The Seattle P-I headline asks the rhetorical question, “Will Dino Rossi run again for governor?” — and then pretty much provides the answer in the lede:
As Dino Rossi ponders a possible 2008 election rematch against Gov. Chris Gregoire, he’s doing everything, at a state level, that a Republican candidate for president might do at the national level.
Everything, that is, except actually talk about issues.
For a man who promised to bring bold new leadership to the governor’s mansion, and whose 2008 campaign essentially kicked off in December of 2004, Rossi has been resolutely silent on absolutely every single contentious issue that has wracked the state these past few years.
The gas tax, I-912’s effort to repeal it, gay civil rights, the inheritance tax, the Viaduct, I-933’s attempt to dismantle land use regulation, and nearly every other editorial inducing issue… Dino Rossi, the titular leader of Washington Republicans, has refused to weigh in by publicly lending his voice of authority to one side or the other. You’ve got to admire his discipline and consistency.
But then, we shouldn’t really expect anything less from a man whose 2004 campaign was long on the promise of new leadership but short on any prior history thereof. After a legislative career distinguished mostly by the nastiness of his campaigns, Rossi adopted as his singular accomplishment his personal authorship of the 2003-2005 state budget, a bit of GOPropaganda repeatedly echoed by his patrons on the Seattle Times editorial page, though clearly contradicted by the Times’ own contemporaneous reporting:
The Republican budget has much in common with the all-cuts plan that Democratic Gov. Gary Locke unveiled in December. In fact, Rossi opened a press briefing yesterday with a PowerPoint presentation titled: “Following the Governor’s Lead.”
Yes, Rossi’s budget was a tad more draconian, eliminating health care for 46,000 children, but as Rossi made perfectly clear at the time, the fiscally conservative budget adopted that session was largely authored by a Democratic governor.
Apart from his business-friendly pronouncements and promise to shake up the state bureaucracy, Rossi’s 2004 campaign was short on substance, while his personal beliefs and political ideology were intentionally obfuscated. Even on abortion, the emotional issue that most vividly defines our nation’s Red/Blue divide, Rossi, a devout Catholic, refused to take a public stand. “None of us are running for the U.S. Supreme Court,” Rossi quipped, brushing aside the thorny issue by insisting that the governor had little power over Roe v. Wade.
That kind of non-denial denial is simply not going to fly in 2008 — and not just on the issue of abortion, which a far-right-wing Supreme Court is preparing to throw back to the states. Rossi and his advisors are relying on resentment over his narrow 2004 loss and the circumstances surrounding it, to cement his Republican base and bring back many of the independent and crossover voters who almost carried him to victory. But his bitterly fought election contest also gave rise to what is perhaps the most active, organized and influential local political blogosphere in the nation, and while our tactics may not always be appreciated by our friends in the legacy press, our reporting and our media criticism cannot be ignored.
The media landscape has changed — somewhat thanks to Rossi himself — and he simply will not be allowed to run the same sort of tabula rasa campaign that almost snuck him into the governor’s mansion in 2004. The danger in attempting to be all things to all people is that if you leave yourself undefined, your opponent will define you for you. The Gregoire campaign failed to do that in 2004, but I doubt they’ll make the same mistake twice. And this time around she will be aided by a maturing progressive media infrastructure that will push the political press corps to force Rossi to take a stand on substantive issues, or look foolish refusing to do so.
The 2004 Rossi campaign provided the boilerplate strategy for how Republicans might run and win in Washington State — specifically, try not to look so much like Republicans. That David Irons and Mike McGavick failed to successfully ride this strategy to victory is not necessarily due to the fact that they are inferior salesmen (though, they are,) but rather, an indication that both reporters and voters have grown hip to the strategy.
