Archives for November 2013

A few election cycles ago, I wrote that the stereotype about Seattle always passing a tax increase was just that. I mean we’re probably more willing to tax ourselves than the average Washingtonian. And we’re able to pass library and school levies pretty easily. But we are concerned both with how progressive/regressive the taxes we pass are and what they pay for. Since it looks like Seattle has rejected public financing with a slight tax increase (albeit in a tight race) we can have a more proper discussion of what taxes Seattle will support and what taxes we won’t?

Since my post a couple years ago, we’ve rejected that transit measure and now the clean elections measure. We’ve also passed taxes for libraries and education in the last few years, and helped pass the Medic 1 and other King County measures.

Of course the iconic tax measure that Seattle rejected in the last decade or so is still probably Early Learning and Care Campaign, AKA the Latte Tax. That would have paid for education in the city. Now, we happily supported education in the city in other measures. Maybe it’s that it was made fun of pretty much everywhere, maybe there doesn’t seem to be much connection between education and espresso drinks, maybe it was somewhat regressive.

And the regressive nature of the transit package was even more evident. A flat fee as opposed to a more progressive tax on the value of the car was one of the main reasons people opposed the measure, at least one of the main arguments against it. Seattle doesn’t really oppose taxes, but we understand that when the poor end up paying a disproportionate share, they tend to be tougher to enact (I think that’s different from the state as a whole).

As more measures come forth, and Seattle and King County are asked to vote on tax measures, I hope we figure out how to make them as progressive as possible, and how to make sure they go to good things.

So, obviously, this idea is impracticable. And nonsense. Jamie Pedersen is almost certainly going to replace Ed Murray, as he should so long as we have a system where we replace people without elections. And the idea of a Republican representing one of the most heavily Democratic districts in the state clearly does not live up to our democratic ideal. But it would accomplish two things.

First, and most importantly, it would give the GOP a clear majority in the Senate. Now, I know that as a lefty blogger, that’s the sort of thing I’m generally opposed to, but the GOP are going to control the state Senate anyway, and this way they would probably not give the Majority Leader post to Rodney Tom. I mean, why would they elevate this whiny asshole who has already betrayed them once if they didn’t have to?

We all know they’re planning it if they manage to take another seat in the Senate in the next election, so might as well make it happen now. Give a fuck you to Rodney Tom, and oh by the way, have some clarity on what’s going on in the Senate, and how to negotiate. We wouldn’t get any positive social issues through, but we haven’t under Tom’s leadership anyway. It would basically be the same as it is now, but with a real Republican instead of a fake Democrat at the top.

So yes, it would mostly be a fuck you to Rodney Tom and Tim Sheldon. But it would also mean that the Senate seat isn’t just given to someone. It would mean that we could have a real election for the seat. In our democracy, primaries for open seats are important times to have a debate about the future of the legislature, and I never like losing that to it just being picked.

The seat would revert back to Democratic control after the next election given how Democratic the seat is, so it would be the equivalent to having a placeholder.

Wow. This evening’s King County ballet drop has just made Seattle City Council Position 2 race much more interesting!

Socialist Kshama Sawant has just taken the lead over the formerly unbeatable Richard Conlin. The current tally is 79,751 votes (49.91%) for Sawant to 79,710 votes (49.88%) for Conlin. That’s a 14 41 vote edge for Sawant.

We still have some way to go (14 more days) until the election results must be certified by King County. If I am reading the spreadsheet correctly, 26,878 (or about 14.4%) of the ballots remain to be counted in this race. The trend has favored Sawant in the later ballots.

“First they came with a statue, and I said nothing….“

A week after the election, we still have a few nail-biters in Seatac, Seattle and Virginia. So please join us tonight for an evening of electoral prognostication over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet tonight and every Tuesday evening at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Our normal starting time is 8:00pm.

Initiatives….

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings over the next week.

Tonight there are meetings of the Tri-Cities and Vancouver, WA chapters. On Wednesday, the Bellingham chapter meets. On Thursday the Bremerton chapter meets. And next Monday, the Aberdeen, Yakima and Olympia chapters meet.

