In interviewing Bill Eickmeyer about his vote count, subject of a story Sunday, he talked about how legislators bust tail to get onto the floor to vote.
His back pain was so intense he couldn’t get there at least 222 times. He couldn’t sit and walking was difficult. He did get called a few times when a vote was in doubt. Otherwise he lie on the floor of his office, he said.
I do believe his comments about legislators taking extreme efforts to be counted, and if this Legislature was more evenly divided I think Eickmeyer would like have spent more time on the caucus couch.
An incident from the 1980s backs me up on this. Read the entire story from this May 1985 edition of Time Magazine.
“Needing every vote, Republican leaders summoned California Senator Pete Wilson from Bethesda Naval Hospital, where he was recuperating from surgery to remove a ruptured appendix. Wilson arrived in an ambulance as the roll call was in progress at 1:30 a.m. Friday; hospital aides trundled him onto the Senate floor in a wheelchair, a needle and intravenous tube still inserted in his arm. Senators gave Wilson a standing ovation, which he turned to laughter by asking deadpan, “What is the question?” He voted yes on the budget resolution, but Hawaii Democrat Spark Matsunaga rushed in from his Senate office to vote no, and the tally was deadlocked at 49-49. Vice President George Bush was in the chair, however; he had cut short a Western speechmaking tour and rushed back from Phoenix Thursday morning. Bush cast the tie-breaking vote.”
Jacob… you stated he ‘brought home the bacon”… and can’t name even one slice of achievement for the district supporting him to do nothing.
Getting paid to do a job he isn’t doing seems like stealing from the taxpayer and voter who voted him in office appears to be cheating the citizens by doing nothing for them.
Doesn’t seem right to me.
“Bringing home the bacon” is a Dicks characteristic … but he shouldn’t be expected to carry the load for his party alone.
Sharon O’Hara
Jacob,
I can finally agree with you about something: Just think about it, if all our legislator’s were in a coma, they couldn’t raise taxes every time they had a chance.
And that means more of “my bacon” in my pocket!
Jake:
Are you going to be man up and admit you was wrong. I showed by his committee involvement that he was in no position to bring home any bacon. After ten years his own party refused to give him a chair position on any real standing committee. The one chair position he has held was on a made up select committee with no power, authority or importance. They created that committee so Ike could save face. The issues began to make this committee important so they took it away from him created another like it one and demoted Eickmeyer to vice chair. Our Puget sound is too important to leave in Eickmeyer’s hands.
As for Randy I admit you could be right. Maybe he would have had no impact. I believe he would have worked his butt of for the 35th. I listened to him at 3 different forums. He was obviously a hard working man. He served and or chaired seven different Non profit corporations, owned and operated several different businesses all while he was running for office. The man showed incredible work ethics.
He proved his abilities by saving the community center and local youth sports leagues not to mention making his business a success. Eickmeyers business had to be closed.. In his speeches Randy made sure everybody understood his willingness to work on both sides of the isle. He often stated his admiration for Norm Dicks and Tim Sheldon two democrats. He was known for helping a Democrat win the Mason county Commissioner seat. He explained that she was by far ,the better candidate Randy also said her work in office has proven his actions correct.
Most of my friends thought he had to be a democrat and how surprised they were that he was a Republican. Randy said at a forum in Belfair that he sometimes felt he was the only real republican running on the ticket. (Smaller government, less taxes, Empowerment of the person, Government out of our homes and business, Hand up not just hand out. And that the right of the individual are just as important as the rights of the many. ) Maybe he was the only real republican. Either way you must admit that Randy was not afraid to work with democrats and that might have made a difference. It is because of these beliefs I was so surprised he lost and why I asked for your opinions about him. He even received an endorsement from the Sun. They hate Republicans. Randy must have been different. We will probably never hear from him again. After all I have learned about him I feel this is a travesty. Not because of republican vs. democrat, but because good workers are rare and people who are competent and unselfish are even rarer.
Steve
I don’t live in the 35th LD.
“Bringing home the bacon” is a Dicks characteristic… but he shouldn’t be expected to carry the load for his party alone.”
Senator Murray is the most powerful woman in the Senate and the 4th more powerful senator. She has been “Bringing home the Bacon for Washington State and Kitsap”.
After reading my own post it appears as though I am a one track mind person myself. I will work on that. I do more than support Randy and republicans. I support the person. I say this because I am about to Quote Randy again. I heard him say this every time he spoke. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Republicans had too much power in Washington DC and they used that power to screw some things up and take away personal liberties. They were so powerful that they forgot what they stood for. In Washington State the democrats have all the power and with it they are crushing small business, growing government and taking control out of the hands of local people. Not to mention raising taxes and spending as though there is no end to the money flow. Randy said he feared that Republicans would do some of the same things if they had complete control. The only answer is split power or divisions enough to require bipartisan laws and budgets. These are things I feel everyone should be screaming from the rooftops.
Steve