Everyone who's been following the U.S. Senate race in Washington State knows that earmarks have become a big election-year issue. Republican Dino Rossi says he would forgo them if elected because earmarks are helping lead America to "bankruptcy." Murray, who's no slouch when it comes to earmarking, says she's proud of all the jobs she's helped to create in Washington State through the earmarking process.

So this week, when I was preparing to interview Obama adviser David Plouffe by reading his book, The Audacity to Win, this passage, from Plouffe's chapter on how Democrats can win in 2010 and beyond, jumped out at me:

Unlike the economy, which Congress can influence but not control, the nature of how we govern is fully within our power to change. By pushing for greater transparency and generating energy for reform, we can own honest government.

There are any number of concrete steps every Democrat running for office—and every incumbent Democrat—can take. We need to push the envelope on eliminating earmarks, the practice of members of Congress sliding pet projects into bills without a vote, or at the very least making all earmark requests transparent by posting the details and the sponsor online. While some of these do have real merit, others like the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska that Sarah Palin was for before she was against it, are simply meritless... Often in Washington, even in the Democratic Party, these "behind the scenes" things are derided as mattering only to elites, and not to "real" people. I think that could not be further from the truth. The American people fundamentally believe that one of the reasons we haven't tackled big problems is that their voices are less important than special interests'. They believe that groups with big wallets and big connections carry the day, that the important decisions are being made behind closed doors, and that special interests dominate the debates because it's in fact their government—they're paying for it. Voters believe on of the reasons our deficits are so high is special deals are cut for local projects. They are right, and everyone in Washington knows it, whether they acknowledge it or not.

Given this, how does Plouffe feel about Murray's position on earmarks? Here's what he said when I asked him during our interview:


I shared this video with both the Rossi and Murray campaigns. Rossi's campaign didn't comment. Julie Edwards, spokesperson for Patty Murray, told me:

Patty Murray doesn't think investing in the strength and future of our communities is a partisan issue. It's about fighting for what Washington state needs, which is exactly what Patty does.

Previously: David Plouffe on angry Slog commenters, DADT, the enthusiasm gap and Murray v. Rossi.