But even given a media time-warp Rossi would be hard pressed to duplicate his 2004 near-success in a 2008 campaign governed by an entirely new set of political dynamics. This time around Governor Gregoire has a record, and in attacking the specifics, Rossi will be forced to specifically enunciate what he would have done differently. Would he have brokered a gas tax increase, or allowed our transportation infrastructure to languish without it? Would he have vetoed the gay civil rights and domestic partnership bills? Would he have fought to put more money into education and children’s health care, or argue that fiscal constraints just don’t allow it? Would he have supported repealing the estate tax, and if so, what would he have cut from the budget to offset the loss of revenue?
Rossi’s conservative legislative record and political ideology puts him outside of the mainstream of Washington voters — and outside of the mainstream of many of the independents and so-called “Dinocrats” who voted for him last time around. I look forward to playing a small role in finally introducing the real Dino Rossi to Washington voters.
first
If Dino wants to waste time trying to make a souffle rise twice, more power to him.
If the Republicans want to be serious, they’d run AG McKenna against Gregoire.
The gas tax, I-912’s effort to repeal it, gay civil rights, the inheritance tax, the Viaduct, I-933’s attempt to dismantle land use regulation, and nearly every other editorial inducing issue… Dino Rossi, the titular leader of Washington Republicans, has refused to weigh in by publicly lending his voice of authority to one side or the other. You’ve got to admire his discipline and consistency.
This is easy: against it, for it, against them, against it, what’s in it for me?, for it. I mean, really, Goldy, do you even need to ask him?
If the Republicans want to be serious, they’d run AG McKenna against Gregoire.
Then we’re gonna have to drag out the pictures of Robin from before the sex change.
You’re slipping, Goldy. Earl over at Stefan’s blog had a thread started on this question about 5 hours earlier.
For the record, Libertarians don’t care whether Rossi runs again or not.
Libertarian @5,
Hmm. I hadn’t bothered to look at (u)SP today until you pointed out Eric’s “scoop”. I suppose I too could have posted five hours ago, had I been content to write 20 words instead of 1000. Please forgive me for exercising my craft.
(Speaking of which, do you have any comments on what I wrote, or merely its timestamp?)
@5 Libertarians don’t much care about anything, except maybe making a little splash. If they did, they would choose sides between the major party candidates, because their “candidates” will never be elected to anything. A Libertarian is nothing more than a conservative dropout from electoral politics — calling yourself a “Libertarian” is a convenient dodge from not having to take responsibility for anything.
Roadkill McGavick’s tactic was to run as a non-partisan candidate for Senate. That’s right, his campaign ads conspicuously omitted to mention he’s a Republican! It seems the GOP label is a bit tarnished these days. Maybe Roadkill hoped enough voters would mistake him for a Democrat to sneak in. Didn’t work. Pretending to be a “moderate Republican” won’t work for Dino, either, because everyone knows there’s no such thing as a “moderate Republican” anymore. We have two parties in our state: Democrats, and Radical Republicans. What I mean is, Radical as in Batshit Insane, Off-The-Charts, Rioting Rightwing Howling Mob Republican. That’s what Dino is, and everyone knows it. He can run, but he can’t hide behind phony “moderate” labels. None of them can — just ask Roadkill how his golf game is. McGavick has plenty of practice time on his hands these days.
I would like to tell you offline on my experience with Dino Rossi and besides the fact he is from the opposition, why he should not be our Governor.
ROGER RABBIT QUIZ
Which of the following is most popular with voters?
[ ] 1. Roadkill McGavick
[ ] 2. Motherbeater Irons
[ ] 3. Low Tax Looper
[ ] 4. Cigaret Smoke
[ ] 5. Dogs in Bars
The correct answer to #10 is [5] Dogs in Bars, closely followed by [4] Cigaret Smoke. All the others are far behind.
What?! Republicans are less popular than dogs and cigaret smoke? Sounds like they need an ideology transplant. They could use a character transplant, too. Oh hell, just throw them out and start from scratch. We need a new political party in this country; the GOP is broken beyond repair.
