Socialist on the Ballot

Comments

So it's Conlin she's filing against, eh? If she really wants to serve why wouldn't she go against the least well-defended incumbent O'Brien? This way she has less of a chance of ever having to do the job of a council member, but for sure this means a bright spotlight on her views during the campaign. Cool.

gloomy gus on March 13, 2013 at 9:49 AM

Your article is missing something:

http://votesawant.org/

kanoxolom on March 13, 2013 at 10:10 AM

@1. Eh, I like her style. Cut off the head, if possible.

sikandro on March 13, 2013 at 10:45 AM

"Capitalism has failed the 99 Percent: Vote Sawant."

The taxes from capitalism pay for her fat, lazy job in "academia" with cushy benefits, 4 months vacation and defined payment retirement benefits.

Is she still gonna nationalize Starbucks, Boeing and MSFT?

on March 13, 2013 at 11:29 AM

Thus ensuring 4 more years of Conlin...

DOUG. on March 13, 2013 at 11:40 AM

She needs a pie in the face.

on March 13, 2013 at 11:45 AM

This news reminds me of some other news. Conlin must be rolling on the floor.

http://www.cuddlybunnies.com/misc/natlam…

Unbrainwashed on March 13, 2013 at 12:25 PM

What is her position on Hansen's corporate welfare arena? Conlin is against it.

hmmmmm on March 13, 2013 at 12:33 PM

Conlin's a scum sucking piece of shit, probably scum sucking enough to have arranged for some of his friends to finance her effort. But you do have to hand him some credit. A socialist opponent for a city wide election. Clever, and hilarious.

Unbrainwashed on March 13, 2013 at 12:42 PM

"Carved out an extraordinary 29% percent" (against Chopp)

Um - in what world is 29% extraordinary. More like piddling. And we can expect more of the same.

virtuosobob on March 13, 2013 at 1:05 PM

@9: Sorry, the Socialist Alternative folks are freelance dumbasses, not corporate sock puppets.

I think a commie got 17 percent against Sue Donaldson back in the 90s. Sawant can break that by a point or two.

J.R. on March 13, 2013 at 1:34 PM

I am happy she is running. The cynics on this website can come up with all the clever comments they want, but the 20,000 votes (or 29%) she got in 2012 as an open socialist candidate is pretty impressive. I also appreciate her vision about what "winning" should mean. Capturing office is not enough. We need to build mass movements and a new party that fights for ordinary people. Her is just one small part of a larger struggle. But it is the music of the future.

Patrick Ayers on March 13, 2013 at 2:00 PM

Give up your foolish dreams of upsetting the base of power held by The Establishment™. Your struggle is admirable, but ultimately pointless. Submit! Repent! Submit!

The Establishment on March 13, 2013 at 2:50 PM

#11, how would she ever know?

Unbrainwashed on March 13, 2013 at 3:06 PM

"capitalism has failed"

So how are all those Communist countries doing?

Put this piece of lying commie garbage on the first boat back to Mubai.

Cascadian Bacon on March 13, 2013 at 3:35 PM

#15, I'm not exactly a big fan of collectivism, but let's be honest here. I mean, here we are, online where no one knows that we're a dog. So you between you, me, and the fire hydrant, can we admit that capitalism is currently being propped by socialism, in the form of the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, and the Bank of Japan, and mercantantile fascim in the case of the Bank of China?

There's a much longer conversation to be had, and my views wouldn't please anyone, but the idea that capitalism is healthy because communism is unhealthy is, well, stupid.

Unbrainwashed on March 13, 2013 at 3:56 PM

I am excited to hear Sawant challenging for a seat on the council. I volunteered for her State house campaign against Frank Chopp last year and I will volunteer for her again for her run against Conlin. According to her campaign website http://votesawant.org/events/ there is a campaign kickoff event on March 22 @ 7pm. I will be there!

erictheviking on March 13, 2013 at 4:25 PM

I'm glad Socialist Alternative is using the momentum from their success against Chopp (and yes, 29% by a 3rd party candidate is pretty darn successful) to continue raising progressive issues in Seattle politics. The democrats have been in power in this city for a long time without taking a meaningful stand against big business or police brutality or the inequitable funding of public education. I think Ms. Sawant's positions on taxes, minimum wage, law enforcement, and rent control are spot on, and this article doesn't mention it but she also strongly opposes the coal train. Even if she probably won't win, she represents my values and what I believe to be best for Seattle, so she'll be getting my vote!

breakwithdemocrats on March 13, 2013 at 5:10 PM

Good article, one small correction. The article says "'If I was to be elected, I will take home only the average worker's salary.' Sawant said she would donate most of her paycheck to her Socialist Alternative party. In fact, she estimates she'd keep $40,000 or less."

Sawant has pledged to donate the rest of her paycheck (after $40,000) to help build mass social movements (not just Socialist Alternative). This would include the struggle against the coal trains, police brutality, workers organizing for their rights, etc. You can see more on her views on this here: www.VoteSawant.org

Philip Locker on March 13, 2013 at 5:20 PM

@19) Philip, your correction is wrong. I just reviewed my notes, and Sawant's exact quote after she said "I will take home only the average worker's salary," was this: "The rest would be put into the organization."

Although she talked about supporting mass social movements, "the organization" was unambiguously Socialist Alternative.

Dominic Holden on March 13, 2013 at 5:48 PM

@16

I totally agree with you. Shit is complicated and the central banks are 10 shades of all fucked up.

