April 26, 2007
Balterdash
In today's column, Joni Balter wonders why the voters don't like Mrs. Gregoire very much.
Gregoire is proving to be an adept governor, but for whatever reason, the public warms to her ever so slowly ... Why hasn't she gained more traction?
"I think she is an incredibly good governor, one of the best in the country," says [UW political scientist Bryan Jones].
He says he, too, wonders why Gregoire isn't more popular.
Balter is too self-absorbed to do any real research. Instead of finding out why other people don't like Gregoire as much as Balter herself does (e.g. talking to Gregoire's critics) Balter only contemplates her own cluelessness. The one person she quotes (and identifies only as a professor, not as the
partisan Democrat which he is) only shares Balter's viewpoint and inability to understand why other voters don't like Gregoire as much as partisan Democrats believe they should.
What I'm seeing is that Gregoire's popularity is limited by:
a) her cold, arrogant, unappealing personality
b) the bogus election, which even after the contest trial, most voters were convinced that Dino Rossi was the legitimate winner
c) her policies since taking office, contrary to campaign promises, have raised taxes and been a fiscally irresponsible expansion of the welfare state; she's taken unpopular positions on several "culture war" issues; and she failed to exercise leadership and make a decision on the Viaduct. (her handling of the Seattle Viaduct vote was universally derided, applauded only by Balter); and her felon release program has been a disaster
I suspect it's mainly because of the non-stop cheerleading from Balter and Gregoire's other fans in the media that Gregoire's poll numbers are as high as they are.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at April 26, 2007
03:41 PM | Email This
1. I'd say the lady is out of touch. About a bizillion years ago, a guy named George McGovern ran against Tricky Dick Nixon for President. McGovern was quite the liberal candidate (for the times) and was soundly defeated by Nixon.
At one point after the trouncing, a prominent liberal woman in New York made the comment that she couldn't understand how Nixon defeated McGovern in 1972 because, in her words, she "didn't know a single person who voted for Nixon." Ms. Balter is out of touch with the majority of Washington.
Of course Gregoire is doing an excellent job. Everyone she knows agrees with her on that point. But who, exactly, does she know that doesn't live in the liberal bubble of the I-5 corridor?
2. Sklar--
You raise a very good point....one that members of both Party's are sadly guilty of. That is interacting with folks that think differently. I'm a Conservative. I have plenty of Liberal friends. They are nice people or they would not be my friends.
I confess I do not spend much time interacting with Socialists or Marxists. They are way too twisted to have a reasonable conversation with. Liberals are much different than Socialists & Marxists. Frankly, most self-proclaimed Liberals are not really as Liberal as they like to think. They are mainly Liberal with other people's hard earned money and often have a naive, Utopian view of the world. But Liberals are not the problem. The real problem is the Socialist/Marxist agenda...it's a creeping crud.
Folks like Coulter & Limbaugh & John Carlson are fools to wage a battle with "Liberals".
The battle is against Leftists/Marxists/Socialists.
Think about it.
3. I second what Cynical said. The problem is much worse than a typical Seattle Liberal. It's the outright hate-America Marxists that are defining today's Democrat Party. It's the Camp Wellstone grads. If any self respecting Democrat found out just how entrenched the Hate America mindset really is in their party, they'd be becoming Indepedents, Libertarians, etc.
As for Stefan's analysis of Gregoire, and why the Democrat / Left MSM mouthpieces like Balter can't figure it out:
a> Bingo
b) Bango
c) Bongo
4. If you want someone who is adept at pandering to special interests, unions, the mayor of Seattle, and criminals, then Fraudoire is doing a great job. If you want someone who believes in business, responsible spending, accountability, and good education, then Fraudoire is one of the most inept people to have in office.
Having quickly glanced over Balderdash's column, it is full of the usual baloney of how more money equals quality and accomplishments. Joni the Clueless conveniently forgot to mention the WASL math requirement was dropped because our governor thinks certain ethnic groups are too stupid to ever pass it and that the medical insurance/family leave "victories" are unfunded mandates. Note to Joni Joker: Fraudoire isn't well liked because she is the typical tax-and-spend liberal who is soft on crime, education, and responsible government. Fraudoire has had several opportunities to prove she can be a leader. She has chosen not to be one.
5. Many liberals are Marxists/Socialists. The Liberals as you call them are more than likely Moderates. I talk with many people of all kinds. I see the hate of Bush from some of them. They will not communicate at all. They normally claim they are experts on Global Warming. I try to bring in Scientific questions like the Sun factor and the next line I hear "Bush Lied", Communication is not possible with them those types of liberals. Others we have good conversations and most of the time they agree that my arguements are sound and they changed their ideas on the subject. Friendly Conversation is necessary. But as dont try to talk to the Leftists/Marxists/Socialists because they are in their own world. And their every answer is "Bush Lied".
