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News & ArtsThursday, August 20, 2009
Politics Do The Right Thing, Greg
Posted by Dan Savage on Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 9:51 AM
Concede.
Even if you manage to make it through to the general election, Greg, you've already lost. And you know it. It's over. Seventy-five percent of Seattle voters choose Someone Else. The only outstanding question—whether you make it through to the general election or not—is which Someone Else is going to be our next mayor. If you do manage to make it through to the general election, Seattle voters won't really have a choice. It'll be that Other Guy, whoever the Other Guy is. But if you do the right thing and concede now, you'll be telling Seattle voters that want them to have a real choice in November, a choice between those two Other Guys, McGinn and Mallahan.
You'll get points for gracefully accepting defeat, Greg, but only if you concede now, while the votes are still being counted. You'll be showing Seattle voters that, even at this painful moment, you're capable of putting their interests before your own because you want us to have a real choice this November. You'll look less like a loser and more like a class act—but, again, only if you concede now, before the votes are in. You're on your way out. You've already lost. Go out on a high note.
Concede.
1
75% choose someone other than mcginn or mallahan. 80% choose someone other than Dow.
Nickels is the best choice out of this sorry lot and I hope he wins.
Nickels is the best choice out of this sorry lot and I hope he wins.
2
How can we miss him if he never leaves? I'm glad that MOFO has lost, can't stand him, good riddance.
3
i actually think greg stands a much better chance in the general election .... IF he makes it.
i think people are more likely to vote for their favorite in a primary, but that nickels will get much of the other candidates votes in the general... not only that, but some people may have thought he was a shoe-in before. finally, people seem to take the general election a little more seriously, which will lead to more voters and more emphasis on incumbents and experience.
mcginn, for instance, probably has his 30% or so, but may have a difficult time widening that support base.
eh, these are just some passing thoughts. were i in his shoes, i'd still think i had a pretty good chance.
i think people are more likely to vote for their favorite in a primary, but that nickels will get much of the other candidates votes in the general... not only that, but some people may have thought he was a shoe-in before. finally, people seem to take the general election a little more seriously, which will lead to more voters and more emphasis on incumbents and experience.
mcginn, for instance, probably has his 30% or so, but may have a difficult time widening that support base.
eh, these are just some passing thoughts. were i in his shoes, i'd still think i had a pretty good chance.
4
Greg would love to respond right now but he is in an eating contest with Mike McGinn and can't take your call.
5
@4, it's not an eating contest, it's a flatul-off - who can make it silentest but deadliest after cabbage and pierogi at the Polish Home?
My money's on McGinn. I've been in a lot of closed-door meetings with him. Not pleasant in the mornings, lemme tell ya.
My money's on McGinn. I've been in a lot of closed-door meetings with him. Not pleasant in the mornings, lemme tell ya.
6
I agree that it doesn't look good for him, but it's not over. None of the three is guaranteed a slot in the final two. It seems likely that people who voted for someone other than Nickels will continue to do so in the general election, but it's far from certain.
Even if he does win, he's fatally wounded, of course. And he's not going any further; can you imagine him winning a congressional seat now? I can't.
Even if he does win, he's fatally wounded, of course. And he's not going any further; can you imagine him winning a congressional seat now? I can't.
7
Dan -
I don't see a provision in Washinton election law that would allow him to withdraw from the contest at this point. I believe the applicable section is 29A. Could you cite the appropriate section?
29A appears to state that once you are on the ballot, the top 2 move on no matter what. ???
I don't see a provision in Washinton election law that would allow him to withdraw from the contest at this point. I believe the applicable section is 29A. Could you cite the appropriate section?
29A appears to state that once you are on the ballot, the top 2 move on no matter what. ???
8
I almost never comment about Seattle politics, but I agree with @3. Why would he concede? As in-frequent said, everything points to him having better odds in the general if he makes it through. What would conceding now even do for him that a graceful "I lost, but was happy to have served you as mayor" speech in two weeks couldn't?
