Breaking: Palin to Tame "Papa Grizzly" Didier?

Highly placed sources have informed me that efforts are underway to have Sarah Palin intervene in the current squabble between former Washington U.S. Senate candidate Clint Didier and Republican Senate nominee Dino Rossi.

Palin, if you recall, endorsed Didier just prior to Rossi's entry into the race in May.  SarahPAC gave Didier $5000 and Palin recorded a robo-call for Didier, but she did not campaign in the state for him.

Didier has declined to endorse Rossi in the Senate race until Rossi agrees to meet three specific demands.  Rossi has refused.

Republican state party officials and electeds are busy behind the scenes trying to repair the rift.  A close election between Rossi and Democratic incumbent Patty Murray is expected, and Didier's 12 percent primary vote might be crucial.

More details as they become available.

Have You No Sense of Decency Sir, At Long Last?

Conservative Christians who voted for Clint Didier may be experiencing some buyer's remorse right about now. Foul-mouthed Didier spokeswoman Kathryn Serkes told Publicola yesterday:

So is Dino saying, "Fuck you" to those people [who supported Didier]? "Fuck you, I don’t need your votes? I can win with 33 percent"

This was the second incident of F-bombing by the Didier campaign in the last few weeks.  During the botched Didier-Akers joint webcast, staffers could be heard on-air referring to a "clusterfuck."

Rossi, of course, said no such thing. He is simply refusing to submit to a laundry list of demands that Didier says Rossi must meet before Didier will endorse him.  Rossi understandably rejected those demands. Can you think of any other candidate that polled just 12% of the vote that successfully made any demands on a victorious candidate? This is not Czechoslovakia and Rossi isn't Neville Chamberlain. 

And by the way Ms. Potty Mouth, Dino doesn't have just 33%:

The first KING 5 Senate poll for the 2010 general election shows Republican Dino Rossi is actually ahead of Democratic incumbent Patty Murray, 52% to 45%.

In most polls leading up to this week’s primary election and on primary night, Murray was in the lead. Primary election results placed Murray 13 points ahead of Rossi, but Rossi splitting the Republican vote with Clint Didier who got 12%, and Paul Akers, with 3%.

Oops.

I agree with Caleb Hannan at the Daily Weekly.  Rossi is better off ignoring Didier's demands.  In any case, this cannot end well for Didier and his Super Bowl ring-sized ego.  And if Rossi loses a very winnable election with the U.S. Senate at stake, Didier may want to consider growing alfalfa in Uzbekistan.

Finally, here's some advice to the Washington Campaign for Liberty, whose supporters campaigned so vociferously for Didier.  I generally respect the membership of the C4L, who other than a few crazies, are very thoughtful and intelligent.  They realize, no doubt, that they can only advance their causes by forming coalitions with other groups. 

Didier's high school jock testosteroning, as echoed by cheerleader Jerkes, is making him radioactive.  Take care you don't get contaminated yourself.

2010 Shaping Up To Be Good Year for Washington GOP

Only 2/3 of the vote in the Washington "top two" primary election held yesterday have been counted, so things could change. But here is my initial take on the results:

U.S. Senate

Boy, SurveyUSA really nailed this one. No surprises at all. The only drama left is whether the man who has garnered the most statewide Republican votes of any other candidate over the last decade in Washington decides to let himself be "coached." Clint Didier's refusal to leave the gridiron is more embarrassing than Brett Favre's continual retirements. And it looks like Paul Akers will have ended up paying somewhere between $20-$30 per vote received. Ouch. That's hardly "lean."

Adding up all the Republican votes, this race is going to be very, very close. With possible control of the Senate on the line, Murray vs. Rossi promises to be big and a possible bellwether for Republicans nationwide.

Congressional District 1

The primary battle between Republicans James Watkins and Matthew Burke got nasty as of late. Watkins doubled up Burke, but adding both Watkins and Burke's votes together still leaves Jay Inslee, whose next election will likely be for Governor of Washington in 2012, with a commanding lead.

Congressional District 2

Rick Larsen is in big, big trouble. This one could be a pickup for Republicans if John Koster can get financial backing.

Congressional District 3

Again, no surprises. It's Denny Heck vs. Jaime Herrera. David Hedrick hurt David Castillo. A lot. Most of Hedrick's votes likely would have gone to Castillo. But in any case, Herrera's base in populous Clark County clearly helped here.

If the GOP can heal its wounds after a bitter primary battle between Herrera and Castillo, this looks like a pickup. Watch for lots of national money and attention pouring in for the general.

Congressional District 8

"The Sheriff" Dave Reichert seems to be leading comfortably against Microsoft millionaire Suzan DelBene.

