Letter to the editor/opinion: Democrats have lost their credibility

Editor:
In times of stress, Americans including Washingtonians come together and look for how daily problems and the many crises we face can be averted.
Responsibility falls on our elected officials, to the best of their abilities, to proactively and legislatively help us avoid crisis and work to help citizens to “protect and maintain individual rights.”
Legislators especially need to avoid negatively impacting the lives of the least served, lowest incomes and minimally represented. And we are often reminded of the importance of this by all of our elected officials.
In our represented democracy, many voices are needed to achieve the best results.
Recently, Democrats in Washington state proposed to eliminate a 132-year-old rule that allows the possibility of comment on the floor of the Washington State House of Representatives. The elimination of this rule could eliminate the voices of the minority.
Democrats, by controlling who can speak, control the voice of opposition and undermines our democracy.
The Democrat party has lost credibility and puts on public display just how anti-democratic they really are.
Jeff Scherrer
Edmonds
Former Vice Chair Snohomish County Republican Party (2015)
Republican House Candidate, Legislative District 21 (2014 and 2016)
  1. Jeff could you be a more specific by stating the verbiage in the 132 year old rule? Then if you could state the verbiage in the proposal to eliminate it? Who are the democrats submitting the proposal? Your opinion piece would carry more weight if your basis for democrats losing their credibility (the removal of a 132 year old rule) was verifiable.

    1. This elimination of this was a recent story in the Seattle Times. It can all be researched through their website or through Google. It’s a travesty that politics have come to this ridiculousness!!

  2. The proposal is not to end debate but to allow debate to be ended by a majority vote rather than a supermajority vote. The idea is to get legislation voted on in a more timely manner. Supposedly there are already limits on debate and speakers must speak to the issue at hand.. There is no filibuster allowed in any case.
    The democrats do need to address the concerns of republicans if they want to keep their majority. But this proposal will not change or fix the problem of misinformation that is fueling polarization in our state.
    Thank you to Jeff for raising the issue

  3. How can any Republican claim that democrats are eroding democracy while we have an insurrectionist in the White House presiding over the greatest erosion of democratic norms this country has ever seen and allowing an unhinged, unelected billionaire free reign to overturn the will of Congress.

    If you are truly a Republican who is committed to democracy, now is a time to hang your head in shame.

    1. Consider myself an Independent. Not all Republicans or Democrats are alike. Many WA Republicans were targeted by Trump for not falling inline. US Republican Reps were on the Jan 6 commission and targets of Trump.

      Democrats across the country are now distancing themselves from the progressive party that makes up WA’s Democratic Party. We’re still feeling the effects from the Defund the police movement. Check out Danny Westneat’s Feb 1 article “Despite winning big, WA Democrats find themselves in the doldrums”. “Our brand is fundamentally Broken” Adam Smith D-Bellevue.

      Take a look at the bills WA Democrats are pushing, scary. HB1178 – 25-26, reduces sentencing for crimes committed with a firearm OR SB 5181, rolling back protections in the recently passed parental rights initiative. WA Dems, just blocked a Republican amendment to HB1296, modifying the current 48hr notification to parents if kids are the victim / perpetrator of a crime, to immediate notification of parents.

      HB 1178 – 25-26:

      “The bill would also allow for those serving time under sentence enhancements to be eligible for partial confinement and earned release time. The provision would apply to those serving time for enhancements pertaining to firearm and deadly weapons violations, impaired driving and “sexual motivation.”

      https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/washington-state-lawmakers-may-ease-penalty-for-using-kids-to-commit-gang-related-crimes-olympia-seattle-tacoma-wash-inslee-house-bill-1178-criminals-gangs

  4. Careful what you wish for, on the surface it certainly could be used to silence voices we will have to see how it is used if it is used. But just imagine the uproar if Republicans were in control and they used the rule to silence Democrat voices. Reminds me of when Democrats changed the rules to a simple majority I think to get judges thru at the federal level and how that came back to haunt them. As it is and as it has been for quite some time Democrats don’t give much if any weight to Republican ideas or dissent. It is my way or the highway in Olympia compromise is a thing of the past our leaders don’t even respect the vote of the people anymore, the 30 dollar tabs as a example and the parents bill of rights initiative that was supposedly adopted but now they want to keep from notifying parents of problems for at least 48 hours and let’s not forget a runaway child can be hidden from the parents and the child can be given transgender drugs and surgery without parents consent. Personally I think our leaders have lost their minds.

    1. I wonder if the way the rule was proposed to the Dems was in such a way as to be confusing, and not plain.

      Many times, I’ve noted, a ballot or rule is put forth to the public, who are not attorneys, nor rule-specific informed in such a way to create a vote or agreement — without clearly communicating the consequences of that rule or ballot vote.

    2. Not only are our children failing in reading skills, but apparently so are some adults… “For 132 years, a rule has existed in the Washington State Legislature’s House of Representatives requiring a supermajority to suspend debate on a bill that has come to the floor. Last week, House legislators voted 54-33 to alter that rule, so that now only a majority is required to end debate. Currently, the House is composed of 59 Democrats and 39 Republicans.”

  5. I find it a bit amusing that someone who is supposedly so concerned about saving “Democracy” in WA. State finds turning over the entire national government to a bunch of self serving MAGA zillionaires is the answer to all our problems. Is polarization and one party absolute rule a problem at all levels of government? – you bet – that’s why a bunch of white, slave holding and land owning men thru a Revolution about four hundred years ago. “Freedom and Democracy” was for them, however, not their wives, slaves or indigenous people. One of those Revolutionists (the FATHER of our country) warned us about the dangers of the factionalism that will result if political parties develop. Ronny Regan (God of all good Republicans) said, “government isn’t the solution, it’s the problem.” If he had said “political parties” instead, he would have actually been right for once. I will admit to Jeff, that I think our current state Democratic party with so much power is a bad thing and creating lots of bad law, particularly in the areas of environment and development which are in great and long term dangerous conflict.

  6. Washington State is practicing what it does best, divide and lie. Voters wanted $30. Car tabs,
    Which was voted in, but never initiated. The parents right bill is being overhauled to ensure the government rights over the children The broken democracy leads to people fleeing the States and Schools, which creates underfunding of the schools and Olympia which affects everyone not just one political group. Why did children of democrat households vote for Trump, because getting a good job was getting tougher because the color of their skin and USA pride not self hate? When the tide turns for Washington State and it will what laws do you want in place to protect your representatives voice or yours?

  7. For the record, both democrats and republicans have lost their credibility and are significantly out of touch with their constituents and in select instances have lost their true party ideals.

    Between the big money influence, career politicians, partisan echo chambers, 24/7 news, elitist lifestyles, culture war policy priorities, back alley engagement, gerrymandering, and overall broken promises, you don’t need a degree from Harvard to know that this cocktail of consistent year-over-year issues is going to result in anything less than never ending disappointment.

    There’s ideas on how to improve the calamity we’re in but it takes people coming off their walls and it takes compromise. This applies both locally and federally.

  8. Time to stop playing favorites, treating Dems & Reps as football teams. We should support good legislation regardless of party.

    Agree with author, eliminating the rule was a step in the wrong direction.

  9. To reiterate what Patricia O’Neill stated above….
    “The proposal is not to end debate but to allow debate to be ended by a majority vote rather than a supermajority vote.”

    Details matter people. What the author states is not correct. Please pay attention and stop blaming people for doing the wrong thing. Stating the wrong thing is damaging too.

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