"Gov. Chris Gregoire says she’s trying to run a positive campaign and only began airing ads attacking Republican Dino Rossi after his backers attacked her."

That is an utter and complete lie. Her supposed "responses" began airing very quickly after BIAW's ads. Anybody who's been involved in politics knows that making an ad takes time - writing a script, filming, producing/editing, buying air time, etc. The life cycle of an ad is longer than the time elapsed between BIAW's ads and Gregoire's attack ads. Thus, her campaign had at least begun to prepare the attack ads, if not have them in the bag already, before any BIAW ads appeared on TV.

Chalk up one more tally in the lie count of Gregoire.

"...The life cycle of an ad is longer than the time elapsed between BIAW's ads and Gregoire's attack ads..."
Anyone who knows anything about today's technology knows an ad can be created and aired within 24 hours - considerably less than the time elapsed between BIAW's first attack ad and Gregoire's response.

It's been proven time and time again that one must, unfortunately, go on immediate defensive against false attacks -- Kerry failure to do so against the swift boat ads the latest example of how a lie becomes exponentially more difficult to correct as time passes.

Good job, David.
The difference between Gregoire's willingness to engage and Rossi's refusal to in a similar interview you did with him recently, couldn't be clearer.
Gregoire knows her stuff and how to defend and promote her policies and objectives.
I hope the questioners in the upcoming debates are equally aggressive with both candidates.
Gregoire will rise to the challenge and Rossi will fold under his contempt for the very idea that he has to defend himself.

Did you ask her what exactly she is running on? All I have heard so far is that Dino is evil, a 1% cap on property taxes that she had nothing to do with in the 1st place and that she cares about our kids although I never heard specificly how?

Then she blames the BIAW for negative ads despite the fact that all we see on TV every other minute are ads attacking Dino Rossi for being pro life (an issue that has zero relevance to being Governor) and a few more votes that are taken out of context. What has she done the last 4 years? JimD--what has your candidate done the last 4 years?

Wow that clip shows how desperate she is getting. David asked what the difference is between the PAC that backs Dino and her Evergreen Progress Pac. Her answer "Well that's his only support group" . She is negotiating contracts directly with Unions and Tribes who are contributing Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars to the Governor and her party. Then she claims " Wellguess what I don't make the rules, thats the Legislature." Gee what party are the majority of the Legilsature from Governor? Why did you defeat legilslative oversight of your compact negotiations as proposed by the Legislatue last yer (1257) ?

"Anybody who's been involved in politics knows that making an ad takes time"

Not when you're organized and prepared for the attacks.

"...JimD--what has your candidate done the last 4 years? ..."

Every read a newspaper?
Her activities, proposals, responses and successes and failures... are reported almost daily.
And the results are the state of our state - a mixed bag for sure but so much better-off than most states and clearly headed in the right direction.
Rossi's done NOTHING in service to the state or its citizens the last four years except, apparently, serving his personal interests and plotting revenge against the 50% of Washington voters who didn't vote for him last time?
And he refuses to talk about this time period - as if there's something worth keeping secret.
Why would anyone want to elect such a self-centered, petty, ill-willed and contemptuos light-weight to chief executive?

I really like that positive ad Chris has about her great record that uses the classic line......
JUST LIKE GEORGE BUSH.

Now that is a positve issue focused campaign that highlights her strong record balancing the state budget, fixing healthcare, and relieving congestion.

Bagdad Bob seems to be Olympia Chris's new press consultant.

Wow. "My ads that you're referring to are a response to his misrepresentations." Like the ad that says Dino voted against unemployment benefits for battered women? Or the ads that say Dino is George Bush? Or the ads that say Dino cut 40,000 kids off health care when his budget added 4,000 kids to state-funded health care? Or the ad that says Dino wants to overturn Roe v. Wade? Or the ad that says Dino wants to stop women from getting contraceptives? All these were "responses to Dino's misrepresentations"?

JimD- Again you cannot think of anything she has done and you managed to slam Dino Rossi for being a private citizen the last 4 years. Rossi is a PRIVATE CITIZEN who does not depend on a government check every two weeks.
You said:
"And the results are the state of our state - a mixed bag for sure but so much better-off than most states and clearly headed in the right direction." How are we headed in the right direction? How are we better off then most states?

