Over the past several months (and within the past week), I’ve been paying attention to the increasing debate over who would make a better competitor to Ferguson.
You have Semi Bird, a US Army vet, a former Yakima school board member, running for governor. His campaign goes back to July 2022.
M. Semi Bird, WA State gubernatorial candidate
And then you have Dave Reichert, a former US Air Force Reserve vet, who started out as county sheriff (known for apprehending the ‘Green River Killer’), who’s a former Congressman (serving Washington’s 8th district from 2005-2019).
Dave Reichert, WA State gubernatorial candidate
The issue is one that seems very familiar to people: a politician with an established record, versus an outsider.
We’ve seen this scenario play out before back in 2016: Trump vs Clinton.
It wasn’t so much about the politics, as it was more about the people vs the (probably deep-state) establishment.
There have been numerous misgivings about Reichert (like his vote record favoring that of a ‘RINO’), as well as his support of Inslee during the plandemic, questionable support and links to Bill Gates (and GAVI), and impeaching Trump at least twice, among his infamy (there’s more, but I’ll stop there).
There’s also been reports of Reichert refusing to debate Bird, as well as refusing to support him, should he (Bird) be the nominee.
However, the latest outrage comes from Dave McMullan (the chair of the Pierce County Republican Party) deciding not to invite Bird to the Pierce County convention on Saturday, March 16th.
There’s wide disagreement on whether Bird can actually win against Ferguson. The Northwest Progressive Institute (in a poll last year), found that Reichert would win a ‘close’ election against Ferguson (with no mention of Bird)
[note: according to this same source, Northwest Progressive Institute now has Reichert TRAILING Ferguson. But then, you have NPI and the word ‘progressive’…]
Even Bird isn’t without his controversy. Apparently, there’s some discrepancies about his military record, and whether he was court-martialed while serving. There’s also his questionable focus on ‘diversity’. People are also keen to bring up his ousting from the Yakima school board (leaving out the reason why, which was his stance against the unlawful ‘mask mandates’ during the plandemic’). However, during Trump’s indictments, Bird has openly supported Trump. Unfortunately, there’s quite a few people who want nothing to do with Trump, in our state (the never-Trumpers).
What we have here, is a fight of establishment, vs ‘We the People’ playing out here in our state, as well as the rest of the country.
We’ll know what happens after April 18th. That’s the time of the Republican convention in Spokane.
Mar 19·edited Mar 19Liked by 'We are WA state' (j. sparks)
Semi Bird was courts martialed when he was a Marine for knocking out his NCO for calling him the N-word. I don’t blame him one bit for knocking that racist piece of crap out, and he suffered the consequences for it. After he got out of the Marine Corps with an honorable discharge, he went into the Army and became a special forces operator. That courts martial was not fatal and he took the courts martial over the NJP because he thought that he was justified in doing what he did. I don’t think the courts martial or the recall election is of much consequence. Reichert campaign has been digging back as far as 30 years to find any piece of dirt on Semi and I think it’s despicable. Now whether Semi could win against Bob Ferguson or not is yet to be seen , but the character assassination that our own side is doing to Semi Bird is disgusting. Dave McMullen, uninvited Semi Bird to the Pierce county convention because the Pierce county PCO’s decided to endorse Dave Reichert over Semi and I guess it’s in their bylaws that once a candidate is endorsed, they do not give any airtime to the opposition. I don’t think it’s right - they should’ve at least let him have a table at the convention but that’s how Dave McMullen is running Pierce County. I can tell you this as a member of the executive board of the King County Republican party we will not endorse anyone before the endorsing convention in April. About half of our board are Semi Bird supporters and the other half our Dave Reichert supporters so if anyone tries to get Dave Reichert endorsed, it will be a huge fight and it will end up, with either no endorsement or a dual endorsement, which I cannot see Mathew Patrick Thomas allowing. So my prediction is there will be no endorsement coming from King County.
Bottom line I will not vote for a RINO such as Reichert, he is self absorbed cares nothing about his co-workers or the people he is suppose to serve Reichert voted with Liberals most of the time, again not a team player, he is dirty and a total liar take donations for Bill Gates is not a Republican, Reichert is for Reichert and no one else. Sorry I had to vent so much, but it was so long ago & I am old enough to have remembered the Green River Killer reporting and Reichert chasing camera time to be front & center. The other officers called him the hair spray guy. DR even said he would have arrested Trump if he were in his district as sheriff, the guy is a total jerk.
How did Reichert get along with his coworkers? Such accounts, they say, reveal an ambitious self-promoter, an inexperienced manager prone to poor decisions, even a close-minded detective more obstacle than asset to a serial murder investigation. Some say Reichert later exaggerated his role in the case, taking more credit than he deserves. They cite parts of Reichert's book as self-serving. For instance, the book repeatedly refers to Reichert as "the" lead detective -- a position it says he held until he left the case in 1990.
Once other investigators became familiar with paperwork, Keppel said, they were less reliant on Reichert. And other members led the task force's meetings and direction, he said.
Reichert wanted to take total credit for catching the Green River Killer, but instead he hindered the investigation with tunnel vision, said Ridgeway didn't do it for 18 years Ridgeway continued his murdering spree. The real person who tagged Ridgeway without doubt was Skip Palenik, said he could have done the same DNA analysis, with the use of an infrared microscope, back in the 1980s. And he almost had the chance. In 1985, when he visited the Washington crime lab to train staff members in discovering microscopic trace evidence, the director said he’d bring him into the case if investigators identified a suspect.
