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Sick Fish
03-10-2008, 07:40 PM
I was just told about this guy running for Governor in the State of Washington. If you live in that state you should really check this guy out and consider voting for him. We need guys like this in office.

Click HERE for his MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/leeroussoforgovernor)

A little intro from Lee Rousso's myspace page.

Why I am running for Washington State Governor, and why I will win:
On Monday, January 14, 2008, I borrowed Dori Monson’s powerful megaphone on Newsradio KIRO710 to announce that I am running for governor and will attempt to unseat Christine Gregoire in the Democratic primary on August 19, 2008. Thanks, Dori!

The initial reaction to my announcement is likely to be a mix of ridicule and disbelief, followed by waves of scorn, contempt and generalized derision. I don’t care. There are times in life when it is better to be a public fool than a private coward. This is one of those times.

This is a candidacy born out of what must surely be a world record case of buyer’s remorse. I voted for Christine Gregoire in 2004 and did so without hesitation. Now, I feel so disappointed and betrayed by her leadership that I wouldn’t support her re-election with a loaded gun to my head.

My affection for the governor began to sour on March 28, 2006, when she gleefully signed Senate Bill 6613, the so-called Internet Gambling Ban. Under SB 6613, the state can kick down your door in the middle of the night and haul you off to prison for five years for committing the “crime” of playing poker on the internet. And while you are rotting away in prison, the state can steal your house and throw your family out on the street. Really, who knew the Taliban had so much influence, and so far from home?

SB 6613 represents at best a hysterical overreaction to a nonexistent problem. At worst, it is the cold, hard boot of the government pressed against the neck of its citizens. Either way, SB 6613 is both indefensible and intolerable, and I will not rest while this monster still breathes. Oh, and by the way, SB 6613 also represents a gross violation of the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Already crippled by SB 6613, my residual allegiance to the governor was extinguished in full by the Betcha.com extraditions, wherein the governor signed extradition warrants sending three of my clients, Nick Jenkins, Josie Imlay and Peter Abrahamsen, to face bogus gambling charges in Louisiana arising from a state-initiated transaction that netted Betcha.com seventy cents. While this space doesn’t allow for a recitation of the Betcha.com chronology, the upshot is that the extraditions combine the police misconduct of the Rodney King beatings with the political misconduct of Watergate. Christine Gregoire, of course, stars in the darkly calculating role of Richard Nixon.

We have plenty of other differences as well. For example, Gregoire’s support of the Proposition 1 ballot debacle showed a complete lack of leadership with respect to the perennially vexing issue of transportation. By one estimate, Prop 1 would have cost $16,000 for every man, woman and child in the taxing district. By a harsher ****ysis, it would have authorized new taxes of a staggering $50,000 per person. The citizens, naturally, recoiled in horror, proving conclusively that the governor is profoundly out of touch with the governed.

Lack of judgment (SB 6613), lack of character (unjust extraditions), lack of leadership (Prop 1). Had enough? Me, too.

From where I stand, I can look out over the political landscape and see all the votes I need to win in August. Or maybe it’s just these cheap dime store binoculars. Anyhow, my vote-gathering strategy has three components.

First, Democrats aren’t nearly as intolerant as Christine Gregoire thinks they are. I’ll be able to peel off the ten or twenty percent who reject the extreme overreaching of the nanny state.

Libertarians, of course, despise legislation like SB 6613. They should be an easy target. I should also be able to woo a significant number of independent voters, as they are likely to be offended by tyranny, oppression, revenge and taxes.

My ace in the hole, however, is Republican voters. I am not asking them to like me or agree with me, although it would be nice if they did. Instead, I am asking them to make a cold, raw calculation of their political self interest. If you had two chances to vote against Christine Gregoire, wouldn’t you use them both? If you could pick Dino Rossi’s opponent in the general election, wouldn’t you do it? Of course you would. You would be insane if you didn’t.

Adding these votes together gets me to at least fifty percent plus one in the primary. Yes, I’ve done the math.

Sick Fish
03-31-2008, 02:03 AM
Latest from leeroussoforgovernor.org (http://leeroussoforgovernor.org/)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dear Friends,

It is with heavy heart and great reluctance that I announce that I am withdrawing my candidacy for the office of governor.

My decision to withdraw is based on last Tuesday's decision by the United States Supreme Court that resulted in a change in Washington's primary election rules. In particular, my campaign was predicated on Washington's pick-a-party primary system, which created (in theory at least) the opportunity to mount a campaign aimed almost exclusively at crossover voters. My pitch to Dino Rossi supporters was, "If you had two chances to vote against Christine Gregoire, you would be crazy not to." Unfortunately, the August primary will now be held as a top-two primary, which means the crossover appeal is not logically viable.

While my campaign has been short--too short--it has been gratifying. Over these last few months I have heard from hundreds of citizens who are outraged by the the way SB 6613 was rushed through the Legislature and signed by the Governor. I continue to maintain that popular support for the law is approximately zero.

I also watched the legislative session with some interest and it basically confirmed my worst fears: the government of this state is completely out of control. Much of the blame for that must fall squarely on the shoulders of Christine Gregoire. Her lack of leadership has been frightening.

I think history will show that Governor Gregoire was lucky to preside over a real estate boom that was not of her making. If she makes a second term, she will find that the punch bowl has been taken away and the party is over. Only then will the bill for her profligate ways come due.

In politics, one has to not only be right, but be right at the right time. In my case, the former is true but the latter is not.

Even though I am dropping out of the political arena, I will continue to work to change the laws so that internet poker players can enjoy the Great American Game from the privacy of their own home. My constitutional challenge to the law is set for a hearing on April 25, 2008. Assuming I get my day in court (something the State is desperate to avoid), I think I have a good chance at winning.

Meanwhile, I encourage all my supporters to continue to fight the good fight. We are going to win this battle. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon.

I appreciate your support.

Lee Rousso

This is unfortunate news.

This is a man that will find a way to help get ridiculous bills like SB6613 changed. Hopefully one day soon online poker players won't be treated as criminals for for playing a game that's 100% legal at your local casino.