Just because you want someone to concede, doesn't mean that it makes sense for them to do so. The only logical thing for him to do is to wait it out. If he's #1 or #2, then the voters preferred him to the other candidates and he should move on. If he's #3, he should give a nice farewell speech and wish the other two well.
Just because you want someone to concede, doesn't mean that it makes sense for them to do so. The only logical thing for him to do is to wait it out. If he's #1 or #2, then the voters preferred him to the other candidates and he should move on. If he's #3, he should give a nice farewell speech and wish the other two well.
9
yeah. al franken and christine gregoire should've conceded, too. why even count votes when there are editorial endorsements.
11
what does the Monorail, something that Seattle voters approved of THREE motherfucking times before the Developers/Downtown business interests killed it, have to do with THIS?
12
And of course, concede to make Dan, old buddy Dan, to make him feel good.
Hah.
The question really is, what does Dan know about the other two that wants Nickels out now -- before the scandal breaks?
Mc Ginn is a fattie too, that third guy looks sleeker than the other two.
Mayor Mc Cheese Fattie may become the de facto title of all future mayors. Suffer unto the derisive crowd.
Nickels will not concede and in fact is now poised to play king maker .. HAH Dan, did you think of that?
In the poison pit primary he has his 30 per cent solid following - he is out -then who get them? Same for Drago?
Who, don't bet on Mc Fattie Quinn, who wants to squelch ten years of pro tunnel by bothe Drago and Nickels.
No tunnel may have gotten McFattie Quinn in the game, now it might wash him OUT in Nov.
Whew, who could have predicted ...
Hah.
The question really is, what does Dan know about the other two that wants Nickels out now -- before the scandal breaks?
Mc Ginn is a fattie too, that third guy looks sleeker than the other two.
Mayor Mc Cheese Fattie may become the de facto title of all future mayors. Suffer unto the derisive crowd.
Nickels will not concede and in fact is now poised to play king maker .. HAH Dan, did you think of that?
In the poison pit primary he has his 30 per cent solid following - he is out -then who get them? Same for Drago?
Who, don't bet on Mc Fattie Quinn, who wants to squelch ten years of pro tunnel by bothe Drago and Nickels.
No tunnel may have gotten McFattie Quinn in the game, now it might wash him OUT in Nov.
Whew, who could have predicted ...
13
@1, @9 - When you're the incumbent and you can't scrape together a majority to win, the people don't want you. They may disagree at this stage about who's going to replace you, but throwing you out - that's already been done. Them's the facts.
14
that picture of Greg paired with your statment all came off kinda mean...not that I am a fan of the guy, but for some reason your post made me feel bad for him
17
Don't feel bad for this mayor. He's got some fat paycheck waiting for him from one of the developers he's made stinking rich by tearing down so much of our lovely city. Don't let the door hit you in your fat ass Mr. Mayor.
19
who gives a shit what Dan thinks
and what in fuck does he know about 'grace' or 'class act'?
and why is it necessary to concede before the votes are totaled?
politics is not buttsex.
please STFU.
and what in fuck does he know about 'grace' or 'class act'?
and why is it necessary to concede before the votes are totaled?
politics is not buttsex.
please STFU.
20
If Nickels concedes, he'll also have to give up his slot as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors once his term expires (which I'm guessing he will have to do anyway if he doesn't make it to the general). You know, the position he walked through a union picket line to accept?
Karma's a real bitch, ain't it Greg?
Karma's a real bitch, ain't it Greg?
21
Ahahahaha are you shitting me, Dan?
A post like this may be appropriate down the line but as close as the cumulative margin between all three candidates is right now, and given many early voters were gung ho pro McGinn... it's very premature. Can you at least wait until the ballots are 90% counted and we're certain the margin of defeat is beyond scaling before you post something like this?
A post like this may be appropriate down the line but as close as the cumulative margin between all three candidates is right now, and given many early voters were gung ho pro McGinn... it's very premature. Can you at least wait until the ballots are 90% counted and we're certain the margin of defeat is beyond scaling before you post something like this?
