What's wrong with Dino? The impact of former Gorton staffers working for democrats and Patty Murray.

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It suddenly became clear yesterday why the former Gorton staffers coalesced around a fake Republican like SEIU-supporting Jaime Herrera.

It became clear when the word hit the Times that former Gorton chief of staff Tony Williams held a fundraiser for Patty Murray.

We all know by now that Lobbyist Slade Gorton endorsed Herrera. On the surface, that's a huge get. But below the surface?

Gorton didn't know Herrera from Adam. If she had bit him in the ankle, he wouldn't have known her. Her legendary political insignificance, as illustrated by her monumental lack of accomplishment in our legislature would have buried her beneath any radar that Gorton was looking at back in DC.

So, along comes ANOTHER former Gorton chief of staff, one Jay Vander Stoep, who is now working to do the best he can to keep Herrera from coming across like a blithering idiot (and failing, I might add)

As the article points out, in the event Rossi can ever get past his ego and make public the decision he's long since made as to whether he will run or not, he's going to do so without the services of two Gorton stalwarts, Williams and Vander Stoep.

Apparently, either loyalty or adherence to alleged Republican principles don't seem to be qualifications for a Gorton chief of staff, as amply illustrated by Williams.

But it is the CALIBER of these people that's at issue.

Now, I freely admit that Williams is, of course, no longer a Gorton chief of staff or a Gorton anything.

But how could Gorton have hired someone with such obvious mercenary tendencies?

The article in question then alludes to Vander Stoep's decision to bail on Rossi as well:

Another member of Rossi's inner circle, who was a key player in the 2004 and 2008 gubernatorial races, Jay Vanderstoep, also does not plan to be part of the Rossi campaign, if there is one. Nothing personal. Quite the opposite. Vanderstoep just wants to work on other things.

So here, the deal isn't that Vander Stoep has stopped being an alleged Republican. It's instead that he just doesn't want to work for Dino.

And folks.... this had to hurt.

The buzz out there has been stifling. Will he or won't he? These two defections from the Dino camp; one the equivalent of political treason/mercenaryism of the highest order; the other a "blow off" of monumental proportions must cast doubt on Dino's quality as a candidate and his viability in the election.

As I have pointed out before: there has never been any advantage in Rossi waiting to make a decision. In fact, his INdecision makes him look vacillating and unsure of himself while hurting other candidate's chances to take out The USS Patty Murray.

Taking hits like these and his fellow Realtors endorsing our local dim bulb tends to show that Rossi is a mere mortal like the rest of those running. Combined with his two prior losses in state wide races... and, well, you can see the gist of the issue.

These two senior "Gortonians" voting with their collective feet and the bitch slap of the Realtor endorsement (hey, I admit it. The Realtor endorsement is like the Israeli ambassador endorsing Adolf Hitler, given the massive damage this woman has done and is doing to out economy, which, in turn, does tend to hurt Realtors) is causing a disturbing trend.

These defections are a crushing PR blow to The One. How does Rossi explain it?

Rossi lost my support with his moronic, politically stupid support of ignoring the vote of the people of Seattle when they came out swinging against using taxpayer dollars to pay off a scumbag to keep the Sonics here: $75 million in tax dollars to keep millionaires playing a game in Seattle, a moronic idea that Rossi wanted to use state dollars to make happen, and an idea that I condemned as having cost him the election, well, before it cost him the election.

The splash from this betrayal will reach a long way. And it should hit all of those whose campaigns are being run by those similarly qualified as Williams. And you know who you are.
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The high caliber of the former Slade Gorton staff.

People still don't know or understand that Slade Gorton endorsed Herrera because the guy running her campaign asked him to... and he used to work for Slade back in the day.

Well, here's the high quality former chief of staff to Slade, putting the screws to the GOP Senate hopefuls generally and Dino specifically by HOLDING A FREAKING FUNDRAISER FOR PATTY MURRAY.

Yeah. That endorsement is looking real good about now, ain't it, Jaime?

Join the informed, opinionated journalists of The Times' editorial staff in lively discussions at our blog Ed Cetera.

March 31, 2010 at 4:36 PM

Team Dino and the 2010 Senate race

Posted by Joni Balter

Politics makes strange bedfellows, says one of the oldest cliches in the business, but the Oregonian caught my eye with a story this week about a fundraiser held by longtime Republican staffer Tony Williams on behalf of Sen. Patty Murray.

