Although I'm not a native to the Pacific Northwest, I clearly remember the shenanigans of Washington State's 2004 gubernatorial election. There, current Democratic Governor Chris Gregoire won after multiple recounts and court challenges, and serious allegations of voter disenfranchisement and fraud from the camp of Republican contender Dino Rossi. Progressive Northwest bloggers, specifically Carla Axtman (formerly of Preemptive Karma/Loaded Orygun and now the Netroots Coordinator with the Jeff Merkley U.S. Senate campaign), fleshed out how Rossi's claims were major-league bogus.

Flash forward to last Saturday's Washington State Republican presidential primary. There, the state GOP chair, a John McCain supporter, stopped counting caucus vote totals with 87% of the vote counted. With McCain up a slim less-than-two-point margin, the Senator from Arizona was declared the winner. This disenfranchisement, reported expertly by Jeff Alworth at Blue Oregon, came in stark contrast to Rossi's 2004 claims. Whereas his 2004 lies were unfounded and designed to smear Gregoire and steal an election, the events of this past weekend were real.

In 2004, Rossi was happy to pipe up in a vicious smear which attempted to disenfranchise Democratic voters when it was convenient for him. In 2008? Silence. Kevin, writing at Preemptive Karma, puts it well:

When in 2004 there was the faintest suggestion of votes that hadn't been counted Dino Rossi was all over it like a bug on stink! Now with this latest controversy being a GOP-only affair the silence coming from the Rossi campaign (he's once again challenging Gregoire for Goobernator) is deafening...

So where the hell is Dino Rossi now? How does he justify his shrill allegations of Republican voters being disenfranchised in 2004 while seemingly struck dumb in 2008? Why should Huckabee have to threaten a law suit against the Republican Party of Washington to force votes to be counted if, as Rossi would have us believe, it's Democrats in Washington who don't play fair?

Dino Rossi is the worst kind of political hack and concern troll: someone who's willing to lie and cheat for personal gain, and then viciously smear his opponents under the guise of ethics. Luckily, his 2004 attempts were bounced by the courts, and Gregoire rightly won the Governorship.

Now, he's running again. This cad has no business running for Governor, and has a lot of brass to show his face politically after what he and his cronies pulled. In that light, I encourage you to show your support for Washington Governor Chris Gregoire, who is running for re-election. Donate some cash, volunteer some time in SW Washington, stay in touch with the campaign via e-mail, and continue to spread the word about Rossi's ethical history: any support will help keep Dino's corrupt, grubby hands away from the Washington Governor's Mansion.