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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Politics Five Minutes With Frank Chopp

Posted by Eli Sanders on Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 2:28 PM

People are already swinging at each other (and at me) over my article in this week's Stranger, Swinging at the Speaker, which reports on progressive discontent with Representative Frank Chopp in his home district, Seattle's 43rd—and relays threats from labor to back a lefty Chopp challenger in 2010.

Says commenter wellstonewasright:

"Progressive discontent" against the speaker who has kept the minimum wage the highest in the country and just recently presided over the most significant legislative expansion of gay and lesbian civil rights in the state's history? You have got to be kidding me.

Says commenter shaneleopard:

"His campaign coffers would be filled by Wal-Mart, BIAW, and other corporate entities." That's enough for me. Vote him out. We didn't elect Mallahan in Seattle, we can get this guy out too. It's not nearly as impossible as Chopp's supporters would have you believe. If you ignore the your constituencies and don't do something with the power you have, you deserve to lose it.

Chopp was only able to e-mail a statement about the frustration in the 43rd in time for our paper-edition deadline yesterday. But he was eager to talk about his record, and so last night I met up with him at Vermillion on Capitol Hill for drinks and a long conversation.

More to come on this, but for now, here's five minutes of bar time with Chopp: