David Postman of the Seattle Times asks us all to play political consultant and tell Rossi what he should say at his announcement tomorrow.
How about “I’m not running”? Let me give you my reasons.
1) George Bush has made the word “Republican” toxic for swing and independent voters.
2) Washington State’s economy is doing well and the Governor is recognized for creating a healthy business climate.
3) The democratic base is energized while the Republican base is demoralized.
4) There were few blogs watching every Rossi move in 2004. We will be watching this time.
5) The press seems ready to put Rossi under much tougher scrutiny this time and Rossi seems ill-prepared to deal with it.
6) I don’t believe he will do nearly as well in Central and Eastern Washington. Rossi won so many counties with 65% to 70% of the vote in 2004. Gregoire won’t win these counties but I bet she can place in the low to mid 40s instead of the low to mid 30s. That gives her 10,000 to 15,000 votes she didn’t have last time.
Anybody out there think this is a good time for Rossi to run?