Comments

1
Ah, so Chopp may only win with 80%? Wow.
2
I just think that it's incredibly that The Stranger has over 3000 readers.
3
So has Sawant outlined her plans on how to run Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing after she nationalizes them, as she proposes on her platform? Will she be pushing MSFT into more social and making sure Boeing's NextGen aircraft only come with one class, 'working class'
4
Hey, good for her. Chopp deserves a leftist challenger.
5
I actually would've imagined that more than 3,415 would've used the Stranger's election cheat sheet.
6
Good work guys!
7
Way to go Sawant, Socialist Alternative and the Stranger! Frank Chopp is a wolf in sheep's clothing and in no way represents progressive voters in Washington State. I've seen Kshama Sawant speak several times and I am convinced her values resonate much more with my own (and probably much more with the people dissing her and the Stranger). This is what an insurgent democratic movement looks like, and I am very proud to be doing my small part to support it!
8
If you agree with this article, the right of voter's intent and voter's right to know the party preference of the candidate, then the Secretary of State needs to hear from you! Please call his office: (360) 902-4151 or email him: mail@sos.wa.gov or tweet @secstatewa

9
I didn't vote for Chopp.
10
That ungrateful POS commie needs her ass deported back to Mumbai where people are in TRUE POVERTY rather than preaching to America's over privileged 99%.

She seeks nothing more than to destroy Washington successful economy.

That she was an "economics" teaches goes to show the failure of the education system.

The only thing more disgusting than Sawant is the 3,415 traitorous idiots that voted for her.
11
@10 You don't like somebody's politics, so you call her a commie and demand that she be deported. How civil of you not to call for her to be executed.
12
Those of you expressing delight at Sawant's victory need to know some facts.

The Socialist Alternative Party was founded in 1986 out of the belief that extant socialist parties had lost their way. They openly identify as Trotskyist, a school of socialist thought distinguished by the doctrine of "permanent revolution." This doctrine demands that a "vanguard party" -- a cabal of ideologically pure fanatics -- seize power by any means necessary and hold on to that power by any means necessary until the world has submitted to their version of a socialist utopia. Any and all opposition must be eliminated, and dissent is not permitted.

Their claim to support democracy is a lie: Trotskyism is inherently opposed to debate and the open exchange of ideas which are the foundation of a democratic society. Their claim to support equality is a lie: Trotskyism holds that doctrinal purity is the only metric for determining human worth. Their claim to oppose war is a lie: Trotskyism is founded on the idea that violent revolution is a valid, even necessary, way to get what they want.

Oppose Chopp, but please: if you support democracy and equality and peace, do not vote for Kshama Sawant and the Socialist Alternative.
13
@12 FTW
14
@10 The last time I checked, VOTING was not a traitorous offense. Perhaps racism, xenophobia, and persecution of others' views should be, though.
15
@ 12 Is TechBear a pseudonym for Gregory Gadow? Your unfounded slander of Sawant and Socialist Alternative is at odds with everything they're calling for in their campaign material. Everything on SA's website and in their written material going back well before this campaign explicitly calls for democratic control by the people, not some unaccountable group of ideologues--that's what we have now!
16
@Green_Progressive - Go to the Socialist Alternative website: you will see that they openly identify as Trotskyist. Look up Trotskyism: you will find a great deal of material -- much of it by self-identified Trotskyites -- that outlines the doctrine of permanent revolution that I mentioned above and note how accurate I am in describing it. For that matter, just look at the extensive library on the Socialist Alternative website: they are pretty open about what being a Trotskyite actually means.

Then come back and apologize.

As for Gregory Gadow, he dropped out back in June.
17
@15: Funny thing, that pointing out someone is a Trotskyite, when they admit as much as such, is "unfounded slander". The real insult is to our intelligence, esp to those who had relatives that were imprisoned by a government that was the logical evolution of Leninism. Trotsky was against democracy before he was in favor of it (and out of favor with Stalin). Mere historical details that revisionists like yourself hope we forget.
18

Regarding the attacks on socialism, Leon Trotsky and the Russian Revolution...

