The Rossi drinking game: Debate edition

The Rossi Drinking Game: Debate Edition

Because it's Saturday evening, and many of you will be watching tonight's gubernatorial debate from the comfort of your own home or office, many with a cocktail in hand, Washington State Democrats have taken the liberty of putting together a little drinking game to enhance your enjoyment of tonight's festivities.

This game is only made possible by the fact that Republican Dino Rossi is running a campaign that's entirely bereft of substance, has changed little-to-nothing about his so-called "message" since 2004, and uses the same folksy anecdotes and one-liners to distract from the fact he's got no vision, besides the failed Bush Republicanism Washingtonians have already rejected, to lead this state forward. ***WARNING: because of the predictability of Rossi's fluff, this game is nearly certain to get you drunk, should you choose to play.

Take 1 drink when:

Ø      Rossi uses the phrase "while protecting the most vulnerable" to describe his 2003 budget that balanced the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable.

Ø      Rossi says it's Gary Locke's budget, not his, when the decisions he made to cut services for the most vulnerable are criticized.

Ø      Rossi says the nursing home industry "asked for it" regarding the bed tax he imposed, despite the fact that he ultimately stabbed them in the back by using the money instead to balance the budget.

Ø      Rossi says he favors stem cell research, even though he explicitly opposes the most promising types of research due to his personal religious beliefs.

Ø      Rossi reiterates his thoroughly debunked lie that Gregoire would impose a state income tax.

Ø      Rossi explains how he "normed all the numbers to 2007" to explain how simply went to DOT's website and cooked the books with Bush-style math to create the illusion he could do all the transportation projects we're already doing at half the price.

Take 1 full shot or finish current beverage when:

Ø      Rossi says: "When it comes to education, I have one simple test: what's in the best interest of our kids?" before he attempts to obscure his abysmal record on the issue.

Ø      Rossi tells a story about his daughter's allowance to explain why he slashed voter-approved education funding.

Ø      Rossi says any one of:

§         "I'm not running on that issue."

§         "I'm not running for Supreme Court."

§         "I've never run on those issues."

Ø      Rossi says: "I want to make Washington the best place to start a business and the worst place to commit a crime." (For the record: It's currently ranked 3rd best place in America for business, and crime is at a 14-year low.)

Ø      On health care, Rossi explains his idea to stop regulating insurance companies in Washington state by telling a story about mandates and compares us to Idaho. (***Drink 2 shots while assuming a wide stance if Rossi mentions Larry Craig in his story about mandates in Idaho.) 

Ø      Rossi says: "You may not all want acupuncture, but you're all paying for it - it's a mandate." (It's not.)

Ø      Rossi tells a story about how his family "couldn't afford to go to the Hilton every weekend" before he lies about his support for the state parks system in Washington.

Finish the bottle if lightning strikes and:

Ø      Rossi offers a substantive policy proposal on any major issue.

Ø      Rossi says anything besides "that's not a fair question" and that he's going to "go through the budget line-by-line and make thousands of decisions" when asked to give a single specific detail on how he'd balance the budget.

Ø      Rossi says something - anything - nice about Gov. Gregoire.