Darryl

WITHOUT addressing specific pros and cons of any of the three statewide initiatives that appear likely to qualify for November’s ballot, it is hard to deny one glaring truth: None are truly grass roots in origin.

Got enough money and a bug up your ass about something? Buy yourself an initiative! It’s easy. It’s fun!

Just ensure the initiative dangles a small, tangible, immediate benefit to voters, and their eyes glaze over with green dollar signs as they unwittingly vote to dismantle the The Commons that they previously supported and put in place. Seriously…it’s a perverse exploitation of human greed.

This year’s prime example is Tim “biggest lie of my life” Eyman’s I-1125, which is likely to qualify for the ballot (maybe today).

The initiative will severely restrict the State’s ability to toll highways AND prevent light rail from crossing on I-90.

An initiative born of a populist grassroots uprising? Hardly. The effort is primarily funded by Bellevue real-estate baron Kemper Freeman, who has contributed over a million dollars to the initiative campaign.

Freeman has a bug up his ass…he doesn’t like light rail or something. So, he is attempting to purchase himself a law.

The law would thwart the will of the voters, who have twice voted to bring light rail to the east side. Freeman sued to stop it, and lost. So now, Freeman will exploit fear of and self-interest over tolling to pass an initiative that will stop light rail—something that voters have made abundantly clear they want.

Yesterday, King County executive Dow Constantine was on KUOW. He pointed out:

“If you shop at Bellevue Square you contribute to [the I-1125] campaign.”

Conversely, you, your family, your friends can choose to take your money elsewhere.

Ultimately, the initiative process itself must be repaired. My first choice for repair is to get rid of paid signature gatherers altogether, as Oregon did in 1935. But Oregon’s current process, passed in 1985, that prohibits signature gatherers being paid per signature would be an okay start.

Until reform happens, the wealthy will retain the privilege of purchasing their own laws.

The G.O.P.’s “top recruits”

by Darryl — Thursday, 7/21/11, 1:24 pm

The National Journal takes a look at Republican prospects to defeat Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) in 2012 (my emphasis):

The biggest news nugget in the otherwise sleepy Washington Senate race this week was the emergence of Scott Stanzel, a former George W. Bush spokesman, as a possible candidate against Sen. Maria Cantwell, who unlike many other Democratic incumbents, looks to be in very solid shape in her 2012 reelection bid. While Washington leans Democratic, Republicans have fielded competitive statewide candidates in recent years. But so far, no one has stepped up to take on Cantwell.

and then, again…

While no major Republican is currently running against Cantwell, the GOP have landed top statewide recruits in the recent years, and have done so this cycle in two other races.

Who are these “top statewide recruits” the article mentions? By “recent years” does the author mean 2004?!? Because, it seems to me, that’s the last time the G.O.P. “fielded competitive statewide candidates” who weren’t incumbents. Namely, Dino Rossi in his close-but-no-cigar gubernatorial bid and Rob McKenna in his U.S. Chamber of Commerce-supercharged victory over Deborah Senn.

Rossi came back a couple of times, but was he a “top recruit” after the self-inflicted damage of the recount contest?

Remember Rossi’s un-statesmanlike quasi-concession speech:

“With today’s decision, and because of the political makeup of the Washington state Supreme Court, which makes it almost impossible to overturn this ruling, I am ending the election contest.”

That statement told voters a lot about Rossi they didn’t know seven months earlier. Can a person really be considered a top recruit after that kind of statement?

Did Mike McGavick ever threaten to become a competitive candidate?

“Competitive statewide candidates?” “Top statewide recruits?”

Where do these silly memes come from?

Take a walk

by Darryl — Wednesday, 7/20/11, 2:47 pm

If you live in Seattle, chances are you can do most of your errands by walking:

Seattle was ranked as the sixth most walkable city of the 50 largest cities in the US, according to Seattle-based WalkScore.com which rates neighborhoods, cities and states to determine how walkable they are.

The site found New York as the nation’s most walkable city, followed closely by San Francisco. Boston, Chicago and Philadephia were the other states [sic] that triumphed above Seattle in the walkability category.
[…]

The top three walkable neighborhoods in Seattle were Denny Triangle, with a Walk Score of 98, and South Lake Union and Belltown, which both received the high score of 97.