You cannot think of a damn thing this un-elected governor has done in 4 years???? Pathetic!

An "unelected governor" of a state that's not "better off than most other states" and depends "on a government check every two weeks".....?
And Rossi's "private citizen" status disqualifies him from any requite accountability for his financial interests or means of support?
Really? ... LOL

.

I will ask for the 3RD TIME....please name one thing that the governor has accomplished in 4 Years?????

David, have to say, you did a fair job of trying to get answers out of the Governor, and she did her lawyerly best to bridge back to her campaign talking points...

When she mentioned a "fantasy land" at one point, referring to her opponent, my follow up would have been: some say, Governor isn't it's you who's living in the fantasy...One where there's no impending budget deficit, transportation projects are zipping along and people and goods are getting where they need to go with no delays, and oh yes, every kid has a sparkle in their eye at school! Joyful, Joyful, Joyful...

Tell me, where's this magical place, again? In Gregoire's head of course. Now that seems worth pointing out, doesn't it?

JK, to answer your question:
- more than 200,000 new jobs
- complete 130 transportation projects.
- the first new water rights for farmers and eastern Washington communities in 30 years
- doubled state exports to $66 billion

Just for starters.

Gregoire meant to say:

"This campaign isn’t going like I hoped it would, to be perfectly honest with you. I had hoped voters would gloss over my pay-to-play budget scandals and huge $2.7 billion (and growing!) budget deficit and just think this was all about George Bush. Well, it turns out some voters realize that Washington State politics and Washington DC are different places and different situations. That sucks for me, so I'm having to dumb things down and go negative, big time."

...a Pew Center ranking of #1 for eliminating wasteful spending, keeping the Feds engaged in the Tri-cities clean-up.. Look JK -- If you want to stay informed about the candidates I'd suggest watching the above mentioned interview, the upcoming debates, and read the media on a regular basis.
There's lots of objective information about both candidates out there.
If you only get your information from the Rossi campaign, then of course you'll have a distorted and naive picture of Gregoire's performance.
That's how political campaign operate, JK.
Stay informed so you won't become ignorant of even "one thing" Gregoire has accomplished.

The Pew Center for the States also examined State Employee Pensions plans and found that Washington State was in the Bottom 5 in the COUNTRY because they had willfully underfunded the Plan by up to 70 % for every year since 2003. Against the advise of the State Actuaries office. The "recovery" plan will supposedly bring the funds back into fully funded status via higher taxes and payment sby 2024. The problem is that 50% of the State's work force will be eligible to draw from the Pension funds in 10 years and we are facing an every increasing deficit int he next bienium.

Postman,
Nice to have you visiting Seattle again.
Do you have any interest in COVERING Seattle and its politics in the near future?
That might be an interest for the chief political reporter for a paper named after this city.
Anticipating your typical snarky comeback, "well, what story are you suggesting?" as if that's the job of a reader --- it's your job. And you can start by making a few calls and spending some time in Seattle outside the air conditioned studios.
Postman, you're not quite as bad as Joel Connelly phoning in his columns from his Whidbey precinct. Just remember, you are mortal. Your editors are running a product that is losing money and audience. McClatchy's recent devaluation of the times is in part a recognition your paper is losing relevance. One answer to the challenge of recent threats to your newspaper is the oldest mantra in journalism: get out of the office. Talk to some people. And in Seattle, who knows? You might find some news. Just a thought.

Isn't it the more typical rant of Rossi-lovers that government does too much? Now they're going after Governor Gregoire because she's not done enough? Give me a break.

Anyway, here's just a few more for the list of Gregoire's accomplishments, gathered in a brief on-line search of local papers:

• A program giving anyone in the state access to low cost prescription drugs. According to the article, it has saved its 86,000 enrollees a total of more than $3.7 million, at no cost to the state.

• A first in the nation “enhanced driver’s license,” reflecting a sane state response to a federal preoccupation, that will both enhance our security and reduce wait times at the Canadian border. I presume this will position our state even better to benefit economically and otherwise from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

• 47 different pieces of legislation – from property tax breaks, to jobs programs, to tuition assistance, intended to help veterans and their families. The most of any Governor in the state’s history. One recent article said Washington was among a select number of states being looked to by the feds to them design better programs to serve our veteran’s mental health needs.