6. So far no one's mentioned why so many people dislike Queen Christine: She's incompetent.
7. Maybe Joni Balder can explain to us why Gov. "Doer" flat "Lied" on her Property tax promise.
It didn't see any light in this session! My actual property taxes are up over $1000 this year alone.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003072568_gregoire20m.html
Gregoire hasn't seen an expense she didn't love!
8. Come on stefan, its like kicking a cripple..
Joni's a lightweight, and apologist for anything left wing, liberal, dem party.
She's not as stupid as Joel, Jerry or Nicole, but is equally off track.
9. Crissy GreGORE(gov) will probably get a second term in spite of her nasty ways. 2008 will be a great banner, take it all, year for democrats and they will probably make more gains at local, state and national levels, After all the press is for them all and the wimpy republican mainstreamers will support demos again, and Rossi could probably only pull 46-48% at the ballot,unless there is a strong well financed challenger in the demo party against crissy and a strong green candidate running. Then Dino might slide by (with a ton of money being spent in his campaign) with 50.01 to 51% at best. I supported Dino in 04 and I would run my mother over for him in 08, but we better be realistic versus fantasy towards 2008 campaigns, republicans might be better off to just sit it out in 08 and save our money for 2010 and 2012!! Things should bounce back by then "maybe!!
10. Stefan has hit on the reasons for people not liking her. People know they got screwed by KCE back in '04 and they don't care for that! And it's true that her personality doesn't really draw people in. Even people in her own party didn't like her that much when she was running (I heard it from someone in the state Dem party headquarters, even).
It's amazing how she is giving Dino so much ammo these days.
11. Balter is not out of touch. She is simply a leftist propagandist of the highest order. She represents everything that is sick in the old media.
Journalist? Now that's "balderdash"!
12. If Joni has to wonder, she has just answered her own question.
Sad.
Those who lack lucidity...
13. Not sure that Joni is self-absorbed, she's a big-time Mom and her husband is bigger than life... but if it makes you feel any better around here: the lefty bloggers despise her. they say she's a republican and Frank Blethen's toady, if not concubine.
14. hey 13, lefties deeming Joni a repub recalls 90 odd yrs ago and the Bolsheviks thought the Menshiviks were on the right...
who is her husband?
15. I know someone who had to spend a lot of time up close with the Chris Gregoire. I have it on very good word, she does not have a pleasant demeanor.
16. Why don't people lik Gregoire? Let me count the ways. She's too liberal for the majority of the state, she's pandering to the unions, the teachers, & the gays, she's raised taxes, & she out of touch with voters. She also comes across as a cold fish with a holier than thou attitude.
Are those enough reasons?
17.
Answer for righton at #14 asking "who is her husband?" She is married to Timothy Egan, an award-winning author and New York Times reporter, who wrote "The Good Rain", which I thought was a good history of the Pacific Northwest.
18. I'm less interested in beating up on Gregoire as I am in chasing her out of office.
What's Rossi planning? Anything? Last I heard he was playing a lot of basketball at his house, which is great for him, but isn't helping me much. ;)
19. My guess is that Rossi is going to pass on a rematch in '08. Say what you will, but the guy isn't stupid. He's going to take a look at the board and realize that, unless something unexpected and dramatic happens, '08 is shaping up at this point as pretty much of a disaster for 'Pubs. The overhang of Iraq is going to wipe out a lot of candidates. The dynamic of a race in '08 is a lot different from '04, since Fraudoire will be running as an incumbent and has the power of the office to buy a lot of votes that weren't there in '04. Rematches in politics seldom live up to their hype. A challenger comes close the first time around and everyone gets all excited and giddy about a "can't-miss" rematch, and then the challenger gets wiped out by a larger margin in the rerun. Remember how everyone was touting Rossi as a can't-miss candidate against NeerDoWell in '06. We see how that one went. Rossi was smart to take a pass on that, as CantDoWell would have clobbered him. Until we get past this Iraq situation, Republican candidates are going to suffer. Probably a second or third-tier sacrificial lamb candidate is the most likely "challenger" to Fraudoire in '08. Not a pleasant thought, but, unfortunately, is the likely scenario.
20. Sorry ya'll--chrissy wins i think. She gets an automatic vote from a lot, lot of our citizens
a- shes a dem
b- woman factor..another 10 pts just because..
(i'm blown away by the propensity to give a free pass to liberal women in this area, and actually amidst a see of idiots, she's reasonably competant)
21. That's my biggest issue, Interested Observer; the Rs are putting all their eggs in the Rossi basket, and in the end, he may pull a Rick Bart and not run. Then it would be too late for another R to make a serious run.
