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Ryan Blethen trying to explain The Seattle Times’ new feature, Just Fix It, doesn’t do a good job making me want to read it. I’m going to ignore the fact that the title implies simple solutions. And I’m going to ignore that the Seattle Times’ vehement opposition to tax increases means that they don’t really want to have the conversation they say they want to have. No, my problem is even more basic.

The intractable, sophomoric politics that has come to define this era is nothing new. Americans have been dealing with such bursts of dysfunction since the beginning of the republic.

While I don’t like the intractability of today’s politics, it seems that The Seattle Times would oppose the sorts of things that would make our politics more, um, tractable. On the state level, they should eliminate the 2/3 requirement to pass any taxes. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen editorials in favor of that very requirement. Nationally, I’d suggest eliminating the filibuster will tract the hell out of things. In both cases, fundamentally, make our representative democracy more democratic.

But I suspect people like me and the rest of the rest of blogtopia (y!sctp) are part of what he means by “sophomoric” (although he only names cable news). You know, people willing to admit an ideology. People who care more about outcomes than the game. People who say fuck and shit. People who aren’t the right people. People who didn’t have their idealism and ideology sucked out of them at journalism school and then learned the right way to do things with some father figure (sometimes more literally than others) in the business.

No, those of us with our sophomoric notions about how to express ourselves in the absence of our daddy’s newspaper will continue right along.

– I’m not much of a beer person, but the White House homebrew is pretty amazing (h/t).

– Perhaps the oddest thing about the people so eager to cheer the death penalty is that they don’t think the government can do anything right.

– Drug patents.

– The Mariners may be terrible but at least they aren’t going to lose 100 games.

– Boxing is my favorite individual sport, but the standards of sportsmanship escape me.

Last week’s contest was won by Liberal Scientist. It was the location of the “Cheers” bar in Boston.

This week’s contest is somewhere in Washington state, good luck!

Genesis 11:10-24
Two years after the flood, when Shem was one hundred, he had a son named Arpachshad. He had more children and died at the age of six hundred. This is a list of his descendants:

When Arpachshad was thirty-five, he had a son named Shelah. Arpachshad had more children and died at the age of four hundred thirty-eight.

When Shelah was thirty, he had a son named Eber. Shelah had more children and died at the age of four hundred thirty-three.

When Eber was thirty-four, he had a son named Peleg. Eber had more children and died at the age of four hundred sixty-four.

When Peleg was thirty, he had a son named Reu. Peleg had more children and died at the age of two hundred thirty-nine.

When Reu was thirty-two he had a son named Serug. Reu had more children and died at the age of two hundred thirty-nine.

When Serug was thirty, he had a son named Nahor. Serug had more children and died at the age of two hundred thirty.

When Nahor was twenty-nine, he had a son named Terah. Nahor had more children and died at the age of one hundred forty-eight.

Discuss.

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

Olbermann with Ali Soufan on misinformation about success of torture & waterboarding.

President Obama marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Stephen: Michael Moore admits he’s a bigot….

The Republican Primary Asylum:

• Colbert celebrates Ron Paul gaining the coveted ‘shit faced vote’ (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Young Turks: Nicknames for GOP candidates.
• Red State Update: Recapping the CNN Teabagger debate.
• Young Turks: Michele Bachmann’s vaccine problem.
• Young Turks: Huntsman calls Perry treasonous.
• David Schuster and comedian Lizz Winstead on Michele Bachmann’s dubious HPV vaccination claim.
• Olbermann on Bachmann’s bizarre claim about HPV vaccine.
• Sam Seder: Not just Ron Paul…all conservatives say “let ’em die.
• Ed and Pap: Perry and Bachmann — The fringe frauds
• Young Turks: Ron Paul’s DEAD UNINSURED former campaign manager.
• Mark Fiore: Sarah and Michele fillin’ in.
• Thom: Let the uninsured die!
• The Donald had dinner with “Jim” Perry.
• Sam Seder: Conservative secret fears.
• Susie tackles Michele Bachmann.
• Jon on The Teabagger Debate (via Political Wire).
• Olbermann with Alan Grayson: Letting the uninsured die.
• Red State Update: Rick Perry and the rise of the Red State Jackiebaggers
• Sam Seder on The debate.

Roy Zimmerman: My Conservative Girlfriend:

Stephen on FEMA’s waffle house index.

David Schuster and comedian Katie Halper on the revelations in Joe McGinniss’ book about Sarah Palin.

Sam Seder: The future of Libya.

Jon: Obama’s Solyndra scandal.

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

Ann Telnaes: The GOP base.

Anthropogenic Climate Change:

• The last hour of Al Gore’s 24 hours. (h/t Artistdogboy)
• David Mitchell’s Soapbox: Burden of Proof.
• Greenman: Energy efficiency (Part II).

