After a slow start, the Dino Rossi party in Bellevue is picking up steam. The candidate has arrived, and is making up for his shocking shortness with a deep tan. (He's like a boy Snooki!)

People in the crowd tend toward social liberalism, but they wouldn't call it that. The SECB has spoken to people who support abortion rights, gay rights, and the legalization of marijuana, but all are very concerned about the economy. One lady whose husband is a 91-year-old former airline pilot said she preferred Dino Rossi to Clint Didier because Rossi "has better presentation." She doesn't like it "when politicians drop their Gs with their participles, like Bush and Palin and now Obama. They think they're talking to me and they must have a low estimation of my intelligence." (She was pleased when Palin started to get her Gs back.)

The ex-pilot's wife's offered this unsolicited advice to young people: "Live below your means. 31 percent of average household expenses is in housing. I have never lived in a house I could afford. I have always lived in a house less than what I could afford." A pot-bellied, bearded, and sunburned man next to her chimed in: "And don't get divorced!"