• A negotiated agreement with the state’s health care providers – doctors, hospitals, and surgery centers – whereby they will never again bill a patient for medical errors. It pains me to know some had been doing that, but I’m glad the Governor got it stopped.

Now I'll grant this "what's she done" list doesn't quite compare to that put together by Mr. Rossi's Republicans – like a war with no purpose and no end, that's already killed or disabled thousands of our nation's finest, or even social service programs that label common birth control devices as abortion so women can be denied access to them

I'm wondering, though, which list Dino Rossi would say has been of most benefit to the people of Washington State? I’d like to think I know, but it’s hard to tell from a man who has the public booted from his press conferences and responds to media inquires with "This is my campaign. I'll talk about the issues I want to.”

JimD- You just exemplified all that is wrong with the Gregoire campaign. That is a sense of arrogance and entitlement to the governors mansion. Look, you and I follow politics and know how to dig up information, the average citizen does not have that much interest or time to go dig up a Pew research study. Therefore it is the candidate who must put out their agenda, list their accomplishments and then define their opponent. The Governor does not understand that the voters are looking for a reason to vote for her, this is after all a very "blue" state, but all the public has seen are attacks on Rossi. Gregoire should be up by 15-20 points right now but for whatever reason she running the same horrible campaign she ran 4 years ago. What I was asking you are the same questions a lot of folks are asking.....what has she done in 4 years. Instead she has chosen to rip Rossi and pray that enough people will vote against Rossi instead of for her.

Just one more I missed that was all over the papers. Governor Gregoire signed legislation giving consumers the right to go after their insurance company for unreasonably denying benfits -- like when you're hurt in a car crash or your house burns down. The insurance industry spent millions of dollars last summer on a referundum trying to get the law repealed, but Washington voters refused to go along by a wide margin. Assume people appreciate this accomplishment. Little doubt in my mind, however, what side Dino was on . . ..

jk posted:
"... The Governor does not understand that the voters are looking for a reason to vote for her, this is after all a very "blue" state, but all the public has seen are attacks on Rossi. Gregoire should be up by 15-20 points right now but for whatever reason she running the same horrible campaign she ran 4 years ago..."
-------------------------
So -- you're saying the governor "does not understand" what the voters want from her, are ignoring the positive ads Gregoire's HAS put out that DO indeed feature some of her accomplishments...and she's "running the same horrible campaign she did 4 years ago".. that by the way, beat Rossi and according to the polls is now trending toward an overwhelming win this time?

Look -- Rossi has no accomplishment AT ALL to speak of - except taking more credit than he deserves for a long-ago balanced budget he helped work on (whoopee!) - and vague reference to his private accumulation of wealth, the details of which he refuses to disclose since it involves the very developers supporting his campaign.
His transportation plan is so full of holes and fantasy, it's laughable.
What else has he got?
Apparently, nothing.

If Gregoire's done such a bad job, why isn't Rossi clobbering her with a huge lead?
I'd stick with trying to help Rossi pull his campaign out its azz before advising Gregoire on how to improve her expanding lead in the polls.
And one way to start is by dropping this bizarrely Machiavellian complaint about folks like Akers.
I for one, would at least take him a bit more seriously if he wasn't constantly portraying himself as a victim.
Given the polls, the public is undoubtedly taking a similar dislike to his surprisingly negative mis-representation not only of Gregoire, but our state's relative standing as a whole - which represents the hard work, integrity and proud determination of its citizens in some difficult times.

To everyone that is making lists of accomplishments ...thank you, you are now way ahead of your candidate who is either not proud of those accomplishments or is afraid that they would not hold water in a debate. Not sure which one it is but I have yet to see a single ad that promotes these accomplishments. Oh BTW, the 1% property tax cap was an initiative by the evil Tim Eyman, not Governor Gregoire. I know she is claiming credit but please give credit where credit is due.

