And keep in mind that Rasmussen is widely considered to be a Republican leaning pollster:
The re-election prospects for Washington Governor Christine Gregoire (D) have improved significantly over the past two months. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Washington voters shows Gregoire leading her Republican challenger, Dino Rossi, by eleven percentage points. It’s Gregoire 52% Rossi 41%.
What’s changed? Largely it appears that the Democratic base is coming home to Gregoire, as one might expect as the election approaches. But I’ll leave further analysis to Darryl.
FYI, Rasmussen also has Barack Obama opening up an 11-point lead over John McCain amongst WA voters. Coincidence?
So far what I’m seeing from Gregoire looks good. Her campaign this time around will define Rossi as the hard-right, out-of-the-mainstream, whining, sore loser that he truly is.
If people value competent governance they’ll choose Christine Gregoire.
If they want legislative chaos and corrupt cronyism for real estate developers and other hard-right special interests – they’ll choose Rossi.
Must be on account of the leadership Gregoire has shown in getting a new 520 bridge built and the Viaduct replaced.
Just think…in only four years she’s produced studies and semi-plans that only generate modicum amounts of nose holding and angst.
How about her leadership in education? That WASL is getting embraced by every mother and her sons…and daughters.
What about reforms in DSHS and CPS? The numbers of abused and killed children who are under state care and the millions upon millions paid out in judgments and settlements due to state negligence is simply an example of her compassion.
Speaking of compassion…her efforts to grow state government and its budget will remain unceasing until we’re all wards of the state.
The Piper
OR…it may be that anything even vaguely connected with the Bush Mob’s brand of “conservatism” (which Rossi, breaking from Washington’s tradition of moderation in both parties, wallows in like a pig) now bears a stench that repels all but the most dedicated zealots.
New 520? Last time I looked, it was on schedule to being rebuilt.
Viaduct? Gregoire tried to get it rebuilt. Seattle voiced some objections and rightly so – it’s our waterfront after all. We have to live with the decision for decades to come. When the plan is for something we can live with, it will be replaced.
Education? More spending for education has been done. Long overdue. More needs to be done. Not much more can be done unless we have tax reform in my opinion.
DSHS and CPS has long been a whipping boy (no pun intended) for the extreme right wing. What did the Republicans do about it in the nineties through to 2004 when they had majorities in the legislature – next to nothing AFAIK.
her efforts to grow state government and its budget will remain unceasing until we’re all wards of the state.
More losing paranoia from the pooper. If this is all Rossi and the right wing has got then Gregoire is going to coast to another term.
If it’s pragmatism and common sense you want – vote Gregoire.
If you’re motivated by fear and paranoia (see the Pooper) – go with Rossi.
I am impressed and happy for CG.
She may be among the first to benefit from the coat tails of the “gentleman from Illinois.”
Rossi, if he is to be competitive, needs to identify with McCain/Obama by pushing the idea of a new republican party. He can keep the meme about taxes but it all needs to be in the form of rational government.
If I were he, I would:
1. Make an issue of the Lt Gov, position by hinting that CG is running for a cabinet post and threatening the public with the current LG.
This should include convincing some impressive person to run as Rep. for LG. (Trouble is Goldy has mee convionced that the Rep. stew pot has few veggies that are nto already overcooked).
2. Invite S’negger here and describe an alliance of West Coast New-icans. Harp on the relationship to S’negger abd California. Maybe propose a regional airport on the border of BC and WA.
3. Focus on the need for long term planning.
4. Advocate Obama-esque school reform. The NEA/AFT won’t support Dino in any case. Dino might even run as an Obamican when it comes to education. (Obama is for merit pay, strict standards, contract schools, etc).
5. Take a strong stand PRO immigration including opposing the waste of $$ on Border fences but the need for an orderly program at all levels ..from Farm workers to software types.
6. Oppose the state’s new internet tax as an imposition by bureacrats that would only lose money.
Save our Sonics – Remember in November
No to Gregoire. No to the Democrats in the State Legislature, especially Speaker Chopp.
@4…YLB…
A plan for 520? Hell, she had four years – why isn’t the damn thing already built?
Ditto the Viaduct?
The replacement bridge in St. Paul is well under way after only a few months since the old one collapsed.
And as much as I consider him the father of all things pork, when the West Seattle Brdige was rammed by an errant freighter many years ago, Warren Magnuson had money for a replacement and work under way in a matter of days and weeks, not months and years.