Congressional District 9

Just 52% for incumbent Democrat Adam Smith must be a little troubling for him. However, leading GOP challenger Dick Muri has to be a little disappointed with his failure to approach 30%. Jim Postma, who spent and campaigned a lot less than Muri, got nearly 20%. If Muri can work harder on name recognition, he has an outside shot.

Legislative District 1

First-timer Heidi Munson has to be very happy with a very respectable 48% and a good chance to pick up an open seat for Republicans

Legislative District 2

While not really a pickup for Republicans, Jennifer Dunn Leadership Institute grad and dairy executive JT Wilcox is thoroughly trouncing RINO Tom Campbell.

Legislative District 6

The race for state senate in LD6 is going to be the most expensive in the state. Republican Michael Baumgartner had to prove that he is competitive to keep money coming in for his race against incumbent Chis Marr and his PAC dollars. Baumgartner accomplished that, currently ahead 51-59. This could be a big Republican pickup.

JDLI grad Shelly O'Quinn seems to have lost to former Republican state rep John Ahern in a bid to take on Democrat state rep John Driscoll. Ahern likely had the benefit of greater name recognition and a conservative/moderate split in the Spokane County Republican Party didn't help O'Quinn either

Legislative District 17

Republican Brian Peck seems poised to upset incumbent Democrat Rep. Tim Probst, with 52-48 thus far.

Ditto with Republican Paul Harris running for Deb Wallace's open seat.

Legislative District 21

Republican Elizabeth Scott will face off against incumbent state rep Marko Liias. At 52%, Liaas could be vulnerable.

Legislative District 25

House Majority Caucus Chair Dawn Morrell is in huge trouble, only garnering 41%. Young GOP upstart Hans Zeiger is poised to make this a huge upset in November.

Legislative District 26

Republican Doug Richards looks competitive against incumbent Democrat Rep. Larry Seaquist.

Legislative District 28

Republican Steve O'Ban is in a dead heat with Troy Kelley. Could be another GOP pickup. Ditto with Paul Wagemann against Tami Green in Position 2.

Legislative District 30

Democrat Senator Tracey Eide is facing a tough challenge from Tony Moore.

Katrina Asay looks like she has a good chance to hold on to Skip Priest's seat for Republicans.

Legislative District 31

This could get interesting. It looks like it may be an all-Republican general with Matt Richardson facing off against incumbent Sen. Pam Roach. Roach, if you remember, successfully sued Richardson over statement he made in the voter's pamphlet.

Legislative District 35

Looks like Republican Dan Griffey will give Democratic state representative Kathy Haigh a run for her money.

Legislative District 41

Republican Steve Litzow is neck and neck with incumbent state senator Randy Gordon. This one could easily be a GOP pickup.

Peter Dunbar is doing the same on the House side with rep. Marcie Maxwell

Legislative District 44

Dave Schmidt has a good chance to knock off Democratic state senator Steve Hobbs. And Bob McCaughan looks competitive against Democrat Hans Dunshee in the House Position 1 race.

Legislative District 45

In one of the biggest upsets brewing, in addition to the Baumgartner-Marr race, Republican Andy Hill is ahead of ultra-liberal state senator Eric Oemig 51-49.

Republican Kevin Haistings is close to Dem state rep Roger Goodman

Legislative District 47

In another shocker, Republican Joe Fain, another JDLI graduate, is up by 10 on Democratic state senator Claudia Kauffman.

And Democrat Rep. Geoff Simpson, charged with domestic violence, failed to get over 40%. He's clearly in hot water with voters. Simpson will face Republican Mark Hargrove in the general.  JDLI grad Nancy Wyatt obviously struggled with name recognition against Hargrove, who faced Simpson in 2008.

Legislative District 48

JDLI grad Gregg Bennett only trails Democratic state senator Rodney Tom by 4 points.

Former state GOP chair Diane Tebelius has a lot of work to do to unseat state representative Ross Hunter.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In summary, it looks like a good year to be a Republican in Washington.  The swing districts in the Seattle suburbs in particular seem to be trending GOP again, which is key.

Dino Rossi is probably at even money to win the U.S. Senate seat.  But he is going to have to really concentrate on vote-rich King County, where Murray has 58%.

Jaime Herrera will likely take back a Congressional seat for Republicans, and John Koster as well.  That will give the GOP a 5-4 advantage in Congress.

Republicans need to pick up seven seats to regain control of the state senate. Currently, they are ahead in four races (Baumgartner, Fain, Litzow, and Hill.) Three others are very close (Bennett, Moore, Schmidt.) Not likely, but possible.

In the House, Republicans need 13 seats for a majority. While not likely to get there, I predict a pickup of somewhere around 8-10 seats for the GOP.

So I don't think Republicans win back the Washington Legislature this year, but they will be well poised to do so in 2012, when Rob McKenna marches to the Governor's Mansion.

