Slog Comments
McGinn Brings Out His Base as He Launches Bid for Reelection
1
don't just a whole base, from one room of activists.
half the mcginn base is off pursuing othe candidates, like murray, steinbrueck, and sims, because
1. mcginn got us sued by DOJ and hasn't held a single officer at SPD responsible. really. pattern of violence, not one commander fired!
2. mcginn in the sodo stadium corporate welfare deal has turned off a large part of his actual grass roots base. grass roots, hello, ix nay on corporate welfare for one percenters, hello:? giving away public moneys to hedge fund investors wans't in the Mike Bikes profile, that's not the man we worked for.
half the mcginn base is off pursuing othe candidates, like murray, steinbrueck, and sims, because
1. mcginn got us sued by DOJ and hasn't held a single officer at SPD responsible. really. pattern of violence, not one commander fired!
2. mcginn in the sodo stadium corporate welfare deal has turned off a large part of his actual grass roots base. grass roots, hello, ix nay on corporate welfare for one percenters, hello:? giving away public moneys to hedge fund investors wans't in the Mike Bikes profile, that's not the man we worked for.
2
Ya, and an arenaful of people for Ron Paul didn't make him the nominee, much less the President.
There is a reason why so many viable candidates are in this race already.
There is a reason why so many viable candidates are in this race already.
3
Bet ya 20 bucks he doesn't make it out of the primaries due to his blind support of the SPD.
I mean we ditched Nickels -- an infinitely more experienced politician -- over snow plows.
I mean we ditched Nickels -- an infinitely more experienced politician -- over snow plows.
5
I've lived in Seattle for 20 years, and McGinn is the best mayor the city has had during that time. He deserves four more years.
6
I agree with Doug. If he makes it through the low-turnout primary, he'll probably win re-election. But getting through that primary is going to be hard. To get through the primary he has to fight off the old suburban "independents" in Green Lake and Wallingford who actually vote in primaries and complain how hard it is to drive into downtown now with all those bike lanes.
7
tim keck, dan savage, and the stranger staff are a front for the right-wing national chamber of commerce don't believe anything these people tell you.
8
What crack pipe are you people smoking from? The man has not learned 10% of the things a Mayor needs to know in 3+ years. He has made amateur hour a permanent fixture on the 7th floor. No one in City government knows what he and his minions do all day. Department heads will tell you they get absolutely no direction from above. The City has had to find ways to run itself in the almost complete absence of an executive. It really doesn't matter whether you agree or disagree with his position on this question or that. He's not actually doing the job to which he was elected.
Four long years wasted. I certainly hope it's not eight. Wise up, Seattle!
Four long years wasted. I certainly hope it's not eight. Wise up, Seattle!
9
tim keck, dan savage, and the stranger staff are a front for the right-wing national chamber of commerce don't believe anything these people tell you.
(i had to post that again so i shows up right..)
(i had to post that again so i shows up right..)
12
It's been fun to beat on McGinn, including here in The Stranger, but while he's seemed too meekly weak too many times (and he was following Greg Nickels), I still think his goals and priorities have been solid, so he has my vote as of today.
14
He didn't just "fail to address" the culture at SPD - he passed on an opportunity to name a reformer to the chief position and has doubled down and defended them and the officer's guild during every effort at reform. He absolutely owns this issue and it's baffling that he still has support from minority groups that continue to see a disproportionate amount of use of force.
16
One of the most horrid mayors ever. He doesn't stand a chance. Goldy, were you drunk when you wrote this post?
Name a single thing that even one McGinn policy had to do with any of those outcomes. Well, he taxed the holy living shit out of us. True. We vote for taxes. That's why our government is not on the ropes. So I guess if you want to say McGinn has the balls to tax the hell out of us during a recession, then, you're right, he's way better than Dow Constantine, who actually, you know, worries about whether the low-income residents of King County can afford to live here. Seattle has the highest water rates in the nation, bar none. How helpful are higher taxes and utility rates to the poor in Southeast Seattle?
Broadband initiative? What a fucking joke. What broadband? He's had three years, all we got was a failed pilot program now mercifully killed off.
If you've ever had to actually deal with the Mayor, you know what a whiny, arrogant shithead he is, utterly unreceptive to any view other than his own stale, preconceived dogma.
He feuds with the Council, feuds with the City Attorney, is despised in Olympia, is sued by the Justice Department and is apparently without friends in the other Washington--doesn't this tell you something?
Is there a single senior staffer or department head in this administration that stands out for excellence (or, if he or she did, the mayor would have the confidence and grace to acknowledge)?
A dead possum could run on this record.
As for the future? If this complete bankrupt of a politician manages to make it through the primary, I'll be writing in dead possum before I'd vote for him.
More...
While the county and state (and much of the rest of the nation) are still struggling to make ends meet, McGinn has consistently balanced the city budget without major cuts to social or other services, and without the bitter political wrangling we're accustomed to seeing elsewhere. Seattle is even on target to rebuilding its rainy day fund to pre-Great Recession levels. Not bad. And during McGinn's term in office, home prices, employment, manufacturing, and tax revenues have all increased faster than the national average.
Name a single thing that even one McGinn policy had to do with any of those outcomes. Well, he taxed the holy living shit out of us. True. We vote for taxes. That's why our government is not on the ropes. So I guess if you want to say McGinn has the balls to tax the hell out of us during a recession, then, you're right, he's way better than Dow Constantine, who actually, you know, worries about whether the low-income residents of King County can afford to live here. Seattle has the highest water rates in the nation, bar none. How helpful are higher taxes and utility rates to the poor in Southeast Seattle?
Broadband initiative? What a fucking joke. What broadband? He's had three years, all we got was a failed pilot program now mercifully killed off.