But Palenik said the director never called. Seventeen years later, he said, “I get a phone call saying they want us to look at this case. And we ended up finding information that we could have found” back then. They found paint splatters all over the victims or their clothing if that was all that was left of them. They matched the same rare paint Ridgway used at his work painting commercial trucks. Reichert has 18 years of murdered women on his hands too for ignoring Ridgeway back then.
I know there is a place to vote with the one who has the best chance of winning that is "closest" to your values however, I think Trump helped to prove one can win anyway. I for one am for unifying behind Bird based on principles. I am so DONE with Rino's.... We NEED fresh and new, bold and courageous...one who will fight for us and not straddle the fence. The way Bird is being treated sounds like they are trying to shut him out. Why? I respect his background of Marine! They are ones who get things done :)
i'll pick Bird over a rhino
Semi Bird was courts martialed when he was a Marine for knocking out his NCO for calling him the N-word. I don’t blame him one bit for knocking that racist piece of crap out, and he suffered the consequences for it. After he got out of the Marine Corps with an honorable discharge, he went into the Army and became a special forces operator. That courts martial was not fatal and he took the courts martial over the NJP because he thought that he was justified in doing what he did. I don’t think the courts martial or the recall election is of much consequence. Reichert campaign has been digging back as far as 30 years to find any piece of dirt on Semi and I think it’s despicable. Now whether Semi could win against Bob Ferguson or not is yet to be seen , but the character assassination that our own side is doing to Semi Bird is disgusting. Dave McMullen, uninvited Semi Bird to the Pierce county convention because the Pierce county PCO’s decided to endorse Dave Reichert over Semi and I guess it’s in their bylaws that once a candidate is endorsed, they do not give any airtime to the opposition. I don’t think it’s right - they should’ve at least let him have a table at the convention but that’s how Dave McMullen is running Pierce County. I can tell you this as a member of the executive board of the King County Republican party we will not endorse anyone before the endorsing convention in April. About half of our board are Semi Bird supporters and the other half our Dave Reichert supporters so if anyone tries to get Dave Reichert endorsed, it will be a huge fight and it will end up, with either no endorsement or a dual endorsement, which I cannot see Mathew Patrick Thomas allowing. So my prediction is there will be no endorsement coming from King County.
I may have to try to attend the meeting in Spokane.....
If Reichert wouldn't support Bird over Ferguson--then he's a clown.
Bottom line I will not vote for a RINO such as Reichert, he is self absorbed cares nothing about his co-workers or the people he is suppose to serve Reichert voted with Liberals most of the time, again not a team player, he is dirty and a total liar take donations for Bill Gates is not a Republican, Reichert is for Reichert and no one else. Sorry I had to vent so much, but it was so long ago & I am old enough to have remembered the Green River Killer reporting and Reichert chasing camera time to be front & center. The other officers called him the hair spray guy. DR even said he would have arrested Trump if he were in his district as sheriff, the guy is a total jerk.
MythBusters: Dave Reichert Did Not Catch the Green River Killer again it was Skip Palenik with the DNA & the other detectives: https://www.thestranger.com/blogs/2010/10/12/5127209/mythbusters-dave-reichert-did-not-catch-the-green-river-killer
How did Reichert get along with his coworkers? Such accounts, they say, reveal an ambitious self-promoter, an inexperienced manager prone to poor decisions, even a close-minded detective more obstacle than asset to a serial murder investigation. Some say Reichert later exaggerated his role in the case, taking more credit than he deserves. They cite parts of Reichert's book as self-serving. For instance, the book repeatedly refers to Reichert as "the" lead detective -- a position it says he held until he left the case in 1990.
Once other investigators became familiar with paperwork, Keppel said, they were less reliant on Reichert. And other members led the task force's meetings and direction, he said.
"If (Reichert) was 'the lead detective,' he should've been leading those discussions," Keppel said. "And he wasn't."https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Reichert-touts-law-record-but-critics-don-t-see-1216577.php
Reichert wanted to take total credit for catching the Green River Killer, but instead he hindered the investigation with tunnel vision, said Ridgeway didn't do it for 18 years Ridgeway continued his murdering spree. The real person who tagged Ridgeway without doubt was Skip Palenik, said he could have done the same DNA analysis, with the use of an infrared microscope, back in the 1980s. And he almost had the chance. In 1985, when he visited the Washington crime lab to train staff members in discovering microscopic trace evidence, the director said he’d bring him into the case if investigators identified a suspect.
But Palenik said the director never called. Seventeen years later, he said, “I get a phone call saying they want us to look at this case. And we ended up finding information that we could have found” back then. They found paint splatters all over the victims or their clothing if that was all that was left of them. They matched the same rare paint Ridgway used at his work painting commercial trucks. Reichert has 18 years of murdered women on his hands too for ignoring Ridgeway back then.
I know there is a place to vote with the one who has the best chance of winning that is "closest" to your values however, I think Trump helped to prove one can win anyway. I for one am for unifying behind Bird based on principles. I am so DONE with Rino's.... We NEED fresh and new, bold and courageous...one who will fight for us and not straddle the fence. The way Bird is being treated sounds like they are trying to shut him out. Why? I respect his background of Marine! They are ones who get things done :)
Such a dang shame that there are so many never trumpers in Wa. I mean, we have it bad enough with the radical Seattle progressives. God help us!