Adding to his analysis of Justice Richard Sanders surprising reelection loss, I just want to illustrate Eli’s point about the role of King County voters in flipping this election, by comparing two simple numbers:
Sanders Pct. of King County Vote
2010 41.6%
2004 61.7%
Sanders underperformed his 2004 percentages almost throughout the state, but in few places by quite so large a margin as in King County, and certainly no place else with such a disproportionate chunk of the electorate. A 40-point swing in the margin between Sanders and his opponent is huge, but it’s even more so when you consider the closeness of this race. To put this in perspective, all else being equal, had Sanders merely managed to secure an additional 1.2 percent of the King County vote—one percent less than his election night totals—he likely would have held on to victory.
So given that King County was so crucial to Sanders’ defeat, and given the relative lack of money raised and spent by either candidate, this was a race whose outcome was certainly determined by coverage in the Seattle news media, and thus this was a race the Stranger played a key role in flipping. For not only did Eli’s extensive coverage of Sanders persuade many of his readers to vote for Charlie Wiggins (or to even vote at all), it also contributed greatly to shaping a broader media frame within which it was not only possible, but imperative for the Seattle Times to pull its endorsement… and that was arguably the final blow that ultimately cost Sanders the election.
And no, I’m not just sucking up to my Stranger overlords; I’ve got no problem calling them a bunch of drunken douche-bags when that’s what they’re acting like. But if there’s one thing I’ve harped on since I started HA back in 2004—a blog that has always focused on media criticism—it’s that journalism matters. A truism that certainly proved itself in this State Supreme Court race.
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Of the course the Times had nothing to do with it at all. Journalism matters, except if it’s the Times — right Goldy?
Hooray, yes! journalism matters, and I’d like to thank the Stranger for having such a rigorous reporter as Eli on staff for these important moments.
ian @1,
Um… did you read my post? I’m pretty sure I wrote:
Wait a minute, is this posting about Eli, or you?
Your corporate masters at Anheuser-Busch InBev thank you for your loyal service, Goldy.
@4,
I’m a blogger. At some level, it’s always about me.
Of course journalism still matters. But try to get journalists to take responsibility for the incredible fuck-up-edness of America today, and they scatter like roaches….
Eli’s story had very little to do with it. The Times’ story, on Sanders’ racist comments, and its subsequent endorsement withdrawal had everything to do with it.
You and the Stranger staff can continue to sniff each others’ butts, Goldy, but it doesn’t mean the rest of us have to.
Wiggins would not have won were it not for the High Court Hypocrite piece, and subsequent piling on by the Stranger, the SLOG, and Eli over at Weekday. Period.
Prior to this piece, the Times had only endorsed Sanders in the Primary. Their General Elections list of endorsements did not include Richard Sanders. After this story continued to percolate, and I believe after Joni Balther admitted on air that she personally disagreed strongly with the Ed Board on that endorsement, did the story about the comments come out, which, in my view, gave the Times a reason to “pull” their endorsement, and avoid getting into the sticky situation that was the HCH piece.
I can only imagine that it was a difficult call to run HCH, and people I know from other journalism outfits have said they never would have – the personal life is unimportant. The record should stand on its own. Calling it a “hit piece”.
But I subscribe to the belief that once someone signs onto or writes opinions that are in direct conflict with their personal life, they deserve that exposure.
Mr. Sanders brought that exposure, and that was the beginning of the unraveling of Justice Sanders. And for that, Mr. Sanders deserves a beer. Maybe even two.
And, of course, the Democratic Ground Game and GOTV efforts that pushed the KC turnout up up up up up!
Black males ages 14 – 55 make up only about 3% of Seattle.
2 of the 10 posts in this thread in Seattle in 2010 were committed by Goldy.
8 of 10 current articles in the Most Commented sidebar homicides in Seattle in 2009 are not about Justice Sanders’ crushing defeat.
At least half of the ballots were for Justice Wiggins in King County in 2010.
What part of this don’t you understand???
Didn’t the Stranger endorse Sanders in 2004?
What should Judge Wiggins do about all the black murderers who commit at least half of all killings in Seattle annually?
Give them reduced sentences because they are black and the justice system is institutionally racist?
@12: It was in 1998. See here.
@14 You douche bags endorsed him? After damage done, you get rid of him? Journalism rules!?!
What should a good slog-approved liberal judge do when he has to sentence a black murderer?
What Would Wiggins Do?
@15: In 1998 I was in college. There’s turnover, even among whatever you want to call us.
Maybe now you will accept that you, The Stranger, are the new newspaper for those of us lefties and will take endorsements more seriously. Your endorsement columns are fun and entertaining, but the “sqweeeeee”-ishness can be really annoying. The PI is gone, people look to you.
Joel Connolly has declared that not just the Times, but the Stranger made this possible.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitic…
Therefore, it is true.
Just another victim of political correctness. The Ministry of Egalitarian Leftism looks down upon anybody who thinks race isn’t a social construct and actually matters.
“Egalitarian Leftism?” Well, at least he capitalized it. I have a saying, “If the Right likes it, it automatically sucks, every time, so ignore it. If the Left likes it, take another look or two at it and then decide.”
The right takes infantile, reactionary stands against anything that seems fair, balanced or reasonably intelligent. This is why their candidates self-destruct, given enough time. They continue to open their mouths and stick their size 12s into them, making it easy to decide for whom to vote. (Just in –case– you think I misspelled “who,” you’re wrong about that, too. “Whom” is the objective or dative –case– of the word “who”… sorry for the miserable pun.)
Vivé La liberté, la Fraternité et l’Égalité!
Incidentally, it pleases him no end that you label Charles Y. Farley with the nasty epithet “Lib” — but he prefers that you capitalize it: “LIB”. It signifies that he cares at least as much about other people as he does about himself. He long ago swore off being a mean-spirited, zero-sum greed machine.
As for your other insults, Chas says, “Your mommy is calling you, so go home now, wash your mouth out with soap, then wait for the men in white coats to take you away for a little ‘time-out.’ “
It’s easy to elect people in WA if they appeal to intelligent, progressive, Liberal-with-a-capital-“L”, generous, open-minded, secular, creative, well-read, successful, grounded, tree-hugging, happy, non-paranoid voters whose motto is “I want my state to go forward,” not “I want my state back!”
In short, if they appeal to King County voters, they will be elected in WA. If not, fuhggedaboutit!
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpar…
The color of murder and gun violence in New York
By Jonathan Capehart
Nov. 10, 2010
“In short, 95.1 percent of all murder victims and 95.9 percent of all shooting victims in New York City are black or Hispanic. And 90.2 percent of those arrested for murder and 96.7 percent of those arrested for shooting someone are black and Hispanic. I don’t even know where to begin to describe the horror I still feel looking at those numbers. But the word “hunted” comes to mind.”