And for those keeping score at home, of the five graduates of the inaugural class of the Jennifer Dunn Leadership Institute last year running for the Legislature this year, two are way ahead (Fain, Wilcox,) one is very competitive (Bennett,)  and two look like they won't go through to the general (Wyatt, O'Quinn.)  Not bad.

UPDATE:  Luanne Van Werven made a great catch in the comments.  I had forgotten to mention up in the 42nd Legislative District,  Vincent Buys is ahead of Democratic Rep. Kelli Linville.  Linville is the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, responsible for last year's budget disaster.

Clint Didier: Anti-War Democrat

For you Washington voters who haven't mailed in your primary ballot yet, here's a little reminder. U.S. Senate candidate Clint Didier is not only not "a true conservative," he isn't even a Republican.

Didier and his two top campaign consultants stopped by the offices ultra-lefty Seattle blog Publicola yesterday to pitch their message. To whom you might ask? (my emphasis)

His consultant, Simpson, standing behind a pair of dark sunglasses, was more chatty. He told us “everyone was in for a big surprise.” He said independents “like me aren’t with the Republican Party anymore and anti-war Democrats agree with Didier’s message.”

Can you imagine "anti-war Democrats" agreeing with Ronald Reagan? Neither can I.

Fuiten: Dino Rossi IS Pro-Life

Washington conservative Christian leader Joe Fuiten, pastor of Cedar Park Assembly of God in Bothell, founder of Positive Christian Agenda, and a director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, has sent the following letter to reassure pro-life voters that Dino Rossi is indeed on their side.  Rossi has been the target of ads from the Washington Life Coalition, an organization allied with the Clint Didier campaign, (and which is not a registered PAC, hello PDC?) that claim the Republican Senate candidate is soft on abortion.

You can read Fuiten's letter below the jump:


Dear Friends,

I have been seeing a lot of commentary questioning, no stating, that Dino Rossi is not prolife. When I first saw it, I said, "What is this?" Looking a little closer, it seems to be coming mostly from the Clint Didier camp in order to create separation between the two candidates and to breathe life into the Didier campaign ... Ya gotta love politics!!!

I particularly was amazed with the charge that Dino supported pro-abortion legislation in Olympia when he was a Senator there. I called Bob Higley to make sure my recollections were correct. Bob Higley was the first President of Washington Evangelicals for Responsible Government (WERG) when it was formed with the help of Ellen Craswell and Skeeter Ellis.

WERG paid for a lobbyist in Olympia to represent Biblical causes. Bob led it for a number of years and then became the lobbyist when I became the President of WERG. We worked together on issues like abortion for almost 20 years. We were in on every battle relating to abortion over all that time. I asked him if Dino was always with us on the pro-life issues. Bob answered quickly that Dino Rossi was always to be counted on in the pro-life concerns.

This charge that Rossi voted to violate the conscience of medical providers and support abortion during his time in Olympia seems strange. I thought Dan Kennedy at Human Life of Washington did a good job in pointing out the actual facts in the case. (I have a high regard for Dan Kennedy who has been one of the most vigorous and outstanding pro-life forces in Washington State for a very long time). Here is some of what they said:

"This bill was specifically approved by the three Catholic bishops and their lobbyist, Sr. Sharon Park, indicating it did not promote abortion. It offered contraception options to women who were raped. Pro-life legislators were quite concerned and asked for the analysis. The WSCC signed off on the bill because they stated that conception would not occur in the time period provided in the bill. Assured by WSCC that the drugs in the legislation act as a contraceptive, not an abortifacient, and "hospitals" not ER workers are required to provide, they were further assured no separate "conscience protection" in the bill was necessary".

The charge that the bill which Rossi supported is "against Catholic, Christian, and pro-life values" is refuted by the support the Catholic Bishops gave to the bill. The language of the bill is clear enough that it is not about abortion. The law says it deals with "... health care treatment approved by the food and drug administration that prevents pregnancy, including but not limited to administering two increased doses of certain oral contraceptive pills within seventy-two hours of sexual contact." Maybe the point is too fine for some, but abortion, which terminates a pregnancy is not the same as "preventing pregnancy".

I am appreciative of the tremendous effort the Catholic Church has put into the pro-life issue. I appreciate people like Clint Didier and I think we need his activism in this state. I am not appreciative of the politically self-serving effort to misrepresent Rossi's record in Olympia.

> Rossi was with us in Olympia.
> I was there.
> Bob Higley was there.
> Dan Kennedy was there.

Maybe I shouldn't note, but I will, who wasn't there.

> I never saw these would-be politicians who criticize Dino there.

Dino has apparently not been willing to make abortion the centerpiece of his campaign. I do not understand pro-lifers who criticize the man saying he is not really pro-life. I thought Paul Aker made sense when he affirmed that what we really need to do is change hearts and minds. We have been making progress, slowly but surely, in the pro-life movement. Until we achieve greater success in the general population with our message there will not be a lot of legislative success. In the meantime, we have work to do but the work is not to treat solid conservative pro-lifers like Rossi as if they were Patty Murray.