Cool graphic of the Day is this this interactive map of Seattle neighborhood walkability scores. Walkability scores for other Washington cities are found here.

Oh…and this interactive map is runner-up Cool graphic of the Day. It allows you to see walkability scores for cities around the country, and you can restrict it to cities that fall within a desired minimum and maximum population size. Nifty.

Drinking Liberally — Seattle

by Darryl — Tuesday, 7/19/11, 4:00 pm

Please join us tonight for drinks, conversation, and dinner at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

We meet at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00 pm, but a few folks show up earlier for dinner.

Last week we had a terrific turn-out for state Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45 LD), who is running for Congress in Washington’s 1st CD, the seat currently held by Rep. Jay Inslee. We also had first-hand reports from folks who attended a public hearing on King County Transit service cuts.

Can’t make it tonight? Drinking Liberally Tacoma meets on Thursday, July 21 at the Hub Restaurant. Starting time is 7:00pm. And with 230 chapters of Living Liberally, including seven chapters in Washington state, chances are good there’s one near you.

A Republican opponent for Cantwell?

by Darryl — Tuesday, 7/19/11, 9:31 am

The AP reports that former Pres. George W. Bush Deputy White House spokesperson and Bush-Cheney ’04 Press Secretary, Scott Stanzel, is mulling over a run against Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA):

Scott Stanzel said Monday he will look at whether to challenge Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell in a race next year. He said he won’t decide until after he gets married in September.

One shouldn’t take lightly the propagandist who (1) helped sell George and Dick’s Excellent Military Adventure, (2) got Bush and Cheney reelected, and (3) managed to keep Bush and Cheney from being impeached or arrested for war crimes. Those are remarkable accomplishments.

On the other hand, many of the PR disasters that made George Bush the most unpopular President ever occurred on his watch.

As a former Bush-Cheney ’04 propagandist, Stanzel leaves behind a trail of statements that, quite frankly, won’t win over the hearts Washington voters. A search of the InnerTubes will reveal appearances of Stanzel attacking Sen. John Kerry that, outside the context of a heated presidential campaign, come off as petty. Likewise, his statements in his role as White House propagandist for Bush/Cheney administration will likely come back to haunt him. Finally, Stanzel has had some participation in the media campaign by ex-Bush administration people against Pres. Obama. That, too, will provide some fodder that will be used against him.

If you recognize the name Scott Stanzel at all, it is probably because he was the campaign manager for Defeat 1098, the group credited with defeating the Washington state high earner’s income tax initiative (I-1098). The up-side for Stanzel is that he has a track record on a “populist” issue in Washington state.

The down side of Defeat 1098 for Stanzel’s potential senatorial bid? In a post Citizens United world, I am imagining the kind of independent campaign that William Gates, Sr. might decide to fund against Stanzel.

Payback’s a bitch!

Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza!

by Darryl — Friday, 7/15/11, 11:50 pm

Thom and Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead: GOP following the Taliban Path?.

ONN: Pope supports gay marriage after meeting charming CT couple.

White House: Ruby Bridges visits with the President and her portrait.

Bill O’Reilly is once again the Worst Person in the World.

Thom with more The Good, The Bad, and the Very Very Ugly.

FAUX’s Eric Bolling is Worst Person in the World.

News Corpse?

Ed and Pap: Murdoch and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Murdoch smacks down FAUX News anchor for mentioning hacking scandal.
Sam Seder: FAUX and Friends claim THEY are victims of hacking.
Stephen: Murdoch’s media empire troubles.
Thom with Adele Stan: Is Murdoch’s empire crumbling?
Olbermann: Will News Corpse scandal spread to FAUX News?
Sam Seder: Rupert Murdoch calls in to clear up this whole phone hacking scandal.
Newsy: Rebekah Brooks Resigns
Young Turks: Will 9/11 hacking bring down FAUX News?
Ann Telnaes: Rupert Murdoch.
Randi and Pap: News Corp could be another Enron
Newsy: Now the FBI is involved.
Olbermann: My Murdoch moment, Part I and Part II

Thom with guest Alan Grayson: Running to get his congressional seat back and why.

White House: West Wing Week.

ONN: Millions irrationally feared dead in minor train accident:

Ed: N. Dakota Republicans demonstrate how callous & hypocritical the GOP is on human suffering.

