Political parties left holding the ball

Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman said it best when talking about the state’s political parties and their activities following the United States Supreme Court ruling that the “Top Two Primary” is legal.

The parties have asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to rule on their 2005 suit which placed an injunction on the state from using the “Top Two Primary”.  Wyman said it reminded her of the cartoon where the young boy stands on the ball field with the soccer ball under his arms, as the rest of the team leaves the field.  He hollers “Wait, the game isn’t over.”

But the game is over.  The US Supreme Court has ruled on a 7-2 vote that the “Top Two Primary” is legal and can be used.  The political parties are left, trying to understand how the game could possibly be over, when they didn’t even know the game was out of reach.

I think the parties are trying to keep some sort of case going, because, when it’s all over, the Democrats, the Republican and the Libertarian parties are going to be left with paying the state’s legal fees, to the tune of maybe a half million dollars.

And, it’s all because, when they thought they were winning, in the lower courts, they asked for and were granted, legal fees.  But now that they have lost in the highest court in the land, they are on tap to pay the legal fees for the state.

And, that’s called, left holding the ball.