September 12, 2011

WA Daily Bullet Points

Beginning today, at around noon ET each day (give or take an hour), I'm going to aim to post what I'll be calling "WA Daily Bullet Points," a summary of interesting tidbits relevant to politics, and occasionally other things, affecting my home state.

Here's the inaugural edition:

  • Jay Inslee brings in $500k in August, bringing his total war chest to $1.62 million.
  • Rob McKenna outspends Inslee as the gubernatorial race heats up.
  • Ron Sims might, maybe, run for Seattle Mayor (or so the rumor mill suggests) and Publicola's Morning Fizz is treating that as less of a joke than previously. (Count me out as a prospective supporter of any Sims bid).
  • The P-I has a great slideshow of 9 Capitol Hill places long gone that's made me all nostalgic.  I went to school on First Hill and spent a lot of time during my teenage years hanging out on Capitol Hill.  And yes, I still mourn Minnie's (which is featured in the slideshow) every time I'm back home.

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September 2, 2011

An overlooked asset Team Perry may bring to the table

As media focus on Rick Perry's presidential campaign continues to mount, Politico's Mike Allen reports this morning on Team Perry's senior staff composition in a piece that is unlikely to grab headlines or attention to a large degree (staffing isn't as sexy as allegations of "Dominionism") but which is arguably quite important:...

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September 1, 2011

Baumgartner to enter WA-Sen race against Cantwell?

From the NW Daily Marker:

[I]n Sunday’s Everett Herald came the rumor that State Senator Michael Baumgartner is considering entering the 2012 Senate race against Maria Cantwell. It now appears that it is more than a rumor, with an exploratory committee perhaps in the works.

Despite his relative youth (Baumgartner is 35) he already has compiled a resume that is diverse, international and impressive. A WSU economics grad who grew up in Pullman and Spokane, he holds a Masters in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard University and has been to more than 70 countries and worked extensively in both the private and public sector.

He has taught economics both as a volunteer in Mozambique after WSU, and as a Teaching Fellow in Economics at Harvard. Baumgartner is extremely knowledgeable about the Middle East, having served as an Economics Officer with the US State Department during the Iraq Surge, later worked as an embedded advisor to an Afghan Government counter-narcotic team helping farmers to grow wheat instead of opium, and he is frequently asked to advise senior members of the US military on the economics of counterinsurgency....

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