In a 23rd Legislative District Senate debate Tuesday, the Republican candidate let loose this provocative comment:
“I think it’s very arrogant at the taxpayers’ cost to think that the state of Washington can make any kind of difference in global warming,” said Connie Lord, a Poulsbo city councilwoman seeking to unseat state Sen. Phil Rockefeller, a Bainbridge Island Democrat.
And, according Steven Gardener’s coverage of the event, Lord asserted that the science is still out on the global warming issue, and that Kyoto Protocol standards proposed nearly a decade ago would have little impact.
Rockefeller, who has championed legislation to curb greenhouse gasses, disagreed.
“The science is not still out,” he said. “It is overwhelmingly clear that we are having an impact and it’s not a good one.”
Incumbent Phil Rockefeller got a bruising today from upstart and intelligent Connie Lord. In the exchange referenced in the tease for the Gardner article, Connie Lord made the excellent point that it was pretentious and proposderace for Incumbent Phil to proposae an untested plan to save the planet. It was clear from the debate that Connie Lord had the facts and intelligence and Rockefeller was spouting the usual end-of-the-world scare tactics we have come to expect from Al Gore.
Overall Connie Lord ran circules around Rockefeller showing spunk, intelligence and common sense. It is apparent that Phil, after a 10-year homestead, is ready to head out to pasture.
Rockefeller in answer to a Dem-planted question, gave a nauseating defense of all forms of aboriton. Not a wisper from Phil about the rights of unborn females and males. It was a chilling answers from Rockefeller.
Also Rockefeller did his best to ban the filming of the event. Alas, Phil was not able to stop the filming and the results will be seen shortly on local cable access stations (COMCAST STATION 22). Why are the Democrats so obsessed with the shutting down of open government and access of the voters to the forums. Yes, Rolfes was able to rob Mark Lowe of the broadcast but hopefully all the citizens have seen my letter calling out her anti-democratic tactics.
Lord won handily. You will see this shortly on your big screen.
Government agencies see Climate Change as a cash cow. And, just like they did – locally – with Salmon Recovery, they will overplay their hand and alienate the public from the cause. The public will eventually see that things done in the name of Climate Change – like Mayor Nickel’s grocery bag “fee” – are, really, more about increasing government coffers than decreasing carbon footprints.
I wasn’t present at the Eggs & Issues event, so I have waited a while to see if anyone from the other side of the audience would respond to Mr. Olsen’s opinion on who “won” on that occasion. I do, however, have an opinion on the candidate most worthy of voters’ support.
The two posts here figure in a coordinated campaign by the Kitsap Co. GOP, dating back at least to August: Senator Rockefeller has been targeted for defeat, primarily on account of his authority and effectiveness in policy-making on environmental, energy, and transportation issues. In the name of saving taxpayers’ money, the GOP wants to nullify Phil Rockefeller’s stellar accomplishments.
Mr. Olsen calls Connie Lord an “upstart,” supposing that that’s an outstanding qualification in this political season. Nationally, I believe, some upstarts are doing well while others are in deep trouble. In the Lord vs. Rockefeller contest, I’ll go with experience, and with Senator Rockefeller’s profound understanding of the need to plan now for our long-range future on this planet.
Mr. Olsen’s reference to “the usual end-of-the-world scare tactics we have come to expect from Al Gore” says more about Mr. Olsen than it does about Phil Rockefeller. I doubt that many voters are comfortable with this brand of contempt.
I don’t have a deep acquaintance with Phil Rockefeller, but I have talked with him one-on-one and I have heard him speak before a large audience, summarizing the policy areas that he’s responsible for as Chair of the Senate Committee on Water, Energy & Telecommunications (the “WET” committee, as he says with a smile). He also serves on the Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation, and Ways & Means Committees.
Obviously, if the Republicans could knock off Senator Rockefeller, they would have something to celebrate. But is this what we, the voting public, want?
Phil Rockefeller sees the connections between population growth, environmental pollution, degradation of our waterways and marine environment, depletion of fossil fuels, voracious appetites for fuel and other forms of energy, and (yes) climate change influenced decisively by heedless human activities. He is, in spite of everything, a cheerful, patient man, and a man with backbone, grit, and a lively wit. He doesn’t shirk responsibilities, and we need him in Olympia.