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June 25, 2008 2:01 PM

Gregoire ad says she "cleaned up Dino Rossi's mess"

Gov. Chris Gregoire’s re-election ad campaign began today with this radio spot. It hits back at ads run by It’s Time for a Change, the BIAW-controlled PAC, that criticize Gregoire on her policy toward sex offenders.

The builders' ad

features a woman who says her 12-year-old granddaughter was sexually assaulted. "The governor has made it easier for these perpetrators to get away with what they want to do," the woman says in the ad. "I don't know how she can go to sleep at night."

Gregoire’s radio spot says:

It’s hard to believe Dino Rossi and his special interest friends who are attacking Governor Gregoire on crime.
It’s Dino Rossi who wrote the budget that cut millions from supervising felons. Rossi’s budget meant more than 14,000 felons would no longer be monitored. And it’s Rossi who opposed funding for a commitment center for sex predators. Check the record.

It’s Gov. Chris Gregoire who cleaned up Dino Rossi’s mess. Crime is now at a 14-year low and no one’s been tougher on sex offenders. She started Operation Crackdown to hunt them down, expanded the DNA registry, required sex offenders to wear electronic ankle monitors. And Governor Gregoire has increased sentences for sex crimes.

No wonder that every major police and law enforcement group has endorsed Chris Gregoire.
When it comes to crime, the choice is clear: It’s Governor Gregoire who is making our community safer and getting results.

More to come …

The governor's campaign says the claims about budget cuts come from the spending plan approved by the Legislature in 2003. Rossi was chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee that year. He was a major force in writing the budget. But, in what I've always found problematic about this line of attack from Gregoire, Rossi worked very closely with Democratic Gov. Gary Locke. And the final plan - no matter who wrote it - was approved by the Democratic-controlled House. The suggestion that "Rossi's budget" cut children from health insurance or, in this case, made it harder to monitor sex offenders means that some Democrats in the House today went along with the plan, too.

MORE: Gregoire campaign spokesman Aaron Toso says in reaction to the previous paragraph:

We feel that it is fair game. If Rossi wants to take credit for writing a budget, he has to own the entire budget and can’t pick and choose.

I don't disagree. It is certainly fair game to talk about the budget that Rossi has, in fact, made a centerpiece of his legislative career. But I do think that line of criticism is complicated by what I said. Of course, radio or TV ads will keep it simple. I wonder, though, if Rossi will respond with an ad listing some of the Democrats who agreed with him at the time. It'd be a long list.

UPDATE: Rossi's campaign responded to Gregoire's commercial with a press release sent this evening. And, as expected, the campaign points out that Rossi worked with Locke on the budget, adding, "The budget was passed by the Democratic-controlled House and signed by Democratic Governor Locke."

The campaign says that the prison budget was $46 million more than Locke proposed and tightened the law that allows early release.

On the question of the commitment center, Rossi says he opposed a proposed center in his district, in North Bend, because there was not prior notice to him and it was located near a children's camp.

The ad claims Gregoire has been endorsed by “every major police and law enforcement group.” But Rossi has been endorsed by local police groups, including the police guilds in King County, Renton and Kitsap County.

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Posted by Tinkerbell Hilton

2:54 PM, Jun 25, 2008

Desperate poll numbers call for desparate measures to be taken by our dear governor, Chris. I mean, Governor Christine. She's been neck-a-neck in the polls with Rossi whose been a regular on the eastside car pool circuit. Seriously! This is Dear Christine being desparate.

Posted by jamesb

3:07 PM, Jun 25, 2008

Pointing out fact is desperation Tinkerbell? Are you saying her ad is inaccurate? If so, could you show some proof?

Posted by Turbine

3:08 PM, Jun 25, 2008

I think there is a punctuation error in the last line quoted in the Governors ad. It should read "When it comes to crime, the choice is clear it's Christine Gregoire." Criminals choice in the 2008 election.

Posted by jaemsb

3:16 PM, Jun 25, 2008

Nice turbine but do you have anything to support calling the Gov a criminal?

Posted by Tinkerbell Hilton

3:20 PM, Jun 25, 2008

It's embarrassing I am sure for an incumbent governor to be neck-a-neck in the polls with someone (DINO) who has virtually been under the radar for the past couple years. Someone who has been running his kids car pool! Seriously, I think that's embarrassing. And I also think that she will pull out every single trick in the hat for this race.

Also, the governors do nothing approach on the Viaduct is apalling. It's been sit and spin with her for years and it's getting really old. I would never vote for Gregoire ever due to this one hot button issue alone.