Education? You measure success by more money down the rathole? How about whacking the WEA who just screwed the pooch on a Gates Foundation grant? Why not hold the union thugs accountable for standing in the way of genuine reform? Or is she too busy toting their baggage?
DSHS and CPS – even a liberal like Ken Schramm is outraged by the continued corruption in that agency. How many more children must die? How many more millions of OUR dollars must go to plaintiff’s in personal injury or wrongful death actions all on account of state negligence?
And where’s Gregoire’s respect for the taxpayer? Allowing something like a 1/3 growth in the budget in four years?
Don’t blame this on the GOP since it hasn’t been in power for years.
Sometimes leadership means taking on the entrenched interests, kicking some butt, and taking names. Where’s Gregoire on that? MIA, that’s where.
The Piper
SJ: So what “impressive person” can the Republicans recruit to run as Lt. Governor? Haven’t they already selected their candidate slate by now?
First of all, what “impressive” Republican can be convinced to run for office this year? The words “sacrificial lamb” come to mind. I think most of the serious contenders are laying low this year, hoping things will be a bit more favorable in future years, or in the next version of the Republican Party.
Secondly, assuming a sufficiently impressive Republican can be found who is willing to undergo the damage to his reputation caused by a walloping in the general election, then they also have to consider what would happen if they won, and Gregoire ended up serving out her second term, rather than moving on to a national position? What “impressive Republican” is going to want to sit in the Lt. Governor’s chair for four years – a rather thankless job in this state.
So the Republicans would have to recruit somebody who (a) has an impressive resume, (b) doesn’t care if they lose in a landslide, and (c) is willing to sit for four years in a thankless job if he wins and Gregoire stays. I think those requirements are mutually exclusive of one another.
I do think the attempt to collect the internet sales tax is a problem, although I’m not sure it will hurt Gregoire. It’s an attempt to put band aids and duct tape on the broken system which is the sales tax. In the meantime, a lot of small businesses in the state may shut down rather than attempt to comply.
It’s not just that sales taxes will be collected on internet sales. It’s a problem for anybody who sells goods out of state, whether via the internet, mail order, telephone, or personal sales calls. By calculating the sales tax based upon where the customer lives, rather than the location of the seller, then the business has the burden of determining what local sales tax must be used in every jursidiction. It would be hard enough if it was just Washington sales, but they want this to be done across the country!
Maybe Amazon.com has the software which allows them to do this, and they can hire a staff to update the data in their system every time there is a local sales tax levy anywhere in the country. But most smaller merchants who sale via the internet don’t have that capability. My own hosting/shopping cart vendor just lets me manually input a sales tax based upon the state, but not the smaller political subdivisions.
Just another reason to abolish the sales tax and go to a state income tax, as far as I’m concerned. Note that merchants in states that don’t use sales taxes will have a price advantage in sales under this system over merchants in states with a sales tax.
@8 rhp
First, the issue is not whether the repricans have such a person but whether Rossi can exploit the issue of a weak LG. If he can, this is na real weakness for her that she may not be able to address. Vowing to NOT accept a job is never all that convincing.
Second, I must admit to being less than astute in knowing who the R might have access to. One caveat, a la Snegger is that such a person need not be a traditional pol. For example, a nunber of business types have made the transition in other states .. the current governor of Mass, the Romney, Snegger himself, Corzine, …
I also think there is a good chance that MCain will choose Fiorina as his veep.
One huge advanatge of such a choice is that the person is not dependent on public life for prestige.
@2 For complete list of road projects completed during the 10 years Republicans controlled the state senate and thereby held veto power over the state budget, see below:
(white space)
So if Rasmussen says it’s 11 then in reality it’s 16 points. And Pooper all your bullshit doesn’t seem to be impacting the voters. The poll shows the truth. Washington is one of the best places to live and work in the country. Washington state’s economy under Dem leadership is far superior to the national economy under Bush’s leadership.
And Rossi is a proven liar and crybaby. If we ran a substantively less-qualified person than CG we would still win because Washington residents are educated – and they know a piece of shit when they see one.
How’s your dress workin out for you Pooper?
In other analysis, Republicans suck, people don’t like them, and people don’t want them in office.
Republican logic: Rebuilding a bridge that has collapsed is exactly the same thing as gathering public input on how best to replace a bridge that is currently in place and working.
SurveyUSA shows Obama beating McCain in Washington by 12, 54%-42%.
@11…RR…
That the best you’ve got? Justify the do-nothing Gregoire by comparing her to something that happened 11-years ago?
Man, you are really hard up for cogent argument today.
How about a slogan based upon your premise?