23
I nominate this post of Dan for the dumbest post of the year. For someone to concede when they're less than 1% behind with thousands of ballots left to count would be dumb. Dan, go back to licking doorknobs in Iowa, k?
24
Forget it, Dan. And guess what - even if Nickels doesn't make to the final, there are lots of people - like me - who will write him in in November.
25
The sooner he leaves and takes a DC or NY job, the sooner we can talk about all the positive green things he got other mayors and even countries to do.
But he has to leave before we make him do it.
Show grace in losing, Greg - it works a lot better than being a petulant schoolboy.
But he has to leave before we make him do it.
Show grace in losing, Greg - it works a lot better than being a petulant schoolboy.
26
@11 - four times. We voted down both stadiums and the tunnel before they forced us to pay for them, and we voted five times on the Monorail.
Time for a sixth vote! Surface Plus Transit Plus Monorail!
Time for a sixth vote! Surface Plus Transit Plus Monorail!
29
I chose the person I wanted to see run against Nickels, I now regret not just voting for Nickels. I wonder how many others did the same?
30
He's within 2 percentage points of the race leader. He's not going to concede until ballots have been hand-counted.
Stick to the gay agenda, Dan.
Stick to the gay agenda, Dan.
34
A concession speech is supposed to come after you lose. Once the votes are tallied and the numbers are presented, and you lose, you then concede that you lost. If the votes aren't finished being counted, there's always a slim chance Nickels could win. Concede losing, not that you're getting less votes than you want. Let the 25% of people who voted for Nickels have their say
If a dead guy can win a senate seat, Greg Nickels should at least be able to wait out seeing if he actually lost before conceding. I'm still pissed at Gore for conceding before the votes were tallied fully.
If a dead guy can win a senate seat, Greg Nickels should at least be able to wait out seeing if he actually lost before conceding. I'm still pissed at Gore for conceding before the votes were tallied fully.
35
rewrite desk!
you'll be telling Seattle voters that ...YOU... want them to have a real choice in November
you'll be telling Seattle voters that ...YOU... want them to have a real choice in November
36
Dan,
The signatures for R71 are still being counted but the writing is on the wall.
The measure will make it to the ballot.
And win.
But if you do the right thing and concede now, you'll get points for gracefully accepting defeat, Dan, but only if you concede now, while the votes are still being counted. You'll be showing Washington voters that, even at this painful moment, you're capable of putting their interests before your own. You'll look less like a dickhead and more like a class act—but, again, only if you concede now, before the votes are in. You're on your way out. You've already lost. Go out on a high note.
Concede.
The signatures for R71 are still being counted but the writing is on the wall.
The measure will make it to the ballot.
And win.
But if you do the right thing and concede now, you'll get points for gracefully accepting defeat, Dan, but only if you concede now, while the votes are still being counted. You'll be showing Washington voters that, even at this painful moment, you're capable of putting their interests before your own. You'll look less like a dickhead and more like a class act—but, again, only if you concede now, before the votes are in. You're on your way out. You've already lost. Go out on a high note.
Concede.
38
if by "do the right thing, greg" you mean throwing a trashcan through the window of Sal's Pizzaria, I'm all for that.
39
this post is FOS. should gregoire have conceded?
if greg ekes out 2nd place, he'll roll over mallahan and probably mcginn (to my dismay).
if greg ekes out 2nd place, he'll roll over mallahan and probably mcginn (to my dismay).
41
I hope he announces a write in campaign - just to juice it up.
Do it Greg - what a win that would be.
A three way race again - WOW.
Do it Greg - what a win that would be.
A three way race again - WOW.
43
@11:
When you said "business interests" killed the monorail, you forgot to mention that they did by bringing it back to the ballot, where it got slaughtered.
The point is that Dan's saying that people should throw in the towel on an issue when the vote's not going their way, which is a ludicrous point.
Assuming Nickels makes it to the general (a big assumption), I'm not giving up on him until voters have had a chance to learn something about his opponent besides that he is not Greg Nickels.
When you said "business interests" killed the monorail, you forgot to mention that they did by bringing it back to the ballot, where it got slaughtered.
