News Apr 29, 2015 at 10:21 am

The City Council Is So Over Being Nice to Kshama Sawant

Heidi Groover
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Comments

1
Politics at City Hall. Heavens.
Dan Savage on April 29, 2015 at 10:31 AM Stranger Staff
3
Sawant seems abrasive, difficult, ideological to the point of pathology, which is just what we need to balance out the milquetoasts and corporate toadies that run our city. Having a city Council made up of Sawants would be a disaster. But having one or two? Just what the doctor ordered.
ohthetrees on April 29, 2015 at 10:42 AM Report this
4
Wow! I've never been commentor 0 before!
ohthetrees on April 29, 2015 at 10:43 AM Report this
5
And now my original comment is displaying as #4, not #0. I think there are still a few bugs in this new comment system.
ohthetrees on April 29, 2015 at 10:45 AM Report this
6
*yawn* how is this even worthy of a Slog post? Isn't time we have a couple of restaurant reviews? Those Amazon employees are about to go to lunch!!
Cato the Younger Younger on April 29, 2015 at 10:52 AM Report this
7
Rent Control? Can she recycle any more failed ideas from the last century?
delbert on April 29, 2015 at 10:59 AM Report this
8
#4, #5, While I am personally fascinated by the place in line of your comments, most SLOG readers don't care even slightly! LOL! It is entirely possible that two, or even more, posters are writing simultaneously. Surely you must realize that the actual placement number does not happen until you click on "Post Comment" at the bottom. Still, I agree that your comments truly deserve a ZERO.
collingswood on April 29, 2015 at 11:03 AM Report this
9
Poor Sally Bagshaw had to mingle and stand with the unwashed masses! Oh the outrage! Get the fainting couch!
CC-Rob on April 29, 2015 at 11:06 AM Report this
10
This was thoroughly discussed from the moment that Ms Sawant was elected, (chiefly because folks were disgusted with Conlin; not generally because they understood Ms Sawant's politics). She was a strident activist, and the question was always: could she switch from outsider agitator to insider collaborator working for change, (see also the activist Mike McGinn transitioning to having to work with others on the inside). I think we now have our answer. Of course there are legion, particularly here, who thrill to her non-collaborate lecturing nature, but for good or ill, a city council is by nature and design collaborative. It will forever be the case of the career provocateur who discovers themselves part of the establishment.
theophrastus on April 29, 2015 at 11:11 AM Report this
11
@10, Councilmembers don't run for office as part of a collaborative group; they run as individuals. That will be even more emphasized when district elections come; candidates will run as individuals representing one certain area of Seattle. and there is definitely competition among Seattle neighborhoods for attention and resources.
sarah91 on April 29, 2015 at 11:25 AM Report this
12
@6
Paul Constant would get dilly dally delicious over some sandwhich place that clsed then reopened, long lines, but dilly dally delicious was the feeling i got from Paul. Pesos? Pecos? Pisso?
dnt trust me on April 29, 2015 at 11:26 AM Report this
13
If she's pissing off other council members, then clearly she's doing it right. They're so corrupt and oblivious to the needs of working people that they don't even know how deeply unpopular they are. Or maybe they do, which is why several of them are cashing in instead of running for re-election.
Original Andrew on April 29, 2015 at 11:31 AM Report this
14
@10. Huh? Though it is 'non-partisan', Council Members run on explicitly political platforms and their very election is an implicit or explicit confirmation of those political goals by the majority of voters. "Collaboration" is an interesting term, because (correct me if I'm wrong) the majority still prevails, no? "Deliberative" might be better term.
Sean Kinney on April 29, 2015 at 11:34 AM Report this
15
@7 but look at how low rents are in San Francisco and New York City!

...oh wait.
Doctor Memory on April 29, 2015 at 11:36 AM Report this
16
Sally Bagshaw is really embarrassing herself with this complaint.

The City Council embarrasses itself with it's "Let's work together, but not with Mike McGinn because we don't like him. I mean, we claim to like his policies but we're going to stab him and the city in the back just for kicks because he's not a consensus builder like us. Wah the new council woman has strong opinions and voices them! Waaaaahhhhh!"
dwightmoodyforgetsthings on April 29, 2015 at 11:41 AM Report this
17
Fight the good fight Sawant. You are currently the only one who can bring the message of the 99% to our council. And - as we are seeing - without a voice, those people (us) will eventually start to riot.
tmplknght on April 29, 2015 at 11:58 AM Report this
18
Most of us early in life learn how to disagree without being disagreeable, but that lesson is lost on some folks too rigidly wedded to a particular ideology. Sure, tangle on the dais but still be able to go have a beer with your opponent.
RDPence on April 29, 2015 at 11:58 AM Report this
19
The narrative that the councils only issue was that it just wasn't socialist enough, and that sawant is a savior for polices moving forward is going to get dumped on its face pretty fast.
meanie on April 29, 2015 at 12:04 PM Report this
20
@16: Sally Bagshaw is unopposed and looks like she'll easily get reelected. Why would she be embarrassed about slapping down Kshama?
J.R. on April 29, 2015 at 12:21 PM Report this
21
Sawant is our version of a Kardashian.
1mp2rld on April 29, 2015 at 12:34 PM Report this
22
Isn't this all above the placement of chairs? Couldn't the council members just say "Hey, where did the chairs go?" then grab one and sit where they always do? See, I'm a problem solver.
HappyHippie on April 29, 2015 at 12:44 PM Report this
23
Go Sawant. Seriously, the City Council needs like four of her. We're a progressive city, but all we can do that's actually progressive is pass feel good statements about how we're for or against something, or taxing bags.