HadEnough: Rossi was actually on the side of the consumer. Once you get past all the hyperbole that the lawyers put out, this is a terrible law for consumers. Our insurance premiums are through the roof compared with other states and the reason is that all the ambulance chasers are filing so many frivolous lawsuits that insurance companies are either forced to leave our state (as many have already) or hike premiums. Think about that next time you bitch about your health care costs going up...

jk --

I'm not bitching about health care costs, and if you'lI recall, the law that Gregoire signed (and Rossi would have vetoed) provided an exemption for health insurance plans.

What you're saying is that despite a public vote showing voters in this state overwhelmingly in support of the law, Dino Rossi knows better and supports repealing it, purportedly on behalf of consumers.

Yeh, that should get him some votes.

I think Chris(tine) just lost the election with this interview...as the old saying goes: He who loses his temper loses. In this case She who loses her temper loses...

When Dino was asked the same type of questions he remained calm and in control.

Christine reminds me of a little girl who's not getting her way...

I apologize, I was thinking about the medical/bodily injury portion of your auto insurance. I meant to say auto insurance premiums. Thanks for the clarification...

She certainly isn't running on her record or proposing any plans. I'm very interested to see what comes out of the Gov's office as a budget forecast for the next two years. Thinks she has the guts to release that before the election? If she doesn't she's going to be toast. It won't be about going negative....it'll be going stupid. And I'm not sure KC elections will be able to pull it out of the hat for her this time. It'll be interesting to see how the contract negotiations go with a shortfall projection and hiring freeze on. She paid them back for last time but that well may be dry now.

It's going to be an interesting November.

jk posted:
"...I have yet to see a single ad that promotes these accomplishments..."

Well - her "positive" campaign ads boasting her accomplishments have been plastered all over local TV and radio.
They've been posted on this blog and discussed at length..
Maybe you're not watching local programming, or not on this blog when they were debuted and discussed at length....or maybe you're confused again, like you got confused about Gregoire's successful and very popular health initiatives.
In any event, the ads put out by the Gregoire campaign (proper) are indeed very positive, promote her many accomplishments, and run on a regular basis in local broadcast markets.

What's with all the gregoire defensive posts from Olympia IP's? Is the campaign or the state paying for this.
Her accomplishments:
Increased state spending 33%, taking us from a surplus to a nearly $2.5 billion dollar deficit.
In the last campaign said this was not the time to raise taxes. Then after the election found out it really WAS the time to raise taxes.

The comments have gotten far off track from the article. The governor's claim is that "My ads that you're referring to are a response to his misrepresentations. My ads, that I put out, are very positive." Her claim is that Rossi (and, more specifically, the BIAW) are running a nasty campaign, but that she has been running a positive one and only goes attacking to respond to misrepresentations.

Yet her first radio ad said "When you hear the name Dino Rossi, what name comes to mind?" The answer she gave was George Bush. I am still unsure how this is a response to BIAW or Rossi misrepresentations. I am willing to be persuaded, but the argument seems terribly feeble.

I voted for Gregoire last time because she said we didn't need new taxes and Rossi voted for a 5 cent gas tax. Then she pushed through a 15 cent gas tax. Fool me once, shame on you- fool me twice, shame on me. Gregoire = liar!

"...the argument seems terribly feeble."

It is.
Just as Rossi's argument for his attack ads is feeble...and Obama's is feeble...and McCain's is...yadayadayada...it's politics, folks.
For better or worse, this is standard procedure in political campaigns and always has been.
They ALWAYS say their attack ads are meant to "correct" misinformation.
And in fact, sometimes they do.

But to the claim made earlier in the discussion to the contrary, Gregoire's campaign HAS run predominantly "positive" ads touting her accomplishments.
To suggest she's only been on the attack, or to reference ads created outside her campaign (like the Obama ads endorsing her) as "her campaign ads", is simply disingenuous and inaccurate.

Credit where credit is due:
After watching today's Up Front on the web, IMO both Matsukawa and Postman did a pretty good job of trying to pin down Gregoire, as the Gov did the bob-and-weave thing to try and avoid responsibility for (or even the existance of) major problems like the looming massive deficit. The fact that the Gov couldn't be pinned down on most things ain't their fault.

Paul G.

