GOP Candidates: Republicans? Who, Us?
We knew the Republican brand is in trouble, but this is just ridiculous. Two statewide Republican candidates in this year's elections in Washington state are choosing to run without that pesky R-word next to their names.
This was made possible by the recent adoption of a new electoral system for the state, known as "Top-Two." All candidates will run on the same ballot, and the top two will go to a runoff election, regardless of party. The tricky part is that each candidate will get to choose the party label next to their name.
All of this means a Republican can list himself as something else -- and one of the two candidates even acknowledged to us that he's doing so precisely because he knows the GOP brand is lethal.
Dino Rossi, the 2004 Republican nominee for governor, is choosing to run as "GOP Party" for his second try. Then there's Curt Fackler, the county Republican chairman in their stronghold area of Spokane County -- he's running for insurance commissioner as an independent, or "No Party Preference"!
So do they think the Republican brand is a drag on their electoral chances? "You know, I really do," Fackler told Election Central over the phone. "Unfortunately, in the urban areas of Seattle, I think at least 30% or 40% will not vote for a Republican. It doesn't matter who they are."
Officials at the Rossi campaign and the state Republican headquarters did not return our requests for comment.
I hope Gregoire buries Rossi this time.
June 27, 2008 6:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't get the reasoning in Washington for doing it that way - I think it's fundamentally deceptive. I want to know which party the candidate is with.
June 27, 2008 6:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't worry, I don't think there's a person in the state of WA who doesn't know who Dino Rossi is. He's a notoriously bad loser.
June 27, 2008 6:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
OT
Tena,
Wanted to pass along Rick Noreiga's new video where he brands Cornyn. Literally.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wvwe3L5cO3w
Also he won Barbara Boxer's PAC for a change.
http://ga4.org/pacforachange/challenger_open_vote.html
June 27, 2008 6:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, that youtube was hilarious. Good job Noriega, maybe we have a winner in texas for the dems.
June 27, 2008 7:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Looks real good.
Check out progressiveelectorat's post where I got the vid here:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/06/see-the-response-video-from-no.php
He's got other good stuff.
June 27, 2008 11:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know - I got the email. Thanks for the links!
June 27, 2008 7:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tena:
I'm not sure you would have seen this because the post is off the page, but I hope you read my effort of unity for the day.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/06/obamas-been-trying-to-tell-you.php#comment-2934624
Sorry for the commercial interruption folks.
Bruce
June 27, 2008 7:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah I did - I left a comment earlier.
:)
June 27, 2008 7:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, I was reponding to your earlier comment. . .I think. :)
June 27, 2008 7:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tena, don't get me started. Don't even get me started! I wrote a vitriolic letter to my newspaper about this after the Supreme Court reinstated it.
The history: We had an unconstitutional primary before which allowed you to go back and forth between party for different offices (you could pick between Bill Clinton and Paul Tsongas for president, and then pick between two Republicans for governor, etc). Both parties hated it for obvious reasons. So our Republican Sec. of State, Sam Reed, got together with the Grange and they wrote an initiative for this Top 2 "primary."
They told voters that it would "replace" the old primary that everyone "loved." They told voters it was in keeping with the independent nature of Washington voters.
Of course, that's all bullshit. First, it's not a primary. It is the first part of a two part general election. You simple start with a group of candidates and whittle it down to two. There are many scenarios in which a Republican or Democrat would not even be on the ballot in this scenario (for example, Ellen Craswell, the 1996 GOP gubernatorial candidate, would not have made the ballot, and two dems would have fought it out). If this had applied to our presidential contest (which, of course, it doesn't), McCain would not even be on our ballot in November. Under this system Senator Cantwell (who recently voted against Cloture on FISA) would not even had made it to the November ballot in 2000. Also under this system, our current legislature would be Republican, not Democratic, based on the number of votes in our last election cycle.
But the notion that this helps independents and levels the playing field is what gets me. Total horse shit. This will effectively shut out independents.
Anyway, Rossi isn't fooling anyone. Everyone knows who he is, and McCain is likely to campaign here for him. The ones who might benefit are our Republican AG and our Republican Commissioner of State Lands.
But the Insurance Commissioner candidate (never heard of him) is going to get crushed by the awesome Mike Kreidler (incumbent D) no matter what game he tries to play.
June 28, 2008 1:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Rossi was on King 5 dissembling over this big time. His spin: voters know that "GOP"=="Republican", and the Democrats are condescending to assume people can't figure that out. He managed to defend himself AND accuse D's of being elitist, latte-sipping liberals in one fell swoop. It was kind of impressive.
And yeah, what Buckeye Terrorist said. I think Gregoire can get a better spread this time given the expected high Democratic turnout this election. The sticking point (as usual) will be Eastern Washington, where Dems don't run as well as they do in the Puget Sound area.
June 27, 2008 6:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
With Obama coming to campaign for Gregoire it will help. But this one is likely to be close again.
And Gregoire has been moving to the right for about the last twelve months in anticipation. She even supported a ridiculously unconstitutional proposal to bring back DUI checkpoints (which are a no-no in Washington, because we actually know how to protect civil liberties (see Article 1, Section 7 of the Washington State Constitution) unlike the Fourth Amendment, which is totally weak both in its text and in the case law interpreting it).
