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OLYMPIA–Candidates with at least half a brain rarely pick a fight they cannot win. So it seemed odd last week when a Seattle television station had Dino Rossi challenging Sen. Patty Murray on veterans’ issues and alleging the federal government was “spending recklessly” on veterans programs.
Not only does Murray have a campaign commercial with a slew of veterans from around the state singing her praises, but she has a reputation for actually working on an issue to which most members of Congress merely pay lip service. It’s a recognized strength, sort of like recruiting point guards at Gonzaga.
And saying Uncle Sam is spending recklessly on veterans is a bit like saying mothers are spending recklessly on milk and medicine for their children.
Yet a story on Seattle’s KOMO-TV on Tuesday seemed to have Rossi dissing Murray and veterans programs. But did he?…
The strange thing was that Rossi did not make those accusations on
camera. Instead, a reporter attributed the reckless spending comment to
“Rossi’s campaign” and interviewed Deryl McCarthy, described as a
veteran and Rossi supporter, who said: “Are we spending the money and
getting the biggest bang for the buck? No. We can do better and Dino
will do better.”
The Murray campaign counterattacked quickly the following day, with a
press release demanding Rossi explain exactly where the country spends
too much on veterans. Between previously scheduled stops to highlight
her work for current and former members of the military, Murray squeezed
in a telephonic press conference with three guest veterans who
denounced Rossi.
But it was clear something was amiss when the first question came from
KOMO reporter Bryan Johnson, who said he didn’t do Tuesday’s story but
had talked to Rossi Wednesday. And Rossi, Johnson said, contended he
never said such a thing and that veterans’ programs were one of their
rare points of agreement.
Rossi’s campaign quickly pumped out a statement that attempted to spin the issue toward his main theme of a profligate Congress:
“Our nation made a promise to provide for our veterans in return for
their service to protect our country, and that promise must be kept,” it
said. “The main threat to our veterans programs right now is the
enormous amount of spending and debt that Patty Murray has voted for:
the massive bailouts, the failed stimulus bill, the earmarks and other
wasteful spending which is jeopardizing Congress’s ability to provide
our veterans the benefits they’ve earned.”
KOMO followed up its original story with Johnson’s report in which he
more clearly delineated deficit spending from veterans programs, but
didn’t retract the original.
Still campaigning with veterans Thursday, Murray said Rossi was just
trying to twist things around after the furor erupted. “We know we have
to cut our budgets,” she said, and that’s being done on many fronts.
“But I draw the line when it comes to where our investments have to be,
and for me, that’s taking care of our veterans in a time of war. There
is no question, and nobody can question my credentials or think I
misspoke.”
Murray clearly wins this fight – it’s not even a TKO – which again raises the question why Rossi even got into this ring.
KOMO posted uncut video of its 7-minute interview with McCarthy, who is a
veteran and supporter but clearly not a polished speaker. (Side argument: A Rossi
spokeswoman said he’s someone they referred to the reporter, but not a
member of the campaign. A Murray spokeswoman said if the Rossi campaign supplied him, he’s with the campaign.) In it, McCarthy never uses the phrase reckless
spending. He does use “willy nilly” and the station maintains the
original story conveyed the essence of his comments.
The full tape, however, indicates McCarthy is calling for better
oversight of the VA by Congress, not cuts to any program in particular:
“First of all, willy nilly stop spending money, but that’s a general
term not a VA term. Stop, slow down…and let’s provide real oversight.”
The Rossi campaign appears to have been drawn in by a chance to get some
counterpunches into the original TV report that focused on Murray and
veterans, and things went downhill from there, perhaps because they sent
a featherweight in when a heavyweight was needed. Given the topic,
perhaps they should have heeded the advice the computer offers near the
end of the movie “War Games”: “The only winning move is not to start.”
Jim Camden is a veteran political reporter for The Spokesman-Review.
Jonathan Brunt covers Spokane City Hall for The Spokesman-Review.
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Dazzeetrader1980 on August 29 at 2:05 a.m.
So some guy who’s remotely tethered to the Rossi campaign speaks to an issue when there is no issue…and this is news? Best be calling the station about their BIAS against Rossi.
Not much news or even a dustup. Keep these guys close Rossi. They don’t speak for you but KOMO seems happy enough to generate a story against you. Rossi needs to send them a registered letter and be clear that HE speaks for himself…and he only!
Surely Murray will repeatedly use this but one thing is clear: if this is the type of limited “brilliance” she can muster up, she’s in biggest of the big trouble. She’s a putz with a checkbook……from our account.
patpacer on August 29 at 10:47 a.m.
