where's rossi?

Goldy over at Horse's ass.org is doing a media vigil called "Where's Rossi?"

It's about the irresponsible initiative that would veto the bipartisan highways package passed by the 2005 Legislature because it rases gas taxes to fund itself. KVI drive time talk hosts, John Carlson and Kirby Wilbur miraculously got this on the ballot in a very short period of time.

The miracle was more than a little mitigated by them using the questionable loudspeaker of their top-rated talk shows on the public airwaves to organize and direct the campaign. Dino Rossi, of course,  is the disgruntled loser in the squeaky tight gubernatorial contest won by Christine Gregoire and demogogued by talk radio.

Goldy explains:

John and Kirby cleverly launched I-912 at the peak of their election contest trial ratings-bump, tapping into the anger and disappointment of the hardcore Republican base. This initiative has always been more about sending a message than about rational public policy; it’s about sticking it to “Queen Christine” and the Democrats… consequences be damned. While almost-governor Rossi has never publicly endorsed the initiative, he hasn’t disabused the public of that notion either, passively allowing himself to be adopted as I-912’s martyred patron saint.

The Republicans are in a bind. The transportation bill passed with GOP legislators' help and their business base is very much opposed to its repeal.

Businesses overwhelming oppose I-912 because they understand how vital these transportation improvements are to the economy of the region and the state. They understand that if I-912 passes, the only alternative that could possibly enable urban voters to meet their own needs would be to devolve transportation spending to the regional level, a shortsighted and small-picture policy that would transform WA into a state of haves and have-nots, and undermine the stability on which future economic growth depends. Businesses oppose I-912 because they understand that it is recipe for gridlock, both political and actual.

Now his patrons in the business community need to make Rossi understand what they understand. And they need to make him understand that unless he supports them on this vital issue, they won’t be his patrons any longer. They need to ask him… “Where’s Rossi?”

Note that Scarlet Charmansky, The Stranger's Hem-Aphrodite sex columnist and Republican operative has been strangely quiet on this subject...odd because Carlson and Wilbur are her natural allies and have always supported his blogging efforts. This is an example of the secret transgender/Republican alliance against I-912. They should come out of the closet--everyone's seen them together anyway.

Goldy conitinues:

Sources tell me that the official no campaign, Keep Washington Rolling, http://www.keepwashingtonrolling.org/has secured $2 million in commitments, mostly from the business community, and that an intensive paid media campaign should be forthcoming by the end of the month. Apparently, I-912 opponents have managed to screw their courage bolstered by recent polls that show the initiative much more vulnerable than expected. But hidden in the details of the polling data is a tidbit that nicely sums up what I-912 is really all about. Pollsters tried pushing a number of issues to sway opinion, but only one managed to substantially swing voters from one side to the other.

The conclusion is clear: if Dino Rossi publicly opposes I-912… it loses.

Join Goldy on his daily vigil. Light a candle--it should be fun to watch.

Comments

[sparky]

I thought Rossi ran on the " I am Pro-Business" platform???

[chris]

He and Chris Vance are in hiding on this one, Vance said "he will remain neutral" on the issue LOL

[MNM]

Hey Michael,

If nobody listens to Kirby and Carlson (as you have claimed so often), then how in the world did they manage all on their own to get the 420,000 signatures that were turned in?

Either they have more listeners than you'd like to believe, or more people are for the initiative than listen to talk radio.