Slog
News & ArtsTuesday, February 2, 2010
Politics What Goldy Said
Posted by Dominic Holden on Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 11:32 AM
None of the city's opponents in the debate over 520—the governor and chairs of the transportation committees in the state house and senate—live in Seattle. Why can't we get a leg up in the biggest transportation fights of the decade?
Theoretically, the Seattle delegation represents the largest and most powerful political block in the Legislature, and yet they’re either incapable of working together that way, or unwilling to do so out of fear of reinforcing the stereotype that Seattle dominates the state.Well I’ve got news for you: Seattle should dominate the state! This is where the largest chunk of voters live, and this is where an even larger chunk of the wealth (i.e. tax base) resides. Unlike the goddamn U.S. Senate, we elect all our legislators by the person, not the square mile, and so it’s only fair that our population-dense city gets a disproportionate share of state spending and power.
And yet at a time when two major transportation projects threaten to reshape the city for the next half century or more, we can’t even manage to put one of the transportation committees in the hands of a Seattle legislator. We’re pathetic.
Seriously, many of the biggest transportation issues in the state—the downtown tunnel, 520 bridge, I-5 rebuild—are in Seattle, and we're at the whims of Mercer Island, Medina, and Olympia.
1
The thing is, though, Seattle's demographic dominance of the state has been declining for decades -- a century, really. We're less than ten percent of the state's population now, for the first time ever. Seattle is becoming ever less important.
2
Point #1: Beware the backlash of trying to dominate the entire state. Don't forget that Seattle liberals get the support from other liberal state reps and senators. Just ramming through a pro-Seattle agenda could cause serious flaking-off of the majorities that the democrats enjoy in the legislature.
Point #2: Seattle certainly has major projects that need work. However, WA is geographically quite large and there are projects that require incredible amounts of money and are reasonable to fund. The issue has been pretty contentious down in Oly between Seattle legislators and the rest of the state. We need to fund projects outside of Seattle.
Point #2: Seattle certainly has major projects that need work. However, WA is geographically quite large and there are projects that require incredible amounts of money and are reasonable to fund. The issue has been pretty contentious down in Oly between Seattle legislators and the rest of the state. We need to fund projects outside of Seattle.
3
@1 lol. I'll see you one wetlands freeway and raise you light rail on the Mercer Island HOT lanes.
Never forget that November will have the big ganja vote. That will change the landscape in ways noone yet realizes and kill the roads-only plans fast.
Never forget that November will have the big ganja vote. That will change the landscape in ways noone yet realizes and kill the roads-only plans fast.
4
Will, I think that the pot-vote might bring out a very strong reaction from pro AND con P.O.V. Plus, pro-pot people might still fail to actually show up because they're too stoned.
Though I do hope things go the way you're suggesting.
Though I do hope things go the way you're suggesting.
5
Let's put this into perspective: you lose the support of liberal big wheels in Seattle, you might as well color this state red.
Democrats need to pay attention to this fact, since it was Chopp aligning the whole city behind the democrats that notched the legislature into the "D" column firmly. It wouldn't be hard for a cadre of well-funded independents to sink the intentions of every democrat-led initiative of this state by undoing the laces in Seattle and taking away the Dem majority.
All you'd have to do is prove to Seattle that the dems in power are working against Seattle. Which isn't a hard thing to do. At the very least, it'd split the vote in Seattle and at most, it would change the legislature's makeup for years to come.
Democrats need to pay attention to this fact, since it was Chopp aligning the whole city behind the democrats that notched the legislature into the "D" column firmly. It wouldn't be hard for a cadre of well-funded independents to sink the intentions of every democrat-led initiative of this state by undoing the laces in Seattle and taking away the Dem majority.
All you'd have to do is prove to Seattle that the dems in power are working against Seattle. Which isn't a hard thing to do. At the very least, it'd split the vote in Seattle and at most, it would change the legislature's makeup for years to come.
6
@1 - True, but Seattle has 200x more people than Medina, and 25x more than Mercer Island. I'd hate to think they have as much or more of a say than Seattle.
7
@4 - not to worry, I'm pre-memeing the word stream for them with pro-lightrail messages.
