Governor Christine Gregoire showed up at 9 a.m. this morning to rally supporters at a joint Democratic headquarters in Eastlake, where the entryway said quite a bit about her re-election strategy.
Inside, the place was crawling with phone-bankers and strewn with call lists, campaign signs from Democratic races around the country, and technocratic memos with headings like “Get Out The Vote Weekend Script.” Sen. Patty Murray warmed up the crowd by crediting Obama for much of the passion in the room.
This is the kind of passion that Barack Obama started and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude… Our country is just going to be dancing. This is going to be the best party ever.
The Stranger Election Control Board assumes Murray was referring to tonight’s party at the Showbox. Murray continued with a statement about how excited she is about the prospect of crafting new policy with an Obama-Biden administration, and a warning about the Gregoire-Rossi contest:
This race is dead even… We don’t want to look back here to Washington State and have all of those policies reversed.
Next up was Gregoire, who also grounded her exhortations in the Obama excitement she knew was consuming most people in the room.
Everybody is ready to take back this country…. Washington State is going to decide tonight that they want a partner with Barack Obama… This is the day. This is the day we’re taking back this country.
As she spoke, some of the more hardcore phone-bankers went right on making their calls. “I just wanted to make sure you voted today…” Gregoire looked slightly annoyed at having to talk over them, but closed with a plea that the volunteers keep pushing voters to the polls in Washington State even if the presidential race is called early—because she doesn’t want a repeated of her extremely close, repeatedly-recounted 2004 election.
Every vote counts. You know this. I know this. Fight ’till 8 o’ clock and then we’re going to celebrate.
With that she worked the room, shaking hands with everyone in sight…
…including Olivia D’Cafano, 9, of Ballard:
Someone said to Gregoire: “I’m hoping for a bigger difference between you and Dino this year.”
She replied:
Hundreds of thousands is what we want.
Damned straight we are.
It’s a new day in America.
Gregoire received my vote, of course, given that Dino Rossi is a joke as a candidate in my opinion. I wish, however, that I could have voted against her. I feel like she has failed to lead this state (hello, how about that ridiculous viaduct non-binding vote crap?) and I would like a different progressive candidate to vote into the Governor’s office. I voted against Rossi, not for Gregoire, and she’s very, very, very lucky to be able to latch on to Obama’s coattails.
Dear Gregoire,
Maybe next time you’ll show up at more tiny community events and kiss more babies.
Love,
Concerned voters
The right wing’s chosen narrative for today – Black Panthers intimidating white voters at the polling places…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCeD1RcJjAg
also see: Freerepublic, Rush Limbaugh, etc
She’s wearing grandma clothes.
You guys should love me – i’m obviously a closeted homosexual of Charlie Crist-ian proportions.
Except there won’t be dancing at the showbox. Just TVs.
Gregoire is running?!?! I thought Rossi was running unopposed.
Inspiring and all, but is this really the best campaign strategy Gregoire could come up with? Run a bazillion attack ads about shit no one cares about (OMFG Dino Rossi was at a yacht club!), cross her fingers and hope to Obama’s wave catches her? It seems to me she has a pretty respectable record to run on considering that Washington’s economy is faring significantly better than the rest of the nation’s (Not that she deserves the credit, but hey- that’s politics). Meanwhile Dino Rossi’s economic policies are the very same ones voters are rejecting on a nation-wide level, yet I barely heard Gregoire make this argument. Instead it was just Vern Fonk style attack ads about small issues that no one took seriously. No one gives a fuck about stem cells when we’re facing economic catastrophe governor. In conclusion, Chris Gregoire is the Seahawks of politicians: thoroughly mediocre.
Sorry that was blowhardy
The most compelling argument for keeping Chris Gregoire in office is that her administration has started dozens of policy and bureaucracy reforms that will end up SAVING Washington State a shitload of money. A new administration will fuck all of it up! Unfortunately, it’s not a sexy argument and Gregoire isn’t very likable.
sadly, @3 for the insightful win.
You can’t win without Seattle, no matter what your high-priced consultants tell you.
The most compelling argument for keeping Chris Gregoire in office is that her administration has started dozens of policy and bureaucracy reforms that will end up SAVING Washington State a shitload of money. A new administration will fuck all of it up! Unfortunately, it’s not a sexy argument and Gregoire isn’t very likable.
This hit me right in the gut:
“This is the day we’re taking back this country.”
Let’s do it!
oh christine, leave the norwegian sweater at home. high thee hence unto eileen fisher or something.
those are my signs! awesome! i gave like 80 bucks to the dscc to get them all here and they were featured in the PI and the stranger and i am so happy. the campaign staff stole most of them but i don’t mind because i still got mark udall back and i kept hillary for senate.