Posted by Turbine

3:25 PM, Jun 25, 2008

Doesn't everybody who can read a newspaper ?

Posted by John

3:32 PM, Jun 25, 2008

She's still in lala land.

Washingtonians all elections are local, Are you better off today than when she stole the office? The answerer has to be No,No,No

Posted by John

3:35 PM, Jun 25, 2008

To Turbine,

When it comes to crime, the choice is clear it's Christine Gregoire." Criminals choice in the 2008 election.
LOL!

Posted by The Ump

3:45 PM, Jun 25, 2008

Postman questions Gregoire's "blame" of Rossi for the 2003 budget compromise because Locke and other Dems helped reach the result. I suppose that's fair criticism, but at least Rossi was directly involved in making the budget decisions, unlike Gregoire. The more significant issue to me is the hypocrisy of Rossi and his surrogate (BIAW) in falsely arguing, essentially, that Gregoire is solely responsible for cuts in post-conviction services and social services (they're running a similar ad talking about foster care budget cuts). Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall Postman (or anyone else at the SeaTimes) calling Rossi and/or BIAW to task when these misleading ads started to run.

Postman been pretty good about pointing out the Rossi-BIAW connection, but I worry that his desire to be -- and to appear to be -- even handed will cause him to pull punches which ought to be thrown.

I'm not a Gregoire fan at all, but anyone the BIAW opposes becomes my candidate of choice. The BIAW is too dangerous an organization to be given a pass on anything by the press. It's only gonna get worse.

Posted by Postman

4:18 PM, Jun 25, 2008

Hey The Ump, you say, "Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall Postman (or anyone else at the SeaTimes) calling Rossi and/or BIAW to task when these misleading ads started to run."

There's a link in the post to the Seattle Times story on the BIAW ads. Hey Blue, bad call on this one.

Posted by JimD

4:26 PM, Jun 25, 2008

We get it Tinkerbell.
You like Rossi because he can drive his kids around in a car.
Probably makes sure they're all buckled up too!

I'd prefer a fuller recent resume from someone running for chief executive.
But since he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning anyway - and can't seem to find productive employment - no harm mastering house husband.

Posted by The Ump

5:22 PM, Jun 25, 2008

Postman says, "Hey Blue, bad call on this one."

OK, I'm happy to concede that Mr. Garber's June 19 article discussed the BIAW ads' inaccuracy, though it did so as a news article presenting both sides' "facts". But, Postman, your writings are different - appropriately so - because you can comment and correct, without always having to give time to both sides.

From my point of view (strongly anti-BIAW), you should have gone out on Truth Patrol sooner. But better late than never.

And if you thought that was a bad call, you should have seen the one I made yesterday.

Posted by Turbine

4:08 AM, Jun 26, 2008

So the Governors AD is attempting to bust Rossi for opposing a Level 3 Sex Offender Transitional Housing Facility next to a Childrens Youth Camp?
Does she really want to go there? Hmm, OK . Here is your next headline for the blog Postman.

Gregoire in favor of funding Level 3 Sex Offender Housing next to Children Camps. Locals need not be notified of plans says Gregoire. Now that is an effective campaign AD.

Posted by John

10:01 AM, Jun 26, 2008

"The ad claims Gregoire has been endorsed by “every major police and law enforcement group."

the key here is major ,let see Seattle end of story.

Let's talk about the safety and welfare of the public. She allowed level 3 sex offenders (who will offend again in most cases) go free with a GPS device that can be cut off by the offenders and it sends a e-mail to someone who if there, see what this scumbag has done. I will sleep knowing she’s in office.

Posted by jamesb

10:55 AM, Jun 27, 2008

John,

Can you support your claim?

Posted by George Bentley

6:30 PM, Jun 27, 2008

I would think that the King County Police Guild would be a "major police and law enforcement group" so my question would be could this get the ad pulled for misrepresentation?

Posted by JimD

7:34 AM, Jun 30, 2008

John wrote:
"...I will sleep knowing she’s in office..."

You can't even stay awake to read a blog.
Your sleep problem is not the Governor's fault, but darned if republicans don't try to blame everything on Gregoire...

Posted by John

11:00 AM, Jun 30, 2008

whoever wrote:

"You can't even stay awake to read a blog."

I ONLY have a problem staying awake reading your long winded post .You think the longer the post the more B.S. you can give to hide the fact you know nothing. Have you ever heard of K.I.S.S.