Secrets put Barbieri on the spot

Don Barbieri, Democratic candidate for Washington’s 5th District congressional seat, highlights in his biography a long association with the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce, where he served as chairman two years ago. So this week’s revelation that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce financed attack ads against Democratic attorney general candidate Deborah Senn must have placed Barbieri in an uncomfortable position.

What does the Spokane businessman think about the U.S. Chamber secretly bankrolling a $1.5-million smear campaign against a fellow Washington Democrat? Spokesman Stephen Barbieri declined to address the TV ads directly or to defend Senn – who emerged victorious, if not unscathed, from Tuesday’s primary. However, he said, “You didn’t see political activity like that from the Spokane Chamber when Don was there, and you don’t see that kind of activity there now.”

In fact, the Spokane Regional Chamber sent an e-mail message to its members Tuesday disavowing any connection to the attack, said Rich Hadley, president and CEO. “We don’t think that type of communication during campaigns is helpful,” he said. “We prefer to see positive statements from candidates.”

The Spokane Chamber considers itself a nonpartisan resource for candidate information, but Hadley expressed concern that voters might inadvertently link the U.S. Chamber’s actions to the Spokane affiliate. “They have a right to do what they want to do,” Hadley said of the parent group’s political activities. “But they should have been clear about disclosing it, and they should have informed their members in advance.”

Even though Hadley felt the need to clear up potential confusion about links between the U.S. Chamber- backed attack and the Spokane Chamber, he doubts voters would link the issue to the local group’s former chairman. “I can’t imagine it would have any impact on Barbieri,” Hadley said.

Perhaps preferring to step back into the shadows, a representative of the U.S. Chamber did not return a call for comment.

Pandering toward November

A quick spin through the latest TV ads from Washington political candidates reveals pandering to voters is a bipartisan hobby.

For instance, the two main candidates for governor – Democrat Christine Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi – speak with just a hint of condescension about the private-sector jobs they held in their college days. She speaks of “punching the old time clock” at a print shop in her youth, while he recalls “waxing floors at the Space Needle.”

Contrast those spots with the ads for Barbieri’s congressional campaign. While serving as president and CEO of WestCoast Hospitality Corp., Barbieri points out, he helped turn the family business into a strong employer. His long experience in the private sector stands in marked contrast to the “I had a job once” reminiscences of Gregoire and Rossi. And that’s not a knock on their accomplishments in government. In fact, if you’re a career public servant, why not tout the benefits of that?

But Nethercutt takes the pandering cake – and a few tasty slices of pandering pie – with the latest ad underscoring his commitment to slashing taxes. In an attempt to cozy up to West Side boomers so thinly veiled it would serve as a great costume at State Line Showgirls, Nethercutt compares himself to John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.

It’s amusing to see a guy with towering self-regard to compare himself on TV to two of the past century’s most popular presidents. But even though I didn’t know JFK, and JFK wasn’t a friend of mine, it’s pretty clear Nethercutt’s no JFK. …