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

Pap: Chamber of Commerce at odds with reality.

Ann Telnaes: GOP bathroom reading.

The PA Plan:

• Sam Seder on PA GOP electoral college plot.
• Young Turks: Republicans fighting electoral college.
• David Schuster and Ian Millhiser on GOP attempts to manipulate electoral college

ONN: Landmark civil rights act made racism slightly less overt.

Glenn Beck is BACK…as Worst Person in the World.

Thom: If you don’t have a job, you’re not free.

Pap: America’s income disparity explained.

Liberal Viewer: California ending the death penalty?

White House: West Wing Week.

The American Jobs Act:

• Jon: The plan.
• Thom: Lunatic Florida Gov. will turn down jobs monies.
• Alyona: Pass the jobs bill? Dream on!
• Ed and Pap: Soulless Republicans will never sign onto jobs bill
• Ann Telnaes: The only job the GOP cares about.
• Stephen: Paul Krugman explains how the government can create jobs

Young Turks: Panic!

Jon on NY’s 9th District.

Sam Seder: FBI investigating Scott Walker?

Thom: Republicans unfazed by 15% of all Americans now poor.

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

The Tacoma Teachers strike is still going on, and that’s the perfect excuse for Lynne Varner to act like a jackass:

By defying a judge’s order to return to work, Tacoma teachers are courting danger. This Seattle Times editorial sums up general public impatience: get back into the classroom and continue to hammer out a good contract.

The first link doesn’t say anything about the judge’s order (it may have at some point). But Judge Bryan Chushcoff did in fact issue a temporary restraining order (pdf). But given #9 “The parties are ordered to return as soon as practical to collective bargaining and shall continue to bargain in good faith throughout out the term of this temporary restraining order” perhaps Lynne will demand fines for the school board. After all, the union lays out clearly:

Tacoma teachers came to the bargaining table with a new compromise contract proposal today.

After keeping teachers waiting 2.5 hours past the scheduled 1:30 pm start time, negotiators for the Tacoma School Board did not offer a proposal. They also failed to offer a response to the teachers’ proposal.

Negotiations ended at 5 pm.

I look forward to Lynne’s post demanding a fine for the administration for not showing good faith. Since the district isn’t working to “hammer out a good contract” she should be upset.

– I make fun of The Seattle Times ed page, but this is quite reasonable.

– The American Jobs Act just got a whole lot stupider.

– Olympians support the Longshoremen.

– Michael Moore shouldn’t have said that.

– Tim Ceis’s state map is a hard bargaining position (#3).

– This open thread dated by request in the last one. I don’t know if I’ll keep it up.

When The Seattle Times headlines an editorial “Timing off for Seattle’s mandatory paid-sick-leave law” perhaps they might hint as to when they’d come out in favor of mandatory paid sick leave. Seems like timing is an issue for them on a lot of issues recently. Their opposition to health care reform was because it’s time to put it on the back burner and focus on jobs. Their opposition to tax increases no matter what is because it’s the wrong time to increase taxes.

I can’t wait until the economy improves and The Seattle Times demands more workplace rules. And they demand tax increases. And they demand even more comprehensive health care reform. I mean unless you think they’re being cynical about the whole thing, and just using the bad economy as an excuse not to do things they don’t want to do.

The forecast is out and it’s brutal. Another $1.4 Billion down. Here are some random thoughts:

• We’ve already cut too far. It’s time to increase taxes. In Washington they’re often regressive and not a great idea in a bad economy. But they’re better than the cuts we’ll have to make.
• I can only imagine what this will do to schools and government services.
• We really need an income tax.
• Maybe I’m wrong, but it sure feels like everyone knew the forecast would be bad before it came out. In the last open thread there was some discussion about how we’d want to forecast more accurately.

– War on Cars

– Market forces are incredibly powerful. It’s amazing what can happen when they’re pushed in a certain direction through regulation.

– It’s time to end the Electoral College.

– Hollywood has run out of ideas.

– I was just telling Darryl at Drinking Liberally, that I probably link to too many bug things in the open threads. This post on zombie caterpillars will have to add to the number.

The House Republicans are upset with the National Labor Relations Board is enforcing the law so the House will have a vote this week on restricting its abilities to close plants, even if those plants were open in states to retaliate against workers. Of course Boeing moving to South Carolina is the proximate reason for this, but anything that helps their corporate masters, the Republicans support.

Still, as long as there are right to work* states and states that respect people’s rights to form a union, there are going to be problems. Companies are going to use the threat, and the fact, of moving to right to work states to extract concessions. So it seems the best solution would be to stop states from becoming so called right to work states. Make sure that there are strong, federal, protections for unions.