“Re-Elect Gregoire: At least she’s not out with an intern.”
“Go Gregoire! And take Frank Chopp with you!”
“Christine ’08: Building a bridge to…oops, it never got built.”
“Why take Ambien when you have Gregoire?”
“With Gregoire you get taxes…and taxes…and taxes…and more taxes.”
“Governor Christine, a tool of the union machine.”
“Christine Gregoire: She does what Tim Eyman says.”
“Put Gregoire in the cabinet…then lock it up and toss the key.”
Re-Elect Gregoire: Four more years of dull.”
The possibiliites are endless…and mindless.
The Piper
From Rasmussen:
It couldn’t happen to a more unfavorable guy.
16 PS
You may like her and you may not, but it’s four more years of Gregoire, regardless.
Hey, where’s Dino Rossi’s experience? I mean, you guys think John McCain’s a good choice because of his experience (what he can remember of it), but Dino was only a state Senator for a couple of years or so, and a back-benching State Representative before that.
But here’s the thing: Chris Gregoire was assistant attorney general under Attorney General Slade Gorton, was appointed to be the first female deputy attorney general in state history by Republican Ken Eikenberry, was director of the Washington State Department of Ecology, elected three times to spend 12 years as state Attorney General, and has four years as Governor.
Why should we take a chance on a guy who doesn’t even have a fucking job? This is an opportunity for someone to make an affirmative case for Rossi instead of smearing Gregoire. Somehow, though, I’m not holding my breath.
I am not in a good mood today. Just a bad day and Piper has given me an outlet. His pompous, bombastic, and less than entertaining word play has worn on me.
BUT, there is good news. He left a nugget of truth at the end of this lengthy post. Now, I have edited the order of the words and added absolutely nothing. I assume he was in a hurry and got mixed up and I am happy to provide editorial assistance free of charge. Now the last slogan is correct from his post at 16:
I feel much better. I have helped someone out today.
“Vote for Dino – Together we’ll root out the Commie-Fascist-Enviro-terrorists embedded in Washington State Government”
’08 BIAW ad for Rossi. Sounds like a winner.
Remember in November – No to Gregoire (However, that doesn’t mean I’d ever vote for that BIAW bootlicker, Dino Rossi.)
Looking at those polls, Rossi is getting very few crossover votes. Obama wins big, Gregoire wins big.
I can’t wait to see Christine wipe that phony smile off Rossi’s face come Nov.
Yeah! When Rossi is elected, he’ll fix DSHS by outsourcing it to Kevin Carns Child Protective Services.
Now there’s a real advocate for kids.
The cost of the contract will be reasonable like oh 95 cents on the dollar? Gotta show some cut in spending to buy another 4 years.
Pooper @ 16: “That the best you’ve got? Justify the do-nothing Gregoire by comparing her to something that happened 11-years ago?”
Lessee here. GOP controls the Senate for 10 years, does nothing, builds nothing. Dems get projects funded and moving. This pooper decries this as “not cogent”, and ends the matter there offering no plan, no alternative, no counterfactuals.
Obviously he was not on the HS debate team.
Then he refers to hard working teachers as “union thugs”, a line right out of the era of Wm. McKinley and JD Rockefeller….really a piece of work.
Utterly shameless in your dishonesty and mendacity…..mindless. Yeah, apt.
Well, I guess the Republicans can argue that if you elect Rossi, you have mitigated the state’s unemployment numbers by 1 job….
But that’s the only reason I can think of for voting for him.
OK …
we will elect CG.
WTF do we do about this guy
Brad Owen ?
No one I talk to thinks the fell is fit to be Guv. There must a reasonable likleyhood that one of the three top dems will be recruited to something in the Obama administration and whoever that is, the result will be a vacat guv chair.
While it is true that the tradtion in WA is to use this position to hold some inoffensive party loyalist, that could be changed simply by CG saying she wants to remake the job by giving it specific responsibilities .. a la AL Gore.
We have a number of great dems who could replace Owen if CG showed the goands to advocate reforming the job.
Hell, I would take it
Instead of collecting sales tax on Washington
internet sales ( 9% ) they should advertise
no internet sales tax for WA. They will cost
us jobs in the long run as alot of places dont have the high sales tax like here in liberal
nirvana. God liberals are fucking stupid.
Pooper we don’t have to justify CG. She’s leading in the poll. YOU have to justify that lying piece of shit Rossi. Funny how you rethugs NEVER want to talk about your own guy. Who can blame you? Rossi’s platform in 08 is “WAAH – I WAS ROBBED!”
HE HE!