evils of the insurance companies, banning drilling off the Pacific coast, extending unemployment benefits, minimum wage, and a woman's right to choose. Hearing the speeches, one is apt to think, Hey, the Dems are great, they have our best interests at heart. Perhaps most of them do.
In her spech at the banquet, Governor Gregoire said that a 2 cent tax on a can of pop is worth it in exchange for health care for the poor. And 28 cents for a pack of beer is worth it so that a three year old can go to preschool. Yes, but far better would be to eliminate tax exemptions for out-of-state banks, for TransAlta Power and for private aircraft.
In Senator Wyden's speech at the convention banquet, he claimed that China is highly protectionist towards software. The US needs a smart trade policy to stimulate exports. We need real green energy. Windmills don't make toxic spills. America, not Asia, should lead in green technology. We also need to eliminate tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas.
Wyden thinks the financial reform bill is a good start. In contrast, Thom Hartmann thinks it's another giveaway to powerful corporations.
Wyden said that he went to conservative Eastern Oregaon and said at a townhall meeting, "If you don't like gay marriage, don't get one."
Wyden said that some people think Democrats will sit out this election, in frustration at the slow pace of reform. But Wyden thinks the voters should realize that even Obama can't solve all problems in 15 minutes.
According to Wikipedia's article, Wyden has been liberal on tax policy (he opposed the Bush tax cuts and the bank bailouts but he wants to eliminate the estate tax, for example); liberal on environmental issues; and mixed on health care (he supported Bush's Medicare Prescription Drug Act). He voted against authorizing the use of military force in Iraq.
