With his eyes firmly glued to the rearview mirror, Dino Rossi just announced his candidacy for governor in Yakima where the Issaquah Republican declared that he wants to be regarded as a “local.”
To drive home the point, his campaign erected a sign along busy Nob Hill Boulevard that reads: “Elect Dino Rossi, Governor, GOP” with this warning: “Don’t Let Seattle Steal This Election.”
With that, Dino has clearly abandoned any plans to run a forward-looking campaign stressing leadership and character and advancing plans and policies to inspire voters to flock to his side.
Instead, he is asking people to dial back to his eyelash loss to Christine Gregoire in the 2004 race, create a wave of sympathy votes in Eastern Washington and ride that to victory in the belief that the tide from out East will somehow swamp the Gregoire tsunami now abuilding in the Puget Sound – and according to polls – across the entire state.
That’s going to be the equivalent of mission impossible. Most voters look forward to elections because elections are all about the future and making new things happen.
Dino’s plan is to throw the engine of state government into reverse. He disregards the many achievements of the Gregoire Administration – not the least of which is long-overdue investments in transportation.
The governor sees more progress ahead – where most voters are looking – not focusing with Dino on the rearview mirror.