Comments

1
These maps all tell a much more accurate story of Seattle politics than one usually reads in the media. McGinn was excoriated for his positions and his attitude but what this suggests is he wasn't confrontational enough when it counted - specifically, with the cops. The #1 rule of politics in the 21st century is "never alienate your base," but McGinn did that when he chose to argue with the DOJ over the details of reform. Had he just gone alone with the DOJ's first proposal he'd have been seen as a leading reformer and probably would have held onto enough votes in Cap Hill/CD to win.

This map also shows the crucial importance of West Seattle. McGinn did not focus much of his campaign work there, but had he done so he might have been able to eke out a win.
2
In your image of Seattle, there are only dowdy old moneybags from the days when the Nordstroms sold mining equipment, and high tech libertines. There are no middle class. There are no immigrants. There isn't anyone who is not white and riding a bicycle or driving a Volvo.

Even KIRO, KING and KOMO have reports from Federal Way nowadays.

But not SLOG.

3
I wonder how much of an effect Murray's leadership in passing gay marriage affected the outcome. He was almost a folk hero among gay rights activists.
4
@1 "This map also shows the crucial importance of West Seattle."

West Seattle is 12% of the city's land mass and 15.7% or so of it's population. It was historically easy to ignore us as we were among the lowest contributors, per capita, in spending money to buy politicians. Since we did not bribe the City Council and Mayors like certain downtown and development interests did, we were overlooked. Not so much now, that we're organizing more, and with districts.
5
@2: Federal Way as far as I know, has fuckall to do with politics in Seattle. Babble babble babble, that's all that comes from you.
6
So, in other words, the Downtown backed fake War On Cars meme used by all the media except weeklies worked.
7
Sawant talked about citizens being able to afford to live in the city. Murray talked enough about that to pull votes away from McGinn. McGinn talked about a livable city, I guess it could have been any city. It's difficult for one person, or 9 people in chorus, to articulate how policy could be applied to different parts of the city in different ways when so much of the policy attention appeared to be focused on a few of the usual places.

And about 65% of the city wanted the council broken up into districts so that 9 people were not setting policy based on an abstract idea of the city, but were having arguments on policy based on observable facts seen by representatives from each district.
That's about the best thing to happen to Seattle that I can think of. The stagnation downtown that nobody but people downtown give a shit about has paralyzed the neighborhoods.

The "winning" themes were, as stated above, a city council challenger, a mayoral challenger, and a charter amendment that pointed at the issue of being able to afford to actually live in the city, and just stop wasting the rest of the city's time thumbwrestling over the 1/2 mile radius around City Hall.
The people just trying to make it, from day to day, get it, downtown doesn't give a shit about them, and the feeling is mutual.

So, if you can't articulate a practical idea that enables people not living in SLU, to live and work in the city, and insist on abstract and idyllic visions of an urban landscape being manufactured for a benefit of the few, and very little practical ideas to take those ideas city-wide (and telling people way outside of downtown that they can take a bus, or ride in the sharrows, to the jobs that don't pay enough just isn't going to cut it), then prepare to lose.

65% want local and practical answers.
Economic growth needs to extend throughout the city, turning the rest of the city into bedroom communities, with fixed rail funneling people to jobs downtown that don't pay a living wage, is a loser.
8
What? All the peanut gallery's theories about how Sawant won for reasons that had nothing to do with Sawant are wrong?

Guess a whole bunch of people have to shut up now. And I guess Amazon is going to airdrop everyone a pony...?
9
It appears that Murray lost in the 43rd District, who are the people who know him best.
10
More specifically, economic growth in Seattle must be more than creating jobs for software engineers and aerospace workers, we have to bring in new and different industries to create good paying opportunities for people who don't excel in those career paradigms.
11
@9 yep. All three of the current Olympia delegation from the 43rd are further to the right than their constituents, with Chopp perhaps being the closest to actually representing his voters. Pedersen might be vulnerable to a challenger for the Senate seat and if the 43rd PCOs/King County Council pick a more conservative Dem like Brady Walkinshaw to fill the open House seat, that person would be very vulnerable to a challenge when they're up for reelection in 2014.
12
@9, or maybe those in the 43rd liked him so much they wanted Murray to stay their state senator ?

The majority of the rest of Seattle, however, was all over McGinn and ready to elect someone with little to no clear agenda beyond "I'm not McGinn"... the same thing that helped McGinn defeat Nickels.
13
@11: spot on.
14
@9 correct @11 correct.

You can see the votes peeling off the second you get out of the rich sold-my-soul areas of the 43rd to the places where people work.

Please wait...

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