November 19, 2004
Dino Rossi: The Blue State Republican
Dino Rossi and his victory in the first ballot count for Governor of Washington State is the subject of Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.’s article “Model for Blue State GOP Success?” The short piece is out with today’s edition of OpinionJournal’s Political Diary (pay site).
According to Jenkins, the key to Rossi’s strong performance was his decision to follow “the Bush 2000 gameplan: Rossi used likeability and a disciplined focus on pro-growth economic issues…” Jenkins is spot on here. Rossi brilliantly played up his likeability and kept the focus on the importnat economic issues that voters here are most concerned about.
Rossi’s likeability is undeniable. In 2000, I was a young session aide for another State Senator, and I remember thinking very highly of the then-Senator Rossi. I was impressed by his demeanor and disposition and it was abundantly clear to me that he was a man who could go places. And it was a short time later that he skillfully chaired the Senate Ways & Means Committee during a budget crisis.
Jenkins goes on about Rossi’s likeability:
A self-made real estate executive from a struggling immigrant family, his personal story warmed voters' hearts while his record in the state senate showed him as a consensual mediator and dealmaker (like Gov. Bush in Texas). In a state where liberals aren't especially hostile to enterprise, he also successfully struck a pro-business tone at a time when Washingtonians are still smarting over Boeing's departure for Chicago amid a hail of parting complaints about congestion, taxes and regulation.
Politics is often about timing, of course. And few could deny the dissatisfaction of many Washingtonians about the direction our State has been heading. As Jenkins concludes, “aside from Mr. Rossi's deft campaign, what finished Ms. Gregoire was the sense that her party had been in power longer than was good for them.”
Posted by Seth Cooper at November 19, 2004
11:01 AM | Email This
1. Any idea how much a lesbian Libertarian candidate helped Rossi?
2. Probably a wash. Some social liberals may have voted for her and then some voted libertian on economic principals.
There is always a fraction of voters who will vote neither republican or democratic. They want a third choice.
More important then the 3rd party vote consider this.
70,000 people voted in the Presidential race, but did not vote in the governor's race. % democrats are more likely not to vote down the ballot.
3. Some liberals voted for Bennett, but I know alot of people that voted for John Kerry, Patty Murray and Dino Rossi. Sometimes it was for stupid stuff like Gregoire raising taxes on their cigarettes, or just the charisma of Rossi. After all Kerry won Washington by alot more votes than Bennett got.
Dino Rossi is the next governor of Washington. I voted for Gregoire, but it's time to move on and let the governor-elect take office. Don't go waste time going after third party candidates who have every right to run for office.
Get ready for Maria Cantwell's re-election campaign.
4. Dino needs to concede. The recount was requested, conducted and tallied. Christine is the true winner of the Governor's race. Sam Reed will announce Christine Gregoire as Governor Elect tomorrow. Our state has been through recounts before. This is nothing new to our state. The system worked the way it was designed.
This evening Mr. Rossi displayed his lack of integrity and credibility by asking Christine to agree to a new election.
Who will pay for this? Who wants to pay for a new election because Dino is a sore loser? I thnk that Democrats and Christipublicans will all agree that Dino has made a ridiculous proposition.
Mark Smitty
5. Gregoire won. Game over, Rossi. Get your smug mug off the tv and get on with your life.
Where are we going to come up with all this money for a revote? I doubt the GOP is going to pay for it.
Washington is a blue state. The democrats won. Get over it.
6. This whole 2004 election process has been a debacle for democrats.
We have finally gained some ground after our obtuse, bigoted, narrow-minded red states placed Bush in the White House for another four years.
Christine has prevailed for our party and it is time to rejoice.
Unfortunately, Dino supports the Bush administration and the cold-blooded murder of innocent Iraqi citizens for weapons of mass-de-nothing. It is a quagmire in Iraq (as Dick Cheney had predicted it would be pre-invasion) and this Bush debacle has made America the mockery and disdain of the international community. Oh, and the love that we feel in the Middle East!
Quite frankly, many of us are ashamed. We are ashamed to be considered a part of this newfound heinous culture. A culture that is content to take murder and death to other parts of the world and to consider it just, because a person who is least deserving happens to occupy an office that he is incapable of bringing honor to, says, "It was the right thing to do."
How disgusting. How vain and how dare you (Bush) dumb-down our culture in such a foul way.
Rejoice democrats! We have been redeemed through the election of Christine Gregoire as our Governor.