I think successful armies fire at their opponents not their friends. Dino Rossi is a friend to us in the pro-life community. Help set the record straight. Forward to a friend!

Yours for the Kingdom,
Pastor Joe
fuitenj@msn.com

Palin Throws Didier Under The Bus

So Clint Didier's much-touted endorsement from Sarah Palin in the Washington U.S. Senate race is proving to be worthless (okay, SarahPAC did give Didier's campaign $5000.)  From the Seattle Times:

Republican Clint Didier has been trying to get former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to headline political rallies or fund-raising events for him since she endorsed the former NFL player's U.S. Senate candidacy in May.

In June, Didier campaign advisers told POLITICO that Palin described herself as "all in" for Didier. They hoped to schedule two Palin events, one in Eastern Washington and one on the west side.

Last month, when I visited Didier on his farm near Pasco, he said he still expected Palin would do an event for him before the primary. That could have given his underdog campaign a needed boost to get past GOP establishment favorite Dino Rossi and take on Sen. Patty Murray in November.

But with just a few days before primary ballots are counted Aug. 17, a Palin visit isn't looking likely.

Didier had been trying to get Palin to commit to an event Saturday.

But Didier campaign consultant Kathryn Serkes told me via e-mail today that event "looks like a no... we can't wait any longer to plan, so will plan without her."

In an interview Wednesday, Serkes attributed the difficulty to Palin's hectic schedule. "She gave her word and she's doing the best she can. We know that," Serkes said.

Serkes said Palin did agree to record a personal message that Didier can use in statewide robo-calls to voters.

But as of Thursday afternoon, that hadn't happened yet.

And that should be no surprise.  Sarah Palin's belief in a strong national defense stands in strong contrast to Ron Paul's isolationism.  Admittedly, Palin has endorsed Paul's son in the Kentucky Senate race. But Rand Paul has "gone clean for Gene" and backed away from his father's more controversial foreign policy viewpoints.  Didier, on the other hand, has drank deeply from the Paul Kool-Aid, even calling the war in Afghanistan illegal.

OVERlution: Murray 41%, Rossi 33%, Didier 11%, Akers 5%

A KING5/SurveyUSA poll conducted just as Washington voters have "top two" primary ballots in their hands (all but one of 39 counties are vote-by-mail) finds incumbent Patty Murray and Republican challenger Dino Rossi poised to move ahead to the November U.S. Senate general election by wide margins of 41% and 33% respectively .

Self-appointed Tea Party candidate Clint Didier only garners 11% total support, with a mere 24% of those with a favorable opinion of the Tea Party backing Didier, versus 56% for Dino Rossi.  Rossi also leads in Didier's native Eastern Washington by a 35%-21% margin.

Didier's "running mate," Republican Paul Akers only polls 5%.  The "joint campaigning" idea that Didier and Akers announced a couple of weeks ago does not seem to have produced any results, other than, as predicted, splitting the vote between the two men.

Didier's lurch to the far right libertarian policies of Ron Paul has alienated many traditional conservatives in both the Tea Party movement and Eastern Washington who favor free trade, a strong national defense, and victory in the War on Terror.  And Didier's "angry white man" routine has turned off voters, as expected, in more urban Western Washington, where he only receives 8% support.

Efforts by the sham pro-life Washington Life Coalition to smear Rossi as soft on abortion have also failed, with Rossi garnering 52% of the pro-life voter support, versus just 17% for Didier.  Ironically , that is the same amount for strongly pro-choice Patty Murray.

Meet Clint Didier's Defeatist Friends

Welcome to Clint Didier's World.

A world where America is not extraordinary. A world where America is just another country among all the rest. A world where America is forced to apologize for being an "empire." A world where America unilaterally retreats from the war on terrorism. A world where America sends pirates and mercenaries to fight its battles. And s world where "conservatism" means slashing defense budgets and legalizing drugs.

Today, Washington U.S. Senate candidate Clint Didier conducted a "radio marathon" featuring many guests that share these same beliefs.

10:00 AM guest Bruce Fein, in a September 2, 2008 address to Ron Paul's "Rally For The Republic" in Minneapolis, offered a critique of the Bush administration's interventionist policy and advocating a more non-interventionist foreign policy. Fein also harshly criticized the anti-terror policies of the Bush White House, including wiretapping and detention of terror suspects.

In April 2009, Fein criticized President Barack Obama for declining to prosecute Bush administration officials for composing CIA memos justifying torture during interrogations.

Fein also is an advocate for the legalization of marijuana.

11:00 AM guest Tom Mullen recently wrote:

The gargantuan U.S. military establishment survives because American soldiers and civilians continue to accept the assertion that it is necessary to preserve our freedom.

