Editors Note – A Shrinking Tent: The Mark Miloscia Story

There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle. ~Alexis de Tocqueville

A Noble Switch Of Party

Cynics have an old saying in Federal Way that the most interesting thing to come out of Federal Way is Highway 99. Well, if you look closer it may be the critical party switching by members of the legislature.

A story about the activities in Washington State’s 30th legislative district now has to include it’s second dramatic party switch by one of its favorite sons. On February 13th, 1981 then Democrat, Peter Von Reichbauer held a press conference announcing that he was switching parties. It was right during a legislative session when the Democrats enjoyed a skinny but firm 25-24 vote majority. Von Reichbauer’s switch flipped control of the Senate, and all the chairs of committees and the Senate leadership. Let us also not forget a young Federal Way Senator leaving the room under guard of the Washington State Patrol. The D’s weren’t happy.

Are They Less Happy Now?

This year, prior to the incumbent Tracey Eide’s, D-30th, announcement of retirement and that she would not seek reelection, Mark Miloscia, the former Democrat House member from the 30th District and one time State Auditor candidate announced that he too was changing his party affiliation to Republican. He would run against Eide. In the intervening time, Eide is on to retiring, and now Miloscia is on his way to a vigorous campaign for a pivotal seat in the State Senate. A Senate where the Democrats have a numerical majority, but not a functional majority due to a coalition majority lead by a Senator who himself will leave the post of Majority Leader and not seek reelection…oh most of you know the story.

As fascinating as the majority arithmetic is, the story is more about the sometimes oppressive environment of a political party that yells tolerance, yet shuns pro-life and pro-gun rights Democrats. As State Senate candidate Miloscia puts it, “Over the last decade or so the Democrat party has become controlled by interests who require a litmus-like test for certain social issues.”  To Miloscia, the tent appears to be shrinking, the tolerance appears to be relative, and the impact will play itself out if Miloscia out polls Shari Song D-30th who just filed today. Sheri who? Ms. Song originally in the Federal Way area has spent the last few years active in Seattle communities and now appears to have returned to Federal Way to run for the State Senate.

4000 Homes Door belled And All They Want Is Efficient Schools, Transportation and Social Safety Net Programs

Miloscia has already doorbelled thousands of homes in his hometown of Federal Way. He says, “….I have door belled over 4000 homes already and what I am finding is they don’t care about party affiliation, they care about efficient expenditure of their tax dollars for education, transportation and social services safety net…”  It’s classic swing suburban politics, where places like Federal Way and others produce fringe legislators who on not enough occasions are interested in serving their community instead of their party.

Frustration of party demands is best expressed by the candidate himself when he told us, “The party left me, I did not leave it.”

Mark Miloscia

 The “Big Tent” Party

By The Honorable Mark Miloscia, Former Member, Washington State Legislature, Candidate For State Senate, 30th District, Federal Way

On the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination last November, I followed a discussion on whether President Kennedy, a moderate Catholic, would be welcomed in today’s Democratic Party.

That got me thinking — could Party heroes like a President Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, or the evangelical Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. be supported by today’s Democrat leaders and activists?  Before, I’d felt there was a place as the Party publicly promoted a “big tent,” and respected cultural diversity.  Some leaders worked to insure that candidates like myself, had a place.

Not anymore.  Today, the Democratic Party asks for our votes and money, but they will never support candidates like JFK, RFK, MLK JR, or even a liberal Tip O’Neill again.  A growing segment, tolerant in name only, now completely controls the party with litmus tests and interest groups.

While Democrats promote diversity, they actually demand that faithful Catholic, Christian, and other religious believers must “evolve” and change their faith and culture, in order to be allowed into today’s “big tent.”  In an honest moment, one Party activist told me that unless I changed, they wouldn’t vote for me “…for dog catcher, let alone State Auditor.“

Today, I see the Republican Party vigorously debating its own flaws and its future while still promoting the diversity of its elected leaders here in Washington.  Unlike Democrats, they welcome candidates who are pro-choice or pro-life, pro-gay marriage or pro-traditional marriage, pro-business or pro-labor, atheist or Christian or Jewish.

I had hoped, naively perhaps, to be a part of similar discussions with Democrats before all the moderates and conservatives were pushed out of the “big tent” as the party quietly moved further to the left.  Very soon, there will be no faithful Catholic or Christian Democrats like myself, left in office.  This will be a sad day for the Party that President Kennedy once led.

As a candidate knocking on doors, people often declared, “I vote for the best candidate, not the party.”  I also support that principle. Today, it is obvious that that neither party has all the answers or causes all problems.  Independently minded people like myself, who try to avoid partisan bickering, don’t fit neatly into either party -— we support issues and have supporters from both parties.

I will continue to be a champion for accountability, justice for those in need, and prosperity for workers, businesses, and families.  I will continue to work with, and challenge both parties when they fail to work together for effective governments, schools, and a just society.

In the future, I will be campaigning as a Republican, the only party today, which reaches out and welcomes candidates and voters like President Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. or myself.

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