And the Race is On!

by Oly Mike

The NYT is covering the Patty Murray - Dino Rossi election for WA Senator today. It's a good race to cover, it's going to be close. Rossi is a good campaigner, the Republikans have reason to believe that they can really turn out their voters this year in the rage over a black man in the white house (well, I suppose the public line about that has something to do with socialism, not race, but I grew up in the segregated south and I know race hatred when I see it).

I don't have cable, or any kind of television piped into my home. I watch some stuff via internet feed, but nothing like a normal cable channel (CNN, Fox, MSN etc) so I don't know how much money is pouring in to run attack ads on Murray. But I think that approach will backfire. The Murray look and persona will create sympathy if the Rossi and Citizens United mystery banks flood the airwaves with negative campaigning as I assume they will. It will feel like bullying to WA voters and we like electing women to state-wide office.

Also, the dems problem with turning out the vote across the nation is minimized in WA State by the extensive vote-by-mail program.

This is a year when I think about not voting (and I always vote) because I am so disgusted by the failure of the Dems over the past 4 years. Thinking strategically about this, I wonder if it would be good for the Dems to get trounced to discredit the corporate dems. I think the electorate wanted a Dem Congress in the past three election cycles and they got Republican Lite. If the dem voters respond to Obama's plea for enthusiasm and energy and help the dems avoid a house-cleaning election, will we just see the Corp Dems celebrating that their "mainstream" approach is working?

Well, enough questions. I call this race to Murray, but it's going to be close. Eastern WA will go heavily to Rossi. Bellingham to Vancouver will go for Murray. No mystery about the East-West divide in WA politics. Oh yeah, I am voting. Another WA voter disgusted with the Dems and appalled by the alternative.

Happy Tuesday!

clipped from www.nytimes.com

A Washington Senator Fights to Keep Her Seat

EVERETT, Wash. — Never mind Nevada. If you are among the party power brokers and political fortunetellers obsessed with America’s most elusive elected position, Senate seat No. 51, head to Washington — the real one.