11:30 AM guest Peter Schiff, Republican Senate candidate in Connecticut, is pro-abortion and doesn't believe the federal government has the right to ban partial birth abortions. He also supports legalizing drugs, including cocaine and heroin.

And of course there was Didier's hero, Ron Paul.  Paul recently teamed up with Barney Frank, yes that Barney Frank, to call for cutting defense spending by $1 trillion at a time when al-Qaeda still vows a strike on the U.S., Russia is considering new strategic bombers, and Iran and North Korea continue to pursue nuclear arsenals.

I'm surprised Barney wasn't on the radio marathon.

In any case, Clint is getting a head start on his next career.  I fully expect him to soon join the ranks of far-right paranoids like Alex Jones on the airwaves.

Because after next Tuesday, his political career is finished.

Desperate Didier Touts Bogus Poll

Washington U.S. Senate candidate Clint Didier tweeted yesterday:

Wall St. Journal just called.Told him WA State Political Poll has me leading Rossi 2nd month in a row. www.washingtonstatepolls.com #wcot

There's little chance the Wall Street Journal will report that.

Several weeks back, I was made aware of a website called washingtonstatepolls.com.  It had some fairly unbelievable Senate and Congressional race results.  Taking a look at the self-selecting methodology and the lack of transparency concerning the pollster, I immediately dismissed it.

Now today's The Columbian has a front page story exposing the poll, which it says has "zero credibility with polling professionals."

It polls from an unspecified database within the state, giving “those selected for the survey” a website link and a survey code that allow them to answer the survey questions online. It claims a return rate of 10 to 15 percent, and, in the most recent 3rd District results, a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.

No contact information is available on the website. And whoever registered its domain, washingtonstatepolls.com, opted for domain privacy service, which keeps personal information from being linked to the site.

“That right there is enough to disqualify it as a legitimate poll,” said Stuart Elway, director of the respected Elway Poll based in Seattle. “If they are not willing even to disclose who is sponsoring it or where it comes from, let alone its methodology, it is so far from the standards of the American Association of Public Opinion Research that it shouldn’t be paid any attention to.”

One of the basic tenets of scientific polling is disclosure, Elway said. “You have to disclose what your methods are and what database you are using. If you don’t know who is in that database, and who is responding, you can’t draw any conclusions from it.”

Matt Barreto, a University of Washington political scientist who heads the similarly named Washington Poll at the UW, said there’s no guarantee that those responding to the Washington State Political Polls are even registered voters. “It’s not random or scientifically administered,” he said.

The Columbian article also explores the rumor that Washington 3rd Congressional District candidate David Hedrick's campaign is tied to the poll.  Hedrick, who is a Didier supporter, is ahead according to washingtonstatepolls.com.

Didier's use of this fantasy poll is yet another example of how he will do anything to win.  How can we possibly trust him if he makes it to Washington, D.C.?

Dino Rossi's TV ad

Dino Rossi recently released his TV ad, Wisely. It gets to the heart of the matter- core issues with the economic mess in DC and Dino's promise to lead- wisely.



Enjoy and remember to vote Rossi for Senate now through the August 17th Primary!

Clint Didier: Liar and Hypocrite

Self-proclaimed champion of the Tea Party, Clint Didier has consistently proclaimed that he is the opposite of the "politics as usual" that have so many Americans frustrated and angry. So in a fitting epitaph to his failed U.S. Senate campaign, Didier has just released a negative video ad attacking fellow Republican Dino Rossi so full of lies and half-truths, it would warm the heart of the most left-wing Democrat:



Even the Seattle Times had to rebut this nonsense:

The piece is pretty blatantly misleading on one of its main contentions.

It claims Rossi didn't cut spending to deal with a budget deficit - that he instead "raised taxes" - referring to a five-cent gas tax increase approved that year.

But the gas tax isn't even part of the general state budget that Rossi was charged with crafting. The state gas tax is dedicated to a separate roads budget. Rossi did vote for the nickel increase that year, along with many Republicans -- it marked the first time the gas tax had gone up in a decade.

And the budget Rossi helped write - he had to compromise with then-Gov. Gary Locke and Democrats who controlled the state House - did cut make cuts to state spending.

Will Dino Rossi counterattack? No. He told a group in Pullman on Friday that he doesn't run against Republicans. He is a firm believer in Reagan's 11th Commandment.

So is this what the Tea Party has come to? More of the same old negativity? Devouring our own while the leftists sit back and laugh? Didier has just proven himself to be like every other politican, willing to do or say anything to get elected.

Goodbye Clint. And good riddance.

In Washington's Poorest Neighborhood, Rossi Receives Rock Star Reception

Patty Murray is in big trouble.

