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April 4, 2010 in City
Democrats surprisingly uneasy about Murray
OLYMPIA – Democrats may be paying Dino Rossi the ultimate compliment. He is not a candidate against Patty Murray – not yet, anyway, and possibly not ever – but they are going after him hammer and tong. Or more accurately, Web site and Twitter.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has worked diligently to trash Rossi ever since his name surfaced as a measurable marker against Murray in some GOP polls. They may be taking these polls more seriously than Rossi himself, who appears content to let folks speculate by uttering the overused “never say never” line to questions about a run.
The polling numbers that show Rossi a viable candidate should be viewed with a certain degree of caution. Republicans have 11 announced candidates elbowing each other to take on a three-term incumbent, but the gaggle of Paul Akers, Don Benton, William Chovil, Arthur Coday, Clint Didier, Daniel LeBlanc, James Mercer, Rodney Rieger, Sean Salazar, Chris Widener and Craig Williams isn’t worth separate questions that start, “If the election were held tomorrow for U.S. Senate, would you vote for Patty Murray or …” Be honest: How many do you recognize?
Rossi, however, has statewide name ID and candidate cred. True, with Democrats the ID includes “two-time loser for governor.” But with Republicans and some independents, it’s more like “won once but was robbed; lost a tough rematch.” That makes him a convenient yardstick when Republicans look at the not-so-magnificent 11 and say “Could be a huge GOP year, if only …”
For Democrats to be drawn into this “run Dino run” game is bizarre and risky – bizarre because it’s difficult for even the political cognoscenti to devote much time to a possible Rossi run until he does more than travel to Washington, D.C., and talk with a few Republican bigwigs.
In 2006, when Rossi’s star was at his apex as the man wronged by King County electoral treachery, he could’ve run against freshman Maria Cantwell if he coveted a Senate seat. Instead, he helped talk Mike McGavick into the race and said repeatedly the issues close to his heart were in this Washington, not that Washington. This was before he was technically planning the 2008 gubernatorial rematch, wink-wink, but campaigning with McGavick didn’t hurt anything that might happen.
He could run against Murray – anything’s possible if not yet plausible – but it’s the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) pushing hardest to make him the front-runner with their phony campaign Web site. Earlier in the week, the committee was shopping some “new” information on Rossi, which amounted to recycled stories from past gubernatorial campaigns. Some of that got repurposed for the faux Dino Web site, accusing him of associating with bad characters, miscreants and political lepers. Probably just coincidence it launched on April Fool’s Day.
The risk for the DSCC is that low-grade discussions of these old incidents could have the same result as getting injected with a weakened strain of flu virus. Should Rossi decide to run, it could inoculate him against them at the start of a real campaign, allowing him to say, “That old stuff? It’s been drug up again and again, and there’s nothing to it.”
The strategy also makes one wonder if the DSCC is so worried that Murray can’t beat Rossi in the fall that it needs a pre-emptive strike in the spring.
Usually it’s Republicans who underestimate Murray’s electability.
Spin Control, a weekly column by veteran political reporter Jim Camden, also appears online with daily items, reader comments and videos at www.spokesman.com/blogs/ spincontrol.
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Ninch on April 04 at 7:44 a.m.
Stupid Democrats. Trashing Rossi will only ensure a voter backlash against Murray. She needs to disconnect herself from those Washington DC bozos.
misjustice on April 04 at 8:08 a.m.
Rossi may have some popularity here, in Eastern WA, but it is usually the high population districts that sway Senate elections. And I can’t imagine the West side of the state voting in the numbers necessary to give “Down, Dino, Down Boy!” a Senatorial win. Guess it’s within the realm of possibilities, but not highly likely.
If Dino does enter the race, it would be very interesting. And for that reason alone, I would encourage him to “Run, Dino, Run Boy!”
liarsinnews on April 04 at 8:16 a.m.
The Washingtonians seem to have forgotten that Senator Murray was in second place receiving money from a scoundrel who ended up in the Iron Bar Hotel. I remember, how the Spokesman Review kind made light of the fact that most of the other recipients of the loot returned the money to the culprit. Not Murray though. Mom in tennis shoes said the $45,000.00 she took, did not influence her voting. Yeah, as if the crooks don`t have assurances the pay off is for not. Anybody want to buy the Chrysler building in New York city? I`m selling it next week.
Ninch on April 04 at 8:48 a.m.
Apparently… misjustice likes to ignore all the people on the West side who voted for Rossi in his last two runs for governor. And now there is already a backlash coming against Congress and many incumbents are at risk. Obama cannot help anyone out this time. If the Dems thought Rossi was irrelevant they would not be bashing him now… yet they are actually feeding the backlash.
misjustice on April 04 at 9:26 a.m.
Not ignoring the West side votes for Dino; but there weren’t enough to make him the Gov….
If he launches a bid for Senator Murray’s job, it will interesting to see how it plays out, it’s politics…oh, and Murray, as an incumbent, will have loads of financial backing…not sure where Dino will get the $$$$…
Like I said, it will be interesting and entertaining.
bdr on May 26 at 11:04 a.m.
Murray fought hard for health-care knowing the Washington basic system covers only a few thousand when the need is millions.
She also documented the lack of coverage of millions is damaging Washington business and the care givers who are currently on the front lines.
she carefully laid out how (if left alone) hospitals would fail under the Republican system of do- NOTHING.
for that effort…..she deserves our vote…….!!
Her second applaud-able effort was to override a faulty tanker contract that was inked by McCain to send 35 billion overseas for foreign made military tankers.
McCain made fatal adjustments in the contract that favored foreign supplier ,and Murry caught him in the act.
she saved all of us billions by doing this because those foreign planes have faulty wind-speed devices. (making all their planes susceptible to crash)
RepAreADisease on October 15 at 6:32 a.m.
Hopefully enough voters will figure out in time the fact that “conservative” economic policies of cutting opportunity for most Americans while giving handouts to the filthy rich, and corporations have practically destroyed our economy. Electing Rossi would be just more Reaganomics, and Bushonomics weakening America. Even Reagan’s Budget Director David Stockman, the person that designed trickle down just admitted they knew it wouldn’t work, and was just a Trojan Horse of a handout for the rich.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/reagan-insider-gop-destroyed-us-economy-2010-08-10?siteid=e2eaol
Voting for Rossi will only mean one thing. More jobs going overseas, and more people in America falling into poverty, and dying from lack of proper medical care, or having to pay 5 times the going rate for medications.
I suggest everyone read what Stockman said. He is mad at Obama for the tax cut part of the stimulus too. It’s not like he is a liberal.
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Issues/Budget-Impact/2010/10/06/David-Stockman-US-Is-in-Race-to-the-Fiscal-Bottom.aspx