Dino, man-up and concede. Be gracious and try to display good sportsmanship.
Mark Smitty
7. Our voting system is one of the most important functions in our society. Regardless if you voted for Dino or Chris, are Democrat, Republican, Libritarian, Pregressive, ect.,. We need to ask some questions about how our elections have been running. First Florida, now this.This issue is beyond Partisan politics. I have heard many Democrats say they have lost some faith in our party.King County and the WDP has made Democrats look bad. As for Chris She has looked more like Veruca Salt more than a strong leader.Maybe Mr, Rossi is right, maybe we should examine all the many questionable issues in this eletion. If we think Rossi will win if there is a revote,did Chris really win?
8. Chrissy Vance certainly is playing a new tune. Please let us not get back on the topic of "flip-flopping." When Dino and company were 42 votes ahead, all was fine in their neck of the woods.
I recall Chrissy Vance and Dino had a reader board going northbound I-5 brilliantly lit with the mantra, "Christine Concede," when they were a mere 42 votes ahead. Oh, but all the tallies were tallied well then, huh?
Chrissy Vance is parading around like a big whining pout. He and Dino are doing plenty to discredit themselves in the eyes of Washington voters. I’d say, if you want to play, pay. Pay for the revote Chrissy Vance, Dino and whoever else from the Republican pity-potty-party wants to pitch in. Personally, I do not want my tax dollars to go toward a revote because the Republicans do not like the outcome of a very close race. Waaaaaa!
(I really thought the name Dino was reserved for a very nice clumsy dinosaur on the Flintstones)
Milo Madder
9. Hey Dino!
The election is OVER!
Quit being a Girlie Man!
WAAAAA!
10. As I recall,both sides were calling each other to concede.We can look at the facts.Was this race close?,yes.Was there a winner?, Dino 2, Chris 1. Were there clear anomilies,yes(I recall both parties claiming this at some point's through this election).Is it illegal for felons to vote?, yes.Should dead people vote?, no. Should voting rolls match casted ballots?, Yes.Should Provisionals be mixed with other ballots and not be canvassed?, no. Lets not resort to 2nd grade name calling when it comes to our very important democratic right. If we were playing siccors, rocks,paper there would be a clear winner, but it is much more important than that. Lets get it right so all voters in this state are not disenfranchised.
11. These are all assertions made by the Republican Party because the outcome is opposite of what they want.
Ask yourself, “do these anomalies constitute voter fraud?” That is what should be proven before we spend 4 million dollars for a new election in our state.
We had similar elections with similar results in the past. Dino and his band of thugs (not name calling as he supports Bush who murders innocent Iraqis-daily) should get over this election and quit being sore losers. They might consider modeling Al Gore's behavior when he threw in the towel; remember when the Supreme Court decided that election?
It is no more complicated than being a good sport. I am confident that if Christine Gregoire had lost on the final vote count, she would have conceded.
Dino, be a good sport and throw in the towel. The citizens of the state of Washington need to move on!
12. As a Libertarian, I believe Dino loses either way. Keep it the way it is now and Gregoire is Governor. Give Dino, or should I say the National GOP what they want in terms of a revote and Dino will lose by much more than a hundred or so votes. There's still plenty of moderate republicans and a few libertarians that are so furious at these GOP games that they'll either vote for Bennett or Gregoire instead of Dino again if it goes to a revote. There's no honor left in the Republican party. "Be careful what you wish for Dino"!
13. What concerns me about these issues is they do constitute fraud, not a massive scale or conspiracy, but fraud and misconduct that could clearly effect the outcome, and be taken advantage of by individuals. Now, no matter how i wanted the election to turn out, I do see the same issues brought up in the contest of certification for Bush, as discussed in the house. These are the same issues brought up by the DNC posted on websites pre-election to be looking out for. I have I read the help America Vote Act and there are clear violations of this act. I think if we are going to take a stance on voting issues we cannot be partison and use them one way for our side the other way for the other side. Voting is not a partison issue, it must be done right and fair. If it were the other way around I would be very upset at the Republicans.
Besides Kirk might have a point, Dino could lose and mar his name.If we are afraid Chris will lose if there is a revote, Did she really win?