With 211 chapters of Living Liberally, including eighteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and three more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting near you.

– The largest state subsidy in US history goes to Boeing. Because all of our other priorities are so well met.

– And speaking of priorities, Seattle is making cuts to expanding the LEAD program? Did the City Council actually believe the rhetoric about downtown crime during the election, and somehow think that it was that program’s fault? The economy is expanding, time to cut programs?

– I supported Hillary Clinton last time and will probably again if she runs for President again. And I’m the biggest supporter of primaries I know. But can we all just pick a narrative and run with it for a while?

– Anti-change advocates don’t assess facts. They just claim, absurdly, that America currently has “the finest healthcare system in the world” and then cite horror stories about sick people dying in streets because they have to wait so long to get the (terrible) healthcare services available to them under “socialist” healthcare. (h/t)

– The word “unlucky” presumes that virtually all adult white men can be found, at some point, in full-on Michael Richards-mode and those of us who would shame them for it are the real culprits.

– Legal Horseplay

Almost a week has passed since the general election. One of the more interesting set of races was in Virginia, in which the Governor and Lieutenant Governor positions were won by Democrats, and the Attorney General race was narrowly in favor of the Republican Mark Obenshain over Democrat Mark Herring. Since last Tuesday, precincts across the state have been correcting their counts. As of this morning, Obenshain was up by a mere 17 votes out of some 2.2 million votes tallied.

Over the past few days, discrepancies, including a missing tally from an entire machine, have come to light in the Democratic stronghold of Richmond. A couple of hours ago, a hearing was held by the Richmond electoral board to clarify those discrepant or suspicious results in eight precincts. The rather dramatic review of those eight precincts netted Herring a total of 132 votes, giving the Democrat a lead of 115 votes.

The Republicans immediately demanded a review of ten more precincts. The request was granted, and those are being examined as I write this post. But, the first five precincts examined so far have resulted in exactly zero changes—they keep their election day tallies. I note that the Richmond electoral board is composed of two Republicans and one Democrat, so it will be hard for Republicans to concoct rational conspiracy theories around the hearings (as if “rational” has ever been a criterion!).

Of course we are still a long way from having this resolved. The loser will almost certainly request a recount, although N in Seattle tells me that the Virginia recounts rules are far more restrictive than what we are used to here in Washington. And then there will be the inevitable lawsuit a la the first Gregoire–Rossi race in Washington or the Franken–Coleman race in Minnesota.

The other likely set of changes to the vote count will come from about 500 outstanding provisional ballots. Most outstanding provisionals will come from blue-leaning areas—the great majority from Fairfax County, and a handful from Roanoke city. These will be adjudicated through tomorrow afternoon, when the final tallies must be certified. It is always dicey projecting provisional ballots, but we should expect Herring to pick up at least a thin majority of the provisional votes that are accepted. (BTW: there was a flap over the weekend about “rule changes” in who could represent provisional voters. The flap turns out to be pretty much bogus.)

So it looks damn likely that Democrats will have swept the three statewide races in Virginia. Given that the current Virginia Attorney General and failed gubernatorial candidate, Ken Cuccinelli, was openly boasting about being the first AG to sue the federal government over ObamaCare, his gubernatorial loss combined with the loss of the Republican in the AG slot would be a stunning symbolic victory!
[Read more…]

– Happy Veterans Day.

– Reading Patty Murray’s Washington Post editorial on the need to close loopholes in the Federal tax code is yet another reminder of how intransigent the GOP really are.

– Here’s hoping Larry Phillips and Dow Constantine live up to their threats of going it alone.

– At 95, Graham is frail and in ill health. His image and his legacy have been usurped as political tools used by his son Franklin Graham, who seems desperate to be a political player and kingmaker. Not content with living off the interest of his father’s legacy, Franklin has been burning through the capital.

– You know how gun nuts are always telling us that their having all the guns is protecting all the freedoms? I’m pretty sure they meant this sort of thing.