Just remember: Everybody Votes, Nobody Dies.
Just remember: Everybody Votes, Nobody Dies.
8
This is marvelous. And years in the making. Seattle's now chock-full of voters who think of the rest of the state primarily as their own weekend playground and as home to none but mockable buffoons. Positions of significant local power are held by those who won votes pandering to that view.
Now that there's plenty more heat than light (see "pre-memeing the word stream" above) it's the perfect time for a beat-down.
By somebody.
Now that there's plenty more heat than light (see "pre-memeing the word stream" above) it's the perfect time for a beat-down.
By somebody.
9
At least we have the EPA on our side.
Or did you forget the three counties here are all in violation of the EPA standards for global warming emissions AND pollution?
Or did you forget the three counties here are all in violation of the EPA standards for global warming emissions AND pollution?
10
Job 1 for Seattle has to be figuring out how to wield its power effectively. Of course that doesn't mean pissing everyone else off.
But, neither does it mean just bowing down to the whims of everyone else, and ceding our power. We have a responsibility to protect what's valuable to Seattle, a responsibility to drive an urban, progressive agenda.
The State benefits from a strong Seattle.
Our State legislators have long seen themselves as champions of global issues, such as gay rights and global warming. These are important issues, but they can't forget that they've been elected to represent the City as well on mundane things like schools and transportation.
Can you imagine the Spokane delegation sitting on their hands if the State had tried to foist cost overruns on a State project onto Spokane residents? Wouldn't happen; they'd be up in arms, and the City would be suing the State.
Game up, Seattle legislators.
But, neither does it mean just bowing down to the whims of everyone else, and ceding our power. We have a responsibility to protect what's valuable to Seattle, a responsibility to drive an urban, progressive agenda.
The State benefits from a strong Seattle.
Our State legislators have long seen themselves as champions of global issues, such as gay rights and global warming. These are important issues, but they can't forget that they've been elected to represent the City as well on mundane things like schools and transportation.
Can you imagine the Spokane delegation sitting on their hands if the State had tried to foist cost overruns on a State project onto Spokane residents? Wouldn't happen; they'd be up in arms, and the City would be suing the State.
Game up, Seattle legislators.
11
Damnit!!! When I clicked through from my RSS feed I thought this was going to be a post about Goldie Hawn. I am sorely disappointed in myself for not catching the spelling in the headline: Goldy. Sigh...
12
@8: No, please, by all means do devalue the progressive political establishment of Seattle.
I mean, the hard-won progressive measures that were whipped into passage by the likes of Chopp, Pedersen and Murray? Regional measures successfully passed thanks to people like Greg Nickels? And let's not forget Gregoire's victories. And Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.
Gregoire won by a margin of 194,614, less than the number of Dems that voted for her in Seattle. Hm. Funny how that worked.
SB5688 which became Referendum 71? Where are the majority of sponsors from? Oh, Seattle! Hm. Funny.
Who is sponsoring all the progressive measures in Olympia? Oh, right, legislators from Seattle.
Where were all the offices that organized the vast majority of Pro-R71 campaigning? And where did most of the money for this effort come from? Oh, Seattle! Which city had the largest number of pro-R71 voters? Oh, Seattle!
Gosh, sounds like Seattle could screw the rest of the state over and put progressivism at a standstill.
And how do you get that sort of thing going? Agitate the grassroots on places like local newsblogs, flip off local politicians, anger the voters of the city. So maybe folks should take a step back and give Seattle a little more wiggle room before they go off and predict a dire crushing of the Seattle establishment.
If you value being a blue state, that is.
I mean, the hard-won progressive measures that were whipped into passage by the likes of Chopp, Pedersen and Murray? Regional measures successfully passed thanks to people like Greg Nickels? And let's not forget Gregoire's victories. And Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.
Gregoire won by a margin of 194,614, less than the number of Dems that voted for her in Seattle. Hm. Funny how that worked.
SB5688 which became Referendum 71? Where are the majority of sponsors from? Oh, Seattle! Hm. Funny.
Who is sponsoring all the progressive measures in Olympia? Oh, right, legislators from Seattle.
