>>147182

cont...
Over the years, the mainstreamers based their cohesion on an adherence to a progressive view “of going to the middle,” which essentially meant sharing power with the Democrats, and conducting an electoral strategy of positioning to the slightly moderate right of the Democrats. However, it may be one thing to approach politics in this manner, it is another thing to make such practices one’s political ideology and identity.
Their influence through the years is reflected in two control points: One maintaining a gatekeeper capability for the flow of campaign funds for statewide candidates. This has resulted in a situation where most of the elected Republican Caucus in the State Capitol are aligned with the mainstreamers. The other is the vetting of successors. One example of this can be seen in the career of the third-generation mainstreamer, Kim Wyman, who was appointed Thurston County auditor when Sam Reed, who had been a protégé of Lud Kramer left that position to become Secretary of State. Later, when Sam Reed left the position of Secretary of State, electoral arrangements were made to place Kim Wyman in that position.
A notable project of the mainstreamers was introducing mail-in balloting to Washington State. Mail-in balloting has severely compromised the integrity of elections. Secretary of State Ralph Munroe was a key promoter, followed by Sam Reed. Reed’s protégé and successor, Kym Wyman, campaigned for Secretary of State based on implementing mail-in balloting. To this day the Mainstream Republicans are proud of the mail-in balloting system they helped to create and spread, as a model, to the rest of the nation. On their website one can find the following in the issues section: “Washington State’s system of elections is exceptionally trustworthy.” In their qualifications for endorsing candidates, the Mainstream Republicans will not endorse any Republican candidate that does not support the trustworthy nature of mail-in balloting.
In areas of cooperation with the Democrats, the mainstreamers helped pass landmark environmental legislation shifting property rights from private owners to the government without compensation. They went along with the spotted owl war on the timber industry and assisted the Democrats in legalizing abortion three years before Roe Vs. Wade.
On the national scene, the mainstreamers historically opposed Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and today, with much more intensity, Donald Trump. Two mainstream U.S. Congress members voted to impeach Trump. Throught their history, the mainstreamers opposed any political group or tendency that did not share their “moderate” views. They banned the John Birch Society. They opposed the evangelical Christians. Later, they fought the Libertarians and the Tea Party. Today the mainstreamers’ primary focus is to suppress and crush the growing influence of the America First movement of Donald Trump in Washington State.
cont...