I think there is legitimacy in linking Rossi and the BIAW to Bush or at least a Bush style of governance. Bush and the sector of the republican party he leads have shown they are not interested in making government work. They want to eliminate government. Rossi appears to be from the same mold in both his approach to governing and his willingness to saddle up with the Rovian tactics of the BIAW.
Sad to say I expect this campaign to be negative on both sides as it has been in the Presidential contest. The reality is that negative campaigning works. We would be much the better if the electorate educated themselves to the point where false statements and negative slams would be seen for the diversion they are.

ostman: Nice job on the interview. I know it is King5 that produces the show but why did the questions about negative ads not make it onto the TV program? Seems to be what everyone is forced to watch every night and is definitely on more peoples mind then gay marriage.

I love the Governors response to every question:

Why are we facing a deficit? Were not but if we do it is Dino Rossi's fault for cutting so much in the first place (huh?)

Why did we lose out on bidding for the uranium plant in tri-cities?
It was our congressional delegations fault

What about the viaduct? I listened to the people of Seattle (even though it is a state highway used heavily by commuters and businesses moving south to north)

What about the economy? Well I created 200k new jobs
Great,what about the rising unemployment? That is George Bush's fault!

Wow what a great leader....no responsibility for anything!

JimD--But Rossi is not saying "I am only running negative ads because my opponent is unfairly criticizing me." He is saying "the governor has done a poor job and should be turned out." Regardess of the effectiveness or truth of the criticisms, at least Rossi is being forthright.

JamesB--One candidate in our race turned a budget surplus into the largest budget shortfall in history. One gave sweetheart giveaways to well-funded special interests who then gave large campaign contributions back. One is now trying to tell us that everything is swell even though we know it's not. That sounds a lot more like George Bush to me.

Moreover, I am not aware of anything showing Rossi wishes to make government fail (although I am certainly willing to listen). As state senator, he worked with the democratic-controlled house and democratic governor to close the (then) largest budget shortfall without raising taxes or cutting services for the most vulnerable in the state. He prime sponsored a bill requiring those convicted of drunk driving to install breathalyzers in their cars. He even voted for a 5-cent a gallon gas tax increase because it was linked to specific projects. Those are the marks of a pragmatist, not an idealogue.

I dislike George Bush and will be glad to see him off. But linking Rossi--who is actually competent and bright--to Bush based only on party is like saying Gregoire is just like Kwame Kilpatrick or John Edwards. Far better to compare their records and visions. Rossi worked across party lines to close the largest budget shortfall without raising taxes; Gregoire inherited a surplus and turned it into a record deficit. Rossi has succeeded in the private and public sectors; Gregoire started working for state government when Rossi was in fourth grade and has never stopped. Rossi criticizes his opponent; Gregoire criticizes the lame duck president. The choice seems easy to me.

I support Dino Rossi, but think that he has made a mistake in his campaign by not being more specific about what he plans to do in a positive way, instead of going negative against what Gregoire has done wrong or hasn't done.

Of course, she went negative out of the gate - and claims she was responding to his attack ads. That was her choice and she chose to do that, because she doesn't have enough real accomplishments to run on and has lied or if you will exaggerated about her accomplishments. Seems like an objective piece and this is what it looks like when reading between the lines.

Paul G,
I think it's fair to a self-identified "GOP" candidate to one of the GOP's long-standing objectives - to reduce government.
Reduce its spending.
Reduce its regulation of business and the environment.
Reduce its overall scale and scope.
Indeed, Rossi's promise to balance the budget AND reduce tax revenue can only be accomplished by reducing's government's overall work load.
He clearly doesn't want state government to work for us the way it does now.

As for the difference between the feebleness of each campaign's defense of their negative advertising;
Gregoire claims that Rossi's pitch, "the governor has done a poor job," is intentionally misleading - and she needs to correct those inaccuracies, which she obviously does.
Your analysis assumes Rossi is providing a fair and "forthright" critique of Gregoire's performance when he says she's done a poor job.
He isn't of course - and neither would any serious opponent wanting to turn her out so they could take the job.

