Michele St. Pierre (c) 2010
You’ve all heard people say it and you might believe it yourself. “I like Clint Didier, but I have to vote for Dino Rossi, because he is the only one who can beat Patty Murray.” Really?
With stubborn wrongheadedness, mainstream Republicans cling steadfastly to the belief that only the moderate, not really conservative candidate can win, even though it has proven to be a faulty strategy. The same thing, after all, was said about McCain. On blog after blog, on the radio and on Facebook they keep insisting that Rossi is the only one who can win, as if by chanting it in recitation together their cosmic mantra will somehow make it so.
Rossi made the list of Crew’s Crooked Candidates. Granted, this site is run by admitted progressives, but they do list the reasons for his inclusion and they are troubling. Guilt by association with criminals might not be sufficient to convict him in a court of law, but perceptions by voters DO influence elections. If you look at the left’s websites, they have plenty of dirt ready to sling at Rossi. Wouldn’t it be great to have a candidate who is not so tainted?
Rossi’s appearing at a sales event promoting making money off of foreclosures after declaring his candidacy might not be illegal, but it was certainly tasteless given the suffering of so many in this economic downturn. It plays seamlessly into the “sleazy real estate dealings” accusation.
Jumping in at the last minute and not running a real campaign or engaging the other candidates might be perceived as a clever political strategy. In fact I have seen his hiding out referred to as “expert political gamesmanship” and “he only loses if he engages the other candidates in the primary, so why should he do that?”
Only thing is, ducking and hiding might be praised by politicos but it is not well perceived in the general public, who are certainly more than a little tired of politicking over principles and fluff over substance. (more…)
Read Full Post »