Artist rendering of construction of Rossi’s waterfront tunnel
There has been much debate amongst political insiders this week over whether Dino Rossi’s transportation “plan” was a smart political move. Oh, everybody agrees it is dumb policy — a head-up-its-ass, roads-only acceleration of a WSDOT wish list funded by pixie dust and prevarication — but there are some on both sides of the aisle who argue that local voters are indeed gullible enough to believe that enunciating such a plan somehow reflects on Rossi’s ability to achieve it. Me… I’m not so sure.
See, the problem with transportation planning in the Puget Sound region and Washington state, is that we’re just too goddamn, small “d” democratic to give any public official the moral or legal authority to get things done. Robert Moses himself could descend from Mt. Sinai with a comprehensive transportation plan etched in stone by the hand of God, and it would quickly crumble to dust amidst political squabbling, obstructionist ballot measures, picketing polar bears, and our state taxpayers’ profound unwillingness to actually pay for the infrastructure and services we want. Neither our statutory framework nor our political ethos easily accommodates the kind of forceful leadership required to enact, you know… plans.
Hence, a skeptical response from our state’s opinion makers might have been expected even had Rossi’s numbers actually added up. Which they don’t. Prompting even the Seattle Times to politely trash Rossi’s proposal in a Sunday editorial that bandies about the words “mushy,” “baffling,” “troublesome,” and “misleading,” while charging that the candidate “cha-cha’s around the question of what other things the state would do without.”
It is hard to imagine the political advantage to be gained from a “plan” on which even the rhetorical cosmeticians at the Blethen Family Newsletter can’t manage to slather a little political lipstick. And how could they while describing three of Rossi’s major proposals as a “financial sinkhole,” “a waste of money” and, well… a political fantasy?
He relies on tolls less than Gregoire but only because he reaches into a currently untappable fund, Sound Transit’s pot of gold. For Rossi to accomplish his goals, he would need a Republican Legislature.
Rossi wouldn’t just need a Republican legislature to divert Sound Transit’s Eastside light rail dollars to roads, he’d need the cooperation of the Sound Transit board, plus a vote of the people. And he’s not likely to get any of those of three, anymore than he’ll get Seattle voters to approve a waterfront tunnel or residents of the Montlake neighborhood to acquiesce to bulldozing an eight-lane 520 through the Arboretum.
I suppose, technically, it’s still a “plan” — it’s just a plan for failure. The question editorialists should be asking of Rossi is, does he really not understand how politically unrealistic his proposals are… or does he just not care?
Rossi takes the politics of hope one step further – the politics of dreamland. If Rossi dreams it – it will come. The money will appear from nowhere (um, maybe from sound transit if he says the the right mantra and adds in eye of newt (gingrich, that is).
Republicans are not only living in fantasyland – they now occupy that country. Not only were there no WMDs, no increase in tax revenues from tax cuts and no decrease in premarital sex with abstinence programs – but now we can just pretend that money and facts don’t matter. Global warming and budget deficits don’t exist if the republicans tell us so. The surge is working because deaths are down – gee – the neighborhoods have all been ethnically cleansed and most of the potential victims are now refugees – but the surge is working.
If republicans keep making messes and then blame the democrats for being adults trying to clean things up – does that mean they get to eat dessert first too?
Looks like Teddy Roosevelt with the shovel.
He would build a tunnel and blow up the
convention center and widen the damn I-5
where it narrows to two lanes. That 2 lane
part is pure democrat genius. Nice work.
I can do backflips over the moon!
I can turn sawdust into gold!
I can make your car get 1,000 mpg!
I can sing opera in Italian!
I can hit 200 home runs in a season!
I can make Dino Rossi honest!
Not really … but I’m practicing being a Republican politician in case they make me an offer I can’t refuse.
Rossi’s transportation plan looks like something produced by a novice press release writer working under a 30-minute deadline. Of course, Rossi himself is a novice at every aspect of governing.
By next week, Rossi’s transportation “plan” will be withdrawn, and he and his campaign flacks will pretend it never existed.
The Times is way too generous to Rossi and his “plan.” It’s nothing but a comic-book gimmick from a cartoon politician.
