Paulette Jordan campaign chief’s resignation: Was it over PAC, or on-job friction?

Dale Uncategorized

NewImageOne of my readers made an astute observation: 

Jordan’s campaign has always been about positioning her for the next democratic presidential cabinet. “Idaho First…” is a farce.

I’ve heard rumors that the Dems were looking for another Obama, but this time a woman of other-color. 

What better than an über-progressive Native American woman? They can hit every checkmark there. 

So the play would be similar to the one the ran with Obama: a one-term governor and then president. 

Brilliant move. 

And, no, it’s not about “Idaho First.”

Paulette Jordan’s campaign released a photo Thursday of its then-campaign manager, Michael Rosenow, posing with Jordan’s opponent in the race for governor, Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little, at a Little fundraiser Aug. 29 on the Basque Block in Boise. 

“Upon seeing the photo of her campaign manager with lieutenant governor Little, Paulette Jordan said this is unseemly behavior for a campaign manager,” said Jordan’s communications manager, Dana Ferris. “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back at that point.”

It is unclear whether Rosenow meant the photo as a joke; he couldn’t be reached for comment.

Rosenow resigned abruptly Sept. 14, along with two other campaign staffers. On Thursday, the Idaho Statesman reported that the resignation was tied to concern over the campaign’s formation of a federal super PAC with donations from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

Oregon school test scores indicate continuing low performance by students

Dale Uncategorized

There’s only one fix: raise taxes and give the schools more money! </sarcasm>

Oregon elementary students have rebounded from last year’s dip in reading and writing skills, but academic achievement remains mostly low across the state, according to state test scores.

The percentages of students demonstrating mastery in math this year are the lowest in the four years that Oregon’s students have taken the nationally benchmarked Smarter Balanced tests, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

Mastery in reading and writing has barely moved in four years, staying below 60 percent in elementary and middle schools.

 

Idaho job growth soaring as population increases

Dale Uncategorized

Economist says Idaho is one of fastest growing states as more people flood into urban centers. 

While the rest of the country’s job growth rate has been slowing down, Idaho’s has been accelerating since the population consistently remains the first or second fastest growing in the nation, said Sam Wolkenhauer, Idaho Department of Labor regional economist for northern Idaho.

Wolkenhauer addressed roughly 50 people at the Idaho Economic Development Association Fall Summit Thursday at the University of Idaho Pitman Center in Moscow.

Wolkenhauer said Idaho is typically competing with Utah for the fastest-growing state supremacy.

Starting in 2014, Idaho’s job growth rate has been increasing, rising from about 2 percent per year to about 3.5 percent more recently, he said.

Retirement-aged people – or those 65 and older – in urban areas make up the vast majority of Idaho’s population growth from 2000 to 2015, Wolkenhauer said.

He said Idaho’s urban areas have seen 77 percent population growth among those 65 and older, a 32 percent increase of people aged 15 to 64 and a 31 percent spike in those 14 and younger.

In rural Idaho, the youth population is slightly shrinking and has been for a long time, Wolkenhauer said. He said the working age is only growing 5 percent in rural areas since 2000.

“When we’re talking about population growth in Idaho, not only is it concentrated in urban areas, but the growth of the working population is especially concentrated in urban areas,” Wolkenhauer said.

He said Idaho is becoming increasingly urbanized at an extremely fast rate, but it is still a relatively rural state compared to the rest of the country.

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Sheriff takes heat for post on his Facebook page

Dale Uncategorized

17bb0a7009dcf55e58bf8ec85030759fThe sheriff’s wife meant to post this to her Facebook page. She accidentally posted it to his husband’s page. And he’s taking heat for it, being asked to resign over it. 

Nez Perce County Sheriff Joe Rodriguez apologized Saturday for a meme his wife posted to his Facebook page that mocked women who don’t immediately report sexual assault.