Where were all the offices that organized the vast majority of Pro-R71 campaigning? And where did most of the money for this effort come from? Oh, Seattle! Which city had the largest number of pro-R71 voters? Oh, Seattle!
Gosh, sounds like Seattle could screw the rest of the state over and put progressivism at a standstill.
And how do you get that sort of thing going? Agitate the grassroots on places like local newsblogs, flip off local politicians, anger the voters of the city. So maybe folks should take a step back and give Seattle a little more wiggle room before they go off and predict a dire crushing of the Seattle establishment.
If you value being a blue state, that is.
14
I should add that if folks from the rest of the state think Seattle would lose from us flipping to a red state, they're wrong. We have a robust social services establishment, our schools are aching from state-directed mismanagement, transportation is suffering from a misdirection of funds and planning, we're still the best place for the GLBT community and the elderly, our green initiatives have wide local support and lots of corporate backing, our local government could easily overpower the trucking, shipping and rail authority in this state, our dominance of the tourism market and associated dollars gives us a trump card over the tourism market in the rest of the state (what US city is benefiting the most in raw dollars from the winter olympics, for example? Seattle, by far) and we have the name recognition no other city in the state has-- in fact, most in the country think Seattle is the capital of the state.
And it's not like we have very far to fall in Olympia after the way they've gone gangbusters over Seattle's industries, tax base, tourism, transportation, transit, social services, schools, utilities and more.
The dissatisfaction within Seattle should be a warning to Democrats in power at the state-level, and even the federal-level. A savvy GOP strategist could tie our senate and congressional delegation to Olympia and snatch thousands of votes away, and given how close a theoretical Rossi-Murray race would be, that's not something you want to try. Or a GOP strategist could leave something progressive on the road, like GLBT rights, and use that to scrape away a few votes in the race for Governor ("In Washington State, we feel that individual rights are paramount, so the GOP won't stand in the way of any pro-gay legislation."), and after what happened in 2004, that's another thing you don't want to try. The GOP could retread the "don't let Seattle guide the state" argument and win big.
Washington State benefits from a strong Seattle as Timothy pointed out. On that same token, the state could also suffer while Seattle maintains status quo and keeps its progressive social services and wealth and watches progressives in other parts of the state twist in the wind.
So Washington State, let's play nice, alright?
More...
And it's not like we have very far to fall in Olympia after the way they've gone gangbusters over Seattle's industries, tax base, tourism, transportation, transit, social services, schools, utilities and more.
The dissatisfaction within Seattle should be a warning to Democrats in power at the state-level, and even the federal-level. A savvy GOP strategist could tie our senate and congressional delegation to Olympia and snatch thousands of votes away, and given how close a theoretical Rossi-Murray race would be, that's not something you want to try. Or a GOP strategist could leave something progressive on the road, like GLBT rights, and use that to scrape away a few votes in the race for Governor ("In Washington State, we feel that individual rights are paramount, so the GOP won't stand in the way of any pro-gay legislation."), and after what happened in 2004, that's another thing you don't want to try. The GOP could retread the "don't let Seattle guide the state" argument and win big.
Washington State benefits from a strong Seattle as Timothy pointed out. On that same token, the state could also suffer while Seattle maintains status quo and keeps its progressive social services and wealth and watches progressives in other parts of the state twist in the wind.
So Washington State, let's play nice, alright?
15
"Not to worry, I'm pre-memeing the word stream for them".
God help us all.
@6, yes, but Medina PLUS Mercer Island plus all the other cities just in King County are more than twice Seattle's population, to say nothing of the other counties in the region. Seattle contains a minority of state Democrats, even. And, while Baconcat is correct about our preeminent position -- whoo hoo, we're number one -- we are outnumbered in every other way. The economic and demographic power of the state is decentralized now.
This is one of the ways regions fall to bits -- a preeminent but minority center at odds with a larger group. The group (Washington, Puget Sound, or just King County) ends up starving the center.
God help us all.