[Read more…]

Like a little boy running to his mommy, Rob McKenna is whining, “No fair!” over the fact that he is prevented from raising money during the legislative session. And Jay Inslee isn’t:

We have state rules that we have to follow. We have a fundraising freeze from 30 days before the (legislative) session, through the session, we have to spend a lot more resources in building our contributor list and raising money than a non-state candidate, who doesn’t face what we face under the law, but might want to follow to show they follow spirit the law,”

…McKenna’s spokesbaby, Randy Pepple, sobbed in a semi-incoherent run-on sentence. The PI adds some context:

As a state elected official, McKenna, like state legislators, is barred from seeking campaign funds during any legislative session. The Legislature will return in January for a 60-day session.

Yeah…sure, Rob. Inslee is going to voluntarily abstain from fundraising during the state legislative session. You know, just like Dino Rossi did against Gregoire:

Rossi made up serious financial ground during this year’s legislative session, when Gregoire was not allowed to raise money.

(Of course, the legislative session being in session will do nothing to prevent the Koch Brothers’ and friends from funneling money into the race.)

But, whatever. There is nothing stopping McKenna from raising funds during the legislative session. All he has to do is quit his job. You know, pull a Palin. Then he can raise funds just like Rossi did and Inslee will do. (And as a bonus, McKenna can engage in pathetic whining to his heart’s content…full-time, if necessary!)

But short of McKenna resigning, I can imagine one “remedy” in which Inslee might voluntary give up his fundraising during the state’s legislative session: If McKenna spends weekdays working out of an office in Washington D.C., and commuting back to Washington state on weekends….

Please join us for an evening of politics under the influence at tonight’s Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

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

Can’t make it tonight? There are a bunch of nearby meetings. The Tri-Cities chapter of Drinking liberally meets every Tuesday night. Drinking Liberally Bellingham also meets tonight beginning at 7:00pm. Drinking Liberally Tacoma meets this Thursday, 7:00pm at the Hub Restaurant. The brand new Woodinville chapter of Drinking Liberally meets next Monday at 7:00 pm. Also next Monday, the Olympia chapter of Drinking Liberally meets at 7:00pm.

With 227 chapters of Living Liberally, including thirteen in Washington state and six more in Oregon, chances are excellent there’s one near you.

A couple of months ago, State Auditor Brian Sonntag made the “difficult” decision to not jump into the gubernatorial race. At the time I wrote:

Sonntag is nominally a Democrat, with a track record that includes things like endorsing Republican King County Executive candidate Susan Hutchison, snuggling spooning blowing Tim Eyman, and participating in Teabagger events.

We can only hope that the buzz about a potential Sonntag gubernatorial bid has encouraged some talented people to think about running for the open Auditor seat. And with any luck, they’ll still run, but now against Sonntag. Otherwise, I’m afraid, Sonntag will maintain his grip on the State Auditor’s office…well, until it’s pried out of his cold, dead hands.

Sonntag remains amongst the living. But, apparently, he came up short on a self-performance audit. Today he announced his intention to retire from the position, leaving another statewide open seat—the fourth.

So let’s all follow Dwight Pelz’s lead and thank Brian and wish him well:

“Brian Sonntag’s 35 year record of public service goes nearly unmatched in Washington State. He has been a true state leader, an advocate for the people of Washington, and an independent voice in the Democratic Party. On his retirement from the auditor’s office, we wish him our heartfelt thanks and congratulations.”

I have no idea who will run for the open position. Perhaps Susan DelBene? DelBene has an MBA from the University of Washington. The former tech-sector CEO and Microsoft corporate VP ran unsuccessfully against Rep. Dave Reichert in 2010. She is currently director for the Washington State Department of Revenue. DelBene’s resume looks quite good for the position.

Republicans just don’t bother to put up candidates for the position anymore.

[S]tate GOP spokesman Josh Amato said Monday: “We liked what Brian was doing. We weren’t working on taking him out of office.”

With the office open, however, Republicans expect to have qualified candidates willing to run, Amato said.

Here’s an idea that will add some zest to the race: Republicans should draft Tim “Biggest Lie of My Life” Eyman. Tim should grow the fuck up and compete for a real job. He can then stop his continuous begging for (and occasional theft of) money from his supporters. And he can give up his whoring ways, “servicing” rich donors like Michael Dunmire and Kemper Freeman, Jr. Eyman can go all respectable on us.

On the other hand…maybe Republicans can repeat their 2004 strategy: putting Will Baker on the ballot for State Auditor.

– It’s been discussed in the last thread, but crowds at GOP debates sure do like the idea of people dying.

– Poor Donald Rumsfield.

– For the Children.

– Tacoma teachers vote to strike.

– The beast that kills jobs.

– For some reason.