I knew that would come back to bite the GOP eventually....
Crossposted at Preemptive Karma
Losing GOP Gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi made a whopper of a flip flop at a news conference yesterday.
Rossi has said previously that he would only accept the governorship if he were elected, not appointed by a judge. Yesterday...he let it slip to the contrary:
(more after the jump)
Rossi said that "if somehow we overturned (the election) by 130 votes and the judge (installed) me as the new governor, the first thing I'd do as governor would be to go to the Legislature and find a way to order a new election."
"And guess what? I think they'll be real receptive to that," he added, alluding to the fact that both houses of the Legislature have Democratic majorities.
After Rossi ended the news conference and left the room, reporters asked his campaign spokeswoman, Mary Lane, to explain why his statement about "the first thing I'd do as governor" seemed to contradict his earlier vow not to accept the governorship through a court order.
"I don't think he meant to say anything different," Lane said, adding, "The only way he will accept being governor is through an election."
Lane then retrieved Rossi so that he could explain himself. Asked if he meant he would refuse to take office if a court declared him to be governor, and that he then would go to the Legislature as a private citizen to ask it to call a new election, Rossi replied, "That's probably what we'd have to do." He reiterated that he wouldn't take office without an election.
Sheesh.
Pick a side and stick with it, Dino.
Torrid Joe at AlsoAlso notes that Rossi spokesperson Mary Hall has issued a press release, further muddying the waters:
From the time this became an issue, Dino has said he doesn't want to become governor by a court overturning the election. If he were installed by a court, he'd ask the Legislature for a new election and then resign. He doesn't want to be the governor-"select" -- he wants to be the governor legitimately elected by the people of Washington. The only scenario he'll accept is a new election. Period.
Huh? So if Judge Bridges stays the election and appoints Rossi...Rossi WILL accept the Governorship. Then resign. Then ask the legislature for a new election?
I'll ask Joe's question again...what if the legislature refuses a new election?
And my own question: Is the GOP spending all this taxpayer money just to get the Lt. Governor promoted?