@6, yes, but Medina PLUS Mercer Island plus all the other cities just in King County are more than twice Seattle's population, to say nothing of the other counties in the region. Seattle contains a minority of state Democrats, even. And, while Baconcat is correct about our preeminent position -- whoo hoo, we're number one -- we are outnumbered in every other way. The economic and demographic power of the state is decentralized now.
This is one of the ways regions fall to bits -- a preeminent but minority center at odds with a larger group. The group (Washington, Puget Sound, or just King County) ends up starving the center.
16
I love that the state thinks it needs to take Seattle transportation plans out of Seattle's hands, when Seattle a) supplies most of the tax revenue that will fund the plan; b) the stuff from the feds has nothing to do with the state; c) people using the bridges will pay the tolls, and largely be locals who should have a say in it.
18
@17, if that's what you got from what I wrote, you're even dumber than usual for unregistered commenters. Which places you in the same category as "concrete blocks".
19
All hail the God King!
We must bow down and prostrate ourselves.
Excuse me while I slip a knife into my hand while doing so.
We must bow down and prostrate ourselves.
Excuse me while I slip a knife into my hand while doing so.
20
@15: Assuming, of course, that the region/state/etc. isn't already trying to cut Seattle out of the process. The irony of your remarks is that 520 in particular is an example of everyone doing just that. It's also evident in tax measures that favor mid- and small-sized cities, which is every city BUT Seattle. It also appears in social service measures that necessitated social services specific to Seattle to cover an inadequate level of state support.
Politically speaking, we do hold a lot of power as a politically vocal voting base with a firm stranglehold on liberal advocacy groups and media but I will be the first to concede that it isn't manifested in any effective way currently and for the forseeable future, which is why I'm just flagging a major reminder right now to the dems in power. It happened after Seattle voters got fed up post-Royer and it could happen again soon.
I think democrats in olympia are walking a tight rope, but they can't slap Chopp around for too long without the sting trickling down to his supporters.
Politically speaking, we do hold a lot of power as a politically vocal voting base with a firm stranglehold on liberal advocacy groups and media but I will be the first to concede that it isn't manifested in any effective way currently and for the forseeable future, which is why I'm just flagging a major reminder right now to the dems in power. It happened after Seattle voters got fed up post-Royer and it could happen again soon.
I think democrats in olympia are walking a tight rope, but they can't slap Chopp around for too long without the sting trickling down to his supporters.
21
@15 Fnarf…while it's true that the outlying populations outnumber Seattle, I think there's yet a strategy by which we can turn the game of divide and conquer onto them.
Within those population centers are signficant numbers of urbanist-wannabes, people who share a progressive agenda, and but for fate, would otherwise prefer to live in such a place as Seattle proper.
I think we can reach out to those people, recruit them to our agenda, and win the day. We do so by being organized and well-coordinated; which, granted, is difficult. But, I think we can reach out to a larger constituency than just what lies in our boundaries.
Within those population centers are signficant numbers of urbanist-wannabes, people who share a progressive agenda, and but for fate, would otherwise prefer to live in such a place as Seattle proper.
I think we can reach out to those people, recruit them to our agenda, and win the day. We do so by being organized and well-coordinated; which, granted, is difficult. But, I think we can reach out to a larger constituency than just what lies in our boundaries.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
Hating People Doesn't Make Them Thinner by Jen Graves
-
Los Angeles Gay Bar Bans Bachelorette Parties Until Marriage Equality Is Attained by David Schmader
-
Fill in the Blank by Grant Brissey
-
This Reminds Me of the Great Calculator Scare of the Late '70s/Early '80s by David Schmader
-
Idiot Tries to Defend Bigoted Anti-Gay-Marriage Preacher on Anderson Cooper by Paul Constant
-
Six Moms with Too Much Time on Their Hands and a Shitty Website Decide to Fight Gay Superheroes by Paul Constant
-
What the Hell Is Wrong With Seattle's Pride Parade? by Dominic Holden
-
The Saturday Morning News by Unpaid Intern
-
Why Mayor McGinn's Wife Canceled Her Family's Seattle Times Subscription by Eli Sanders
-
NYC Man Ticketed for Not Riding in the Bike Lane by Jonathan Golob
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (21) RSS