The Hillyard section of Spokane was built to house workers of the Great Northern Railway.  As a result, it acquired a reputation as a rough neighborhood that it maintains to this day.  Per capita, Hillyard is the poorest neighborhood in Washington state.  The decaying buildings have changed little since the Great Depression.  It almost feels like a movie set.

Hardly the place you would expect to find the man described as a heartless millionaire real estate broker and the tool of wealthy Washington, DC/Wall Street fat cats.

But on Saturday morning, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi walked in the parade that was part of the 99th annual Hillyard Festival.  No other Senate candidate was on hand.

Rossi, dressed casually in jeans, worked the crowd like a man running for city council, not the Senate.  Walking from one side of the street to the other, Rossi extended his hand to everyone he could get to and greeted them with, "Hi, I'm Dino."

No introduction was necessary.

People instantly recognized the two-time gubernatorial candidate.  They were surprised he was there in person, not just being represented by flunkies.  I overheard people saying, "That's really him," "Look, it's Dino," and "I can't believe he's here."

And how did the the crowd in this largely Democratic community react to Dino Rossi?

Like a rock star.
It seemed almost every person Rossi met said "I voted for you" or "You've got my vote."

There were shouts of encouragement like "We're with you!" or "We need you!" and admonitions to beat Patty Murray.

Onlookers shouted "Dino!, Dino!" as they tried to get the candidate's attention.  As Rossi passed the Total Cosmetology Training Center, blue clad students swarmed him. "Let us know if you need a hair cut" they said as they shook his hand.

Towards the end of the parade route, a man asked Dino, "Are you gonna do it this time?"  Rossi responded, "You bet, and I'm going to need your help when I get to DC."  It was clear that people are ready for real change, and they see Dino as the candidate that deliver it.

When the parade was over, Dino was clearly energized.  He hadn't received any large donations, but that wasn't what he had been looking for.

Some candidates in the Senate campaign have talked about "grassroots support."  Dino Rossi didn't just talk about it.  He demonstrated that he had it.

Breaking: Rossi Outraises Murray Last Month

Breaking news from the Associated Press:

Republican Dino Rossi raised nearly double the amount of money that Democratic Sen. Patty Murray did last month, but he still has less in the bank in his effort to oust the three-term incumbent.

New campaign finance reports released by his campaign Thursday afternoon show Rossi raised $573,672 last month, compared to the $293,486 raised by Murray during the same period.

Murray, who is seeking a fourth term in the U.S. Senate, spent about $3.9 million last month, most of it for advertising. Rossi spent about $152,000 in July.

Rossi has about $1.8 million in the bank, compared to Murray's $3.2 million.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to travel to Washington to raise money for Murray on Aug. 17, which is primary election day.

Rossi raised more than $517,000 in individual contributions, and brought in an additional 56,500 through political committees. Murray had only $265,000 in individual donations, and another $37,000 from political committees.

It's probably worth pointing out again that Rossi raised almost as much in one month as his Republican opponents Clint Didier and Paul Akers have during the entire campaign.

Didiakers Follow Through on Promise to Jointly End Political Careers

As promised, Washington U.S. Senate candidates have followed through on their promise made last week to start running joint "Didiakers" radio ads spreading unsubstantiated conspiracy paranoia about Republican frontrunner Dino Rossi.  Here it is:



The Odd Couple allude to how "Washington, D.C. and special interests are dumping millions of dollars into our opponent's campaign war chest," yet mysteriously Dino Rossi's latest FEC report only shows around $200K in PAC contributions.

Didiakers speak of how voters are "frustrated with party politics as usual," yet Akers himself has raised only a little over $45,000 in individual contributions.  Where is HIS grassroots support one might ask?  Didier has been endorsed by two of the leading Republican rebels in the country, Sarah Palin and Ron Paul, and yet his second quarter fundraising was less than than what he had raised prior to those endorsements.  Who exactly is to blame here?

And somehow, the duo claim, nefarious Republican "insiders" want you to believe "only their guy can win" and "they don't want you to know the polls show we can beat Patty Murray," despite the fact that Public Policy Polling, a left-leaning pollster has just released a poll of the August 17 "top two" Washington U.S. Senate Primary that has incumbent Patty Murray at 47%, Rossi at 33%, Didier at 10% and Akers at 4%.  This poll matches almost exactly the results of previous "top two" primary polls taken by Survey USA and Elway.  It's even more ironic when you consider that Akers' campaign was inspired and announced by the ultimate GOP insider, Dick Morris.

There's no point in reiterating what every political strategist says is the fatal mistake of both candidates remaining in the race to split what little support they have instead of pooling it together to go after Rossi by having one bow out of the race and endorse the other.

Didiakers are right in that this is unprecedented.  The self-immolation of two public figures has never before been broadcast so willingly and widely.  Sad really.