Rossi is an unrepentant believer in the thankfully fading Republican politics of total bullshit.
Promise the sky, deliver loads of taxpayer loot to big shot contributors and cronies and be sure to blame any disappointments on the liberals, lefties and the “librul MSM”.
If the voters don’t reject these frauds totally in November, this country is truly lost.
re 7: Perfect. In a nutshell.
The question editorialists should be asking of Rossi is, does he really not understand how politically unrealistic his proposals are… or does he just not care?
No, he doesn’t care.
This has been another edition of simple answers to simple questions.
Would someone please inform the “political powers that be” that the cross-base highway is dead. Yes, the Pierce County Chamber Of Commerce and Boeing want it built, but the general public doesn’t want it and we’ve beat them six ways to Sunday on this thing.
If Rossi wants another beat down (speaking metaphorically) I’d be happy to deliver it, but this is getting silly and embarrassing.
When your side has a plan that does not cost us 200 Billion, I’d love to see it, in fact I’d love to see it before next election time.
So I and many others are waiting for Gregoire’s plan to be distributed…
The last one was hundreds of Billions, so in the middle of a national recession, I am waiting to see what Gregoire’s answer is, although I more than know what it will be and why it is not being offered.
I’ll take a plan on the table over no plan being offered, and right now we only have one plan on the table that does not further tax the crap out of the people of this state.
And Gregoire’s plan is where and what?
We’re waiting!
Goldy I don’t think this is true:
Oops let’s try that again.
Goldy, I’m typing after a 12 hour shift at work so the brain’s a bit fuzzy, but I don’t think this is true:
There’s a few things at work here.
1. I think that historically we’re a “getter done” state. Look at all the big “Works” type projects in the state.
2. Post Dixie Lee Ray (and she didn’t do a very good job) most of the political leadership has been wonkish,thirdwayish folks. Not take charge types. I think those more take charge folks can and do get elected John Ladenburg and Governor Gregoire are examples of that. Gary Locke, not so much.
3. We set the world (or was it just national?) record back in ’82 with a $2.25 billion dollar bond default. This makes us skittish of mega-projects.
4. Historically, the federal government picked up a big part of our tab on mega-projects. There’s some sticker shock going on.
5. For the last 20 or so years the state has been moving towards a, “Pay to play” system that makes easy to build small local projects, but hard to build large regional projects. When you empower the local you dis-empower (is that even a word?)the regional.
6. Some of the latest plans weren’t very good.
7. A bunch of stuff about our rapid growth, long timers going “WTF happened my state” and new folks still figuring out their new home should go here. But, I’m too tired and the brain’s is too fuzzy to write it right now. ;-)
@15
“And Gregoire’s plan is where and what?”
It’s right here dooofus.
http://www.governor.wa.gov/pri.....efault.asp
@2
Actually it was FDR that got stuff built (unless you live in Panama and there we bought out the French). Teddy was “the great trust buster”, which is about as far from current Republican policy as you can get.
As a Republicon, Rossi hasn’t yet heard about global warming and can’t envision his Seattle waterfront tunnel being flooded.
But Sims, as part of his Brightwater Sewage project, Sims who ought to know better is taking the chance of boring a fourteen foot diameter tunnel under the Lake Forest Park Water District’s aquifier!
Good luck, Ron; and Lake Forest Park too.
NOIBN
The use of Theodore Roosevelt’s image in this context is inappropriate and offensive.
Dino Rossi wouldn’t be worthy to launder Teddy’s socks.
“Robert Moses himself could descend from Mt. Sinai with a comprehensive transportation plan etched in stone by the hand of God…”
As a New Yorker, I have to note that Mr. Moses built highways all over New York City, and presided over a decline in mass-transit funding. He’s now sitting forever in traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway, with an overheated motor, on an August day with temperature and humidity in the upper 90s, if there is a just God.
The aforementioned roadway ripped the heart out of the southern Bronx, paving over the buildings at that community’s core. Robert Moses made the South Bronx into the metaphor for urban decline, and I sincerely hope he’s paying for it.
To heck with anyone who wants more pavement!