The Republican Primary Asylum:

Ann Telnaes: Bachmann and Santorum take the pledge.
Maddow: Are you there, Gov. Rick Perry? It’s Me, God!.
Mark Fiore: Mourning in America.
Sam Seder: Bachmann courts Jews…and fails.
Stephen: Michele Bachmann’s and Rick Santorum’s marriage pledge.
Keith and Janeane Garofalo Michele and Marcus Bachmann
Jon on Mrs. Marcus Bachmann’s husband (via Slog).
Young Turks: Michele and Marcus Bachmann on gayness.
Maddow: Rick Perry’s WACKOs lined up for “Day of Prayer”
Lawrence O’Donnell on Newt’s refusal to sign the pledge.
Huntsman: “Guilty as charged” to ending Medicare as we know it
Maddow: The ghost of Senator Ted Kennedy debunks Mitt Romney’s FAT job-creation lie

Thom with The Good, The Bad, and the Very Very Ugly.

Stephen with Dan Savage (via Slog).

Newsy: Could BushCo face criminal investigation?

911 tapes: Young Republicans at Rob McKenna event want some guvment services! (Via Publicola).

Thom: The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is officially recognized.

Ed: Psychotalk from FAUX’s five “brain wizards’.

The Default Standoff:

Ann Telnaes: Republicans refuse to negotiate.
Stephen explains Mitch McConnells scheme to hand the Republican’s nuts over to Obama.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) calls on Republicans to put families over tax breaks for millionaires. (via Howie In Seattle):
Thom: Mitch McConell wants to end democracy???
Lawrence O’Donnell: The Eric Cantor problem
Ed and Pap: The Republicans’ crazy old uncle image.
Blooper: There’s a c**t deficit in America?!?
Jon on Armadebtdon
Republicans say the darndest things: U.S. credit rating not worth saving, says Ron Paul.
Ed: Did Republicans paint themselves into a corner?
Michele Bachmann on “Obama’s Choot-spa. (via Slog).
Keith and Markos Moulistsas on debt ceiling stuff.
Newsy: Pros and cons of McConnell’s plan B
Jon on the debt ceiling debate and the GOP’s job creationism religion.
Sam Seder and Katherine Harris on Michelle and Marcus Bachmann.
Ross and Burbank interview Rep Jim McDermott (D-WA-07) on debt ceiling.
Ann Telnaes: Cantor, the Teaparty and the debt ceiling.
Thom: McConnell says “We The People” should have no voice
SCTV: Michele and Marcus on marriage:

Ann Telnaes: Define rights of CEOs .

Some misguided Minnesota senator is Worst Person in the World.

Thom with even more of the Good, the Bad and the Very, Very Ugly.

Bill-O calls in to The Young Turks.

Ed: Obama trounces Republicans in fundraising.

ONN: Biden introduces a trio of sexy bodyguards.

Thom: The history of “We’re going broke!”

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

Are you ready for the next election?

by Darryl — Friday, 7/15/11, 12:50 pm

Washington state has a primary election on August 16th. Admittedly, the 2011 general election isn’t exactly electoral arena rock. I’ll only be voting on one election—King County Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 1, Judge Position 2, where an appointed incumbent is running uncontested. Still…with mail-in voting, there is never an excuse to not vote. Consider it practice and debugging for 2012.

Is your registration active? Address current? Now is a good time to double check here: verify your registration status, update your home address, check out your voting history, read your voter’s pamphlet, and even find contact information for your current elected office-holders.

Not registered to vote? Register online here. The deadline for on-line registrations is next monday, July 18th. After that, you can register in person through August 8th.

False idols

by Darryl — Thursday, 7/14/11, 10:57 am

Not news: Congressional Republicans are way out of touch with a majority of Americans. In particular, their seemingly religious proscription against raising taxes isn’t a value shared by most Americans.

A new Gallup poll asked respondents on what methods should be used to reduce the federal deficit. There were five answers ranging from “Only with spending cuts” to “Only with tax increases”.

Not surprisingly, almost nobody (4%) opted for “Only with tax increases.” But just 20% said the deficit should be reduced with spending cuts only. Another 30% said “mostly with spending cuts.” And 32% wanted equal doses of spending cuts and increased taxes.