I still think it's a draw - the difference being how Gregoire's record is a target he can throw carefully discriminating stones at, without a record of his own she can similarly challenge.
I'd feel better about Rossi's gripes if he put some specific, constructive solutions on the table.
Instead, he talks in overtly vague generalities, leaving nothing to forecast a probable outcome we could compare to Gregoire's performance.
Rossi's campaign is nothing BUT a negative critique of Gregoire performance (and a disingenuous one at that) with no constructive proposals.

JimD "According to the polls is now trending toward an overwhelming (Gregoire) win this time?"

Which polls are these? Please cite 2

"If Gregoire's done such a bad job, why isn't Rossi clobbering her with a huge lead? "

This is a heavily Democratic state. D's outnumber R's 55-40 By all accounts, Democrats everywhere are doing well due to the unpopularity of President Bush. So I would say a 2-3 point lead by an incumbent Democratic Governor before Labor Day is horrible.

"Vague reference to his private accumulation of wealth, the details of which he refuses to disclose since it involves the very developers supporting his campaign."

If Rossi does not divulge his tax returns then how would you know if his accumulation of wealth has anything to do with developers who are supporting his campaign?

"I for one, would at least take him a bit more seriously if he wasn't constantly portraying himself as a victim."

Please cite evidence of this....he has responded to some lies by the Governor such as saying that he voted for the gas tax when he in fact was out of office in 2005...but he has never said he is a victim.

Turbine wrote:
"..This is a heavily Democratic state. D's outnumber R's 55-40 .."
No.
This is a predominently independent state.
Washingtonians have always voted issues more than party affiliation, and we've had a fair share of republicans at all levels of government over the years.

"If Rossi does not divulge his tax returns then how would you know if his accumulation of wealth has anything to do with developers who are supporting his campaign? ..."
hey - it's HIS job to come clean, not mine to investigate what he refuses to disclose.
Rossi has refused to even address the question of his financial relationship with the developers funding his campaign.
Since when do we trust the integrity of politicians who fail to disclose answers to potential conflicts of interes, especially when that failure in itself is a strong indictment of his honesty?
If there's no conflict of interest, why's he hiding the disclosure that proves it?

"...he has never said he is a victim...."
Oh please...lol.
He portrays himself as a victim of photographers trying to record his own words...a victim of having his election stolen in '04,....a victim of a liberal media that asks him questions he doesn't want to answer....a victim of ads supporting Gregoire....a victim of Gregoire's own campaign ads....
And his self-proclaimed victim status doesn't stop there when he asks voters to believe they're also victims of the governor and state government in general.
The dominent theme of his whle campaign is about being a victims - and properly documented on this blog (by you and others) promoting his victim theme.
Are you kidding...?

Too much here, especially from Paul G, not to interject. But where to start?

Although I'm clearly not alone in being weary of political ads, especially the negative ones, I agree that Governor Gregoire should offer no excuse or apology for hers. What limited record Mr. Rossi has demonstrates that his values are way out of touch with the majority of Washingtonians, and there's no need to be defensive about ads that simply point that out.

Paul G also seems savvy enough to know that the budget bill signed by the Governor next year will appropriate no more than the revenue forecast predicts will be taken-in, just like the current budget, and budgets before that. Since money can't be borrowed to run our state government, the notion of a "surplus" or "deficit," although useful political rhetoric, is as much a function of the imprecision of the forecasting process as anything else.

That being said, I agree that current forecasts say revenue in the next budget cycle won't support existing programs. Governor Gregoire knows this can change, and is wise not to land on "a number" pending additional forecasts. But if cuts are to be made, I would much prefer they be guided by the values of Governor Gregoire and her Democrat supporters than by those of Mr. Rossi and the likes of BIAW or other right-wing Republican fanatics.

I'm also tired of hearing how Mr. Rossi's having "succeeded in the private and public sectors" qualifies him to be governor. He's a real estate investor, for God's sake! Assuming it's all above board, I don't begrudge him a single penny of what he's made. But as best I know it's never required that he run a program, manage a project, or supervise an employee. If he were applying to be CEO of a company as big as some state agencies, he'd be laughed right out of the room, and yet we're supposed to trust him to be governor? You sneer at Governor Gregoire's years of public service hoping that no one will notice that Mr. Rossi has no relevant experience of this own -- and don't get me started on how his few years in the legislative branch just doesn't cut it.