If you've ever had to actually deal with the Mayor, you know what a whiny, arrogant shithead he is, utterly unreceptive to any view other than his own stale, preconceived dogma.
He feuds with the Council, feuds with the City Attorney, is despised in Olympia, is sued by the Justice Department and is apparently without friends in the other Washington--doesn't this tell you something?
Is there a single senior staffer or department head in this administration that stands out for excellence (or, if he or she did, the mayor would have the confidence and grace to acknowledge)?
A dead possum could run on this record.
As for the future? If this complete bankrupt of a politician manages to make it through the primary, I'll be writing in dead possum before I'd vote for him.
18
and fucking goldy here.
dude, how the fuck does some dude off the street talk to you yesterday (or cienna) about the corruption behind megan's new basketball team coming here, and then calls you all out, and then less than 12 hours later seattle gets a new basketball team?
its because the role is vital, dude.
"The whole world is getting in the game..."
reference:
http://www.uschamber.com/ads/congress-do…
dude, how the fuck does some dude off the street talk to you yesterday (or cienna) about the corruption behind megan's new basketball team coming here, and then calls you all out, and then less than 12 hours later seattle gets a new basketball team?
its because the role is vital, dude.
"The whole world is getting in the game..."
reference:
http://www.uschamber.com/ads/congress-do…
20
I know it's difficult to admit it when you've backed a stinker, Strangerfolk, but you need to cut this dried up turd out of your asshairs and move on.
21
@14 - No shit.
Given the magnitude of the SPD's misconduct, and who that conduct has affected the most, it's remarkably similar to the way poor evangelicals consistently vote Republican against their actual interests. It's mistaking platitudes and lip service for real concern and positive action. Holding photo ops with Seattle's minority communities while supporting a police force that's brutalized those same communities to the extent that the DOJ had to get involved. Yeesh.
Given the magnitude of the SPD's misconduct, and who that conduct has affected the most, it's remarkably similar to the way poor evangelicals consistently vote Republican against their actual interests. It's mistaking platitudes and lip service for real concern and positive action. Holding photo ops with Seattle's minority communities while supporting a police force that's brutalized those same communities to the extent that the DOJ had to get involved. Yeesh.
22
Didn't McGinn kickoff his campaign last summer? I thought that's what the Stranger reported.
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…
23
Posted this in the comments to Dom's piece, but works here as well.
McGinn definitely started off stumbling, but he has grown into the role.
I think a big issue is going to be how well The Powers That Be can keep the complete and utter fiasco that is the deep bore tunnel under wraps.
Who in the media is talking about how pretty much everything the Mayor said would happen: tolling will be SIGNIFICANTLY less than expected, already slashed from $400 million to $200 million; diversion rates are SIGNIFICANTLY higher, the legislature doesn't look to be in the mood to take Seattle off the hook (see our friends over in Bellevue putting 'retain cost overruns provision' in the legislative agenda for their delegation)...
Is the big money powerful enough, does the Seattle Times hate him enough that they squash all this until after the election?
McGinn definitely started off stumbling, but he has grown into the role.
I think a big issue is going to be how well The Powers That Be can keep the complete and utter fiasco that is the deep bore tunnel under wraps.
Who in the media is talking about how pretty much everything the Mayor said would happen: tolling will be SIGNIFICANTLY less than expected, already slashed from $400 million to $200 million; diversion rates are SIGNIFICANTLY higher, the legislature doesn't look to be in the mood to take Seattle off the hook (see our friends over in Bellevue putting 'retain cost overruns provision' in the legislative agenda for their delegation)...
Is the big money powerful enough, does the Seattle Times hate him enough that they squash all this until after the election?
25
@6: If he makes it through the low-turnout primary, he'll probably win re-election.
You can't be serious. McGinn won't even reach double digits in the primary, and if every other candidate suddenly died, Joe Mallahan would enter the race and beat him by a landslide.
@23: McGinn definitely started off stumbling, but he has grown into the role.
The first part is definitely right. Any improvement since then can be attributed to the fact that he's locked himself in his office and is afraid to come out.
You can't be serious. McGinn won't even reach double digits in the primary, and if every other candidate suddenly died, Joe Mallahan would enter the race and beat him by a landslide.
@23: McGinn definitely started off stumbling, but he has grown into the role.
The first part is definitely right. Any improvement since then can be attributed to the fact that he's locked himself in his office and is afraid to come out.
26
People, this race is over.
Of the serious candidates, Burgess is way too bald and beady-eyed. Steinbrueck's ship sailed in 2009. Seattle is done with boring and pasty.
Our next mayor will be gay, Irish, Catholic, temperamental, and sometimes drunk. And he'll get shit done.
Of the serious candidates, Burgess is way too bald and beady-eyed. Steinbrueck's ship sailed in 2009. Seattle is done with boring and pasty.
Our next mayor will be gay, Irish, Catholic, temperamental, and sometimes drunk. And he'll get shit done.
28
@14 "He didn't just "fail to address" the culture at SPD - he passed on an opportunity to name a reformer to the chief position"
And this can't be chalked up to "newness" or stupidity. McGinn had the guidance he needed to bring in a reformer, he simply chose to ignore it because he's the smartest person in the room.
And this can't be chalked up to "newness" or stupidity. McGinn had the guidance he needed to bring in a reformer, he simply chose to ignore it because he's the smartest person in the room.
29
I like McGinn as a person, but the folks on his senior staff are really not good, unfortunately. It will be difficult to support him considering those he keeps close to him. I'm sure the Stranger will again come out with full on support of McGinn and full scale nuclear assault against anyone running against him (except for Murray (maybe) who is a solid candidate).
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