Enter Evergreen Progress, Rossi attack ads

State Sen. Dino Rossi: Campaign photoThe long wait is over. Washingtonians can now see just what kind of issue ads that the 527 group Evergreen Progress will be running. Today they launched a half million dollar ad buy consisting of three television ads discussing Dino Rossi's record as a state Senator.

The ads, seen here, touch on the topics of children's health care, prescription drugs and a patient's bill of rights.

The Rossi camp did not wait long to hit back. They found out about the ads yesterday afternoon and sent out a press release questioning the integrity of Gov. Chris Gregoire for allowing the group to function considering its top backer, SEIU, is negotiating four contracts with the governor. The Rossi camp even called for her to stop negotiations until after the election.

"The incumbent is negotiating with these state employee groups using taxpayer money. On the very day that she is negotiating, these same groups are putting hundreds of thousands of dollars into a campaign to re-elect her," said Rossi spokesperson Jill Strait in a press release. "Is Gregoire blind to this conflict of interest? Will the public believe that the Governor, who is negotiating with these groups, is unaware or unaffected by the fact that these same groups are paying for her re-election?

"Gregoire should refuse to negotiate pay increases until after the election and she should instruct her party chair to return contributions from these groups. Anything else gives the appearance of a pay-off. At a time when our state faces over a $2.5 billion deficit and families and businesses are struggling with rising prices, we can't afford to see our tax dollars wasted by Gregoire handing out political thank yous to her biggest contributors."

For their part, Evergreen Progress also tries to use the ads to paint Rossi as a pawn of the pharmaceutical and insurance special interests. They even link to campaign contributions from 1996 to June 2008 from players in those two industries.

The haul? $47,000 from drug companies in 12 years, and $35,000 from insurance. Just since 2000 Rossi has raised $10.2 million. The $82,000 from the special interests cited equals some 0.8% of total contributions, not including the money Rossi raised between 1996-2000.

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