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Sunday, August 5, 2012

Media / Election I'm Not Quite Sure the Seattle Times Gets the Whole Democratic Primary Thing

Posted by Goldy on Sun, Aug 5, 2012 at 11:17 AM

The editors at that other paper restate their endorsement of Steve Hobbs:

Hobbs role, including reforms to the teacher-insurance system, has not won him friends from traditional Democratic special-interest groups. That's the point.

Well hell, if the point is to not win friends with Democrats, shouldn't primary voters just cast their ballots for Republican John Koster? Isn't he the least-Democratic-friendly candidate of the bunch?

I mean, I think I know what they mean, but since the real contest on Tuesday is for which Democrat will face Koster in November, this does strike me as an oddly unpersuasive appeal to Democratic primary voters.

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Well, hopefully it's unpersuasive to Democrats and they'll vote instead for a Democratic alternative of of which there are several good choices.

Posted by orrj on August 5, 2012 at 11:23 AM

Great news for Darcy!

Posted by gloomy gus on August 5, 2012 at 11:28 AM

I don't know if you've noticed the past twenty years, but democrats can only win from the center to center left, not the loony left. Unless they're running for president of the Fremont Arts Council.

Posted by Sugartit on August 5, 2012 at 11:36 AM

It is not a Democratic primary it is a top two primary and the Seattle Times wants the two most conservative candidates to advance to November, Koster and Hobbs. I think they get it and they are advocating for what they want.

Posted by ratcityreprobate on August 5, 2012 at 11:43 AM

Hobbs has bragged so much about voting against his caucus this year ir has to make you wonder if he's not ashamed to be a Democrat.

Something is really wrong id he's congressional race doesn't at least win him a substantial challenge for his state senate seat by an unashamed Democrat

Posted by chadshue on August 5, 2012 at 11:44 AM

Their argument is that the interests of special interest groups, particularly the WEA, are not the same as those of Democrats more broadly. You can agree or disagree, but it's disingenuous to claim not to understand the argument.

Posted by Big Sven

on August 5, 2012 at 11:45 AM

damn.
what an editorial journalistic genius our little Goldy is....

Posted by HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!... on August 5, 2012 at 12:16 PM

Thank you, Big Sven. Please see Lawrence Lessig's talk at Town Hall last fall. David, the important part of that sentence you quoted is " special interest groups." What you and other political entertainers don't seem to understand that while purity feels good, it doesn't solve problems in a heterogenous society. And if I had any question about the inability to solve problems ... well, I lived through workmen's comp last year and watched as it became a veritable food fight, divorced from any true sense of the problem or how to solve it. Steve Hobbs is trying very hard to be part of the group that actually wrestles with the problem and tries to figure out a fair (and balanced in the Democratic direction) solution to things. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOYI1nUhX…

Posted by debo on August 5, 2012 at 12:19 PM

Maybe we should simply elect a computer program that will vote exactly like the majority of the other Democrats. I thought you guys were interested in changing the status quo.

Posted by prompt on August 5, 2012 at 3:23 PM

"Steve Hobbs is trying very hard to be part of the group that actually wrestles with the problem and tries to figure out a fair (and balanced in the Democratic direction) solution to things."

And yet his health care bill did nothing of the sort, had no actuary who would speak up for it, and was filed solely to fuck with the teachers, who Hobbs hates. What a winner!

Posted by TheRain on August 5, 2012 at 6:05 PM

Did the Seattle Times lay off all their copy editors? The writer was so unsure about how to form the possessive of "Hobbs" that the apostrophe was omitted entirely.

("Hobbs's role... has not won him friends...")

Posted by rob!

on August 5, 2012 at 9:29 PM

Ha ha! That's sort of like how people say they want a representative democracy, and then complain that a politician pays too much attention to the polls. Sure, we all want them to take bold, principled stands on tough issues-when the principled stand is based on our own individual principles. If they're based on the guy standing next to you, that's another matter.

Or when people suggest that something done by the Legislature or the Executive is "purely political". Everything a politician does in their job is political. That's why we call their job "politics". It's sort of like how we call what a cook does "cooking". What else do you expect a politician to do when they're on the floor of the legislature? Recite poetry?

Posted by Tacoma Traveler on August 5, 2012 at 9:35 PM

TheRain: You are part of the problem. Unfortunately, initial legislation is usually horribly flawed (a problem that both parties ought to think about) and deserves lousy press. The situation that motivated the legislation is often valid ... but hasn't had adequate analysis or discussion of options and alternatives. You still have a hell of a lot of families in education paying far too much for their health care, while some single teachers get by with zero premiums -- because the issue became too political (Premera and WEA lobbyists out in full force!). In a society that is supposedly striving for equal opportunity and benefits, that's a hard situation to defend. Unless, of course, you simply dismiss the whole thing by announcing that Hobbs hates teachers. Simplistic, untrue, a distraction from the actual issue ...but, boy, it made you feel good, huh?

Posted by debo on August 6, 2012 at 8:54 AM