And is it just me, or does the red background they use in the video remind anyone of the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks?  Seems fitting, as both Didier's and Aker's political futures have disappeared along with Agent Cooper.

Murray Jumps the Shark

Last week, former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Chris Widener tweeted that Clint Didier and Paul Akers had "jumped the shark" with their joint announcement last week to campaign together against the "establishment" conspiracy to ensconce Dino Rossi as the party's nominee.

Now, Patty Murray has also jumped the same shark by resurrecting the moldy old bogeyman of Dubya, DUBYA!, who hasn't run for anything in six years, to go after Dino Rossi in a new TV ad:



And in case you were wondering, Bush Derangement Syndrome is SO 2008. A new poll by Third Way reveals that:

...just 25% of Americans say that the GOP's return to power in Congress will mean a return to those unpopular Bush policies. Fully 65% believe a GOP Congress would promote "a new economic agenda that is different from George W. Bush's policies."

Murray, as usual, missed what the real concerns of Washingtonians are. It's the economy, stupid. And Bush is all you can talk about? Lame.

And allying herself closely with Obama is not not going to help Murray win a fourth term. As Third Way found, just 48% of independent voters think Obama has an economic agenda at all, let alone one that's working.

UPDATE: The Washington State Republican Party in a new press release notes about Murray's new ad:

It's a bizarre attempt to link a challenger to special interests when the bail-out supporting Senator's largest donors, as the Seattle Times reports, are lobbyists.

Patty Murray, in her career has taken over $500,000 from the Securities and Investment industry, and is one of the Top 10 Senators who take contributions from lobbyists according to the Center For Responsive Politics (www.OpenSecrets.org).

Publicola also has more. Patty was for Wall Street bailouts before she was against them.

Dino Rossi Tele-Town Hall

Unlike the joint Didi-Akers "town hall" PR disaster last week, Washington state U.S. Senate hopeful Dino Rossi's tele-town hall tonight resulted in no confessions from the leading Republican of a murky conspiracy to rig the election by the Trilateral Commission and the Rothschilds.

Instead, Rossi did a little old-fashioned stump politicking.

In opening remarks, Dino said that Patty Murray is very, very worried. That's why she is bringing in the President to campaign for her on August 17. Also, he stated new negative TV ads will be starting tomorrow. But Dino isn't worried. He's seen it all before.

This was Rossi from 2004; calm, confident, engaging, approachable, and listening to the worries of everyday Washingtonians. There was the commercial fisherman anxious over declining private sector jobs, the immigrant small businessman fretting over government regulations, the veteran asking about health care reform, and the independent logging trucker concerned about rising taxes.

Dino related how that we have a lot more government than we can afford. He stated how we need predictable taxation and fair and predictable regulation so that small businesses can grow, as it is small business that generates most jobs. Rossi pointed out that Patty Murray has never held a private sector job and how he understands what it takes to be successful, as he has signed the front side of a paycheck before.

Rossi shared his ideas of how to lower the national debt and talked of how he had done it before at the state level. Dino would repeal and replace ObamaCare with a system that reduced costs and increased access. He said that DC needs some adult supervision for a change.

Concerning the controversial Arizona immigration law that is on appeal, Rossi said it demonstrated that the federal government has made a complete travesty of its duty to protect the borders for national security reasons. He reiterated his stance on no amnesty for illegal immigrants. But he did advocate for a "virtual Ellis Island" to allow immigrants like his grandparents to legally come and pursue the American dream.

Rossi concluded the tele-town hall by asking for listeners' help, as it's "only the future of free world at stake." And he said that help would be needed not just during the campaign, but for the six years that he is in the other Washington.

More Conservative Love For Dino Rossi

Joe Fuiten, pastor of Cedar Park Assembly of God in Bothell, founder of Positive Christian Agenda, and a director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, is widely recognized as one of the leading figures in the conservative Christian movement in Washington state.

In another coup for Washington U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi, who was just endorsed by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and FreedomWorks, Fuiten has also just bolstered Rossi's conservative credentials with an endorsement:

I believe Dino Rossi is the right person to challenge Patty Murray. He has the good values that I appreciate. I have spent some time talking with Dino about the moral issues as well as the economic challenges. If we get him elected, he will represent us well. He also has the political savvy to run a successful campaign. It takes money and sophistication to win. He has both. This is not the time to run a novice against a wily campaigner like Patty Murray.

I appreciate Clint Didier and Paul Akers and think they are good men but I don't think they are the ones who can be successful in the November election.

The August election is all about November. We know how close Dino Rossi came to being elected Governor in two rather anti-Republican years. I think people will rally to him in a year like this when the Democrat brand is increasingly tarnished. I want to give Dino a great Primary victory that will propel him into the General.

Fuiten's endorsement will help allay any doubts among conservative Christians concerning Rossi's stance on abortion that might have been raised by a pro-life group allied with Rossi's opponent Clint Didier earlier this year.

