Posted on 07/12/2010 12:08:34 PM PDT by llevrok
BELLINGHAM — At Whatcom Community College's Syre Auditorium last week, the passion of the conservative tea-party movement was on full display.
More than 400 people packed the candidate forum sponsored by the Bellingham Tea Party, cheering raucously for Republican U.S. Senate candidates Clint Didier and Paul Akers as they one-upped each other with calls to chop the federal government down to a size the Founding Fathers might recognize.
The evening had all the flavor of the conservative insurgency that has become this year's popular national political narrative — a tide that has washed away establishment GOP candidates in Utah, Kentucky and Florida in favor of fiery tea-party-backed rivals.
And yet there was one crucial absence: Republican front-runner Dino Rossi, who spent the day at a Spokane Republican women's luncheon. It was the second big tea-party forum he has skipped in recent weeks.
Rossi's snubs are as good an indicator as any that when it comes to Washington's marquee Senate race, the tea-party movement is not likely to play as strong a part as it has in other states.
While some conservatives are grumbling Rossi is taking them for granted, interviews with tea-party activists confirm what recent polls have shown — Rossi can probably distance himself from the tea parties through the Aug. 17 primary and still count on their support in a November matchup with incumbent Democratic Sen. Patty Murray.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
WA state and Dino The Rino Ping
Yep, as stated Dino is a RINO. Enough said.
Winning is the only thing that matters in a RINO state like Washington. Better him than her.
Dino’s RINO friends are probably keeping Akers in the race to split the Tea Party vote.
Well we have people on here talking about conservative Marco Rubio and he claims he is the Tea Party candidate when he is for open borders.
As far as Dino Rossi - it seems like no one else wanted to run in prior years and at least he tried. Maybe I have it wrong.
Sounds like the other two guys are better choices.
It could just be a matter of a politician not feeling like he has to “kiss the ring,” so to speak, which seems to be the approach the Tea Parties are increasingly taking in recent months.
Unless the Tea Party people take action to NOT support Republican RINOs who snub them, they will wind up as irrelevant as the GOP leaders they are seeking to replace.
I hope the Democrat wins.
He's got my vote. Anything to get rid of the dingbat pork queen.
Or it could be that he is a spineless wimp.
But I agree with other posters, any one is better than the Dem senator that are all trying to de-throne.
“Dino Rossi” is a JUANnabie?
I’m curious, since I’m not a Washingtonian, but what exactly is it - besides his supposedly “snubbing” Tea Party events - that makes you think he’s a RINO, and makes you want to let Harry Reid keep control of the Senate?
The Scott Brown of WA?
Let him win in 2010. Nail his hide to the wall in 2016.
Because he doesn't suck up to the Tea Parties? I'm gonna need more evidence than that.
Frankly, if *I* were running for office, I wouldn't kiss the Tea Party's ring, either. This is exactly what I would tell the Tea Partiers,
"I don't kiss anybody's ring. I'm the most conservative person in this race. I'm more conservative than most of you. You can support and vote for me if you want to, since I'm the one who is in line with the values you claim to believe it, or you can support some other candidate because he/she kisses your behind. If you support someone else, I will run as hard against YOU, and will just as readily get out the hot coals and knives against YOU, as I will against my Democrat opponent after I win the primary. And I'll do it by running to your RIGHT - your "Tea Party supported" candidate in the primary will be the RINO, by comparison. Take it or leave it."
The Seattle Times is trying to drive a wedge between wings of the Republican party. Simple as that.
While I have never been impressed with Rossi, I have voted for him.
I remain unimpressed with Rossi, but at this point, I would vote for a rabid dog named Skippy, if I thought the dog might win in this lib state.
I suspect DINO is a lot less RINO than either Schwarzie or McDogBiscuit. And certainly better than Patty Murray.
Having volunteered for Rossi on past elections getting to know him pretty well, I don't know where these people are getting all this RINO stuff. Where is the proof? Is it just because he is not getting the Tea Party nod?
Now don't get me wrong, I'm excited about Clint and in the primary that is who I will probably go with this time - but if Rossi wins and moves on to the November election, by God he is 1000 times better than Patty Murray, and I won't be falling for the Progressive plan of divide and conquer.
Maybe liebertarians, who compose the core of the Tea Party, are not his cup of tea.
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