Recently I have been hearing from various sources in the 44th LD that there is an anonymous smear campaign being waged against insurgent State Senate candidate, Lillian Kaufer. According to the folks I have talked to, including Kaufer herself, an anonymous blogger who goes by the names "Tony Starks", "Starx", or "GhostFacedStarx"; depending on where or when he or she is writing or commenting) began by attacking Kaufer in comments to the Everett Herald, Publicola, and even this publication and has now set up a blog and Twitter account for the purpose of "exposing" certain information related to Kaufer and the small vending business she and her husband have been running for years. Chief among the "revelations" being exposed are details of a bankruptcy the couple filed on behalf of their business when they, as have dozens of other small businesses in our county, starting losing the battle to keep afloat during tough economic times. The bankruptcy filling and the associated tax records involved in the case are a matter of public record. As Kaufer explained to me,

 "...This is information that I neither brag about nor do I attempt to deny or falsely represent when asked. The fact is that during a real downturn in the marketplace, we found ourselves forced to turn to the bankruptcy court to help us turn things around. I am happy to say however that we have since been able to get things turned around and the business is doing well. While I am not especially proud of having gone through the bankruptcy; I am proud to say that we never defaulted on the state taxes we owed (nor were we ever brought to court as alleged by the anonymous Starx). In fact, having gone through this experience and landing on our feet, I believe I have a much greater empathy and understanding for the individuals and other small business owners in the district who have either shared my experience or are only weeks or months from possibly facing the same situation. I hope they will find in me, someone who will fight for them in Olympia because I know what they face every day."

Unfortunately the story does not stop with the effort to slam Kaufer for not being Warren Buffet or Bill Gates. Apparently the anonymous blogger/commenter has also started passing around a few more salacious innuendos and unsubstantiated claims of a more "personal nature" including suggestions of marital infidelity. This latter piece of the campaign was made known to Kaufer through an interview she recently had with Everett Herald political reporter and blogger, Jerry Cornfield. During the interview Cornfield told Kaufer that he had received an email from someone who wanted him to know about Kaufer's business dealings. The writer pointed to all of the same information that could be found on the websites set up by "GhostFacedStarx". After discussing the circumstances surrounding the bankruptcy and tax records, Cornfield said that the email also included references to certain "associations" via her Twitter account that might suggest that Kaufer was frequenting adult establishments and engaging in behavior of a less than favorable nature. According to Kaufer, Cornfield indicated that he was planning to do a feature article on the negative nature of the race in the 44th that would highlight the information about her bankruptcy and said he was also planning to do a separate piece (most likely in his blog The Petri Dish) that would discuss the more "sexy stuff". When Kaufer asked who had sent the email to Cornfield he only suggested that he assumed it was a 44th LD Sen.Steve Hobbs (D-Lake Stevens) supporter.

Now I don't know if Cornfield will actually follow through with his plan to run with the troublesome personal attacks being spread by the anonymous blogger but I certainly hope that if he should do so that he make an honest effort to bring to light the actual identity of Kaufer's accuser. He can start by picking up on some of the wide-spread speculation already circulating throughout the 44th LD and the county. In the spirit of the adage: "Follow the money" we can begin with: "Where is the motivation?" Then there is a question of access to the powerful Lexis/Nexis search engine along with a working knowledge of the affairs of the 44th LD and Olympia; particularly Sen. Hobbs' voting record.

Political debate should be about policy, voting records, and pertinent experience. Personal attacks should be saved for family reunions and Republican campaign ads.

Peace,
Chad (This is my real name) Shue