The Seattle Times’ Danny Westneat calls insurance industry lobbyist cum CEO cum senate candidate Mike McGavick on a subtly divisive bit of campaign sloganeering:
The other day, McGavick was speechifying in Spokane when he tossed out this odd quip: “I like to say I was born in Seattle when you weren’t embarrassed to say you were from Seattle.”
To concisely paraphrase Westneat… “Huh?”
I was born and raised in Philadelphia, a city that — thanks to its second-best proximity to the nation’s economic and political capitals (not to mention the legendary W.C. Fields) — has become a national icon of civic self-deprecation. Thus, as a relative outsider I have always found the typical Seattleite’s profound sense of civic pride to border on boosterism. I’ve often quipped that the secret to Philadelphia being one of the nation’s most affordable and livable big cities, is that unlike Seattleites, Philly-natives aren’t constantly trying to convince out-of-towners to move there and ruin it. Philadelphia is indeed a great city, but shhhhhh… that’s our little secret.
Of course, Seattle is a great city too, and Westneat’s take rings true to a 15-year transplant like me.
No, Seattle is so lacking in things to be embarrassed about that, ironically, it’s created the most embarrassing thing about us
My guess is that McGavick may hate Seattle for the same reason every non-Seattle resident of Washington hates Seattle: the city thinks it is the center of the universe and the rest of the state exists for its benefit.
Seattle: The “San Francisco” of WASH State [Get it?]
Off-topic, but I just wanted to share that I’ve been live-blogging the Senate discussion of HB 2661, available here.
I’ve paraphrased the main points, so enjoy!
Liberal Democrat Cities: San Francisco, Seattle, Harare, Philly, and Detroit. [All Democrat controlled, and all jokes!]
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The city of New Orleans could lose up to 80 percent of its black population if people displaced by Hurricane Katrina are not able to return to damaged neighborhoods, according to an analysis by a Brown University sociologist. [Now THIS is a horrible thought for a Democrat pol in New Orleans. Get the buses ready!!]
1, 2, & 4… whereas ironically exactly the opposite is true. we export our tax dollars to the rest of the state. Their Wal-Mart crap passes through our Port beating the hell out of our roads, the brighter of their kids come here and pay in-state tuition. Eastern Washingtonians may have a romantic ideal of being Wyoming, but they’re not. They need to get over it.
JCH has a gigantic crater where his brain ought to be.
So must Mc Gavick obviously.
Hmmmm…how bad’s he gonna lose? How ’bout a pool.
Poster Child: Of course the Port of Tacoma is meaningless in your arrogant view, the interstate highways mean nothing,and the other colleges in universities around the state don’t matter at all. You have just displayed what everyone outside of Seattle hates: the terrific arrogance Seattle displays.
Take the advice you gave Eastern Washington and get over yourself!
The question is why do all republicans hate AMERICA, let alone Seattle!
yossarian: You’re a moron.
Thanks
-McGavick may hate Seattle for the same reason every non-Seattle resident of Washington hates Seattle-
God, you are slow, Yossarian. McGavick IS from Seattle.
This Yossarian creep sure seems to be feeling the McGavick love! Sign him up, Mike The Insurance Salesman!
It’s funny when the Angry White Conservatives from outside Seattle (and the angry white guys inside city limits at SP) always complain, bitch and whine about Seattle. But, no matter how far out in the sticks or suburbs they live, when somebody from out of state asks them where they’re from, they say “Seattle.”
And, no, Youssuckian, we Seattlites don’t arbitrarily deem ourselves as “the center of the universe.” None of us would ever pretend to take credit for the fact that Seattle IS an important economic engine, retail center, jobs base, and cultural/arts center.
And try asking a Bellevue resident how they feel about their city. They will probably tell you they wouldn’t live anywhere else, and that it’s the center of their universe.
Funny how hometown pride works. Too bad you right wingers always have to find doom and gloom with just about everything (SP is just a big angry whine-fest today!)
PS- It won’t be long before Mike The Insurance Salesman starts shooting pictures in front of the Space Needle like George Nethercutt did….
“Folks, I may be from Seattle, but I hate fags and blacks and jews and libruls and the ragheads as much as you do,” said McGavick, during his swing through Eastern WA.
Sorry, Mike, you don’t get to launch your campaign here and then tour the state pissing on us.
-You have just displayed what everyone outside of Seattle hates: the terrific arrogance Seattle displays.-
That chip on your shoulder is really weighing you down, Yossarian. Maybe you have low self-esteem?
No, really, Yossarian is just a Kevin Carns wannabe.
Times are tough for the neoconvict suckups around here. . .they have another Ellen Craswell disaster brewing with Salesman Mike. . .they can see it coming and are getting more shrill.
Ted Stevens, and his surrogate,Bundy, will just be the cherry topping on the Sundae.
Except for diehard Republicans who see all matters through a political prism, and who hate Seattle for its liberal politics, the purported statewide distaste for Seattle is simply not true. Most people from eastern Washington (and I grew up there myself) love coming to the city for Seahawks or Mariners games, for cultural events, for shopping, or just to get a feel for a big, cosmopolitan city. I would venture that most Washingtonians would talk proudly of Seattle if asked about the city while abroad. McGavick’s comment is divisive and short-sighted; he wants to represent the whole state, yet belittles our biggest city? He’s a political panderer with a puny mind, and, thus, characteristic of the bulk of Republican politicians.
