Patty Murray remains locked in a too-tight-for-comfort race for re-election, facing off against Dino Rossi, who continues to nip at her heels in the polls. That situation has left Murray looking for a way to take it to Rossi and help shut him down in the final weeks before ballots go out in the mail, and based on what's just arrived in my inbox, it looks like she's banking on a visit from Bill Clinton to help do the job. From her email:

I have some exciting news to share: President Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, will be joining us here in Washington State on October 18th!

I hope you will help me give a warm Washington welcome to President Clinton, and join us at one of two exciting events -- a fundraising luncheon in Seattle and a Get out the Vote Rally in Everett later that afternoon.

(my emphasis above).[intro]

Let's be honest here: Clinton is a great get for Murray. A lot of Evergreen State natives, including yours truly, have fond memories of the later Clinton years: Welfare reform, taxes cut, budgets balanced, free trade advanced, unemployment low (at least in Murray's Seattle-area base)... ah, the good old days!

Yes, yes, Murray is far to the left of Clinton on many issues, economic ones being among the most obvious, but that's hardly the point. The purpose of this visit will be a) to bring in money but b) more importantly, given the timing of the visit and when Washington voters will be getting their ballots in the mail and pondering filling them in, to garner a boatload of positive earned media that ties Murray to a figure who remains popular in the state-- ideally evening news coverage.

Will it work? ...

My piece yesterday at Red County:

At the outset of the 2010 cycle, both Republicans and Democrats were firmly focused on the same two Washington congressional races: Those in Washington’s Third District, and in Washington’s Eighth. Democrats believed the Eighth, held by Rep. Dave Reichert—and one of the most competitive in the country—could be poached. Republicans, meanwhile, had long considered six-term incumbent Brian Baird to be the most vulnerable Democrat in Washington’s congressional delegation; that was before summer 2009 and the health care debate, following which Baird announced his intention to retire.

But now, two months away from Election Day, the situation has dramatically changed. The Eighth no longer looks as competitive for Democrats, and both parties’ attention has focused in sharply on the Third. [intro]

This is partly the result of the overall 2010 dynamics. Republicans look at opinion polls and see their star on the rise. In a district held by a Republican like Reichert—who has never won an election with more than 52-and-a-bit percent of the vote, and whose district was carried by John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008—that means more insulation to an incumbent whom both parties have historically seen as vulnerable. In Baird’s district, it likewise suggests a dynamic that will benefit Republican Jaime Herrera, and create more of an uphill battle for Democrat Denny Heck.

However, there are other reasons why the Eighth looks as safe as it does to most observers this time around, and why the Third looks more contentious....

Via DailyKos (and I'm including their images here, too):

So, ladies, you say you want a raise? How should you go about getting it?

First, you have to figure out how to compete with the guy in the next cubicle. After all, he went to a school almost as good as yours. His grades were nearly as good as yours, too. He works hard. In fact, most mornings, he's the second person in the office. You know this, because you're always first. He is young, ruggedly good looking, and he washes his balls with a manly but fresh sandalwood soap.

What to do?

Fortunately, the good folks at Women's Day and Summer's Eve have a few words of advice for you.

(No, this is not from the Onion. It is really from a full page ad in Women's Day)

What is the very first thing you should consider if you want a raise? What is the most important thing of all?

...