This will further enrage the already hysterical wingnuts, but The Columbian has managed to recognize skill, competence and results in the race for governor and endorse Chris Gregoire:
Gov. Gregoire has served well, particularly in matters affecting Clark County, and The Columbian today endorses her for reelection. Such was not our recommendation four years ago when we endorsed Rossi in a battle of two candidates who were seasoned politicians, but first-time applicants for the governor’s chair. Now, though, Gregoire is armed with a dossier that shows significant progress.
Rossi and other critics assail Gregoire most often in an area — the economy — where she actually shows strength and versatility. She helped turn an inherited $2.2 billion deficit into a balanced budget. And as the national economy erodes, Gregoire has hunkered down in the face of the state’s projected $3.2 billion deficit. In June, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, she halted a three-building project at the capital after costs increased from $260 million to $370 million. A new data center, space for the Department of Information Services and State Patrol offices will have to wait.
Newspaper endorsements in tight races are always controversial, and you can bet this will lead to much wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst the local Orthogonians. It’s a Clark County election tradition to increase the volume of Nixonian anti-intellectualism to eleven.
Nothing is quite as poignant as the class resentments of the burghers, you know. All over the county this morning you can hear the echoes of “EM ESS EM” bouncing off the walls of gated communities. Furious threats to cancel already canceled advertising accounts will be issued first thing Monday morning. You can almost hear it– “Really, I was going to advertise just as soon as liquidity returns to the markets, but now I’m not.”
There’s no question that Gregoire has done a fine job as governor, and as the national economy tanks, we need a steady hand at the helm. I can’t honestly say that The Columbian endorsement helps Gregoire; it might or it might not. Most likely a wash overall. If you’ve heard the term “low information voter” well, Clark County is a “low information county.” Ironically, this is largely because of our unique media situation, as Oregon media dominates the area.
But we do know that lots of people registered to vote here in the last week.
Maybe many of them were intensely motivated by the thought of electing Dino Rossi governor? It’s his wink, isn’t it?
So, I’m sure the nutroots will be quick to point out that Gregoire is mandated to balance the budget as they so often do when anyone brings up the deficit in this state. So, to list that as an accomplishment is like praising someone for not murdering anyone. It’s the law and expected, but hardly an ‘accomplishment’.
Yays!
New Rossi TV spots blame Gregoire for the state of the nation’s economy because of the budget shortfall the state anticipates from July 2009 through June 2011.
That’s just stupid.
Rossi’s own solution to the projected gap is to spend more. His transportation plan spends $900 million more. He seems to be supporting a stupid initiative that spends about $300 million more. Those two Rossi ideas alone would grow the projected shortfall by about 50%.
Rossi’s appetite for taxpayer funded fantasies is out of control.
Good to see the editors at the Columbian caught on to Rossi’s aversion to telling the whole truth. The next four years will require a leader who can face facts and govern.
Chris Gregoire is the only candidate to meet that test.
Rossi is the ultimate right wing fantasy candidate. He makes shit up and brings it to a fever pitch just before voting day.
This kind of far right fantasy myth-making on steroids is over-the-top intoxicating to the right wing nutcases.
Why would you even start a project if their was
a chance you might go over budget by 110 million dollars. What the fuck are they
building, a new football stadium? Imagine if
you built a new house and missed your construction costs by a third. Gregoire is a
moron. Maybe she will take personal responsibility for this snafu as well and
send a check.
Gee Mark, Have you ever remodeled? When you get in there – the cost goes up. This looks like an increase of 30% and she shut it down so the taxpayers would not be on the hook for the money. I would think even a partisan right winger would get that.
Jon, are you sure those rightwing letters to the editor that so frequently grace the Columbian’s editorial pages aren’t being ghostwritten in a GOP boiler room?
I posted a comment yesterday quoting a news article that explained how the McCain campaign has hired ghostwriters to draft letters to the editor which are then signed by local supporters and mailed to newspapers.
It’s unfortunate that our economic elite has lost the ability to innovate and compete, and now has to rely on political manipulation to preserve their privileged position in our economy and society.
@5 “Why would you even start a project if their was a chance you might go over budget by 110 million dollars.”
That has to do with the Bush Inflation and all the America dollars that Bush sent to China, which is now using those dollars to bid up the price of steel, concrete, plywood, copper, and virtually all other construction materials.
I concede that Gregoire perhaps can be criticized for not accurately foreseeing just how bad the Bush Economic Meltdown would be. But then, none of the rest of us did, either.
@1 Balancing a budget isn’t easy. Just ask Dino Rossi,he’ll tell you how hard it was when he did it (with Gary Locke’s help). Sarah Palin has never had to balance a budget. She governs a small state that has no taxes and gives money away to its citizens. The hardest part of her job is saying, “Wheeeee! Free cash! How much money can we give away this year?” In fact, we know from her track record that Palin is incapable of balancing a budget. She took over a small city government whose budget was balanced and left it $20 million in debt.
When we remodeled, we kept in within our contingency and left one room unfinished to not overspend the budget.
Of course, I didn’t have an angry union to answer to either…
@9 Bush inflation? The financial meltdown is 100% resting on the democrats. Starting with Clinton and Dodd and Frank. This fiasco makes Enron look like a lemonade stand in comparison.
Time will prove who is at fault. Conservatives
are ready, believe me.