Senator Murray started in veteran issues as her dad was one. Year after year when the VA budget should have been passed in September, ALL of congress had no trouble breaking for recess to enjoy the winter holidays while leaving veterans hanging in distress. After more than three decades of frankly HE double L there are many older veterans which need dignified actual medical care now, not pill care Some new vets cannot even get seen at a VA & some which need treatment would never go to a VA. With all of the new vets returning home, new veterans should receive one thousand dollars a month for his or her first six months back home. The vet would pick up their check at the VA, after their appointment with a VA PCP, PA, or social worker. If a new vet does not pick up their check alarm bells should go off. Everyone in society wins. Offer pay incentives for the VA doctors which write the LEAST amount of prescriptions’. Many working there would feel much relief to actually have the opportunity to treat their patients instead of just medicating their symptoms. Many doctors should have a career advancing medical technology, and delivering world-class health care at VAMC’s nationwide, but they don’t. If one doctor here at the Wilkes-Barre VAMC becomes ill & stays home, others will have to see fifty or sixty patients in one day. It is the same nationwide, and it is impossible at times for anyone working at a VA clinic to answer the phone, so the veterans calling there will hear nothing but long ludicrous messages on suicide prevention over and over again. It is still VA business as usual… Asking for more congressional oversight on the running of VA’s is asking the local corrupt liberal Politician to investigate them. Vote them ALL out.
force_vector on August 29 at 3:16 p.m.
The Seattle Times has an article delineating the hypocracy of Democrats on this charge, as well as others. Nice try, Spokesman. Your coverage of damn near everything is a joke, even when you try to regurgitate a KOMO 4 news piece.
RossifarianSpy on August 29 at 6:54 p.m.
At the risk of being hypocritical it should be highly recommended that these spokespersons’ names are public. They purport to represent the swath of the public that represents their employer candidate AND the employer candidate. If real names from campaigns cannot be used, then don’t quote them. Period.
Back in the days of the 2004-2006 campaign to clean up King County Elections in the wake of the Rossi v. Gregoire gov’t systems failure, everybody knew Mary Lane (now Mary Lane Strow) had rock-ribbed credibility because she used her name, never went anon (not once!) and got it done for Dino professionally by nailing King County Elections to the wall & with a turbofan on afterburner wrecking Dean Logan’s house of cards. Perhaps going to anon spokespeople just means we anon blogheads can now speak for the campaigns… and save the campaigns big, gigantic buckos instead of hiring a Texan (Sadie Weiner-Dem) and a DCer (Jennifer A Morris-GOP) just a thought.
Also furthermore a hero of Washington State, Heather “Newsbrooke”* Brooke, blasted to smithereens Brit media who let anon spokespeople get away with this kind of garbage. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YiY50dGoZQ for yourself. End of story.
–FOOTNOTE–
*She uses that handle due to porn star Heather Harmon who uses “Heather Brooke” as a pseudonym.
Dazzeetrader1980 on August 29 at 7:01 p.m.
One fact remains: Murray lies and taints the truth to suit her purposes. Seattle Times has found multiple lies and partial truths. Theyhave a section devoted to her …”Truth Needle”.
It’s worth a read. never thought a gramma in tennis shoes would lie? Think again. “She just can’t handle the truth!”.
RossifarianSpy on August 29 at 7:11 p.m.
Furthermore, perhaps these anon spokespeople who just take money from the “great ignored” to talk need to have their career removed. I’m sure campaign VOLUNTEERS who have a stake in the game can do the job of talking to the media instead of a hired Texan 6-shooter whose employer the State Democrats have on their Twitter feed says Dino’s wrong for going to Texas: http://twitter.com/washdems/status/22049188428
Also nothing against Ms. Morris as a spokesperson for Rossi and she may not be the anon jerk. That’s MY job and the job of many amateur anon arses :-). In fact, the anon call may have been made by a journo who erred wrongly.
Nothing against Ms. Weiner as well, but don’t be running around the nation pretending to speak for a particular state to get said state to vote for that state party’s candidate. Oh and then blast your home state for trying to even out the bias. Kind of tacky.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on August 29 at 10:57 p.m.
As a person who serves as a volunteer feeding and caring for the Homeless Veterans In Spokane at Central Methodist Church downtown… I would invite ANY of you…/All of you come on down and see and feel the detritus of the “War Efforts” of our country for the past Fifty Years…. I’ve got one great Vet who served in the Battle of the Bulge…. and Numerous Viet Nam Era Vets … as well as the now new crop of Desert Storm and Iraq/Afghanistan veterans… who are more screwed over than ANY of our prior service members… They are walking our streets with Pistols in their pockets.. and we better be spending some money to “care” for them…
Still not a single answer to “Champion of Freedom Rossi’” and his personal “Service Record… either Armed Service, or Peace Corps
Lets hear from you folks….. on your Champion of Freedom… what’s he about?? John Captain U.S. Army 68 - 70