The point is that Dan's saying that people should throw in the towel on an issue when the vote's not going their way, which is a ludicrous point.
Assuming Nickels makes it to the general (a big assumption), I'm not giving up on him until voters have had a chance to learn something about his opponent besides that he is not Greg Nickels.
44
Thank you Mayor Nickels for you dedication, commitment and public service for the last +20 years. We all wish the best for you because you have done more for others than many of us ever will.
I think that is what you meant to say Dan, if you had decided to be classy.
I think that is what you meant to say Dan, if you had decided to be classy.
45
Since someone's already assigned the win, I leave it up to the voters to slam the door shut.
And third place by the Saturday count means it's over, no matter how you slice it, Greg. Go with grace, it works better in the long run.
And third place by the Saturday count means it's over, no matter how you slice it, Greg. Go with grace, it works better in the long run.
47
#37 It's not just snow days. It's the Sonics. It's the harassment of night clubs. It's the harassment of strip clubs. It's his Lake Union special multi-million dollar welfare project for rich friends. Etc., etc., etc.,...
48
give me a break Dan. we have had only 2 drops and there is 50k ballots to count. I think you are getting that sad feeling that McGinn is most likely not going to hold on and Greg will pull it out in the end over him.
And if its Greg and Mallahan -- you would vote for Greg...
And if its Greg and Mallahan -- you would vote for Greg...
49
Greg's lackluster primary campaign has me thinking that his exit was the goal and that whoever becomes Mayor is walking into a trap. There is not enough money to run the city and the new mayor will inherit all of the problems Greg created.
52
"We voted down both stadiums and the tunnel before they forced us to pay for them."
Why do people keep saying this? The Seahawks stadium was approved in a statewide election:
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?Dis…
It was a close call, but it passed.
(I could get nit-picky about the Mariners stadium, too -- what was voted down was a specific tax plan, and that tax plan was not adopted. The actual tax plan they ended up using was never brought to a vote. Personally, I would like to move on from the old "we voted the stadiums down!" meme. It's ancient history. Can we just be bitter about the Monorail now instead for the next few years?)
Why do people keep saying this? The Seahawks stadium was approved in a statewide election:
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?Dis…
It was a close call, but it passed.
(I could get nit-picky about the Mariners stadium, too -- what was voted down was a specific tax plan, and that tax plan was not adopted. The actual tax plan they ended up using was never brought to a vote. Personally, I would like to move on from the old "we voted the stadiums down!" meme. It's ancient history. Can we just be bitter about the Monorail now instead for the next few years?)
54
The way I figure it, 25% of Seattle doesn't want a tunnel built, and all of those people voted for McGinn. 75% of Seattle want the tunnel to be built, and therefore, in the general election, whomever is going against McGinn will get 60-70% of the vote against his paultry numbers.
McGinn needs to get McLost, as Seattle has to at some point pay for the infrastructure to become the world class city it wants to be.
I don't care if it is Nickels or Mallahan... McGinn won't have a chance against either... and thank goodness... for all the transportation woes we have, fixing I-5 won't solve the 520 and I90 mess, nor will it help with any gridlock. That's just plain McStupid.
McGinn needs to get McLost, as Seattle has to at some point pay for the infrastructure to become the world class city it wants to be.
I don't care if it is Nickels or Mallahan... McGinn won't have a chance against either... and thank goodness... for all the transportation woes we have, fixing I-5 won't solve the 520 and I90 mess, nor will it help with any gridlock. That's just plain McStupid.
56
Well, he's one step closer to the abyss, but there's still enough votes on the table that we can't say for certain yet. If the next batch doesn't close the gap, then yeah, he's done.
57
@52 i don't think we let the stadium issue go. we said no to the mariners' stadium, and they tweaked the funding and didn't put it to a vote so they could still do it. that is pretty much the definition of disregarding the voters say. they had to tweak it to avoid legal issues; that does not mean it was a "new" or acceptable plan.
if we forget about it or let it go it will happen again. and that is what i don't want to have happen.
if we forget about it or let it go it will happen again. and that is what i don't want to have happen.
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