– Dudes Are Such Whiny Baby Liars About Girls With Short Hair

Last week’s contest was won by milwhcky. It was New Orleans.

This week’s contest is a random location from the Google Maps 45 degree views, good luck!

Proverbs 30:15
The leech has two daughters.
‘Give! Give!’ they cry.

Discuss.

Chris Cillizza: The country’s most vulnerable governor.

Sam Seder with Aasif Mandvi Behind the Daily Show “Racist Republican” segment:

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

White House: West Wing Week.

LEAVE AQUA BUDDHA ALOOOOOOONNNNE!!!!!:

• Sam Seder: The real reason Libertarian hero Rand Paul is a serial plagiarist
• Maddow: Rand Paul’s meltdown (via Slog).
• Sam Seder: Breitbart hires plagiarist
• Red State Update: Episode 51, “Rand Paul’s panties”
• Jon: Rand Theft Caught-o
• Sam Seder: Ron Paul adds to Rand’s horrible week

Pap: Chris Christie is the face of the Republican train wreck.

Stephen has some words for employers who are less than LGBT friendly.

On to 2014!

Please don’t not have sex (via Slog).

Read the tweets you politician deleted.

The Tragedy of Affordable (but Somewhat Inconveniently Acquired) Health Care Insurance for Everyone:

• Obama speaks on the Affordable Care Act
• Country music stars make funnies about ObamaCare (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Are insurance companies lying to their customers?
• Young Turks: Obama apologizes for insurance policy changes/terminations.
• Jon has some words for ObamaCare opponents
• Thom politically corrects FAUX News idiot over the difference between cancelled insurance versus losing coverage.
• Ann Telnaes: To keep or not to keep your health-care plan.
• Interactive map: The GOPs 5 Million person Medicaid gap (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Virginians made their ObamaCare choice!
• Young Turks: Five million people will be uninsured under ObamaCare because of obstinate GOP Governors.

The biggest prison profiteer of them all.

Absurdity Today: JP Morgan and other abominations.

Mental Floss: 26 bizarre college courses.

Sam Seder and Adele Stan: How the Koch brothers are funding the Republican War on Women™.

Thom: More Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

ONN: The Onion Week in Review.

The Spy Who Listened to Me:

• Ann Telnaes: Paying for surveillance.
• Mark Fiore: Lil’ NSA Spy Kit.
• CIA pays AT&T $10 Million per year for records access.

Ed with Lizz Winstead on why Ken Cuccinelli lost…”Women like sex but he doesn’t”.

Bill Maher with some New Rules (via Crooks and Liars).

Melissa Harris-Perry: Sunday shows fail to cover devastating cuts to SNAP program.

Sam Seder: Shrub does a keynote for Jews for Jesus.

Politician runs for Congress in FOUR DIFFERENT STATES simultaneously!

Chris Christie’s victory speech in campaign buttons.

Jon: 2016? TOO SOON!!!!

Yes…We Really Are Stooping To Local Politics…Canadian Local Politcs!:

• Young Turks: New Rob Ford video.
• Sam Seder: Rob Ford smokes crack.
• Kimmel: How to tell if you mayor is smoking crack.
• Stephen pulls a Ford.
• Kimmel interviews Mayor Rob Ford.

The Obamas surprise some White House visitors:

Thom: You might be a Republican if….

Young Turks: CBS apologizes for Benghazi report.

Absurdity Today: Stuff in the news.

Laura Flanders with Melissa Harris Perry: The Pregnant Woman Who Ended up in Jail.

Maddow: Shrub’s new friends.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

I cannot express how annoyed I am at the fact that it looks like the legislature is going to punt on transit in the special session.* I mean, Boeing — like everyone else — needs decent transportation around the state. And King County should be able to fund Metro, goddammit.

Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom, a Democrat from Medina who leads the predominantly Republican Majority Coalition Caucus, also said that the transportation package was never tied to the overall aerospace package.