Here’s what Dino stands for…
1) Lying about his real estate credentials
2) Trying to find a way to litigate his way to the Governor’s office
3) Finding out what the builder’s association stands for and then echoing that
@12 Here’s YOUR cue, Libertarian! The GOP is creating an opening for you guys to play in the bigs, to become a major party! You’re positioned to become the next Whigs or Tories upon the GOP’s final, cataclysmic, fly-apart implosion. Which is going to occur any day now.
A “progressive” is a nice way of avoiding the Socialist label.
Roger Rabbit is a failed attorney on a fixed income. Hard to imagine with so much that has been written and discueed about retirement planning that a “smart” attorney like Roger would be on a fixed income. What were you doing all those years, Roger? Didn’t you participate in a 457 or 403b while “working” for the State? What, no IRA either? What were you thinking? That social security would be enough?
Goldy, the Rossi thing is a waste of time. Rossi is not going to run for gov. I was just giving you a hard time. That’s my “craft,” Goldy: to take pot shots here and over at Sound Politics. Occassionally I even agree with some of the stuff posted on both blogs.
Hey Roger. I bet you a dollar that Hillary won’t win election to prez in 2008. If I lose, I won’t welch like MTR.
And who is paying Rossi to do run full-time? He obviously can’t hold down a real job like the rest of us stiffs while campaigning. Who pays the mortgage on his house, food for his family table, gas for his nice cars?
Follow the money to … Publican Party? PACs? BIAW?
@ 16:
WOW! A whole AMERICAN dollar????
GBS says:
@ 16:
WOW! A whole AMERICAN dollar????
===
Yeah, I just a poor lad
with no fam – il – ly!!
Galileo!
Galileo!
@16 How about if I bet you two dollars that Hillary won’t be elected prez next year?
@15 No, Roger Rabbit was a successful civil servant who survived in the state bureaucracy for 30 years and retired on pension.
The disadvantage of the state pension system is that you have to give up 40% of your benefit to get COLAs (you’d come out ahead sometime in your mid-eighties, if you live that long) and can’t afford to live on the remaining 60% of the 60% of your former inadequate salary, partly because you have to pay the full cost of your health insurance yourself (no state subsidy), with the result that your health insurance premiums are soon more than your pension.
The advantage of the state pension system is that, unlike private pension systems, you actually get paid.
Of course I have IRAs, and they’re doing quite nicely, thank you — up 1000% in 15 years. (Keep pumping my gas into your Hummer, Redneck; I appreciate your business!) I’m still too young for Social Security, but I’ll eventually get that, and when I do, I’ll be a bit more comfortable. And I have burrow equity — lots and lots of burrow equity — the real estate in public parks is getting more valuable by the minute and I have NO DEBT! It’s those health costs that are killing me. Fortunately, there’s free carrots available just up the street.
@17 There’s nothing unusual about the fact Rossi doesn’t work to support himself. No Republican does. That’s the whole point of being a Republican! Rossi is a slumlord living off the labor of his tenants. He doesn’t do any work himself, which allows him to devote full time to his hobbies which include politics, frivolous litigation, and not taking a position on any public issue.
Funny how you don’t ask what Burner’s positions are about anything.
Dino Rossi is an empty suit. He is a Manchurian candidate like Bush, selected by the Republican puppeteers who run the party. They like him because he has no thoughts of his own, cleans up well, and is easy to control. Dino is kind of like tofu–he’s all vegetable when only meat will do.
I think it’s time for Rossi to consider getting an honest job.
Good comments, Goldy, but let’s face it: the local media have decided on their narrative. Rossi and Reichert are Maverick Republicans. That is, yes, they ARE Republicans, and will vote their party’s line 90+% of the time, but still, they are Mavericks, and therefore electable. If they were not Mavericks, that would be A Very Bad Thing — they would then be like Democrats who actually uphold workers’ rights, gay rights, and environmental legislation, i.e. Extremists, and we cannot have Extremists. Therefore, it is important that Rossi and Reichert be Maverick Republicans, and Nice Guys. Therefore, they are Maverick Republican Nice Guys. See how that works?
