Is Dino Rossi Better Off Without Clint Didier's Endorsement?
Ya know how people have been saying that the Republican party is eating itself from the inside out, what with its Tea Party bifurcation? Well, we in Washington might have a front-row seat for how that stitch-ripping show will play out, as Tea Party favorite Clint Didier has now given Republican Dino Rossi a list of demands he must follow if he wants the former football player's endorsement. The question for Rossi: Is he better off ignoring them?
The key here, as always, is how Rossi can keep his base happy while not scaring off the moderates he'll need to win in November. To do that, University of Washington political science professor Matt Barreto says Rossi should ignore one of Didier's three demands.
"If he takes the bait, and agrees to this Sanctity of Life Act, then that's going to cost him a lot of votes," says Barreto, referring to the bill which would allow local jurisdictions to pass anti-abortion laws without interference from federal courts.
"He shouldn't be talking about any of the social issues like gay marriage or abortion," says Barreto. "That's where the Tea Party and Republicans will lose elections in moderate states like Washington."
So what should Rossi do in the wake of Didier's demands?
"The first thing I would do is give all sorts of nice speeches about Didier; how he ran a good campaign and energized new voters," says Barreto. "He's going to have to pay him a lot of lip service. Then he should talk about spending. Really, Rossi should only talk about spending."
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