The rumble in Yakima: Call it a tie

YAKIMA — There they stood, behind transparent podiums, the governor and the claimant.

The Chris Gregoire-Dino Rossi debate in this Eastern Washington city drew nearly a full crowd at the restored Capitol Theatre, a beautiful example of an old building saved for nights such as this.

Since that debate on Wednesday evening, the charges have been flowing as to which candidate used figures correctly and which did not. In fact, the moderator of the debate later said he thought both candidates dodged numerous questions in favor of campaign rhetoric. My sense was that no question went answered.

A senior Republican in the state Legislature told me that evening he called the debate a tie. I would too, but there are no ties in American politics, only winners and losers.

Rossi, the Republican challenger, must feel this is the final roll of the dice, and the state's looming deficit is on his side. Democratic Gov. Gregoire must feel she is about to surfboard a Democratic tide. Neither should feel confident.

A taste of the debate shows some crossover agreements, but profound disagreements. Asked by a panelist if the WASL test should also be administered in Spanish, both Gregoire and Rossi said yes, but Rossi says he wants to eliminate the test.

"It has failed our children," Rossi said, "and should be replaced with a fair but rigorous test." And here's the stinger: "The test must be of the children, but also the whole system up the line."

When Rossi told an anecdote about how children must deal with their money responsibly, Gregoire countered, "This is not about children's allowances, Mr. Rossi."

The debate became sharper, but not clearer. Both candidates came back to their campaign speeches for predictable audience lines; both shied away from directly confronting the issue of a state that is about to go into the hole by the billions of dollars.

Rossi looks back to his role as a leader in budgets past, working under former Gov. Gary Locke administration's priorities of government. Gregoire looks to the present and the future. But without raising taxes, I don't see how she can manage the upcoming deficit within the mandates of the Democratic Party. Maybe both are mavericks enough to step out of the party line. Maybe the Legislature will take the fall for raising taxes while the governor in place laments the necessity.

Leaning into tough times as if leaning into the wind, both candidates are beset by problems that include Washington state as an asterisk to the national miasma. A projected $3.2 billion shortfall could be just the starter number as the loss of state revenue departs the dock.

In contrast to the following night's vice-presidential debate between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin, the Gregoire-Rossi takedown did not have courteous bantering. One reporter noted the two rarely looked each other in the eye. This is not about recognizing the other candidate's credentials or commiserating on the state of the national economy. This is about street cred and attitude.

For boos and catcalls, the echoes in this great chamber became predictable. When Gregoire mentioned Rossi's ties to the Building Industry Association of Washington, her side of the crowd cawed. Placards and posters outside the building gave us the Republican line: "Don't let Seattle steal this election!"

These two are savvy enough not to act like the pit bulls they are, but we had a glimpse of two veteran politicians slugging it out on the edge of public policy and into the realm of personal politics.

Call it a tie.

James F. Vesely's column appears Sunday on editorial pages of The Times. His e-mail address is: jvesely@seattletimes.com; for a podcast Q&A with the author, go to Opinion at www.seattletimes.com/edcetera