Dino Rossi at a fashion show to raise money for Rise n’ Shine last night? His campaign confirms he was, indeed, there, and Slog tipper P offers this account:

hi —

don’t know if anyone from the Stranger was at the Fashion First fund-raiser last night to see Dino Rossi on the catwalk, but it was really, really weird. The event was a totally great idea that raised money for Rise and Shine but came to a grinding halt when they brought a bunch of hot policeman out, gave this long speech about how much Seattle loves cops, and how we would do anything for our cops, and aren’t cops great, please clap forever for cops, and then had a minute of silence for all the cops lost in the line of duty in the past year or two. I’m definitely pro-cop, but in light of the recent killings, rallying a crowd of fashion plates and hipsters for cops was super weird and wildly inappropriate. People in the crowd were gaping at each other.

Then the fashion show resumes with cops modeling clothes and the big finale: Dino Rossi comes out to do his turn on the catwalk, and the MCs—two guys from some radio station—go completely batshit, yelling at us to vote for Dino and how awesome Dino is and don’t forget to vote for Dino, before making a crack about Christine Gregoire. Dino must have padded the audience, because the front rows of rich people go apeshit, too, leaping to their feet and clapping and yelling and Dino is just grinning away, looking like a perfect ass. I’ve been to a ton of fund-raisers and I love Rise and Shine, but this is the first one I’ve been to so blatantly mixed politics with a charity event. I get that Republicans are rich and so it makes sense to get them in the audience if you want to raise money, but I felt really steamrolled and disgusted. I’ll never, ever attend another event by that organization again.

Eli Sanders was The Stranger's associate editor. His book, "While the City Slept," was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He once did this and once won...

15 replies on “Rossi, on the Catwalk”

  1. An ex’s mom invited me to this, but we thought better of going for some reason. Glad to have missed it – that’s just fucking stupid.

  2. and the song they played while he shook his developer bought and paid for ass on the catwalk:

    “I’m too smarmy for face,
    too smarmy for my face,
    sooo smarmy it hurts…”

  6. The Fashion First website states that Joan and Jared Events, which sponsors the show just became a non-profit this year. If they did not register as a PAC, does this blatant politicking
    conflict with the rules for tax exemtion for NPOs? The other sponsors includee realty organizations, law firms and corporate consulting firms: http://fashionfirst.ipower.com/sponsors.…
    Exactly the sort of businesses that would support Rossi.
    The designers I know aren’t hugely political but they certainly aren’t Republicans. I wonder how the designers showing last night feel about this?

  7. @6 I was just going to bring up the same point. My understanding is that a 501(c)3 is strictly prohibited from lobbying for/against candidates for office. This should definitely get reported, but not sure to whom. The IRS?

  8. That had to be Ron and Don from KIRO FM. They are sickeningly pro-cop. I like cops, and hate cop shooters. But they defended the shooting of the wood carver by saying that the guy had been contacted by police hundreds of times and was never hurt. so, killing him just one out of hundreds of time isn’t so bad, is it?
    And there’s no way anyone at that event should have been telling people to vote for Dino Rossi. The Stranger should follow up on that. If this was a nonprofit thing, it sure as hell shouldn’t have been political like that.

  9. Sometimes the announcers an organization hires go “off script.”
    I recall an event at the Showbox two years ago (Candidate Survivor), put on jointly by the Washington Bus and the Stranger. The announcer worked for the Stranger.
    While the Bus had not yet released endorsements, the announcer made it clear who on stage was the favored candidate. It put the Bus in a very awkward position.

  11. Rossi going to a charity event while running for office is like the mob dressing up a Santa and giving kids presents. Ulterior motives for your douche baggery isn’t in the spirit of giving, it’s just hypocrisy.

  12. @6 & 7- Yeah, 501(c)3 nonprofits can’t endorse candidates (but they can, and do, take positions on ballot measures). If the audience members could reasonably believe that the views of the announcers were endorsed by the event’s host (the 501(c)3), then I think it could potentially be seen as a violation. What would make it even worse is if there was no effort made to include Sen. Murray in the event as well, because that could be interpreted as favoritism.

    The IRS might not have the resources to do much (they don’t usually come down on a nonprofit unless it’s a very visible organization violating their regulations in a very visible way), but I think the Secretary of State’s charities program may be a good resource for more information and to file a report: http://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/

    Even if it’s not actually illegal, it’s maybe not what you should be doing during an election year.

  13. A nonprofit can educate it’s own members. Or announce its endorsements to a show for its members.

    Not that this would stop Comrade Rossi from exporting more US jobs to his comrades in Red China, mind you.

  14. someone brought this up on their facebook page, and was given a rather evasive, face saving answer. five hours later, the post was gone. they obviously only want positive, rah-rah postings about their fundraising efforts.

  15. I definitely found it strange to pretend a fund raiser for a charity event, then it turn into a campaign for some damn politician. I’m all for the cops, we need GOOD police officers, but the political bullshit I would just as soon flush after using a whole roll of Charmin Extra Thick and Soft.

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