The Gortons and Slades - Washington Secretary of State

144 sLAde goRton: A hALf centuRy in poLitics
Pritchard, the lone Republican in the state’s congressional delegation,
breezed to re-election with numbers as impressive as Jackson’s. And in a
race for the state Supreme Court, Jim Dolliver scored a hard-won victory over
Fred Dore in the most partisan nonpartisan judicial race in memory. 10
eARLy in the 1977 LegisLAtive session, Gorton’s enemies cooked up a
peculiar little stew that few could swallow. Sponsored by Mardesich and
wily old Slim Rasmussen of Tacoma, among others, Senate Bill 2213 purported
to increase the quality of legal counsel by allowing state agencies
to hire their own lawyers. Gorton thus would be divested of some 130 assistant
attorneys general. One wag dubbed it the “Pierce County Bar Relief
Act of 1977.” The media coverage of the bipartisan outcry that ensued
provides a fascinating snapshot of how Gorton was perceived at a crucial
juncture in his political career. David Brewster, founding editor of the
Weekly, Seattle’s year-old alternative paper, dissected the brouhaha in a
story that displayed his trademark style, a blend of erudition and political
savvy:
Gorton, always admired by the press, rallied the media to his side. After
they had finished exposing the bill as the ill-considered ploy it was, its
chances sank by the end of the week. . . .The odd episode brings certain
realities into daylight. First is the diminishing popularity of Gorton, one
of the brightest men in government. Gorton’s problems with the Legislature
stem back to the redistricting fights of 1965 when he and Bob Greive
fought a long battle that left several politicos cut out of a job (including
Rasmussen). Gorton was elected attorney general in 1968, and he became
a political strategist for Governor Evans, which brought him more enemies.
His willingness to file seemingly very political suits . . . brought
him more grudges; and his unwillingness to socialize with the legislative
crowd (Gorton is a devoted family man) gave him a reputation for haughtiness.
Indeed, he does not suffer fools well and there are plenty of fools in
Olympia. And so, during the Sawyer-Mardesich years Gorton virtually
gave up trying to push any legislation, since his sponsorship was virtually
a kiss of death with that gang. That dismal period, combined with the
moody inertia of Dan Evans in the last term, caused Gorton’s performance
to languish. . . . Meantime, Gorton drifted apart from Evans, splitting with
him on the Boldt Decision and over what to do about State Parks Director
Charles Odegaard’s overexpenditures. Gorton said he would have fired
Odegaard, and Evans was furious. (Parks, naturally, is one of the departments
gunning for Gorton in the present dispute.) Politically isolated,
targeted by labor, realtors, Liquor Board allies and the Herrmann machine,
Gorton limped home over a weak challenger this last election.