Crosscut's publisher, David Brewster has a somewhat interesting post about former gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi and whether he'll run again in 2008.
Brewster appears offended over Rossi's B'rer Fox political strategy - Dino Rossi, he lay low - and acts chagrined that the Sammamish real estate broker didn't give him any juicy scoops. Note to self, just as doctors claimed, owning a minor league baseball team causes reductions in gravitas.
The article is interesting not because you learn anything new (you don't) and not because it's a particularly compelling read. Rather, it's always curious to see what outsiders have to write about the state GOP and its travails when they have no idea about the inner workings of the machine.
Case in point. Whenever any of my fellow ink-slingers and broadcast journalists feel compelled to do a story about Washington Republicans, who do they go to as their primary source? Former state chair and consultant Chris Vance.
I'm not trying to be mean to someone whom I kind of liked the couple of times I briefly spoke with him. But lets face it, Vance was pretty much the most unifying Republican in the state in the fact that moderates, the "Religious Right", fiscal conservatives, talk radio listeners and pretty much every other single faction in the party despised and absolutely hated the job Vance did as leader. Literally, it would be like interviewing former Mariners skipper Bill Plummer about the team's bullpen problems today.
The rest of the article graces us with further political insight. Apparently Republican legislators are out of touch with the party's corporate elite. SayWa?
Two paragraphs are devoted to the firings of former U.S. attorney John McKay, an issue burning in the stomachs of every Washington citizen and which is fomenting a cultural revolution inside the GOP.
Furthermore, if Rossi chooses not to run against "an admired incumbent governor" in 2008, the Dan Evans wing of the party - currently residing in AegisLiving facilities across the Eastside - needs to modernize the Republican message to attract Democrat voters.
And I thought I wrote the funny stuff.
Brewster is right in the fact that Republicans have marginalized themselves and have become largely irrelevant politically over the past four years. Isn't that kind of like saying it rains here in November?
Part of this has to do with inadequate political leadership. Part of this has to do with demographics and differences in geography. A Grant County wheat farmer has so much in common with a Bellevue CEO, Lewis County logger and a retired veteran living in Orting. With the coalition style nature of the state party, getting local Republicans to do and agree on anything is like herding cats that have an inner ear infection.
On the local level, it's mostly a matter of spending. This IS an issue that all the disparate groups should be able to agree on. Raising taxes doesn't help anybody who works for a living or operates a business.
I respect Rossi's right to enjoy himself as long as he can (life is short), but I hope if he's going to pass on running he'll let us know in time to select someone who can win.
I can only hope the GOP gets its act together in this state, for all of our sakes. We're the #8 worst state in terms of Tax Freedom dates right now (CT is #1), and it's only going to get worse with the barrage of new taxes coming.
Posted by: Palouse on April 27, 2007 02:38 PMDitto listening to Murtz who obviously forgets that when a genuine conservative is matched against the treacle that runs for office around these parts, the conservative and her positions prove to be the more attractive.
What we saw in November is that not only did the Republican Party not walk the walk, it garbled and stuttered when it tried to talk the talk! And we got our heads handed to us! Even about the best legislator in Olympia, Toby Nixon, went down to defeat to a lightweight like Ericahmed al Oemigahmadinijad, D - Fajullah. Something's definitely askew.
But Brewster and Murtz? Like, we should take advice from them? Bre'r Fox, would you like to watch the chicken coupe? We may be dumb, but we aint's stupid!
Posted by: Piper Scott on April 27, 2007 02:51 PM#2 Murtz
I'm not that funny? I'll have to remember that the next time I'm parting my ever so stylish hair.
I am also a contratrian, I believe that there are many in Seattle as well as other places who support policies that favor creation and maintainance of strong families.
Right now, neither party is speaking to a lot of people like me.
Posted by: WVH on April 27, 2007 03:21 PMYou mean like having several fortune 500 companies located within our fair city bringing in talented and well educated people who band together to develop their own startups?
U. Mich has a fantastic engineering program but their graduates leave for places like Seattle because that's where the jobs are.
Right now WA is not really in danger of loosing Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Expeditors, Washington Mutual, etc. We've become a much more diverse city/state and no longer dependent on the ups and downs of a single industry (1900's - Lumber, 1970's - Boeing).
Because of these companies we've become a magnet city for talented people. These people will likely venture out on their own because they have great ideas, and there are people here who have the money to transform those ideas into a viable product.
Frankly WVH, startups seem more concerned about the money & infrastructure and less about the taxes.
who support policies that favor creation and maintainance of strong families.
Care to elaborate on what this actually means? Sounds like a buzz-word infested sound clip.
Posted by: Cato on April 27, 2007 03:50 PMThe least I can do is respond since I am making you famous with the quote, "morality is in the eye of the beholder." I am not talking only about big business, I am talking about small businesses. Their needs are quite different from the Amazons and Microsofts. One of the issues is the B&0 tax. Many small business are in the service industry, so although the family leave bill and laws like that might seem attractive to legislators who work at the UW and Eastern Washington State University. They will get the perks. Many small business people have to figure out how to meet payroll, pay taxes which are based on gross not net and reamin competitive in their industry. Small businesses have different concerns than those outlined by you.
You seem to be focused on tech and bio-tech start-ups, but that is only a segment of the total businesses. Small businesses employ the bulk of those employed by business.
Posted by: WVH on April 27, 2007 04:11 PMThis link from the Small Business Administration
gives a profile of busineses in WA state:
http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/profiles/05wa.pdf
Posted by: WVH on April 27, 2007 04:18 PMHow does the bio-tech start-up fund of the Governor's work, is that why some start-ups aren't worried about taxes? Isn't that fund a couple of hundred mil?
Posted by: WVH on April 27, 2007 04:20 PMWell look at the Seattle Times if you want to see how it's supposed to work.
"The fund would award competitive research grants to nonprofit research centers under the oversight of a seven-member scientific board appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. The money could be used on key facilities and equipment, encouraging collaboration among the state's research centers, and recruiting and retaining star scientists.
The fund would also finance research into new understanding of genes and cells and translating the knowledge into better drugs, diagnostic tools, medical devices and software." - Seattle Time
Seems like a good deal for people like Amgen and other Bio-Tech companies that are based here. Or if you want a GOP spin 'Corporate welfare to bring high paying jobs into the state so we can tax them to death like the rest of us'.
I am confused, I thought you were a dem. If that is true, then isn't the dem party supposed to be the party of the "little people" and middle class?
So, do you support the money going to big players or not? Do you as a secular progressive want to help small business people, poor people and others? How do you feel about the fact the the dem presidental debaters by and large flew to the debate in private planes? Isn't the dem party really no different in courting the very very wealthy and leaving middle income folks behind? I'm an indie, so I have no dog in this hunt.
That's true, restaurant/service industry has very different needs than the bio-tech/internet startups. Since I don't work in that field I'm afraid I don't know much about them and their specific needs.
Again though, these companies tend to go where the money is. A solution might be to band together to form a lobbying group and vocalize their rights. I imagine their needs are getting marginalized due to the lobbying power of the giant companies we have based here. They should empower their customers as well by encouraging them to act upon their behalf.
I'd bet that the average person is fairly deaf to what the Govt. is doing and are more concerned about who's going to be sent home on American Idol.