Endorsements Round-Up

QUOTES ABOUT GOV. CHRIS GREGOIRE

"Gregoire is a woman of depth who has a commitment to solving problems with rational solutions and compromise." [The Olympian, 10/12/08]

"Rossi's campaign advertising faults Gregoire because she's been in government for 39 years. We don't understand why extended public service is a blemish as long as she's performed honorably. In her nearly four decades, Gregoire has served ably more often than not, and if there's ever been a hint of misconduct or scandal in all that time under the magnifying glass, we missed it." [The Spokesman-Review, 10/19/08]

"Gregoire is a known, trustworthy performer. She led state agencies well for years, and has done the same for the whole state. Gregoire has made improvements and smart choices in perhaps every area of major responsibility, many long neglected." [The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 10/13/08]

"Our decision to back Gregoire a second time is simple. She has done a good job leading our state the last four years. We can find no reason to 'fire' her and 'hire' Rossi instead." [The Bellingham Herald, 10/18/08]

"Gregoire has never acted like a governor who just barely won. Agree or disagree with her positions, she has shown consistent leadership and initiative..." [The Skagit Valley Herald, 10/18/08]

"Gregoire has proven to be a strong leader who's not afraid to take on entrenched interests when necessary, and she'll need to keep doing so in what will be a challenging second term. We think she's up to the task." [The Everett Herald, 10/19/08]

"Gregoire is a good negotiator, an innovator, a proven leader and a solid manager. She's a good governor but a terrible campaigner. She's bright, but her personality is not warm and charming. She's an efficient policy wonk running against a slick carnival hawker." [The Olympian, 10/12/08]

"This time... [Gregoire] carries a new weapon: a four-year record as governor by which she is judged. That record reveals Gregoire to be a tough, no-nonsense, hard-working advocate, especially in the areas of public education and health care." [The Columbian, 10/5/08]

"Gov. Chris Gregoire has skillfully balanced economic and environmental needs during the past four years, and has responded effectively to the state's ongoing budget challenges." [The Kitsap Sun, 10/19/08]

"...We’ve been impressed by [Gregoire's] overall performance as governor." [The Tacoma News Tribune, 10/12/08]


QUOTES ABOUT DINO ROSSI

"Rossi lacked specifics when talking about how he would tackle the future budget deficit. He promised that as governor, he would 'open up the lid on the agencies' and be able to look inside and find cost savings. But despite repeated questions, Rossi could give no examples of what programs or agencies he would cut in order to balance the budget. We were surprised." [The Bellingham Herald, 10/18/08]

"But [Rossi's] solutions for state government’s challenges, or perceived challenges, are long on hyperbole and short on detail. And his plan for the budget — redirecting money from the general fund to help pay for roads — is, in the absence of detail, borderline alarming." [The Skagit Valley Herald, 10/18/08]

"Rossi refuses to be specific, offering only to go through the budget line-by-line. In other words, voters are going to have to wait until he's in office to find out which state programs are gutted, whether teacher and state employee salary increases will be delayed or if entire state programs will be eliminated." [The Olympian, 10/12/08]

"[Rossi's] avoidance of questions about his social conservatism, his unrealistic transportation ideas and even his unwillingness to be labeled Republican on the ballot all warn there's a lot about how Rossi would govern that most of us... would learn only after he took on the job." [The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 10/13/08]

-- Dennis