Et Tu, Rossi?

Washington state business leaders are wondering if Dino Rossi is going to stab them in the back.

Initiative I-912 not only hurts every Washingtonian, it hurts businesses in this state. Supporters of I-912 will tell you that the gas tax will not solve congestion problems. They're wrong. The business community knows that I-912 will destroy funding that will fully fund 241 transportation projects and partially fund 29 others. These projects address both congestion issues and safety issues. Businesses are preparing a campaign to get the word out about the damage I-912 will do to our ability to upgrade our aging roads and bridges. They cannot do business if the bridges and roads they rely on may be out of commission due to a catastrophic failure.

However, businesses also backed Dino Rossi during the last gubernatorial election because he claimed he backed them. Yet now that Rossi supporters have turned their anger at losing the election into a reckless, short-sighted initiative to starve this state of critical funding, and to "send a message" to... whomever might listen to such a reckless, short-sighted, and irresponsible message, the business community is looking to Rossi to come forth and return their backing by publicly voicing he does not support I-912.

So far, Dino Rossi has not expressed where he stands on I-912. If you go by his platform, he would be against it, but that's not good enough. He needs to come clean because the rabble that has spawned this Initiative in his name are out of control, and his words alone would go a long way in convincing his many confused voters that this is an ill-conceived action that people must vote against, because it is bad for businesses, and therefore bad for Washington state.

Goldy at HorsesAss.org is starting a vigil, a watch, waiting for Rossi to publicly state his position. Carl at WSPR has suggested that Rossi participate in a joint advertisement with Governor Christine Gregoire against I-912. There is no time to waste on the matter as people try to make up their minds. We shouldn't have to wait for another disaster for people to realize I-912 is a wrong-headed idea, and Rossi has it within his power to remind everyone of that.

Leadership doesn't begin and end with a political campaign. You either have it or you don't. Whether Rossi has it or not, if Rossi so much as sneezes the Republican party gets a cold - he sets the table for the direction all others will turn.