14. What concerns me about these issues is they do constitute fraud, not a massive scale or conspiracy, but fraud and misconduct that could clearly effect the outcome, and be taken advantage of by individuals. Now, no matter how i wanted the election to turn out, I do see the same issues brought up in the contest of certification for Bush, as discussed in the house. These are the same issues brought up by the DNC posted on websites pre-election to be looking out for. I have I read the help America Vote Act and there are clear violations of this act. I think if we are going to take a stance on voting issues we cannot be partison and use them one way for our side the other way for the other side. Voting is not a partison issue, it must be done right and fair. If it were the other way around I would be very upset at the Republicans.
Besides Kirk might have a point, Dino could lose and mar his name.If we are afraid Chris will lose if there is a revote, Did she really win?
15. What concerns me about these issues is they do constitute fraud, not a massive scale or conspiracy, but fraud and misconduct that could clearly effect the outcome, and be taken advantage of by individuals. Now, no matter how i wanted the election to turn out, I do see the same issues brought up in the contest of certification for Bush, as discussed in the house. These are the same issues brought up by the DNC posted on websites pre-election to be looking out for. I have I read the help America Vote Act and there are clear violations of this act. I think if we are going to take a stance on voting issues we cannot be partison and use them one way for our side the other way for the other side. Voting is not a partison issue, it must be done right and fair. If it were the other way around I would be very upset at the Republicans.
Besides Kirk might have a point, Dino could lose and mar his name.If we are afraid Chris will lose if there is a revote, Did she really win?
16. Case and point. What is truly at stake is "who" truly decides? Is it "we the people", or the insufferable powermongers of the DNC and RNC? The more I hear the revote banter come from the usual suspects, the more it becomes clear that "we the people" means nothing to them in terms of finality of election results. How sad.
17. Republican crybabies, just give up. You lost. Get over it. If not for your own good, for the good of the state.
Crybabies.
Sound familiar? Don't flip-flop on me now. Stick to your guns and oppose recounts.
18. Dino,
Keep up the fight, we have to get Gregoire OUT. We know she got in there illegally. There are many of us Republicans out here that stand behind you. It's time for this state to have a "real" governer who can fix some of the probems the problems the Democrat politicians have created for us.
19. I already knew the outcome of this no merit lawsuit brought forth by the Republican-backed used car salesman.
It was a shame that "Governor Gregoire" had to go through this added stress while trying to run our state government.
I am confident that the voters of our state will remember this fiasco for what it really was…a bunch of bullshit.
I am content that we have a big victory for the Democrats in the state of Washington. I am proud that Christine displayed dignity; character and composure while the Republican Party did everything in their power to discredit her and the legitimacy of her office.
I really liked Dino's closing line about not having any hard feelings about the outcome of the trial.
He said that he wished Christine and her family well, but also added the jab about the "current composition of the State Supreme Court," that his chances of success on appeal were marginal.
What a no-account, un-talented piece of shit. And, I say that with all of the respect I can muster for an idiot like him.
Dino, You Suck!
Milo Madder
20. Republicans will always stand claiming they're right! Even Bush claims he is right with His New Vietnam War! Only time will show, that we have another Nixon in the Whitehouse! And the used car salesman has the same smug attitude. Thank God we won't have to go through years of Rossi's smugness to prove he is wrong! Let him go back to selling cars!
21. Dino, I supported you against Greg. and WOULD DO IT AGAIN. As it is, we have to endure more time w/ Greg behind the wheel doing.... NOTHING of real substance. As for all the people chanting rotten things, hiding behind political signs - GROW UP!!! Ever consider voting for the right candidate rather than for a particular party? In this case, Dino was the right person. They both put up a good fight. Sure we all suspect fraud and misdealings of the other party. Bottom line... Greg is in, Dino is out this time and now... WE ALL LOSE.
22. I just got a call from the Rossi campaign - a recorded voice mail solicitation. First of all, I am on the national do not call list. Secondly, I am a registered Democrat. Rossi's an idiot. I want to know who to call to make certain the Republican party never calls me again.
23. I voted for Dino Rossi once, and I'd do it again in a hot second. I have always voted for the person I thought would do the better job or that believes in the same things I do. If this is going to turn into a full-scale riot over political bullshit, and it appears that it already has, then as far as I'm concerned, the far left can get bent. They seem to me to be the ones who are doing the crybaby crap. ME,ME, ME.
What about the other HALF of the state. I think it's long overdue that we split this place apart. If for no other reason than to make it official, but I know our liberal counterparts couldn't stand the thought of losing that many "TAXPAYER"S" dollars.
RUN, DINO, RUN!