This blog is designed to give readers a glimpse of our editorial-page operation and how we make our decisions. We’ll let you know who we’re meeting with, what they’re telling us, what events and issues we’re looking at. We’ll also pass on information and observations that may not make our print editions. In addition to the editorial board members who post on this blog, the board includes Publisher David Zeeck, Executive Editor Karen Peterson and Managing Editor Dale Phelps.
Editorial board bloggers
Editorial page editor Patrick O’Callahan oversees the online and printed opinion sections of The News Tribune. He came to The News Tribune in 1987 and has worked at Washington newspapers since 1979. E-mail him at patrick.ocallahan@thenewstribune.com
Editorial writer Cheryl Tucker, in addition to writing commentary, manages the daily production of the editorial and op-ed pages and edits letters to the editor. She began her journalism career in 1974 at a Virginia newspaper and came to The News Tribune in 1978. E-mail her at cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com.
Editorial writer Kim Bradford manages the online opinion section of The News Tribune and writes commentary. She joined The News Tribune in 2005 after working 11 years at newspapers in Washington and Maryland. E-mail her at kim.bradford@thenewstribune.com.
Guest bloggers
Editor emeritus David Seago retired from The News Tribune in 2008 after 41 years at The News Tribune. E-mail him at sds99@harbornet.com.
Richard Davis’ column on state politics frequently runs in the print edition of The News Tribune. He was president of the Washington Research Council, a statewide think tank, from 1986 through 2006. Currently, as a principal with The Simeon Partnership, Inc. he coordinates the activities of the Washington Alliance for a Competitive Economy, a business coalition founded by the Research Council, the Association of Washington Business and the Washington Roundtable.
Karen Irwin of University Place, a mother of four, has been a frequent contributor to The News Tribune's print editions. She has also written for Seattle's Child, Puget Sound Parent, the Tacoma Weekly, the Fayetteville Observer Times and the political blog Right Meets Left. She graduated from California Lutheran University with a degree in English literature and is currently working toward a history degree.
Michael Allen, professor of history at the University of Washington Tacoma, was born and raised in Ellensburg. He served with the U.S. Marines in Vietnam from 1969-70. He has written five books, including the prize-winning "Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus' Great Discovery to the War on Terror," "Rodeo Cowboys in the North American Imagination" and "Western Rivermen, 1763-1861: Ohio and Mississippi Boatmen and the Myth of the Alligator Horse." Allen lives in Tacoma and Ellensburg and has three children.
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This editorial will appear in tomorrow's print edition.
Almost always, the slimiest campaign ads are excreted by organizations – sometimes mysterious ones – that operate at a convenient distance from the candidates they benefit.
Take, for instance, a recent flyer disseminated by the Voter Education Committee, an outfit funded by firefighters and unions. It features a pile of $100 bills and reads, “Don’t let Pat McCarthy (D) and her friends at the BIAW buy this election!”
What does Pat McCarthy, a Democratic candidate for Pierce County executive, have to do with the Building Industry Association of Washington, an aggressively pro-Republican organization? Nothing. They aren’t political allies or contributors of hers, let alone “friends.”
The unions support McCarthy’s Democratic rival, Calvin Goings. They can spread this falsehood at arm’s length, because they operate independently.
Similarly, but more covertly, voters in the 2nd Legislative District have been treated to a brochure that blames Sen. Marilyn Rasmussen of Eatonville personally for “tens of billions of dollars in higher taxes.”
This editorial will appear in Tuesday's print edition.
Most Washington voters have it good and easy
For many voters in other states, an array of hurdles must be overcome in order to exercise their precious right.
The images are jaw-dropping: Long lines of people waiting to vote snake out of polling places, into parking lots and down the street.
They’re young and old, black and white. Some of them have waited hours – up to eight in some cases, even in the cold and rain – to vote. To say they are motivated is an understatement.
Americans have been guilty of being lackadaisical voters and taking their ballot box privileges for granted. That doesn’t appear to be happening this year. We’re turning out – with a vengeance.
1. Political groups that pay for slander own the slander. So do candidates who don't disavow it.
2. Washingtonians are fortunate in avoiding the ordeals voters in some other states have to face to cast their ballots.
If you have comments or questions about these topics, please email them to patrick.ocallahan@thenewstribune.com. Editorials represent the consensus view of The News Tribune's editorial board.
Want to sit in on a daily ed board meeting? Email cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com to make an appointment.
