Anti-Hunting Senator Wants to Become DNR Head

[Joyce]

https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/politics/district-24-senator-eyes-state-lands-role/

Senator Van de Wege has been running the Senate side of Inslee's program to stack the WDFW Commission with Anti-Consumptive Use viewpoints. I'd certainly like to hear about what he specifically wants to do as Commissioner of Public Lands beyond the boilerplate 'I'm a firefighter, so I know how to deal with wildland fires' included in the article above. His voting record is enough to make me highly skeptical that he is anything other than a political animal willing to change his stripes to suit whichever way the current political wind is blowing.

Maybe it's time to start brainstorming for possible candidates that could have Westside voter appeal yet aren't anti-consumptive wildlife use or anti-natural resource use. Maybe Mr. Blake could be interested?

[blackdog]

He is frequently an HSUS hero.

[Tbar]

He is frequently an HSUS hero.

And CCA hero. 

[dwils233]

At the risk of being called a bleeding heart liberal- this is a situation I'd say vote for anyone else, hold your nose and check the box next to another democrat if needed because Van De Wege is the worst possible option for Public Lands Commissioner. He would make the current bad commissioners look practical. It matters more that he loses than it does that we have a say in who wins.

I disagree with much of Upthegrove's politics, but I know he couldn't be as bad as Van De Wege on outdoors/sportsman issues. Thats enough for me until someone else comes along.

[blackdog]

I would be interested in what Humptulips has to say about the Senator.

[Tbar]

Is he also the one who introduced a bill to combine DNR and WDFW?

[timberfaller]

I've been holding my nose for decades when it comes to any D!!!   Actions speak louder then words!!  They've stunk since the Civil War and never gotten better!!

[dwils233]

Is he also the one who introduced a bill to combine DNR and WDFW?

Yup. He also said very nice things about how great Lorna Smith is in her confirmation hearing and how much the commission needs her voice

[Humptulips]

I would be interested in what Humptulips has to say about the Senator.

I would be happy to see him out of the Senate but I wouldn't want him as head of the DNR either. I guess it is a question of where he can do the most damage. I kind of think he might do less at DNR. Who replaces him at Ag, Water, NR and Parks? If we improve our position there maybe a move to DNR would be good.

[bigtex]

I would be interested in what Humptulips has to say about the Senator.

I would be happy to see him out of the Senate but I wouldn't want him as head of the DNR either. I guess it is a question of where he can do the most damage. I kind of think he might do less at DNR. Who replaces him at Ag, Water, NR and Parks? If we improve our position there maybe a move to DNR would be good.

I was thinking the same thing. I'm guessing Jesse Salomon would be his heir apparent at the Commission Chair.

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[dwils233]

I would be interested in what Humptulips has to say about the Senator.

I would be happy to see him out of the Senate but I wouldn't want him as head of the DNR either. I guess it is a question of where he can do the most damage. I kind of think he might do less at DNR. Who replaces him at Ag, Water, NR and Parks? If we improve our position there maybe a move to DNR would be good.

Thats a good point- I think the ranking member was from whidbey island and owned a farm and seemed pro-hunting but who knows if he would get the chair. If it breaks further left (which is possible) we could always see another bill come up that would move WDFW directly under the commissioner of public lands, and if thats Van De Wege, there goes hunting.

I think he's problematic in either spot for traditional users. As I see it, at least in the senate there is some political sausage-making that could slow him down. Either way, thats a good thought exercise that we all need to watching and contemplating when it comes to politics and decision-making around hunting and angling. This is chess, not checkers!

[WSU]

From what I've heard, Salomon wouldn't be bad for sportsmen.

[blackdog]

Salomon would be a disaster for Sportsmen, on the D side Stanford would be better marginally.

[HillHound]

Is he also the one who introduced a bill to combine DNR and WDFW?

Yup. He also said very nice things about how great Lorna Smith is in her confirmation hearing and how much the commission needs her voice

That right there tells you how horrible of a person he is. Nobody that has any sense has anything nice to say about Lorna Smith with regards to Washington game populations. She and her type are going to lead to the extinction of all our wildlife. They are going to love them right into extinction. Stopping hunting will take the value away from the animals and money away from enforcement. What doesn’t die from disease from overpopulation will be poached by those who would otherwise be paying to legally fill their freezer and much like before still can’t afford to go the the store and buy that much meat. Man I wish Lorna and all her type would take a private jet somewhere and not come back

[Special T]

I would be interested in what Humptulips has to say about the Senator.