“It’s problematic for anybody,” Rodriguez said of posting such material. But he agreed that it was especially problematic for an elected law enforcement official. “I don’t take anything of this sort lightly. I don’t care if it was 30 years ago. It takes a lot for someone to come forward and say ‘This happened to me.’ ”

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/sep/23/sheriff-takes-heat-for-post-on-his-facebook-page/

Ben and Jerry’s decided to ask the internet to name seven new ice cream flavors to promote seven progressives running for Congress.

Dale Uncategorized

Never ask a question you do not already know the answer to. 

Just in case you didn’t know, Ben and Jerry of overpriced ice cream fame are Bernie Bros. and flaming progressive liberals — but of course you knew that. Ben Cohen has his eye on the midterms, and on Friday he asked for help coming up with names for seven new ice cream flavors to represent seven up-and-coming progressives running for Congress.

We love the disclaimer, “The people, not the corporation” — gotta keep it grassroots, you know?

Anyway, the internet came through and provided some great suggestions.

These are too good not to share! 

 

Jordan staffer left over campaign’s PAC ties

Dale Uncategorized

5ac84cdf160bb imageThis is a fascinating article from the Associated Press. It looks like there are Democratic staffers with a backbone. 

Rosenow claims campaign focused more on raising money for federal political action committee tackling First Nations’ issues

BOISE – Idaho Democratic gubernatorial candidate Paulette Jordan’s campaign has been fundraising for a new federal political action committee known as a “super PAC” since May, prompting the resignation of a top campaign staffer.

The Idaho Statesman reports former campaign manager Michael Rosenow was frustrated because he said the campaign wasn’t focused on raising money to win the race and instead focused on raising money for a federal PAC that is barred from using those funds in coordination with Jordan’s campaign.

Federal super PACs can raise unlimited amounts of money, but it can only be spent on independent expenditures. Those expenditures can’t be made in coordination with a campaign or they are no longer considered independent.

The Strength and Progress PAC was created in July “to accept donations from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe … for spending on Federal First Nations’ issues,” according to a statement from the PAC. Jordan is a member and was formerly one of the leaders of the Tribe.

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Condition of temporary bridge raises concerns

Dale Uncategorized

I’ve had to drive over this bridge a dozen times. It’s really sketchy. 

As the Idaho Transportation Department inches toward completion of the $1.4 million bridge replacement project on U.S. Highway 95 spanning Four Mile Creek near Viola, residents have expressed concern over the state of the temporary bridge erected at the site.

http://dnews.com/local/condition-of-temporary-bridge-raises-concerns/article_1b865ab5-5a0a-58ce-a4ac-9e7ae07a1e37.html

Gen Z won’t kill brick-and-mortar, new surveys say

Dale Uncategorized

I’ve heard a lot of Gen-Z’s say that they like to go into the stores to shop, but not to buy. So they try clothes on and check out how it looks on them, but they actually buy online where it’s cheaper. That’s not going to help local retail stores. 

I wish the survey had distinguished between shopping and buying. That’s the rub. 

If millennials are killing brick-and-mortar stores, then their successors might save it, according to new surveys that say some young shoppers actually like to shop in person.

A survey from analytics firm Profitect Inc. said about 42 percent of shoppers age 18-22 (the post-millennial age group) prefer to shop in-store versus online. And 34 percent of respondents said they like both equally, while only 23 percent said they preferred online.

Surveys like this are a relief to brick-and-mortar retailers such as Macy’s and Gap Inc., which have been closing stores in recent years as online sales grow.

It also follows a survey released last week from the National Retail Federation, which said 98 percent of Gen Z shoppers prefer to make purchases in a store versus online.

However, the Profitect survey said younger shoppers demand that a retailer’s website has an accurate count of what’s in stock at a particular store and that bad customer service can turn away those customers.

“They are killing the idea that online and offline are separate,” a statement from NRF director of retail and consumer insights Katherine Cullen said. “They’re really intertwining the digital and physical worlds and balancing digital experience with what they expect in the physical environment.”

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/sep/20/gen-z-wont-kill-brick-and-mortar-new-surveys-say/

Report: Washington unemployment rate lowest in 42 years

Dale Uncategorized

Praise be to Obama </sarcasm>

The Democrats are praying hard to Gaia for a sudden economic disaster. 