Didier/Akers Big Announcement Shocker: Waaahhh. No One Pays Attention to Us

Washington U.S. Senate candidates Clint Didier and Paul Akers held a highly-touted joint BlogTalkRadio appearance this evening to hint at dark conspiracies by "the establishment" to excuse their extremely low polling numbers and poor fundraising (Didier raised less in the second quarter AFTER Sarah Palin's endorsement than what he had raised previously.) No actual evidence was provided by the duo.

And the pair somehow felt they could taunt Republican frontrunner Dino Rossi, who is 25 plus points ahead of both Didier and Akers, into debating them.

This evening's morbidly comical announcement by the odd couple of tall, booming Didier and the short, nasal, Dick Vitale-esque ("I'm a lean thinker, baaaby!") Akers absolutely smelled of the desperation of two campaigns clearly out of gas and out of time. It was very poor political move to make on the eve of ballots showing up in voter's mailboxes.

To make matters worse, there were technical flubs galore:

Didier fumbles big announcement

So, Republican Senate candidate Clint Didier hypes an "important announcement" Thurday evening on his website.

People were invited to go to blogtalkradio.com or phone in a specific number to hear it at 7 p.m. When I phoned in just before 7 p.m., I heard a hilarious dispute between what sounded like campaign staffers arguing about who should, and who should not, be able to speak on the phone conversation. The line went quiet after one person ordered several other people to figure the whole thing out. I then tried to call back in, but got a busy signal.

And despite minutes of surfing, I can't find Didier on blogtalkradio.

Anybody else have better luck?

Some even reported hearing the word "clusterf*ck" used.  Not very impressive for two candidates that claim to be "innovators."

Former Senate candidate Chris Widener tweeted that Akers and Didier had "jumped the shark."  Bryan Myrick at Red County put it best:

The pair of candidates, presumably rushing to beat the clock as their airtime ran out like the sand from an hourglass – an apt visual metaphor for what was occurring in realtime to their political careers -- insinuated that powerful forces in Washington, D.C. are working hard to manipulate the election and take the choice away from Washington state voters.

All in all, a true amateur hour by two rookies who, to use one of Didier's football metaphors, are not going to make it out of training camp.

Rossi Racks Up Endorsements from DeMint, FreedomWorks

Despite all the talk of Republican Washington U.S. Senate Rossi candidate being a "RINO," the "establishment candidate" and "dismissive of the Tea Party," he has just picked up endorsements from a key figure and organization in the Tea Party movement.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), widely considered the champion of limited government, lower taxes, and fiscal restraint in the Senate, has just endorsed Rossi:

"When I met with Dino a couple months ago, he made it clear he was only interested in running if Republicans were serious about saving our country from fiscal collapse," DeMint will say in announcing the endorsement. "I've studied his record and his positions on the key issues, and it's clear that he will stand up to the establishment in both parties."

Rossi also has been endorsed by FreedomWorks, the organization behind the Tea Party Express.

Rossi has earned the PAC's "Champion of Freedom" designation because of his commitment to fiscal responsibility and steadfast defense of the Constitution.

In stark contrast to Senator Murray, Dino Rossi is a steadfast opponent of the "Obamacare" health care takeover and has pledged to work towards its effective repeal. He also opposes the job-killing cap and trade energy tax hike and supports strict fiscal discipline and reigning in the out-of-control spending that continues to plague Washington, D.C.

Rossi has also signed the grassroots "Contract From America": a ten-point platform crafted with the input of tens of thousands of tea party and limited government activists from all across the country. The Contract best represents an agenda that will stay true to the guiding principles of the U.S. Constitution.

New Rossi Radio Ad Hits the Airwaves: "Our Country Is In Trouble"

Washington U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi has a new radio ad playing statewide starting today.




The script is below the jump:

DINO ROSSI: I’m Dino Rossi.

People ask me why I’m running for the US Senate.

Simple. Our country is in trouble.

Opportunities are vanishing because of bad decisions in Washington, DC.

Growing up, I was the youngest of seven raised on a schoolteacher’s salary.

And, I worked my way through college as a janitor waxing floors at the Space Needle.

I started out in business with two hundred dollars and an old car.

It wasn’t much, but because we live in America, I knew I could chase my dream.

That’s why I can’t stand what’s going on in the US Senate.

Politicians are wasting money on programs that aren’t creating jobs or helping the economy.

They’re running up debt that threatens our future.

That goes against everything I believe.

Washington, DC, needs some adult supervision.

It’s time to end earmarks and corporate bailouts, pass a balanced budget amendment, and stop tax increases on families and small businesses that create jobs.

I’ve done it here in Washington, and I’ll do it in DC.

I’m Dino Rossi, candidate for US Senate and I approve this message.

Paid for by Rossi for Senate.