PORT TOWNSEND — Although Republicans are a minority in East Jefferson County, party members feel a change in state and national leadership could help break the Democrats’ dominance of the county.
To underscore that message, the county party hosted state Attorney General Rob McKenna, who some expect will be a gubernatorial candidate in 2012, at its Lincoln Day luncheon Saturday.
“In 2012, the Republicans will take over the Senate and take the White House and take back the state Legislature,” McKenna told about 100 people at the luncheon at the Elks Lodge in Port Townsend.
“We can also take over the governor’s mansion — but we can talk about that later.”
McKenna, 48, now in his second term as attorney general, acknowledged supporters who are encouraging him to run for governor but made no comment or commitment.
Health care law
McKenna said he and other state attorneys general will keep fighting the provision in the health care law that requires everyone to buy health insurance.
U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson ruled in January that the individual mandate in the Obama administration’s health care overhaul is unconstitutional, siding with 26 attorneys general who sued to block it, including McKenna.
The health care plan takes away individual rights, McKenna said, adding that the lawsuit “is all about whether there will be any limits on federal power or not.
“Congress is saying they can require anyone who is living in America to go and buy a private product in the commercial marketplace with their own money,” McKenna said.
“This completely stands on its head the concept of what economic activity actually is.”
The luncheon also included a fundraising auction and addresses by party officials.
State GOP Chairman Kirby Wilbur, who acted as auctioneer, used the opportunity to throw partisan jabs, such as saying that a truckload of “special Chimacum manure . . . was left behind after [U.S. Rep.] Norm Dicks gave his last speech down there.”
Dicks, a Democrat from Belfair, recently won re-election to the 6th Congressional District seat, which he has held since 1977. The district includes the North Olympic Peninsula.
Clean campaign
Before his address, McKenna said it would be possible to run a clean campaign for the governorship, which he pledged to do should he decide to run.
“When I ran my last campaign, there were a lot of people who pointed out that both myself and my opponent managed to stay focused on the issues,” he said.
“By doing this, you can avoid a mud-slinging campaign, although one of the side effects of campaign finance reform is that candidates aren’t allowed to communicate with some of the organizations who are running ads on their behalf,” he added.
McKenna said that partisanship is prominent in both the state and federal governments but feels that leaders of both parties in Washington are able to set their differences aside for the good of the state.
Marijuana law
While he does not believe a proposed bill legalizing marijuana will be passed or even receive a hearing, he cautions against its passage.
Fighting legal challenges to the law, if it were passed, could offset the tax revenue generated by the sale of legal marijuana.
“If this bill passed, marijuana possession is still against federal law, and I don’t think the state of Washington should be the first one to take on the federal government in this area,” he said.
McKenna said it is not possible to accurately predict tax revenue or the cost of litigation but said if the drug were legal, it would not prevent its illegal trafficking.
“Prescription drugs are legal, but their illegal trafficking has increased,” he said.
McKenna is traveling around the state with encouraging words about the state of his party.
He was in Clallam County earlier this month and left Saturday’s event early to address a Whatcom County party gathering.
Republicans happier
“There have been psychological studies done about conservatives and liberals, and they consistently show that conservatives are happier than liberals,” McKenna said.
“We are more positive in our outlook about the future, and we are optimistic by nature, and I think that’s one of the things that makes us Republicans.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