BTW, if Gregoire wins in '08 and Clinton wins in '08, it is sayonora Gregoire as she leaves for greener pastures as a national appointee.
Oh yeah, even if she loses and Clinton wins it is sayonora.
22. Just wondering..........if those contributions by Jones end up getting him press exposure, is he making a good investment?
23. Joni's work is like the rah rah's in a school parent club's newsletter. big deal. cookie dough, anyone?
24. A cynical bunch, many R's are these days. Unfortunate that many would concede a Rossi defeat already despite an inept governor who has broken most of her campaign promises, failed to make major decisions and paid off all of her campaign supporters.
It's becoming a feeding frenzy down there in Olympia, and it will only get worse in a second term. Remember, they showed 'restraint' and we still ended up with the largest budget in state history. One that will rely on ADDITIONAL taxes to pay for the things we actually care about in the coming years.
Balter, as usual, is just delusional.
25.
What "job" is Lib-oire doing?
For the first two years she was practically invisible. Finally she woke from her slumber only to bumble about like a ship without a rudder on issues such as the Viaduct!
This person has absolutely no business being in office -- it's simply that the Demo-Lib bureaucracy wants someone who won't fire them from their featherbedded jobs.
26. #4 Burdabee,
You are absolutely correct. The average run-of-the-mill Puget Sound Marxist/Lenninist (and if you doubt me on this assessment how about someone who lives close by Freemont snap a few pictures of the May Day celebrations that take place at the foot of the Seattle's monument to one of history's most prolific engines of human suffering and forward them to Stefan) lives in a parallel universe where the amount of money spent equals success. As a case in point I offer the following - I attended a meeting regarding I-405 "improvements" at which the presenters (WSDOT employees) were wowing the crowd (City and County staff from jurisdictions along 405) by returning again and again to their ..... and I quote "Burn rate" which was a quantitative (dollar value for those of you educated in public school) daily total of how much money the I-405 team was spending as evidence that they were "doing something."
27. Keep it up, fellers.
Read all the typical blather on this topic and realize this is the face of the permanent Republican party minority in this state.
Where's today's hatred of Joel's column in the P-I?
Or did somebody get injured by the truth?
28. Dino has already stated publicly that he will
not decide until next January if he is going to
run.That statement in and of itself pretty much
makes it a long shot that he will run.Dino I
think is coming to realize that some of his
actions since 2004 have really hurt his chances
of winning.
The lesson to be learned here is that you
dont cozy up to the Mainstream republicans of
Washington State and assume the rest of the party
will support you because you were the candidate
the last time around.That group has demonstrated
they don't know how to win anything.They just
continue to try and divide the state party by
pushing away conservatives and anyone else that
doesn't agree with them.
29. Letting Gregoire govern is the best campaign Rossi could run.
His slogan should either be "I told you so." or "have you had enough yet?"
30. Mrs. Gregoire isn't popular because she's not a nice person. She's not honest or effective either.
31. And whatever you do, don't cozy up to Phil, Doug or Susan. Not that they would actually run for anything higher than PCO and win. I think an announcement on Goldies show should get your campaigns off to a roaring start. Remember he "listens" to you. Maybe he will fundraise for your campaign. You could link to his website like grassroots/nutroots Darcy is doing.
32. Phil Spackman @28, I just don't see what else the state party can do other than go with a consensus candidate. I agree it makes no sense for the mainstream Republicans to marginalize conservatives, but likewise it makes no sense for conservatives to alienate the moderates. Running a "true conservative" candidate in SayWA has got to be the nearest thing to a kamikaze mission in politics there is. I recall there was a "true conservative" and "true believer" candidate offered in 2000, and he got blown out by 20 points. Same thing happened in my state this past election cycle. OTOH, a moderate candidate who doesn't attract conservative votes is going to go down, probably not by 20 points, but maybe in the 10-12 point range. The reason Rossi was able to win the 2004 race was due in part to his appeal to both conservatives and moderates, plus disaffected Dems. The latter won't be in play come 2008, so that is why I think Rossi will take a pass. The 'Rats in '04 who were inclined to give a chance to Rossi because of disaffection with the poor campaign Fraudoire ran will not likely be there for Rossi this time around. Fraudoire has had 4 years to patch things up and it's hard to dig out a 'Rat once they get entranched (as we saw with NeerDoWell in '06).
33. What's to like about Haywire? She and her minions literally stole the election from Rossi in The Socialist Republic of Seattle....Just keep stuffing the ballot box and recounting until she wins....What a colossal joke!
34. The Federal Government should have come in here and thrown that fraudulent election out. I can't stand her because she's a flaming socialist who will raise taxes through thr roof.