I would be happy to see him out of the Senate but I wouldn't want him as head of the DNR either. I guess it is a question of where he can do the most damage. I kind of think he might do less at DNR. Who replaces him at Ag, Water, NR and Parks? If we improve our position there maybe a move to DNR would be good.

Thats a good point- I think the ranking member was from whidbey island and owned a farm and seemed pro-hunting but who knows if he would get the chair. If it breaks further left (which is possible) we could always see another bill come up that would move WDFW directly under the commissioner of public lands, and if thats Van De Wege, there goes hunting.

I think he's problematic in either spot for traditional users. As I see it, at least in the senate there is some political sausage-making that could slow him down. Either way, thats a good thought exercise that we all need to watching and contemplating when it comes to politics and decision-making around hunting and angling. This is chess, not checkers!

Your thinking of Ron Muzzal the Republican.

[JimmyHoffa]

Strangely, though, he was the only dem that didn't support that last assault weapon ban.

[Special T]

If I remember correctly Van de wege won his last election with 65% ish of the vote.  That northern part of the Olympic Pensiula  runs pretty hard D.

[Joyce]

Strangely, though, he was the only dem that didn't support that last assault weapon ban.

My take on that is that he knew he wasn't running for reelection in the Senate so he didn't need to vote for it to maintain the votes to stay in office. If he had been running for reelection, my guess is that he would have voted for it. Again, a political animal behaving only as necessary to remain in power.

[Joyce]

If I remember correctly Van de wege won his last election with 65% ish of the vote.  That northern part of the Olympic Pensiula  runs pretty hard D.

Correct. The anti-logging, anti-hunting voters are strong and getting stronger on the peninsula. It's a shame that so many of them are recent transplants from Puget Sound and California.

[blackdog]

54% in the 2020 Election.

[salmosalar]

https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/politics/district-24-senator-eyes-state-lands-role/

Senator Van de Wege has been running the Senate side of Inslee's program to stack the WDFW Commission with Anti-Consumptive Use viewpoints. I'd certainly like to hear about what he specifically wants to do as Commissioner of Public Lands beyond the boilerplate 'I'm a firefighter, so I know how to deal with wildland fires' included in the article above. His voting record is enough to make me highly skeptical that he is anything other than a political animal willing to change his stripes to suit whichever way the current political wind is blowing.

Maybe it's time to start brainstorming for possible candidates that could have Westside voter appeal yet aren't anti-consumptive wildlife use or anti-natural resource use. Maybe Mr. Blake could be interested?

Ding ding ding!!!!!!!

Consider for a second that King County gets about 65 cents back for every dollar that it sends to Olympia. One would think that a candidate who was socially accepting of all and said, "Hey, I'll fight for you too. We are getting fleeced" would have an excellent chance, even in some parts of King Co. No Republican can be the one to say that because it's the R's that pushed for the "McCleary fix" that has exasperated the already overwhelming redistribution of funds  from urban to rural that the state budget represents.

The peninsula is an even better place for a moderate pro-sportsman politician. The issue is that politics have become national. Any candidate that aligns themselves with the Republican party has to deal with being associated with the National Republican Party. Frankly, that is a non-starter for far too many voters in Wa state and for important reasons. Additionally, a few recent SCOTUS rulings have made the social portion of the national Republican party platform even more disliked and increased the importance of socially liberal candidates to many more people in local elections. The same can be said for R's in some areas but as the last midterms show, the R's take over of the judiciary has become an election nightmare in more places than it has become a help to their candidates.

If you have a loved one who is gay, if you one of the 32% of the population that is atheist/agnostic/ other or if you are one of the 60% of Washingtonians who are pro-choice, the republican party is generally a non-starter as far as who to vote for. As an atheist, pro-choice father of a gay kid, I can tell you that I will choose those things over hunting every day of the week and twice on Sunday. This is even more true after the Dobbs and Kennedy cases.

I lobby my local rep's on hunting and fishing issues. Much of the issue as I see it is that the vitriol that they have seen come their way leaves them to not trust sportman and women or rural voters from conservative areas. Honestly, look at the politics section of this board or the Juneteenth "joke" someone posted here. Look at the bumper stickers at your local Cabela's. Hunters are doing a piss poor job of branding themselves. 

[buckfvr]

Strangely, though, he was the only dem that didn't support that last assault weapon ban.

Didnt matter then, did it.  He knew that.

[71Shovelhead]

Well put salmosalar.

Terry