So half of Americans fall on the “mostly–to–all spending cuts” side of things. But “mostly” isn’t part of the ethos of many Congressional Republican. Rather, they have entrenched themselves in a “zero tax increases” mindset, and one they share with but 20% of Americans. To them there is a world of difference between the two options—there is a line drawn that cannot be crossed, lest they commit sacrilege before the eyes of their God (by whom I mean, of course, Grover Norquist).

Common sense, logic, reality, education, hunger, unemployment, investment in the future, the reputation of the U.S., the security of the U.S., the fiscal solvency of the U.S. all be damned! (“Norquist Will be done.”) No tax increases of any type for any reason! (“By the Grace of Grover.”)

It’s not just out of touch with 80% of Americans, when their religion compels them to hurt America, it’s treasonous.

News: Congressional Republicans are out of touch with Republicans. The same Gallup poll looked at the question by party identification:

We see that 68% of Republican respondents will accept tax increases at some level to fix the budget deficit.

In other words, only a quarter of American Republicans worship at the Altar of Norquist.

As August approaches, Congressional Republicans have a big decision to make: Grover or Country.

Pray they choose wisely….

WA Gov 2012: Who is the “education candidate”?

by Darryl — Thursday, 7/14/11, 12:17 am

During his campaign announcement speech, gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna (R) was all about education. The only problem is…he has no way to fund the pricey stuff he proposed:

“Rob McKenna’s $5.76 billion education plan flunks basic math,” said Aaron Ostrom, Executive Director of Fuse Washington, the state’s largest progressive organization. “He’s trying to fool voters with a smoke and mirrors plan that even he himself has labeled ‘hard to fathom.'”

McKenna made two specific and ambitious spending proposals:

Doubling higher education spending from 8 percent ($2.56 billion) to 16 percent ($5.12 billion) of the state’s $32 billion budget, an increase of $2.56 billion.

Growing public education’s share of the budget from 41 percent ($13.12 billion) to 51 percent ($16.32 billion), an additional increase of $3.2 billion.

In total, Rob McKenna proposed $5.76 billion in new spending in just one hour – $600 million more than the budget deficit the Legislature spent nearly five months working to close.

To pay for it, McKenna has two modest proposals…. Regardless of the merits or feasibility of either proposal, combined they would pay for just 13 percent of McKenna’s new spending.

McKenna is also relying on revenue assumptions that don’t pass muster, even with himself. When pushed by several reporters after his speech, McKenna admitted he was also relying on the estimated 13 percent growth in government revenue (approximately $4 billion) for the next biennium.

Big talk…zero chance of realizing it—the math just doesn’t pan out. Man…that McKenna sure has difficulties when it comes to mathematics!

But who do educators actually support? Well, it is a little early to say for sure, but Publicola’s Josh Feit made an interesting observation:

Inslee raised nearly $10,000 from teachers and educators—not the union, just individual teachers, about 30 of them. McKenna has raised just $850 from teachers, a low number for a candidate who’s stumping on education issues.

Two hypotheses:

Educators find Jay Inslee to be the more appealing candidate, and we might expect a roughly similar 10:1 ratio of donations from educators to Inslee:McKenna in the future.
It’s a one-time anomaly. Inslee’s just received a transient surge of donations from appalled math teachers.

Which one is right? Beats the hell out of me. I report, you decide.

Teabaggers like Bachmann are dangerous for our country

by Darryl — Wednesday, 7/13/11, 12:26 pm

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) tells the Republicans to stop acting like children because otherwise real people are going to get hurt:

“The possibility that seniors could be denied Social Security benefits is frightening,” Murray said. “Rather than accuse the President of scare tactics, my Republican colleagues should tell the extreme voices in their own party that it is time to act responsibly.”
[…]

“Senate Republicans have put us in this position by walking away from every attempt at finding a long-term solution to our national debt….They continue to deny that their irresponsible actions will have real consequences for the American people. This is not about bumper sticker politics. This is about real people, who could be hurt if Republicans fail to act reasonably and responsibly.”

In the mean time, presidential wannabe Michele Bachmann says both stupid and crazy things:

“This is a misnomer, that I think the President and the Treasury Secretary have been trying to pass off to the American people, and it’s this: that if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion that somehow the United States will default and we will lose the full faith and credit of the United States…”

“That is simply not true. Revenue will continue to come in to the United States Treasury. It’s merely the President’s obligation and the Congress’s to make sure that the interest is paid on the debt. We’re grateful that revenues are sufficient to be able to pay interest on the debt.”

