Connelly: Don't drag Hutchison "through the mud"

Joel Connelly takes on "some" liberal bloggers that would be (Goldy and Erica Barnett) for making an issue of her religious practices and accuses the "militant secularists" of sexism, name-calling, guilt by association, broad-brush smears and demeaning sarcasm. Joel's advice to the anti-Hutchison campaigners:

Nor should Hutchison get dragged through the mud over a discrimination suit -- later settled -- that she filed against KIRO-TV after it demoted her and a younger person was brought in to host the evening news.

Instead, we should ask a question she didn't answer at Thursday's debate: Will Hutchison try to change (read dismantle) King County's urban growth boundaries? Will the Building Industry Association of Washington find in her a willing ally? Hutchison has excoriated the county's Critical Areas ordinance as a scourge on rural residents. "It tells citizens who own land how they will use it," she told a Bellevue debate on Thursday.

Howie P.S.: As one who has publicly chided the local media (not Joel!) for their under-reporting on this race, I feel some responsibility to chime in here: I think Joel's advice is wise. There is plenty to talk about Susan on the secular issues. In Goldy's defense, he did post "Susan Hutchison: “I oppose legal abortion” --a legitimate political issue, but not one central to the King County Executive job, as far as I can tell. For evidence of Goldy's interest in Hutchison's religous views, see "Is Susan Hutchison a “wedge” candidate?"