At the best of times, Safeco Insurance only has a middlin’ favorability rating locally.The concept of a Manchurian Candidate furthering their corporate agenda is truly out to lunch.
HOUSTON – Eight New Orleans gang members who came to Houston after Hurricane Katrina were arrested in connection with 11 recent killings and other violent crimes, police said Friday. Crime in the Houston area spiked in the last few months of 2005, and police have attributed some of that to Katrina refugees. [Welcome Democrat criminals!! Texas opened the door, and young Democrats walked through to make Texas a more “diverse” community!!!!!!]
McGavick says he wants to bring civility to politics. I suppose next he’s gonna tell us he wants to be a “uniter” too, huh?
I’d just as soon he was a divider. Let Eastern Washington secede. You don’t like us, we don’t like you, let’s draw a state line and then we can get along.
@ 22
We don’t need another Alabama. We have one already.
Kevin Carns @1
Seattle is the center of the universe and exists for the benefit of the rest of the state. Seattleites ship a prodigious amount of money to the provinces to pay for schools and roads used by provincials.
Mike is dead meat – what a horrible kickoff.
ANOTHER GAFF – we all know haow carefully speakers are chosen for such moments. Schedules are tight and each peroson on that stage is there for purpose.
WELL, bigot number two in the fight for gay rights did the invocation. Not Ken the Incoherent, but the guy from Bothell Assembly of God, out spoken religious bigot number two. Fuieten?
Forgtot his hame. He and Ken were pals in putting out all the freakly fundie stuff agains the bill just passed.
Is McGavick already gay baiting? Sending loud signal to the fundies in his party? Yes, I think so, indeed.
Watch Seattle vote 90 per cent for Maria if he keeps it up.
except that Philadelphia’s cover has been blown this year, with a series of articles talking up the city as the new happening destination for tourists and those fleeing Manhattan for cheaper living. so the bubble has consumed us a bit.
nice blog. working the Koufax local bloggers list, to great enjoyment…
Whenever the question is posed “Who’s your daddy?” the only answer for eastern Washington is “Seattle and Western Washington taxpayers, that’s who.” Unless they’d *like* to become Arkansas.
McGavick is running on last year’s script. Maybe Dino can write a new one for him. He came out with a book, didn’t he?
Whenever the question is posed “Who’s your daddy?” the only answer for eastern Washington is “Seattle and Western Washington taxpayers, that’s who.” Unless they’d *like* to become Arkansas.
You know, I’d rather be Arkansas than be Seattle’s bitch. My abusive ex makes more money than I ever will, too, but I’d rather be poor than put up with her crap. Same with Seattle.
I noticed that theere are calls for mandates on a minimum amount of biofuel blends to be put into gasoline sold in this state. THe idea is to promote using local feedstocks for that. I wonder where that is grown? Eastern Washington?
I am the one who often fills up the parent’s minivan, and I noticed on the fuel-tank door, it had a sticker that said: UNLEADED GASOLINE OR E85 FUEL ONLY. Never noticed that before. The Handicap Mobility place they bought it from(My dad was in a Hoveround for the last few years, but quit was not in his vocabulary) never mentioned that.
Mike goes around saying things like this because it gets a good response east of the Cascades. Mike is an opportunist who thinks now is a good time apply for the world’s most exclusive club. It sounds like he’s happy to exploit the wedge issues in this state by fanning eastern Washington’s resentment of King County. It’s a strategy that has worked well for the R’s outside WA, but I doubt it will fly very far here.
21
“Let Eastern Washington secede. You don’t like us, we don’t like you, let’s draw a state line and then we can get along.”
Only if we westsiders get perpetual treaty hunting and fishing rights in eastern Washington.
29
“Mike goes around saying things like this because it gets a good response east of the Cascades. Mike is an opportunist who thinks now is a good time apply for the world’s most exclusive club. It sounds like he’s happy to exploit the wedge issues in this state by fanning eastern Washington’s resentment of King County. It’s a strategy that has worked well for the R’s outside WA, but I doubt it will fly very far here.”
Mike can have the 15% of Washington voters who are eastern Washington Republicans, and welcome to ’em; all statewide elections are won or lost in the Big Three Puget Sound counties.
That’s because those counties have over half the state’s population. The eastern Washington counties have one-fifth of the state’s population, and a third of those are Democrats.
The eastern Washington Republicans are the only reason candidates like Crasswell, Nethercutt, and McGavick get more than 30%.
Why waste blog space on this guy? He has as much chance of becoming a Senator as a white male does of being chosen for the vacant Seattle City Council seat. Dino has a better chance of being declared governor!
Mike is just trying to grow (pander) votes in the same way he ran Slade’s comeback campaign: by beating up on Seattle and dividing the state. Newsflash to Mike: there are a lot of Seattle Seahawk fans in places like Zillah and Richland and Kettle Falls. And one would think that he’d understand that and play to the positive – given his newborn desire to end the division in the Senate in DC. But he ran against his hometown once before, and he clearly doesn’t have it our of his bloodstream.
When does a native son dismiss his own hometown? I don’t get it and I don’t like this guy. I’m proud of where I was born, Seattle, but I am also a proud citizen of this great state, and I’m suspicious of a politician who seeks to divide instead of unite. Jilly
Didn’t take long for McGavick to say anything, to anybody at any time if he believes it will get him votes from that crowd. Consequences, be damned! I want YOUR vote if I’m talking to YOU!
McGavick has it backwards. If he keeps making comments like that Seattle will be embarrassed to admit he’s from here (if most of us aren’t already).