This is stupid, on one level, because of Ms. “J.D. from Oral Roberts University” mistaken use of “misnomer”. A “misnomer” is an error in naming something, whereas I suspect she wanted to use the word “misunderstanding.”

But it is stupid on another level by the fact that she is misinformed. Since mid-May the U.S. Treasury has been tapping its fiscal buffers—shifting money around between its bank accounts and delaying pension contributions—all this so that the government’s bills get paid.

In August, the buffer runs out. The government will have to borrow money in order to pay all of its bills, because revenues will fall substantially short of the bills owed. And there are no more buffers.

Sure…we can pay military families, pay service on the debt, and a few other things. But about 1/2 of the Government’s bills will go unpaid as of Aug 2. The LA Times runs down the numbers:

In August, the government is expected to collect about $172 billion in revenue and will face about $307 billion in bills, according to an analysis by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank. So, in theory, the government would have the money to pay a little more than 55% of its bills during the month. But which bills to pay? Interest on existing debt comes to just under $30 billion, Social Security checks are $50 billion, Medicare is another $50 billion, payments to military contractors for weapons, fuel and other costs comes to $32 billion and salaries for active-duty military personnel come to about $3 billion. Add in unemployment benefits ($13 billion for the month), and the government would already have run out of money without paying a single civilian employee or running any of its domestic programs, including courts, disaster relief, national parks, veterans benefits or welfare programs.

However you slice it up, some bills will not get paid, and a lot of people will be hurt in the process.

A second, and perhaps the worst, effect will be the long-term impact on bond interest rates:

The federal government has been able to borrow money at very low interest rates because investors around the world look at U.S. government securities as a very safe place to put their money. If the government’s ability to pay its bills came into question, the people who buy bonds almost certainly would demand a higher interest rate. That would ripple quickly through the economy. In a letter to Congress and the president Tuesday, the Business Roundtable, Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders warned: “Treasury securities influence the cost of financing not just for companies but more importantly for mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and student debt. A default would risk both disarray in those markets and a host of unintended consequences.”

Bachmann’s error is believing that a failure to pay your bills on time doesn’t affect your credit rating.

That belief is ignorant. And that ignorance poses a clear danger to our country.

Drinking Liberally — Seattle

by Darryl — Tuesday, 7/12/11, 1:30 pm

Please join us tonight for drinks, conversation, and dinner at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

Tonight we will be joined by state Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45 LD). Rep. Goodman is running for Congress in Washington’s 1st CD, the seat currently held by Rep. Jay Inslee.

We meet at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00 pm, but a few folks show up earlier for dinner.

Special Event: Tonight from 6:00pm to 8:00pm there will be a public hearing on King County Transit service cuts. The meeting will be held in the King County Council Chambers, 516 Third Avenue, 10th Floor, Seattle. If you can make it, please stop by DL afterward and share your experience and insights with the rest of us.

Can’t make it tonight? With 229 chapters of Living Liberally, chances are good that there is one near you.

Best they can do?

by Darryl — Monday, 7/11/11, 1:32 pm

Will the Republicans come up with a credible challenger to Sen. Maria Cantwell for 2012? The topic came up at Drinking Liberally last week, and I’ve been been thinking about it on and off since then. Specifically…who?

Jim Brunner puts together a good analysis. At this point, the big challenge for any potential Republican is money. The clock is running. Cantwell is raising money. Her non-existent Republican opponent isn’t.

Former Washington state Republican Chairman Chris Vance has the political side figured out. (I like how he is able to say reality-based stuff that current Chairman Kirby Wilbur could never say):

“[R]ight now, it’s very much in doubt whether there is going to be a strong candidate.”

“The Republican brand got hammered on the West Coast during the Bush years, and it has not recovered….There are just so many more Democrats than Republicans in Washington state right now — the math just becomes very difficult.”

and

“If a Republican is going to have any chance to beat Cantwell, they have to immediately and sharply distance themselves from the national Republican Party”

Brunner offers three possible challengers: Susan Hutchison, who lost a race for King County Executive to ~~Ron Sims~~ Dow Constantine in 2009, Rep. Dave Reichert, and Port of Seattle Commissioner Bill Bryant.

Not impressive.

Dino! Your party needs you!