OLYMPIA – A recent report shows Washington’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.5 percent last month – the lowest rate for August since 1976.

A report released Wednesday by the Employment Security Department shows the state’s economy added 9,100 jobs in August as the unemployment rate dropped from 4.6 percent in July.

The monthly report shows the greatest private job growth occurred in professional and business services, which were up by 3,300. Construction was up by 2,900 and the leisure and hospitality sector was up by 2,200.

Washington added an estimated 109,400 new jobs from August 2017 through August 2018. The private sector grew by 3.9 percent, up an estimated 107,200 jobs, while public sector employment increased by 0.4 percent with a net gain of 2,200 jobs.

The national unemployment rate remained at 3.9 percent in August.

Postal workers gather downtown to protest privatization of mail services

Dale Uncategorized

I got a chuckle out of this article, in multiple places. 

Nearly two dozen postal workers and local labor union members gathered on the steps of the downtown U.S. Post Office on Thursday to protest privatizing mail services and demand Congressional action.

Ken Cruz, a clerk at the U.S. Postal Service Processing and Distribution Center in Spokane, said the group was made up of local postal workers and teacher union members and is demanding congressional reforms instead of privatization, which the Trump administration has discussed.

What in the world do teachers and mail carriers have in common? 

The fear of privatization. Because no one can deliver packages better than the government. And no one can teach kids better than the government. 

He said one of the group’s main demands is that U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers get behind U.S. House Resolution 993, which states that the postal service should remain within the federal government.

Dena Mullenix-Gallion, who also works at the distribution center, said she’s concerned that privatization could mean substandard, or no service for small communities.

Because FedEx and UPS provide substandard service? And the USPS provides hands-down better service? 

How do they think these private companies compete so much better than the government can. 

Time how long you stand in line at the USPS vs. at FedEx/UPS. Last time I went to the Moscow USPS, their card readers were down. It made for no lines since it was a cash-only day. 

“If somebody else buys in, big towns can deliver the mail,” she said. “But rural places won’t have anyone.”

Because UPS and FedEx don’t do rural delivery? 

  1. Brian Baker, a post office clerk from Mead, said the group has sent thousands of letters to McMorris Rodgers asking she examine health benefits for retirees and postal banking and raise the standard of service now offered at most post offices.

Raise to match FedEx and UPS? 

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/sep/20/postal-workers-gather-downtown-to-protest-privatiz/

Gallup Vault: Anita Hill’s Charges Against Clarence Thomas

Dale Uncategorized

Who can forget back in October 1991, right before the senate voted to confirm Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, the Democrats hauled out Anita Hill and her allegations. They did this at the last minute as a Hail Mary play before Thomas was confirmed. But when it was over, 

by the end of the hearings, the public was once again twice as likely to believe Thomas over Hill (55% to 27%). The day before the vote was to take place, 58% of Americans said they favored the Senate confirming Thomas, while 30% were opposed.

And here we are again. Sen. Feinstein sat on this accusation against Kavanaugh for two months. She was waiting to see how the confirmation was going. And if it didn’t go her way, she would play her trump card. 

I really, really hate partisan politics. 

https://news.gallup.com/vault/242417/gallup-vault-anita-hill-charges-against-clarence-thomas.aspx?utm_source=tagrss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=syndication

Sheriff: Maryland warehouse shooter had mental illness but legally owned gun

Dale Uncategorized

What will happen when progressives pass a law saying that owning a law is a de facto proof of mental illness? 

It’s coming. 

ABERDEEN, Md. – The woman who killed three people and wounded others before shooting herself to death at a Maryland drugstore warehouse had been diagnosed with a mental illness and used a legally purchased gun in the rampage, a law enforcement official said Friday. 

Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler told news reporters Friday that the suspect, 26-year-old Snochia Moseley of Baltimore County, had been diagnosed with a mental illness in 2016. “That’s as far as I’ll go with it,” he said, declining to give any more details on her mental state.