Last night's King County Executive candidate forum was exactly the sort of opportunity that Larry Phillips, a King County Council Member, was waiting for to drive his biodegradable stake through the heart of Republican Susan Hutchison’s campaign. Town Hall was more than half full—hundreds of people—ready to watch all the candidates running for county executive shred each other’s environmental agenda at a forum sponsored by a coalition of environmental groups. Just last week, Phillips rolled out his “Greenprint,” a set of environmental objectives that he vows to implement as the executive, and he planned to use this platform to challenge Hutchison. One problem, though: Hutchison skipped the forum. Last week, Phillips said that if Hutchison didn’t face off on these issues—addressing his Greenprint—the “silence would be deafening.” But the deafening silence wasn’t the absence of Hutchinson; nobody ever expected her to make an appearance, considering she has skipped almost every forum and dodged the microphone at those she did attend. No, the deafening silence came from the four Democrats on stage (Phillips, County Council Member Dow Constantine, State Senator Fred Jarrett (D-41), and State Representative Ross Hunter (D-48)) when asked to explain how they differ.

In lieu of Hutchison, this was their chance to show us, at least, that they could distinguish themselves from one another. After all, with a closet Republican in the race, whoever gets past the primary will need to eviscerate Hutchison by contrasting issues and calling out her allegiance to the GOP.

The moderator, environmental lobbyist Cliff Traisman, asked Phillips, Constantine, Jarrett, and Hunter to focus on their “visions for the future” and not to “look backward,” but the four men were determined not to address each other. They remained tethered to banal campaign talking points. And even after Taisman asked a final question, “What have you heard tonight that you specifically disagree with?” the men—refusing to spar—told nostalgic tales of growing up as an Eagle Scout, visiting fishing spots, and cavorting at swimming holes.

More after the jump.

They took a few stands, albeit indirectly. For example, Constantine would immediately convert an old rail corridor on the Eastside to make a bike path (instead of using it for a light rail, which he believed should be placed in other areas), whereas Hunter said we should buy the land but study our options. But mostly, they fell back on rehashed rhetoric. Here’s my take their underlying messages:

Hunter: Once we miraculously make government a financially efficient animal, there will be money for all the other stuff.

Constantine: Have I mentioned my work to stop a gravel mine on Maury Island? Yes? Well then let me tell you about the time I worked to stop a gravel mine on Maury Island…

Phillips: I have a Greenprint! My plan has a name!

Jarrett: We can’t do anything until we can prove we can do it; if you elect me, I’ll prove we can do it.

Really, bold leaders? Hutchison is killing all of you with a nearly three-fold lead in the polls. It would be nice to think that our candidates have the conviction, fortitude and wherewithal to articulate just how their policies differ from their competitors—especially when asked what they disagree with. Of course, they want to be polite and indirect, but polite and indirect will not this race win.

While Phillips’s Greenprint is a step in the right direction, it’s of little value if he can’t use it to call out opponents who don’t have a fucking plan. And Constantine needs to show that he can do more than call Hutchinson a Republican; he needs to show us he can explain the differences of his platform from hers—and, in her absence—he needs to distinguish his platform his Democratic rivals.