Life of the Party

Words of Wisdom for Dino

In response to my plea last week, the Tell Dino website has had comments pooring in from readers here who believe that Dino ought to take a more clear and forthright stand against abortion.  Most of them are citizens of Washington State, but Dino also heard from Catherine Marshall the wife of Bob Marshall, a Virginia State Senator who has sucessfully campaigned as a 100% pro-lifer, and who launched an impressive campaign earlier this year against two big names, and came within a hair of defeating a former Republican Governor for the nomination to defeat the Democrat incumbent, without the help of the party machine:

My husband is a state legislator from Northern Virginia who has won 9 elections in a district that has nearly doubled in size since he was first elected in 1991.  He is unabashedly 100% pro-life, including against abortion in cases of life, rape and incest.  After each election he gets letters from voters who disagree with him on abortion, but who vote for him for other reasons such as integrity, working for his constituents, etc.  The Republican "experts" who suggest pro-life candidates cannot win if they express their pro-life views, fail to recognize that those who want to keep abortion legal are not single issue voters as are pro-life voters. Further, pro-lifers are super dedicated campaigners who work day and night for candidates who shares their beliefs.  This fact was again proven by my husband's recent close race (lost by .63% -- less than 1%) for the US Senate nomination in a state-wide Convention against a former Govenor, Attorney General and Republican National Chairman.  My husband was also outspent 11-1 and had months less to campaign due to his duties in the General Assembly!

I urge you to be firm about your pro-life commitment that "all men are CREATED (not born) equal" and endowed by their Creator with "life."  Take the side of the woman in crisis - she deserves better than abortion which leaves the man scott free and the woman with a lifetime of regrets. Ask how anyone in their right mind could condone partial birth infanticide/abortion?  Stand up, and voters will stand for you! 

Imagine what Dino could do with the help of the party machine if he were to take a stand like Bob Marshall!  He already has their help.  The GOP would have a PR disaster on their hands if they were to begin withdrawing support once Dino started taking a strong stand against abortion.  And like Mrs. Marshall says, even folks who disagree with him on abortion, will support him anyway (so long as it's not their only issue), because of his integrity and committment to representing them.   

By the way, it's not too late for you to tell Dino what you think. 

Help Me Help Dino

Yesterday, I posted a link to the recent interview that Dino did with King 5's Allen Schauffler and Seattle Times chief political reporter David Postman.  In that interview, Postman cornered Dino on the abortion issue and the "Plan B" issue (the right of pharmacists to object to dispensing drugs that violate their conscience).  Postman framed his question by pointing out that these are issues Dino doesn't like to talk about and asked, "aren't the voters...entitled to ask...these questions...and entitled to know where you stand?"  Unfortunately, Dino continued to dodge, and would only give his personal moral conviction as a devout Roman Catholic, but insisted that his job as Governor wouldn't have much to do with this issue.  It would be "out of his control," he said.

Dino is obviously

Message to Dino: Voters Want to Know Where You Stand

Update: If you wish he would answer the questions, tell him so.

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Not just on the issues you want to talk about.  We really do want to know where you stand on abortion and on the right of conscience for pharmacists, and what you'll do about it as Governor.  We're entitled to answers.  This is an election afterall. 

Pro-lifers: check out the King 5 Up Front Extra: Candidate Rossi on Tough Issues video.  Starting at about 3:56, David Postman to Dino, "Let's talk about the issues you don't want to talk about...like abortion...the pharmacy board."     

Dino! Dino! Dino!

Dino Rossi takes a stand in the debate over pharmacists' freedom of conscience. 

From David Postman:

Rossi spokeswoman Jill Strait told me by e-mail:

Rossi supports the decision by Judge Leighton and believes that pharmacists should not be forced to do something that is against their conscience or religious beliefs.

In 2006, the state Pharmacy Board was prepared to adopt regulations, supported by the Washington State Pharmacy Association, that protected the right of conscience. Unfortunately, Gregoire refused to let the board do its job and interfered. She threatened the board to see things her way and they ultimately complied with her heavy-handed tactics.

The federal judge put the brakes on Gregoire's strong-armed approach and protected the constitutional rights of pharmacy professionals following their consciences.

This is a very positive development in the campaign to re-elect Dino Rossi!  Let's give Dino all the encouragement we can for speaking out!  Whether he campaigns on the issue is beside the point.  Just give us straight talk like this!

Update: Mary E. has some encouragement and good counsel for Dino.

Straight Talk Needed

If Dino Rossi wants the enthusiastic support of pro-lifers, he'll need to do better than this. 

Who is Dino Rossi?

One certainly can't fault Dino Rossi, 2004 GOP gubernatorial candidate, for granting an interview to GOPProgress.com, "an interactive blog site created to give moderate and small “l” libertarian Republicans a forum for expressing their thoughts, discussing policies and politics, and meeting and networking with like-minded individuals," anymore than one could fault him for granting an interview to the Seattle Times or the P-I.  But it is concerning that pro-abortion-choice Republicans consider him to be one of their own, especially when pro-lifers, particularly Catholic pro-lifers were assured he was "one of our own".

Of course his constant dancing on the abortion issue in the campaign wasn't very convincing.  But pro-abortion-choice Republicans seem to like his dancing.