Rural Democrat mounts an uphill battle

With the infamous Redbaiting of his father from the Washington Legislature in the 1960s, and the Christmas Eve 1985 murders of his brother's family in Seattle, Peter Goldmark has reason to guard his privacy.

But the Okanogan County rancher and decadelong Washington State University regent is headed back into the public arena. Goldmark is mounting an uphill campaign for Congress in Eastern Washington against freshman GOP Rep. Cathy McMorris.

"In difficult times, every citizen's responsibility is to do what he or she can to help out," said Goldmark, 59.

The McMorris-versus- Goldmark race is not likely to be a marquee race for national Democrats this fall. And that is just fine with Goldmark. He intends to be an "independent Democrat" beholden only to the 5th District.

Joel Connelly has been a staff columnist for more than 30 years. He comments regularly on politics and public policy.

The rural, agricultural Democrat -- nurtured by the New Deal, public power and Grand Coulee Dam -- used to be a constructive part of Washington's political ecology, much like the moderate, urban Republican.

Nowadays, alas, both political species are as much in danger of extinction as the spotted owl.

What's been lost? The progressive-but-sound views on the Seattle City Council that once belonged to John Miller, Tim Hill, Paul Kraabel and Bruce Chapman -- all Republicans.

As well, we've lost the kind of above-partisan leadership and class that Democrat Tom Foley supplied to Eastern Washington -- and to the whole state -- in Congress for 30 years, the last five as House speaker.

McMorris, 36, is marked for stardom by House leaders but is very much a partisan of the right. She was named to the list of "10 Up-and-Coming House Conservatives" by the Human Events newspaper. She sits on the Republican Steering Committee.

Of most controversy, McMorris chaired a subcommittee charged with coming up with ways to "reform" the National Environmental Policy Act, the country's basic environmental law.

The panel held one hearing in an urban area -- and found lots of NEPA defenders in Spokane -- then took to the road with small-town hearings at which testimony was taken from big mining companies, big timber companies and big oil companies. The "reforms" were first rolled out at a lobbyists' breakfast in Washington, D.C.

Goldmark feels that an atmosphere of "dirty money and corruption" hangs over Congress.

Asked about the lobbyists' breakfast, he replied: "It's the way the administration has gone about developing energy policy. It began with Dick Cheney's task force. With Hurricane Katrina, large amounts of public money have been committed without scrutiny. Decisions are made by lobbyists, or with lobbyists in the room."

The Democratic Party learned in 2004 just how far it has fallen in the Inland Empire. It fielded an outstanding candidate -- former WestCoast Hotels CEO and Spokane civic leader Don Barbieri -- for the 5th District seat. McMorris, a state legislator from Colville, beat him by a 60-40 margin.

No wonder. During the 1990s, Democratic state conventions seemed dominated by proposals from Seattle liberals to breach Snake River dams and shut down Hanford reactors.

Peter Goldmark is likely to challenge his own party, as well as McMorris.

"I'm not sure what's the necessary ingredient to fire the (Democrats') rebirth," he said. "I can tell you part of the problem -- the attitude of environmentalism at the expense of everything else.

"The Republican Party has been masterful at exploiting this. We need a melded environmentalism sensitive to local conditions: Environmentalism through regulation is a dead-end street. People will be good stewards of the land if they are recognized and rewarded for it."

Goldmark holds a doctorate in molecular biology: He took over management of the family ranch after his parents, John and Sally Goldmark, moved to Seattle.

John Goldmark won a landmark libel trial against a local newspaper, the Tonasket Tribune, which smeared him as a communist in 1962.

The candidate's brother Chuck Goldmark, an attorney, mountain climber and civic leader, died after being stabbed with his wife and two sons in their Madrona home. David Rice, a political extremist, is serving a life sentence without parole for the murders.

One veteran politician is likely to have a particularly interesting perspective on the McMorris-Goldmark race.

Then-state Rep. Slade Gorton, a Republican, went to Okanogan in 1963 to testify for John Goldmark -- although the two men were of rival parties and beliefs in the Legislature.

It was Gorton, now a former U.S. senator, who helped pick McMorris in 2004 as a winner and House standout.