And, although Mr. Rossi may not wish that government fail, he certainly is running against government, which does not serve any of us well. His reckless assertion, for example, that state employees are "waste" (that he is apparently ready to discard) is not exactly what I'd expect to hear from someone running on a platform of "getting things done." Even if I dismiss this as political pandering by Mr. Rossi, it would make it nearly impossible for him to get the most out of the state's workforce.

Finally, I don’t care if Paul G denounces George Bush – Dino Rossi has yet to do the same, and he’s the one that wants to be Washington’s governor. Party affiliation means something, or Mr. Rossi would not be trying so hard to run from his. And it's fair to judge a party by its leadership, which in the case of Dino, happens to be the President. Despite his almost comical effort to hide from the label, Dino Rossi is a Republican, and I would expect him to bring Republican values – currently and unfortunately defined by eight years of the Bush administration – into the Governor's mansion. No thank you Mr. Rossi. The choice is easy.

Turbine wrote no such thing, but thanks for the recognition.

Lives in South Lake Union, I won't ask you for any story suggestions. But let me just say you have no idea how much time I spend in Seattle, or any place else. Yes, my paper is named after Seattle, but we cover a lot more than what is in the city limits. I drove around the state earlier this year, far outside our circulation area. That's what a statewide paper does. And a statewide paper has political reporters in Seattle, and in Olympia. And we can travel, even. Just as we have reporters who live in Snohomish County and must drive an hour to the office in Seattle, I-5 goes south, too, and we can drive from Olympia to Seattle as quickly as some of our reporters can commute to the home office.

So, I'm not sure what your beef with me is. But somehow I doubt it really is about where I live or how much time I spend on the road.

The ad Rossi is running on (my feed of) CNN this morning calls Gregoire "outrageous" and "sleazy."
He then waves his hand and says don't listen to her, we've got a deficit, high gas prices and other problems and he wants to get started solving them.
Again - no proposed solutions or even a hint of what he would actually DO as governor.

Where's the meat, Rossi?

JimmyD, I see you're still shilling for the failed governor, once again.

Governor is a weak sister when it comes to governing. Our roads are way behind, yet our taxes are way ahead. Our state's economy is about to take a nosedive because the governor has refused to tackle this state's biggest problem: spending.

The Democrats have spent like drunken sailors, yet we have nothing to show for all this spending, except for the huge deficits that are coming our way. Dino has shown he can balance the budget. Governor Gregoire has shown she can twist the knife in our backs as she rakes in millions of dollars for her campaign while signing legislation that is for special interests that pay for their special interests in campaign contributions.

JimmyD, just curious; where's Gregoires meat? Hanging in your locker???

No JimD, the Rossi ad doesn't call her those things, newspapers called her those things, it is just a quote from them, not him.

You also said this:
"He clearly doesn't want state government to work for us the way it does now."

How's that, he doesn't want a surplus turned into a massive deficit, he doesn't want huge tax increases with little or nothing to show for it, he doesn't want a lack of leadership from our Governor, he doesn't want lousy deals made with the tribes for gambling only to pay off the very people who made the deals, gee, I sure as hell don't want the state government to "work for us the way it does now".

Well -- aside from the fact there's plenty of accomplishment and real results Gregoire has achieved (and noted repeatedly here and elsewhere) and both candidates are taking money from special interests....(pot calling the kettle black?) what does Rossi actually intend to DO as governor.
Platitudes aside, what exactly is he proposing?
Can you tell us?
Because Rossi sure isn't.

"what does Rossi actually intend to DO as governor. Platitudes aside, what exactly is he proposing? Can you tell us? Because Rossi sure isn't."

