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Republican candidate for Governor Dino Rossi recently visited Kitsap, establishing a high-powered local fundraising committee that includes some local Democrats — or as he calls them, “Dinocrats.”
In the interest of full disclosure let me say up front Rossi and I are personal friends, and I serve of the board of the pro-business organization he founded, the Forward Washington Foundation.
Can he win?
Polls show him in a statistical dead-heat with incumbent governor Christine Gregoire. In head-to-head (2004 and now) polling, she has never polled 50 percent against Rossi — no matter who conducted the poll — independent polling organizations, Republicans or Democrats. That’s a clear danger sign for Gregoire, whose popularity numbers haven’t reached 50 percent at any time while she’s been Governor either.
The political climate nationwide is such that Republicans can win a Governor’s race in heavily Democratic states like Washington. In 2006 — a horrible election year for Republicans nationwide — voters elected GOP Governors in six states that have as much or more of a partisan Democrat electorate than Washington — Connecticut, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Vermont, Hawaii, and of course, California.
Money is always a major determining factor, and Rossi’s financial support is already far exceeding that of 2004. He announced his candidacy on Oct. 25 and had raised more than $1.7 million by Dec. 31. By comparison, in 2004 it was mid-April before he reached that mark. But here is an alarming statistic if you’re Christine Gregoire — of the over 12,000 donors that had given money as of Dec. 31, almost none are Olympia lobbyists, and more than 40 percent of them are new contributors.
Gregoire is also prohibited from fundraising during the legislative session. This means given the rate contributions are flowing in, and the ongoing organization of new fundraising sources, Rossi could conceivably catch — or surpass — her in cash on hand by the end of the session. When that happens, lobbyists will begin opening their checkbooks as well. Gregoire is also spending her election war chest at a much faster rate than Rossi.
As JFK taught us in 1960, looks count — and especially on TV. And a lot of money will be spent in this campaign on TV advertising. Rossi has a distinct advantage in being physically handsome, with an easy, soft-spoken, manner. Gregoire on the other hand, rarely shows a genuine smile, and appears cold, confrontational, defensive, and distant in person — and even more so on TV Meanwhile, Rossi is genuinely warm, friendly, positive, and approachable, and that comes across on TV almost as well as in person.
Rossi’s message will be relentless. It will detail Gregoire’s failures, as well as her tax and spend record, bringing us the highest tax increase in state history after promising no new taxes. She waffled on restoring the one percent cap on property taxes, and could opt to raise taxes in the 2009 legislature if re-elected. She’s also blown through the state’s largest surplus ever — over $1.4 billion — and we could be facing a $1 billion plus budget deficit by 2009. Gregoire’s own figures are predicting $600+ million.
Her failures to deliver on congestion relief, education reform (our children have actually gone backwards), crime prevention, and the fact we have the highest small business failure rate in the nation, are all well-documented. Rossi’s message showcasing her failures is already resonating well with over-taxed voters — Republican and Democrat alike — and he’ll drive her record home at every opportunity.
Finally, the Secretary of State didn’t have a comprehensive statewide voter database in 2004 — but does now. Over 176,000 felons, aliens, dead people, and other illegally registered “voters” have been purged from the rolls. This coupled with resolving the ACORN voter fraud situation means this election should be a lot cleaner than 2004. And as Rossi says, “Everyone knows 129 people.”
As if he hasn’t already done enough damage abusing his office and betraying the public trust, State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is back requesting legislation to restore his ability to regulate individual health insurance rates.
In exchange for a pledge from the four carriers left doing business here to stay in this market, Kriedler’s authority over individual health plans was jerked away by the Legislature in 2000 in a deal meant to salvage the state’s individual health insurance market.
Yet astonishingly, Kriedler recently had the cojones to say, “Eight years have passed since this law took effect. Meanwhile, the carriers are making record profits, and consumers have seen their rates jump an average of 16 percent per year.”
And the point is? Had Kriedler not literally regulated insurers right out of the state, we’d have more competition — which always means lower rates.
Kriedler’s proud of being blatantly anti-business. Endorsing R-67, and acting as its public mouthpiece, supporting a measure with a definite financial impact on the companies he is elected to regulate, wasn’t just a major ethical conflict of interest — it was just flat out wrong.
Another example of his so-called “leadership:” Title insurance companies can no longer donate to non-profit community organizations without risking a minimum $10,000 fine. Kriedler went as far as fining one title insurance company for sending flowers to the funeral of one of its clients who passed away. Did he think the client would be unduly influenced to send future business their way from beyond, or what?
And let’s not forget the KPS giveaway. Kriedler “sold” KPS — which was profitable and well on the road to full financial recovery, to his former employer, Group Health.
It’s time for a new Insurance Commissioner — one with ethics — and certainly one who understands Economics 101.
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