Luckily, King, Pierce and Thurston counties have enough voters to overrule the entire rest of the state, including the wing-nut Spokane half.
June 28, 2008 1:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lets just hope the media holds his feet to the fire this election, instead of ducking every question and showing pictures of his smiling family like last election.
June 27, 2008 6:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Grand Old Party Party? He probably gets his money out of an Automatic Teller Machine Machine...
Rossi needs to go down. Again.
June 27, 2008 6:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, but only after he punches in his Personal Identification Number Number.
June 27, 2008 9:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I saw the same thing in se pa in 06 and this year's primaries. Not one R appeared behind anybody's name. They even tried to sound like dems. Of course, I live in a republican area so after the butt head state senator won I get in the mail a mailer with the dreaded R on it. Seems kind of dishonest to me. There should be a requirement that a person has to identify their party on ads and signage and stuff.
June 27, 2008 6:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Haven't Republicans always been against truth-in-labeling laws?
Just more of the same from the GOP.
June 27, 2008 6:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why not just pretend to be "Democrat"? They could misspell it if they have to. "Dino Rossi (Democrate)."
June 27, 2008 6:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Shouldn't it be against the law to have false information on a ballot?
WTF?
June 27, 2008 6:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I find it troubling.
June 27, 2008 7:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Off topic. But, but, but, I thought we were winning and that the surge was a huge, unbelievable success and that you can stroll down streets in downtown baghdad without security, and, and
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080627/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq_troops
And, let's keep our eye on the ball people. Who cares about telecom immunity. Come on, there are bigger issues at play.
June 27, 2008 6:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Aw Jesus - 30,000 more troops going to Iraq?
June 27, 2008 7:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
The great thing about "GOP Party" tag is the double Party - Grand Old Party Party. Hope noticing that doesn't make me an elitist.
June 27, 2008 7:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd like to think that your average Washingtonian can peg a Republican at 100 yards, party name badge or not. It's easier for me coming from mostly red Eastern Washington, but still.
June 27, 2008 8:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Golly . . . Two Republicants display all the guile of a Dr. Evil plot by misrepresenting themselves.
June 27, 2008 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not to worry, everybody in WA knows which party Ratso Rossi is running away from.
Gregoire is an adequate governor, has made no significant mistakes, and will be running in a year where we can expect very high progressive Democrat turnout.
June 27, 2008 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gregoire has been very successful as Governor and most people think she has been very good. Rossi isn't that well liked in the state after the last fiasco. He pulled some sleazy fund raising stuff last year. I think the spread will be big this time with Gregoire winning handily. Everyone knows he is a republican. This just makes him look less than forthright.
June 28, 2008 12:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
I hope you're right. I am in SW Washington, so all I see are Rossi stickers. I'm sure it's much different in the land that I love, Seattle.
I get the impression it's going to be close. Down here, Gregoire is not well liked, and gets bad press from the uber-Republican newspapers.
And the I-5 guy, with his billboard, is all over her case (this one will go over the head of everyone but us Washingtonians here).
June 28, 2008 1:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
nobody ever said the gopers were smart.
If smart were a requirment to be a member of the gop, there would be nobody there.
remember, this is the group that spends their time and our tax money trying to legitimize creationism.
June 28, 2008 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
When a certain Democratic representative in Congress (Jim Wright, TX-12, Speaker of the House) was harassed out by Newt Gingrich (so he could be Speaker), one Pete Geren filed immediately to run as a Democrat. He had a large billboard in downtown Fort Worth that read: Pete Geren Democrat for Congress. Within five days of winning the election, the billboard read: Pete Geren for Congress. He was the bluest of the Blue Dog Democrats. These days he’s out of his Republican closet as Bush’s Secretary of the Army.
June 28, 2008 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
after thirty years of demonizing Democrats and liberals, the repuflitards have been reduced to this ???
ROTFLMAO
what happened to that permenent repuglitard majority that kkkarl rove used to crow about ???
it's been reduced to "DON'T MENTION THAT YOU ARE A REPUGLITARD"
once again
ROTFLMAO
heck of a job georgie, disaster accomplished
June 28, 2008 8:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
The WA Governor's race is shaping up to be particularly nasty this year.
Many of Dino Rossi's supporters are still fuming of the 'stolen' election and have been waiting for the rematch ever since the recounts and Dino's court challenge ended.
For the last few weeks, the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) has been funding a lot of anti-Gregoire radio ads through a group called Its Time for a Change (www.changeourgov.com). The ads are every bit as dishonest as Washingtonians have come to expect from the BIAW and the BIAW makes sure their name doesn't appear anywhere in the ads or on the website.
On the other side, union groups have started spending similar sums on attack ads against Dino Rossi. Their website www.dontknowdino.com is at least honest about where the money is coming from. Unfortunately, this just makes it easier (and not entirely unfair) to attack them and Gregoire over conflicts of interest given a number of ongoing or recently concluded contract negotiations between the unions and the state government.
June 30, 2008 12:45 AM | Reply | Permalink