What is it about losers that makes them think they’re winners?
Republican Clint Didier finished third in the Primary for U.S. Senate behind Democrat Sen. Patty Murray and Republican Dino Rossi. It wasn’t even a close race. Murray had 46 percent of the vote, Rossi 33 percent. Didier collected 13 percent.
Nevertheless, Didier, who says he really, really doesn’t want Patty Murray re-elected to the Senate, refuses to endorse Rossi – until he gets some firm commitments from Rossi.
Didier is miffed that Rossi is part of the political establishment and unresponsive to the Tea Party movement, which Didier courted.
Didier said last week that he wants Rossi to commit to an unequivocal stand against abortion, take a no-new-taxes pledge and promise not to increase federal spending.
What next? If Rossi wins the Senate seat will he have to say “Mother May I?” every time he wants to vote on legislation?
One of the problems with fringe candidates is that they can’t seem to differentiate between friends and enemies.
Does Didier think Patty Murray will listen to anything he says if she is elected? Does he really think her votes in the Senate will be closer to his point of view than Rossi’s?
This “my way or the highway” type of thinking doesn’t work. Didier no long has a vehicle in the General election race. He isn’t on the highway at all.
Not surprisingly, Rossi’s spokesperson used Didier’s huff-and-puff approach to score some points for her boss, saying, “Washingtonians are principled and independent and expect their public servants to run on what they believe. In that spirit, Dino will continue to campaign on the things he believes, and will not submit to a list of demands made by anyone, in Washington state or Washington, DC.”
Rossi certainly could use the support of Didier’s backers. Fortunately, not all Tea Party supporters are as intransigent as Didier. One, Keli Carender, a Seattle blogger known as “Liberty Belle” who has been lauded as a national star of the tea party’s small-government campaign, has endorsed Rossi.
Didier’s 13 percent added to Rossi’s 33 percent would make it a tie race with Murray’s 46 percent.
Hmmm. Will Democrats Goodspaceguy (0.32 percent of the vote) and Mike the Mover (0.41 percent) now put the squeeze on Murray?
– Craig Groshart, Bellevue Reporter