I just think Sawant is another piece of shit Marxist authoritarian out to gain some political capital on the backs on some guilty white liberal progressives who have little life experience. Thankfully I don't think here shit will fly even in batshit Seattle.

Cascadian Bacon on March 13, 2013 at 6:19 PM

" inequitable funding of public education."

In Seattle? Go look at the numbers, SPS spends far more per student in the south end than northend.

on March 13, 2013 at 7:20 PM

#21, I'm not so sure. I do think she's comic relief, but I tend to see her in the upper-Midwest "sewer socialist" mode rather than the hard-core Marxist mode. There's a big difference. But for now, it's all theoretical, because the woman has less than zero chance of unseating the biggest developer whore on the city council.

Unbrainwashed on March 13, 2013 at 8:08 PM

Kshama put herself out there to draw attention to the corrupt system we are now stuck with. Can we please not count her out before she gets in the ring. And please stop the name calling. Agree with socialism or not,you got to admit it didn't get us into the mess we have now.

Kshama can hold her own in a debate. Frank Chopp knows that very well. She will impress those who will follow this election. Not for the ideology but the truth she will repeat over and over. That being, the most needy are not represented and are the ones suffering the most from the hijacking of our democracy. It will be interesting.

mikelapointe on March 14, 2013 at 8:53 AM

Her candidacy insures Conlin's re-election. If I were Conlin, I'd be funding her effort. He probably is, one way or another.

Unbrainwashed on March 14, 2013 at 11:09 AM

@ 15 No need to bring race in this, also do you know she is from India or was she born here.

Seattle14 on March 14, 2013 at 11:58 AM

@24: thus illustrates the agony of the left. You have to put one's self in a losing position on purpose to prove to everyone that we are in a losing position; because, no one even noticed that the systems (economics, government) have end results that short changes individuals and social classes. No, we need SA to show us, because we all are too dumb to notice.

hmmmmm on March 14, 2013 at 1:42 PM

Okay #26, then send her back to Brazil. Happy now?

Unbrainwashed on March 14, 2013 at 2:26 PM

There was no "measure to fine panhandlers". Typical Dominic Holden.

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn on March 14, 2013 at 3:19 PM

I'd rather send you back to whatever racist cesspool you emerged from, creep.

Zen Punk on March 14, 2013 at 9:47 PM

Wtether she was born here or India is not relevent. She is a USA citizen, and therefore can run for an office.

Yusuf Cabdi on March 15, 2013 at 1:12 AM

The title of the article betrays The Stranger's bourgie nature:Kshama is HELPING the three major demographic groups that have ALWAYS been under attack by Mainstream America:non-"Whites";the Lower Class;Leftists.Sandeepinshit KauSHIT's irrational opinion about her odds is being called out right the fuck here!All the Socialist Alternative Party needs to do is utilize the Citizens United decision to raise funds for her campaign for that city-council seat,and go appeal to the Oppressed One-third (of SSnobbattle's electorate) to vote for her once their Primary ballots arrive in the mail. ---- http://www.broadleft.org

5th Columnist on March 17, 2013 at 5:07 PM

Wow:lot's of old white guys lying big time about Capitalism (which,like I.Q. and "White" Supremacism, is NOT falsifiable!) and its alleged virtues.I guess you socialism-haters are beneficiaries of both "White" Privilege and KKKorpSSepirate Welfare??? ------- http://www.inequality.org , http://www.blackagendareport.com

5th Columnist on March 17, 2013 at 5:13 PM

Since one-third of all voters who self-classify as being racially "White" have at least one non-"White" ancestor,Sawant would be able to win the council seat if EVERY non-"White" voted for her in the Primary (along with all of Seattle's Poor Voters and Leftists):that's more than thirty percent of the Overpriced City's electorate . . . .

5th Columnist on March 17, 2013 at 5:15 PM

Sawant will win in the primaries because the other candidates will split the decadent vote amongst each other ! (But she MUST get the young Black vote and the Lower-Class "White" vote to win in November. ) http://socialistalternative.org

5th Columnist on March 18, 2013 at 8:01 PM

Of course Sandeep Kaushik will say no Socialist can win office:HE'S an anti-Socialist!!! (Polls?Have you seen any polls?Pfft!!!) ---- http://theyrule.net

5th Columnist on March 19, 2013 at 5:34 PM

Actually,over FORTY percent of all Seattleites (who will be eligible to vote in the August Primary Election) are not racially "White::It would be in their own best interest to vote for Sawant,as she is AUTOMATICALLY represents them ALL. (Note:unlike most cities in America,Seattle still uses the at-large system of filling its city-council seats:that process violates the federal USA's Voting Rights Act of 1965,and the ACLU used the same argument to help overturn at-large voting in California,Texas,and Wyoming,while the ACLU chapter in Seattle refuses to do the same.) http://www.aclu.org

5th Columnist on March 20, 2013 at 4:30 PM

She looks like she stinks and speaks like a liar (but what socialist doesn't).

That she teaches "economics" points to the failure of our education system.

@32
Why do you have yo bring races into this, looks like you are a typical leftist bigot.

Cascadian Bacon on March 20, 2013 at 5:44 PM

She looks like she stinks and speaks like a liar (but what socialist doesn't).

That she teaches "economics" points to the failure of our education system.

@32
Why do you have to bring race into this, looks like you are a typical leftist bigot.

Cascadian Bacon on March 20, 2013 at 5:45 PM

Socialist on the Ballot

Kshama Sawant Is Running Against Council Member Richard Conlin

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Kshama Sawant Is Running Against Council Member Richard Conlin

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