Far-Righteous Rossi

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Even some Republicans say the pro-life, anti–gay-marriage, creationist, pro-development GOP gubernatorial candidate is too extreme for Washington.

by George Howland Jr.
Gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi claims to be a different kind of Republican. GOP standard-bearers in recent years, including gubernatorial candidates Ellen Craswell and John Carlson and U.S. Senate candidate Linda Smith, lost because they were perceived as too radically conservative to suit the moderate Washington electorate. Rossi, in contrast, calls himself "a fiscal conservative with a social conscience." Washington Republican Party chair Chris Vance embraces this apparent shift to the middle-right, saying Republicans have had it wrong the past few elections. "A snarling, angry demeanor puts people off, especially suburban voters," Vance says of conservative stridency. Rossi, a commercial real-estate agent and formerly the 5th Legislative District's senator representing Issaquah and Sammamish, is a charming guy who is praised by his former Olympia colleagues—Republican and Democrat alike—for being easy to get along with.

Yet Republicans and former Republicans active in politics in the 5th District say the Dino Rossi they know has a poor record on the environment, is a member of the religious right who holds extreme views—including, according to one newspaper article, belief that creationism should be taught alongside evolution in public schools—and is a nasty campaigner. Rossi spokesperson Mary Lane dismisses their complaints. "These particular Republicans are sore losers," says Lane. "It's a handful of bitter people."

In 1991, for personal reasons, Rossi moved from Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood to the suburban Sammamish Plateau. The redistricting process after the 1990 census had created a new legislative district in that fast-growing area of King County, and in 1992, Rossi ran for the state Senate against three Republican opponents—Boeing engineer Bob Brady, school administrator Gwen Escher, and retired airplane pilot Dick Welsh. Rossi won, but none of his opponents would endorse him for the general election—an unusual circumstance. He lost the general election to a Democrat. In 1996, Rossi ran again. His Republican primary opponent was a retired Coast Guard captain and cable TV company owner, David Irons Sr. Again, Rossi won the primary, and again his Republican opponent declined to endorse him.

Today, Brady, Irons, and Escher, who has since married and is known as Gwen Escher Derdowski, say Rossi fails the character test. Brady says Rossi sent operatives to disrupt his public meetings in 1992 and engaged in other unseemly campaign activity, including some ugly confrontations. Says Brady: "Integrity is my No. 1 issue." After campaigning alongside Rossi for months, he says, "I wasn't ready to jump in and endorse the guy." Twelve years later, Brady feels the same. Gwen Derdowski says she wouldn't vote for Rossi for any office. "He's a faker," she says.

http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0441/041013_news_rossi.php

[MatrixEscape]

1. There is an impending struggle

to preserve a secular State here in America. It seems to be a growing, World-wide issue these days.

Iran has gone through a cycle where even they see the problem with a Government that is dominated by a particular religious agenda.

Israel is facing a conflict with Orthodoxy.

Essentially the problems in practice are becoming more evident. While morality, values, tradition, and Deity, are often held out as important reasons to counter secular governments, they often betray the reality of what ensues from politics that are performed in service of religious fundamentalism.

In practice, not only are personal freedoms increasingly restricted, but the "bureaucracy" of religious politics can be even heavier than the that of secular government. The practical matters administered by a governing body are often side-stepped by ideological issues, in that case. Resources are at issue there, and ow they are utilized is important.

If the lessons of the past are of any importance, then any attempt to placate people with a notion that religious government would be less corrupt, violent, or vile than any other is either one born of ignorance or an attempt at pure propaganda. Enforcing morality is not the business of government and its attempts to do so often end-up wasting resources, restricting expression, and imprisoning innocent people.

[geniph]

2. All one has to do is look at Rossi's record

it's all there for the perusal. There's no far-right, corporate-friendly, anti-consumer, anti-labor, anti-environment, anti-choice bill he won't vote for. The man is a rightwing nutcase in moderate drag.