In the story, Rossi did give a prediction: “The spending is going to produce what I believe is the biggest deficit the state has ever seen.” Do you really think anyone will cite this prediction, if it proves false? (And remember, anything but “the biggest deficit” makes it false.)
If you really think the local media will hold him accountable for anything, look at the issue you cited: abortion. Naral has a videotape of a young Dino Rossi, bemoaning the passage of I-120 in 1991, which codified Roe vs. Wade. Even his outright rejection of the popular will cold not get our local media to stop covering for his radical, out-of-touch views.
Rossi and Reichert owe their showings to our local media’s subservience to big money, nothing more.
25 Agreed Rossi, like Shrub (and Sheriff Hairspray), is basically a “vapor candidate”, a pretty face to slide through the process, backed by people the likes of which most of us would cross the street to avoid.
However, from what I’ve seen of him, he shares something else in common with Dubya–an ego the size of Jupiter. An example of this was the way he dealt with the state budget process a few years ago. He went through the eleventh-hour process with Helen Somers like his predecessors have had to do for ages–but insisted on doing it over the phone, rather than meeting with her face to face. Then, of course, he tried to take the credit for the whole thing.
We don’t need any more self-proclaimed “leaders” dedicated to proving what hot stuff they are when they really can’t find their asses with either hand.
Goldy ..
This almost seems like a repsonse to my question on your show.
against Gregoire .
I agree that Rossi took few specific stands. Same is true for Gregoire. Now she has a record and that record is NOT good. She had a wonderful opportunity to use period of good budgets to reform the mess in WA state education (K-UW) and, instead, through dollars at it. The dollars are welcome, but a leader might have used this as an opportunity at badly needed structural reforms.
Gregoire has also royally screwed up on the viaduct issue.
Social issues? You and I are on the same side of some of these, but I .. like Rossi .. think that many of these are best left as they are. OF COURSE I do nto want to overthrouw Roe at the sate level. BUT nothing Rossi has doen tells me that he would do that either. Forcing him to promise is simply provoking a political litmus test that has no real value (looka t how weell GWB keeps his promises).
Gay marriage, gay marriage is a very nuanced issue. Strands run from the nut right view that being gay is e-v-i=l to folks like me who support full civil rightd without redefining marriage to the progressive idea that we should redefine marriage. Where dos Rossi stand .. I agree, I don;t know but I also do not se what part the guv plays in this not do I know what stand Gregoire has.
So, if we are to have another Dino-Chrry race, I would hope we can get them both to take strong stands on issues that matter:
enforcing the math tests
charter schools and equal support for ed across the state
funding the WW and WSU but not their pork barrel campuses.
farm worker reform
tax reform.
One can only hope.
Goldy, if Rossi had a breathing tube surgically installed so he could breath while running his entire campaign with his head up his ass, the Times would still endorse him.
Well, dammit! Last time we beat Rossi we made it close, so he could keep his fantasy about having respect. This time we should beat the shit out of him and dump the body near an underfunded emergency room.
Some of my troglodyte acquaintances were all hot ‘n bothered for the Dinoster. They were, predictably, equally hot about rolling back the dreaded gas tax.
Therefore, it was pure fun pointing out that the Dinoster voted for a LARGER gas tax than would have been rolled back by the failed initiative.
Ya shoulda seen the blank looks on their faces.
Another nice haircut atop a void.
30, 31, 32
If Rossi runs, he is NOT running in a vacuum. He is running against Gregoire. I suspect most citizens are more interested in their pocketbooks, in education, and transportation than they are in whether Rossi, a devout Catholic, wants to speak his mind on gay marriage or abortion rights.
Look, I WANT to vote for Gregoire. But, I have not seen any evidence that she is willing t do hard things when it comes to educational reform, regional (as opposed to ad hoc local) transportation issues, or our screwey tax system. What will Rossi say about these issues? I dunno. But, Gregoire has not created the sort of leadership she needs to assure my vote.