The Russian Revolution was one of the most progressive events in human history, alongside the American Revolution and French Revolution. Women gained the right to vote, as well as legal and free abortion (in 1917, while the latter has yet to be won in the US). It was the first place for homosexuality to be decriminalized. Universal healthcare was created. A population that suffered from higher than 90% illiteracy gained literacy rates comparable to or higher than wealthy western countries. The workers' government that issued from the revolution was the most democratic in human history.

Many of these gains were lost under Stalin. Many of the original leaders of the Russian Revolution, needless to mention Trotsky, fought against him, and for democratic rights. But ultimately, they lost, and many were executed or assassinated by the Stalinist apparatus (including Trotsky himself). In reality, revolution is process, not a straightforward event that takes place in a single act. Just as the Egyptian Revolution is under assault today and its future uncertain, the Russian Revolution was beset on all sides, and up against enormous odds. Russia was invaded in 1918 by 14 of the world's most powerful countries, including the US, Britain, Germany, and Japan (who had just been fighting each other in WWI). Churchill called it the "anti-Bolshevik crusade of 14 nations". It was a conscious attempt to strangle the new democratic workers' government at its birth. It is amazing that the revolution, in such a poor and backward country, was able to survive the assault.

The Russian Revolution was an enormous inspiration to the 99% of that time, much like the Egyptian Revolution today, only far more successful. It inspired movements and led to progressive gains all over the world. The US labor movement that forced the New Deal reforms out of a reluctant FDR was largely inspired by socialist ideas, and many of its most successful strikes were organized by socialists, Trotskyists and other radicals.

Trotsky was an uncompromising fighter for the 99%. It is no surprise that his name, and the legacy of the Russian Revolution, have had a mountain of hate heaped upon them. It couldn't be otherwise, because there is nothing the 1% fear more than the return of powerful, organized movements of the 99%.
19
Regarding the attacks on socialism, Leon Trotsky and the Russian Revolution...

The Russian Revolution was one of the most progressive events in human history, alongside the American Revolution and French Revolution. Women gained the right to vote, as well as legal and free abortion (in 1917, while the latter has yet to be won in the US). It was the first place for homosexuality to be decriminalized. Universal healthcare was created. A population that suffered from higher than 90% illiteracy gained literacy rates comparable to or higher than wealthy western countries. The workers' government that issued from the revolution was the most democratic in human history.

Many of these gains were lost under Stalin. Many of the original leaders of the Russian Revolution, needless to mention Trotsky, fought against him, and for democratic rights. But ultimately, they lost, and many were executed or assassinated by the Stalinist apparatus (including Trotsky himself). In reality, revolution is process, not a straightforward event that takes place in a single act. Just as the Egyptian Revolution is under assault today and its future uncertain, the Russian Revolution was beset on all sides, and up against enormous odds. Russia was invaded in 1918 by 14 of the world's most powerful countries, including the US, Britain, Germany, and Japan (who had just been fighting each other in WWI). Churchill called it the "anti-Bolshevik crusade of 14 nations". It was a conscious attempt to strangle the new democratic workers' government at its birth. It is amazing that the revolution, in such a poor and backward country, was able to survive the assault.

The Russian Revolution was an enormous inspiration to the 99% of that time, much like the Egyptian Revolution today, only far more successful. It inspired movements and led to progressive gains all over the world. The US labor movement that forced the New Deal reforms out of a reluctant FDR was largely inspired by socialist ideas, and many of its most successful strikes were organized by socialists, Trotskyists and other radicals.

Trotsky was an uncompromising fighter for the 99%. It is no surprise that his name, and the legacy of the Russian Revolution, have had a mountain of hate heaped upon them. It couldn't be otherwise, because there is nothing the 1% fear more than the return of powerful, organized movements of the 99%.

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