Comments

1
So why didn't she vote for Secrest in the first round? Harrell did.
2
I don't think I've ever heard "unbecoming" used to describe a man's actions.
3
Fairview Fannie's editorial board has a lot more to apologize for than Kshama Sawant ever will. They should just go fuck themselves.
4
Nuanced and rational. Sorry, Times, you like to cherry-pick what you do and don't like in elected officials. At least have the guts to say it.
5
She is consistent. I like her.
6
Sawant is less divisive and far more effective than the Seattle Times editorial board.
7
@2: You've never been in the military.
8
The Consensus Leadership style of Washington State, where the assumption is that everyone around is a well-heeled Swede living in his frame house and working at Boeing and "issues" are something that encourages polite discussion but has no impact on the daily lives of people has led to a state of decline, disrepair and gladhanding criminality.

The frogs are being slowly boiled. I'm glad a few people like Sawant are shouting and screaming as opposed to the hypnotized somnambulists who populate the halls of power (and the streets) around here.

9
We like Sawant and we are the citizens of Seattle- most people against her can't vote in Seattle because they don't live here.

Period.
10
I wish she would stop saying "the solution" and start calling her "solution."
11
Very well said by Sawant, I was extremely inspired by her and Licata at the Affordable Housing town hall meeting in April. Much like the latest Democratic nominee for President, Mr. Bernie Sanders, Kwasha is great at prioritizing the city's most pressing issues rather than waste time commenting on the Seattle Times useless commentary on her aggressive political style. Seattle has an affordable housing crisis (and a ban on the most important protection for tenants), an increasing homeless population, and a dire need for expanded public transportation. Any local politician who is not focused on finding solutions for these issues NOW needs to re-assess their priorities.
12
Sawant is an embarrassment. But I don't expect the self-congratulating children here to get it, much less acknowledge this truth.

It is consoling to realize, however, that in the end, she is even more impotent now than she was just a couple of weeks ago, and she will remain that way. Reality is that the City Council simply has 8, and not 9, members. She will remain the silly, marginalized side-show that is all she ever has been, or can be.
13
It's hilarious that criticism of Sawant is only ever directed towards her personality and her supposed "ineffectiveness". She has delivered on her number one promise of raising the minimum wage by pulling people and organizations together to challenge the entrenched, conservative politicrats of our local government, (and kicked the SHA's ass!) and it looks like Seattle residents like having a councilmember with principles and a spine, who doesn't mince words when calling out the moneyed interests and their lackeys that are ruining our city. She's fucking marvelous.
14
Shame on the Seattle Times for refusing Sawant a rebuttal to their personal attacks on her. They are showing to be the partisan, untrustworthy hacks many already know they are.
15
City-owned apartments? Government housing is never a good idea and is almost always substandard. Putting a massive coercive bureaucracy in charge of housing is a recipe for disaster. I worked for the federal government for ten years and lived in government housing, some of which was worse than second-world housing (yes, I also lived in a former Soviet Bloc country). I hope voters show Sawant and the door. Hold on a sec...what? 1991 is calling to remind Sawant that socialism failed. Big time.
16
Ain't the Times the rag which endorsed Bush in 2000 - against the popular will of the people of Seattle - only to realize their grievous error 4 years later? Maybe they'll come around towards Sawant as well, four years after the Seattle people have.
17
I am not a fan of hers, but I would agree with her on this one. We should not let this guy become a city counsel member, he is scum!!!
18
@15, the last I heard the City of Seattle is not a massive coercive bureaucracy. Yesler Terrace, which is government housing and unfortunately is going to be torn down for financial reasons, was built in 1941 and is the absolute antithesis of what you may gave lived in (obviously somewhere else). This is not Chicago.
19
"the last I heard the City of Seattle is not a massive coercive bureaucracy." Perhaps you have some evidence that it is not massive, but it is coercive and a bureaucracy. The case for it being massive are that it has a proportionately bigger workforce than bankrupted Detroit. The average City of Seattle bureaucrat makes more than $81k a year, which is more than any other city outside California. Having government, a coercive monopolist, sets up a situation where the productive members of society must support waste, fraud, and abuse. Additionally, ,this would do nothing to help the middle wage earners (who since 2000 make up only 5% of new residents); in fact, middle wage earners would be forced to pay more taxes for "free" government housing for the least productive members of society.
21
Pantrypest, I agree with you on the coercive and bureaucracy. Yesler Terrace is a huge loss to affordable housing and its loss and the Vulcan replacement is a reflection of the coercive and bureaucracy working in tandem with status quo political leaders. Sawant doesn't fit the widget template like Sally Clarke. Sally who got to vote on how to use taxpayers money, but couldn't be bothered to keep her personal liability insurance up to date because she has taxpayers pocketbook to cover her liability. And now we get another expensive suit who's very good at ducking on the job responsibility to continue this lack of institutional accountability and transparency.

I don't have to like Sawant's personality or even her politics. But she's asking smart questions and highlighting this city's cronyism and that's a start.
22
SHA along with city council's vote helped to benefit Vulcan Inc. by ending Yesler Terrace low income housing. Meanwhile taxpayers continue to pay heavily for this shiny "progressive" private venture. Note the brand new street trolley tracks alongside the many bus routes which (over) serve this area. So subsidized housing for the poor gets ripped out to be replaced by subsidized private enterprise. Much more worthy huh?

http://www.capitolhilltimes.com/2015/03/…

23
The POS, I mean port of Seattle, was and is a cesspool of corruption. Keep giving them hell Kshama, you got my vote next election.
25
I'm not a socialist, but I agree with Sawant on nearly everything. Plus, she stands up for what voters elected her for. We need more of this.
26
I voted for Sawant. I love her politics, her enthusiasm, and her fire. I voted for her the first time and will do it again. She gives a strong voice to the issues of social justice and demonstrates her commitments with real gestures like salary donations, and acts of civil disobedience. Sawant stands for the good of all.
27
Would the Sawant camp endorse Bernie Sanders for president? Have they asked the Sanders campaign to do a photo-op with Sawant ?

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