Saying one thing and voting the opposite is lying through action
A little over a week ago, Pullman was graced by the presence of Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi. Several news organizations reported on the event, noting Rossi’s highly appealing political rhetoric. According to the Washington State Labor Council’s Web site, wslc.org, Rossi’s said, “You can be fiscally conservative and still have a social conscience.” In many ways, that statement encompasses the backbone of his campaign.
Rossi likes to identify as a progressive moderate – the sort of middle ground that can appeal to both Republicans and Democrats alike. This is why I took an interest in Rossi, because I identify myself as progressive. What does progressive mean exactly? It can be vague but it means I believe in positive social change, and I choose to act accordingly. The latter is the most important, because individuals in politics often say things that sound appealing to garner support; that’s what political rhetoric is.
For this reason, I find it somewhat disturbing when journalistic establishments parrot the same rhetoric in their respective papers. Part of the responsibility of writing about politics with integrity is comparing what the candidate says with what he or she does. The best way to determine a true political agenda is to simply examine the voting record.
In 2003 Rossi voted to dramatically reduce unemployment benefits. He also voted to freeze minimum wage, and adopt federal standards for hours and compensation. In 2002, Rossi voted against a bill that would have granted collective bargaining rights to UW student academic employees, four-year college faculty and employees of the state.
In 2001, Rossi voted “against implementation of the state ergonomic safety rule; and against prohibiting public employers from firing or misclassifying employees to avoid providing benefits.” Maybe it’s just me, but the last three years of Rossi’s voting record in the Senate hardly exemplify a moderate.
Put yourself in Rossi’s shoes for a moment. This is a man who is a self-made millionaire, which is the reason he can afford to run. He embodies the bootstrap mentality of the American dream. It’s no surprise then that Rossi’s voting record is 99 percent conservative. No surprise either that someone like Ed Schweitzer – another self-made man – would support Rossi and host him here in Pullman.
Sadly, the reality of living in a capitalist society is that not everyone can “make it” the way Rossi did. A lot of people work their entire lives and never see the same type of success. For that reason, it makes little sense for someone in Rossi’s position to represent a working-class public. That’s why his campaign is built from the ground up to portray him as socially sensitive. That’s also the reason Rossi has followed the trend of “going green,” placing a heavy emphasis on environmental issues.
However, his massive plan to expand roads and highways runs counter to his environmental claims. Rossi may say his congestion relief plan will “eliminate millions of tons of carbon emissions produced by cars stuck in traffic,” but the facts suggest otherwise. A 2007 study published by Sightline concluded that “every extra one-mile stretch of lane added to a congested highway will increase climate-warming CO2 emissions more than 100,000 tons over 50 years.”
Like a lot else in Rossi’s campaign, this plan is anything but socially sensitive. However, that doesn’t prevent him from touting it as such. In essence, Rossi says whatever he thinks will be most appealing to the most people. Rossi can say whatever the voters want to hear, but his track record speaks for itself.
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