All is fair in love and war, but former NFL player Clint Didier needs to stop acting like a petulant child and endorse Washington GOP Senate nominee Dino Rossi.
This year Rossi has a real chance to defeat incumbent Sen. Patty Murray in an overwhelmingly Democratic state. However, if this opportunity is going to reach fruition it is going to require the GOP nominee to garner the vote of nearly every conservative voter in the Evergreen State.
Didier, a political neophyte, made a good showing in the “jungle primary,” garnering 12 percent of the vote – connecting with a good portion of conservative voters in eastern Washington, voters Rossi will need come November. Now that the primary is over, Didier needs to realize that the welfare of his state and his party take precedence over his now defunct candidacy.
It’s not the substance of the requests from Didier that are troubling, it’s the timing and presentation. If Didier’s supporters were looking for a candidate who could say no to the backroom dealing in D.C., it would be ironic indeed for Rossi to kick off his campaign by cutting a deal with Didier, whether it’s based on a pledge, retiring campaign debt, or other reasons. No, if Didier truly wants to push his ideas, he needs to jump in behind Rossi and earn his influence.
For Didier to remain relevant in politics, he needs to endorse Rossi and campaign like heck for him – rather than trying to trip him up. If Didier cares about his supporters and the principles he supported during the primary, he’ll stay in the game and support the team.
Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson are the co-founders of ProjectVirginia and CivicForumPAC.
Moe Lane
PG DeFreese
Victoria Coates
Daniel Horowitz
Dan Spencer
I'm curious as to where
rec0n Tuesday, August 24th at 6:13PM EST (link)Didier gets off demanding pledges from Rossi when he’s broken so many of his own – to Rossi. Particularly when they’re so potentially self-defeating when looked at more closely.
One of my pet peeves is primary losers who undermine the winners. It’s happened in GA, NC, and now WA, and those are just the ones I can think of. That is NOT the behavior of a man who has our country’s interests at heart, and says a great deal about the quality of his character. Not to mention his political skills, which to date have been abysmal for a candidate running in WA state. Sheer volume is not going to turn this state miraculously red over night. If more of our voters had any common sense it wouldn’t be BLUE, dude.
I’m of the opinion Didier’s behavior won’t be emulated by the majority of those who voted for him, but it offends and infuriates me. I voted for the conservative of my choice – which was Dino – in the primary, but I would have voted R in November on virtually anyone that wasn’t a Scozzafava. Clint leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
Couldn't have said it better myself
Lammo (Diary) Wednesday, August 25th at 2:22AM EST (link)Even if he did have some political leverage, which I don’t think he really has, this is an insane move on his part. There is a real chance to take out Murray but it will not happen if any Republican voters stay home. Didier is putting a serious crimp in his political future in this state. He might have a shot at taking on Cantwell next time she comes up (2014, I think) or taking over for Hastings in the 4th when he decides to retire (I’m pretty sure Didier’s home is in the 4th). If he’s remembered as the guy who helped re-elect Patty Murray, not so much.
Don’t be so open minded that your brains fall out. (John Corapi, The Black Sheep Dog)
I didn't support Rossi in the primary...
itsonlywords (Diary) Wednesday, August 25th at 3:37PM EST (link)Or Didier either, for that matter, but I’m behind Rossi 100% now. Any other course of action is lunacy.
Yes, Connell is in WA-04; Maria Cantwell is up for re-election in 2012, I believe. I accidentally received an email indicating that Didier has not ruled out a challenge to Cantwell.
Tu ne cede malis sed contra audientor ito. ~Virgil
Do not give in to evil, but proceed evermore boldly against it.