Wait, say that again. Tony Williams, chief of staff to Republican Sen. Slade Gorton for many years and a member of the Dino Rossi brain trust, is really out there prominently displayed in the Oregonian, spouting what sounds like a scripted campaign line for Democrat Patty Murray.

"She's obviously getting lots of things done for the state," Williams told the Oregonian.

In a subsequent interview, Williams told me he still really likes Dino Rossi and thinks the world of him but this time he is on board with Murray.

Williams, a public affairs consultant and lobbyist, decided to back Murray a couple of years ago. Williams' firm clearly needs connections with politicians on both sides of the political aisle.

I get that, but still this is a bit unusual, especially with Rossi contemplating a run this election against Murray.

If Rossi does decide to run for U.S. Senate, it will be a different team behind him.

Another member of Rossi's inner circle, who was a key player in the 2004 and 2008 gubernatorial races, Jay Vanderstoep, also does not plan to be part of the Rossi campaign, if there is one. Nothing personal. Quite the opposite. Vanderstoep just wants to work on other things.

So... what's it all mean?

More on that tomorrow.

Yet another blog weighs in: Herrera is "Washington State's SEIU Bought Republican"

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It's not just Lew Waters and I sounding the clarion call that Ridgefield Barbie votes more like a stealth leftist than an alleged Republican.

This week, Herrera/McMorris-Rogers/Vanderstoep's campaign has been leaking more buzz then a toddler who's already endured 90 minutes of Avatar.

As the word finally gets out, more and more are viewing our local cardboard cut-out of a state representative/congressmember wannabe with something other than the anointment she so desperately believes is hers.

Herrera has no more business as a state representative, or a member of congress, then she does practicing brain surgery. Getting coffee for McMorris for a couple of years does no qualify her or anyone else to be in congress. Utilizing a corrupted appointment process to get the rep's job in the first place; running and co-sponsoring SEIU (Read: ACORN) legislation; having others vote in your absence so you SEEM to be there when, instead, you're making fund raising calls rather than representing US; admitting in her appointment process that she would be a "friend to organized labor," and then lying to everyone by proclaiming there wasn't "a job in the world" she'd "rather have," all of these things pile up on a girl.

Other conservatives are seeing the light: this has arguably been the worst week, hopefully one of many, that the empty suit from Ridgefield has endured since her keepers cut her loose on a previously unsuspecting public.

But now, the word is getting out. Now, all of a sudden, the strings wrapped around her by McMorris-Rogers and Vanderstoep are beginning to unravel. The latest example?

Rightcha here, hot off the Publius' Forum:

"Washington State’s SEIU Bought Republican"

February 26, 2010 Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Congress, Elections, Free Trade, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, Jobs, Liberals, Public Employees Unions, Republicans, SEIU, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston, Washington

-By Warner Todd Huston

On February 24, Moe Lane posted a short piece alerting one and all to the fact that one of the Republican candidates for Washington State’s 3rd Congressional District is a favorite of the hard-core lefties in the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) — one of Obama’s favorite Big Labors cohorts. Mr. Lane, though, was sure that Jaime Herrera “regrets that endorsement now.” Unfortunately, I am not so sanguine because Herrera has been far more compliant with Big Labor’s goals than is evident from what Lane might have thought was a mere wayward endorsement.

There is a reason, it appears, that the SEIU endorsed Herrera. As a Republican she seems to be far more one of them than one of us at least as far as Big Labor’s needs go!

Moe Lane cited the Clark County Politics blog on the SEIU’s endorsement, but if you don’t want to believe the CCPblog — admittedly a right leaning site — here is a Progressive Voters Guide for Washington and here is the Voters Guide for Equal Rights Washington, both left-wing groups that show SEIU support for Herrera. On top of that here is SEIU Local 1199 NW’s endorsement page which also announces its endorsement of Herrera.

Much, Much, more:

Frankly this is a tremendous bit of research that proves the leftist infestation in Ridgefield Barbie is much stronger than I suspected. And why vote for a fake democrat when the real thing is available?

Who knows? Maybe democrat State Representative Jim Moeller (D-49) will hold a fundraiser... for Herrera, since they've got so much in common.

The wheels are loosening on her little wagon. Hopefully, if we keep the pressure on and continue to spread the word, those wheels will come off altogether.

Cross posted at Jaime Herrera Watch.
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Gee, Jaime... it's sure nice to know that...

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You can get an endorsement by a guy working with one of your two puppet masters.

Don't forget to list the other 3. It'll make all the difference.
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