There was some discussion of this in the Open Thread yesterday. I don’t even with this guy. I mean for him to act flat footed on the thing that everyone expected there to be a session on is just, gah. I don’t even have words for it, just incoherence. Either he didn’t do his homework, or he’s pretending to keep the caucus together.

And who knows? Things are fluid, and the GOP districts need infrastructure as much as the rest of the state so maybe we actually will get a transit package. I wouldn’t hold my breath, but stranger things have happened.

That said, at a certain point, King County should really just figure out a way to go it alone on Metro if the state can’t get it together. There always seems to be a next horizon to find. Oh, we’ll push for it in the session. Then they didn’t pass something. Oh we can just wait for the special session. If, as it’s looking like there’s nothing, I’m sure we’ll hear to just wait until the regular session come January. Etc. Etc. But we need to not have cuts.

[Read more…]

Since I mostly exit at the rear these days, I’ve had less of a chance to say “thank you” to the bus drivers. But when you exit from the front, it’s still a nice ritual. I’m sure it’s mostly rote for the people who say it, but it is a nice reminder that they conveyed us to work, or to go shopping, or to have some fun, and that we are thankful for that. They tend to do a good job of it.

There are so many jobs in the city that make it work that are thankless. It’s nice that there’s one that literally isn’t.

In the state Senate race that N in Seattle wrote about before the election, the Republican won. So, congrats to Jan Angel. I’d have preferred if she lost, but sometimes the person I want to win doesn’t. You know who’s really happy about that result though? Rodney Tom (Trib link).

“When everybody thinks they’re that 25th vote, well, they’ve got leverage,” Tom said. “It just makes it a lot more difficult.”

Seriously. He said that. Rodney. Tom. Said. That!

You know what? I’m really sad for Rodney Tom, everybody. How could he have predicted that in a caucus there might be people who are willing to blow the whole thing up? How could he have known that whiny entitled assholes might destroy a caucus to get what they want?

Just think of how a few years ago when Lisa Brown was trying to figure out a budget, if she’d realized, like Rodney Tom said:

“When everybody thinks they’re that 25th vote, well, they’ve got leverage,” Tom said. “It just makes it a lot more difficult.”

Just think when Ed Murray was trying to keep the majority that the Democrats had won at the polls if he’d had advice like:

“When everybody thinks they’re that 25th vote, well, they’ve got leverage,” Tom said. “It just makes it a lot more difficult.”

Honestly, Rodney Tom complaining about the possibility of defections in a caucus is so not self aware that nematodes read that and roll their eyes.

So now that Seattle is going to have a mixed districts and at large City Council, I wonder how it’s going to shake out. I linked this morning to a piece in this morning’s Open Thread on some of the possible political ramifications of that vote. But I’m also curious about what this might mean for how the city is governed. Are there going to be committees that are chaired by at large or, specific districts?

Just looking at the list of committees, it seems like the Central Waterfront, Seawall, and Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program, the South Lake Union, the SR 520 Project, the Town Hall, and the Yesler Terrace committees would be chaired by people who represented those specific geographic areas. You could also argue that there are some that might be downtown heavy like Public Safety, Civil Rights, and Technology and some that are less so like Parks and Neighborhoods, although obviously there is crime and are parks in all of the districts. There also might be some things that make more sense to be chaired by an at large person: Transportation, City Light Strategic Plan, or the Budget committee.

Also, I wonder how constituent services will work. Presumably most people will go to, or be directed to, their individual council member like happens in Congress or the legislature now. But will the at large members have constituent services related to their committees or just if people aren’t interested in going to the person who represents their district?

– I’m pretty amazed that the requirement in the health care law that men and women pay the same is the hill the GOP have decided to fight on.

– Congrats to Whatcom County on electing anti-coal export terminal candidates (Seattle Times link).

– I think the fallout from the district elections will be interesting. Erica C. Barnett teases out some of the political implications.

– I liked reading about Jeff Merkley’s role in ENDA.

– I think I knew the date that the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapsed, but 1940, on this date seems ludicrously recent in my mind.

– Flying is safe.