So, what's that mean, exactly?

It's one thing to throw around numbers, like Dave Reichert's 95% + support for DeLay's destructionist agenda. It's another thing to look at just what that means for Americans, and particularly those in Reichert's 8th District, or his old comrades in the King County Sherrif's Department. How bad is it? A flash email from the DCCC offers a striking example...

The Facts:

Crime on the rise in Reichert's congressional district: Newly released crime statistics for 2004 show a 6.5 percent overall crime increase in unincorporated King County, and crime in suburban cities like Auburn and Bellevue is up nearly twice as much.  ["Crime rate on the rise in Auburn, Bellevue," King County Journal, 5/11/05

As sheriff, Reichert relied on the COPS program: In his tenure as sheriff, Reichert tapped the COPS program for more than $15 million, allowing him to bolster his department with 142 new officers and shift detectives to the Ridgway investigation... "the 142 positions we gained absolutely yielded results," Reichert said. ["Differing priorities create a conflicted Reichert," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 7/6/04]

Today, Reichert votes to eliminate the COPS program: [H Res 268, Roll Call #164, 5/11/05]

So, for a lousy ten grand in ARMPAC dollars, Dave Reichert has compromised the safety of his constituents and the men and women who once counted on him as their leader.

Goes to show - the only good Republican politician is a retired Republican politician…