It's really not that hard, you can click on the link, and I know you're capable of reading, so why ask others to do that for you.

http://www.dinorossi.com/

lubulin...The governor never creates a single job except in government. That's just as much a myth as a president claiming job creation and denying responsibility for job losses. At no time has a governor, outside of public expenditures, ever really affected job creation. Don't believe that? Try looking back through the issue of a huge tax break for Boeing only to see all those "jobs" go to other states. Likewise, the governor does not create or expand imports. Show me any connection that can actually be sustained. What the governor does, and should do, is lead a policy debate that translates into a decision on where to expend state funds and what bills get signed. A governor does NOT create or lose jobs, raise or lower exports, or any of those other things you cite. If you want to give her credit, give her credit for what she does as executive of the state--does she insist on more school funding? Yes, she did. Does she insist on tougher environmental standards? Yes, she did. Did she basically fail the child welfare system? Yes, she did. Did she insist on a rainy day fund? Yes, she did even if she took the idea from the GOP. Did she create private sector jobs? No, she did not. Is she now acknowledging a huge budget deficit? Not really.

JimD- I love how you are now saying that Gregoire has all these noted accomplishments, yet when I asked you to name one earlier in the thread, it took you three tries.....and the best you could come up with was a discredited Pew Center study. Now you want to play Mr. Tough guy and ask the same thing of Rossi supporters.

Well unlike Gregoire's website, Rossi's lays out all of the issues in detail. Go to dinorossi.com and click on issues...

Also, In your rant at 12:33 pm on the 17th you claimed that "according to the polls is now trending toward an overwhelming win this time?" You cannot find any polls to back this up, I guess.

JimD's head-in-the-clouds apologism still doesn't whitewash the undisputable fact that Gregoire is the weakest sitting governor in the United States right now, despite the fact that she has enjoyed a Democratic majority in both houses throughout her term and a blindly fawning electorate in King County to prop up her base. By all rights she should be at least double digits in front of Rossi. the fact that she is not is all the evidence any unbiased observer needs to know about her strength as a candidate.

So far I have seen nothing out of her camp other than to ride on Obama's coattails and pray that King County can deliver the votes again.

"He clearly doesn't want state government to work for us the way it does now."

State government works for who Jim? Are you a paid shill for the tribes or for SEIU? WA State is a government that is wholly Dem controlled and you can't point to a single accomplishment without reading off your union cheat sheet. What about the state hiring freeze? What about the massive budget deficits? How is this not the current majority party's responsibility, and why won't you hold them responsible for their failures? Demagoguery in the service of either party is foolish. Nothing tangible is ever accomplished politically without checks and balances, and Olympia lost all semblance of either of those years ago.

Once upon a time I posted:
"..."He (Rossi) clearly doesn't want state government to work for us the way it does now."

I knew that statement was in-artful as I riffed that post, and man - I should have listened to the little voice telling me I really should re-write that sentence...

But -- it was in reference to Rossi's embrace of a fundamental GOP principle; Less government.
The point was supposed to be that Rossi wants to down-size state government, which would make it do less "work" than it does now.
Fewer services.
Less regulation.
Lower cost....etc.

Given a choice between Gregoire's tendency to go bloated, and Rossi's desire to starve services out of existence - and nothing in the middle - I'll go with the former.
I want state government to "work for us" doing all the things we need it to do, and am willing to pay for roads, infrastructure, services, education, healthcare for the less fortunate...and decent wages and benefits for our state employees... a continuing investment that's made us one of the most admired and desirable places to live and do business, and will continue to be if we don't panic and precipitously pull too many plugs during this national down-turn.

Our government employees should have decent wages and benefits, not superior wages and benefits. You think our gov employees have average healthcare benefits? Yes, I'd like a 25% raise from CG too. Face it, there is excessive waste in our government, there is nothing wrong with wanting, or demanding, that our tax dollars provide the best value or return, today, they don't come close. Using the leftist party line that vital services will dry up is nothing more than a scare tactic. The same ones used when the vast majority passed Tim Eyman's tax limiting initiatives, and what happened, the police still respond, the fire department still puts out fires.

"The point was supposed to be that Rossi wants to down-size state government, which would make it do less "work" than it does now.
Fewer services.
Less regulation.
Lower cost....etc."

You're going to get fewer services from local government regardless Jim. That's what happens when you spend the state into a budget shortfall.

A decade or more of denial about spending and how this state collects revenue is what got us here in the first place. The public passed I-695 and other measures limiting spending and revenue sources yet the size of government or the services it provides haven't been but at all in that time. What did you expect?