Back on April 9, when I reported that eastside Congressional challenger Suzan DelBene had missed nine votes in elections over the last four years, I predicted it would only be a matter of time before Republicans turned her spotty voting record into an attack on her qualifications.

Now here we are, about ten days later, with the Seattle Times this morning reporting on DelBene's missed votes (and noting that you heard it first here on Slog) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (also apparently avid readers of Slog) sending out an e-mail attack this afternoon accusing DelBene of showing "no remorse" and disrespecting "the Democratic process."

DelBene’s unapologetic dismissal of free and fair elections in the United States is an insult to families in Washington State who deserve a firm and committed voice in Congress. Luckily, the voters in Washington’s 8th Congressional District have a strong, dedicated leader in Congressman Dave Reichert. He works tirelessly to represent the voters’ interests and takes to heart his responsibilities as their representative.

It's wonderful, in its own classic-of-the-genre sort of way, but here are the two relevant questions in this matter: Who would Republicans rather see challenging Reichert? And who would the Democrat who put this early hit on DelBene rather see challenging Reichert? If there's an alignment of perceived interest in the answers to those two questions, then the race to be the next Democratic challenger in the eastside's 8th District could be far from over.

Full Republican attack in the jump.

For Immediate Release
April 20, 2009

Suzan DelBene: Not Interested in Standing Up for You

Candidate Missed Nine Elections in Five Years, Says “You Have to Do More Than Just Show Up and Vote”… We Agree

Washington— Suzan DelBene, candidate for Washington’s 8th Congressional District, is asking voters to go to the polls for her next year despite recent revelations that she has neglected to vote in nine elections over the past five years. DelBene’s undependable record for participating in free and fair elections raises a lot of questions about just how seriously she would take the responsibility of representing the voters of Washington state as a Member of Congress.

As the Seattle Times reported this morning, Suzan DelBene failed to vote in nine elections:

“DelBene did not cast a ballot in nine elections in the last five years…. As first reported by The Stranger's blog, DelBene failed to vote in last year's Democratic presidential primary and sat out November elections in 2005 and 2006…” (Bob Young, “Suzan DelBene missed nine elections in five years,” Seattle Times, April 20, 2009)

In her own words, DelBene admits that you need to do more than “just show up and vote,” yet she has repeatedly failed to do what she claims is an essential component of representing Washingtonians needs when she herself neglected to vote nine times:

“We need someone who is proactive in bringing new ideas and solutions to the table,” she said. “You have to do more than just show up and vote.” (Joshua Adam Hicks, “Can a wealthy Medina Democrat win the 8th Congressional District?,” Bellevue Reporter, April 13, 2009)

“Suzan DelBene’s unreliable record is a frightening foreshadowing of what East Side voters can expect from her as their lackluster representative — silence,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “If she hasn’t even been able to show up and make a conscious effort to speak her own mind by voting in local elections, how could we expect her to show up to Washington, DC to be their voice in Congress?”

What’s worse is that Suzan DelBene has shown no remorse for not taking seriously her responsibility to exercise her right to vote. DelBene has gone so far as to say that voting and participating in the Democratic process — which our men and women in uniform fight to defend every day — would somehow make her a “partisan person.” And now, the irony is glaring that she wants voters to go to the polls and vote for her next year:

“I spoke to DelBene on the phone this afternoon and asked her why she'd missed so many opportunities to vote—including the general election of 2005 (the year of the gas tax repeal vote, among other things) and the general election of 2006 (a year when the Congressional seat she now wants was being voted on). Her answer:

“‘I have never been a partisan political person. I really have been inspired by Barack Obama and the changes that we’ve made in our government and I feel like the decisions we make now are incredibly critical and I think I can help.’” (Eli Sanders, “Suzan DelBene's Voting Record,” The Stranger Slog, Posted April 9, 2009)

DelBene’s unapologetic dismissal of free and fair elections in the United States is an insult to families in Washington State who deserve a firm and committed voice in Congress. Luckily, the voters in Washington’s 8th Congressional District have a strong, dedicated leader in Congressman Dave Reichert. He works tirelessly to represent the voters’ interests and takes to heart his responsibilities as their representative.

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Paid for by National Republican Congressional Committee.
Not Authorized by Any Candidate or Candidate's Committee.
www.nrcc.org