Sawant is exactly what we need.
TheMisanthrope on April 29, 2015 at 12:46 PM Report this
24
@21) You watch too much tv.
Achaiwoi on April 29, 2015 at 12:50 PM Report this
25
Pissing off other Council Members ... that isn't supposed to matter with elected representatives.

Are they elected or the elect.

At any rate, at some point it's going to be clear that the Home Teams, Status Quo and Local Yokels will be challenged for their (most unearned) death grip on power.

However, as someone who's been around here long enough knows....Them Locals Got Bang!

Supreme Ruler Of The Universe on April 29, 2015 at 1:02 PM Report this
26
She's not a politician -- in fact, she has no interest in being a politician -- she's an activist using her office as a bully pulpit. What everyone is realizing is that she's polarizing and it's starting to work against her.
Myxlplyx on April 29, 2015 at 1:30 PM Report this
27
"she's an activist using her office as a bully pulpit."

Good. Corporations have been doing this exclusively for far too long. See also: government statements siding with Boeing during 2013's Union contract negotiations.
TheMisanthrope on April 29, 2015 at 1:40 PM Report this
28
Okay… I’ll try to express my pulled comment @2 using more sensitive words… (When did Slog start to have palpitations and a case of the vapors with a drop of the “B” word?)

"What’s going on here?"

Maybe she's irritated enough council members to such a point with her divisive tactics that they don’t like her, are tired of having her around and are doing what they can to be rid of her now that election is looming.

(Who didn’t see that coming?)
You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me on April 29, 2015 at 1:56 PM Report this
29
So now Bagshaw know what it is like to feel like a constituent....
“I was directed to the audience to sit and listen,” Bagshaw said, “and I ended up standing over here for an hour and I did not feel that that was a city council event… I did not feel that any of us were warmly welcome if we were here to listen and have an alternative viewpoint or conversation. I just want the people to know that I really felt personally slighted by that.
Zander on April 29, 2015 at 2:47 PM Report this
30
Just want to say I like this article, guys. Fits The Stranger's voice (at least as I recognize it), but doesn't take it overboard. It's cynical and skeptical and subjective, but it reads more like journalism, and less like a blog. It's not packed full of smears and rants or naive assertions and blatant manipulation. Keep this kind of stuff coming, please!
T2theB on April 29, 2015 at 3:06 PM Report this
31
@26: If that's the case, then I hope we fill City Council with more activists and fewer politicians. I look forward to voting for Sawant as my district representative on City Council. Best I can tell, my views have been better represented by her than by other members of the council.
Phil M on April 29, 2015 at 3:20 PM Report this
32
Good writeup, but I just have to call attention to the headline: "The City Council Is So Over Being Nice to Kshama Sawant." This makes it sound like the City Council is some entity separate from Ms. Sawant, never mind that she's actually a member of the council.

Reminds me of the classic conservative phraseology where the only real people/voters/Americans are {Republicans, people who hate taxes, automobile drivers, etc.}, and, by definition, the other people don't count. Only, this odd exclusion was clearly inadvertent.
cressona on April 29, 2015 at 3:24 PM Report this
33
Some of the comments here clearly don't have a clue about how a city council functions. You don't accomplish anything if you're a long, shrill voice railing against your fellow council member. All Sawant is going to accomplish is alienating them and ensuring she doesn't get their support for her little socialist agenda. One runs as an individual for a city council seat, but nothing gets done unless it's done collaboratively. She'll either learn that or be the one-term candidate she seems destined to be, and that I hope she is. Just like McGinn, she's an activist, not a politician.
Compass Rose on April 29, 2015 at 3:35 PM Report this
34
Some of the posters here clearly don't have a clue about how a city council functions. You don't accomplish anything if you're simply a lone, shrill voice railing against your fellow council members. All Sawant is going to accomplish is alienating them and ensuring she doesn't get their support for her little socialist agenda. One runs as an individual for a city council seat, but nothing gets done unless it's done collaboratively. She'll either learn that or be the one-term candidate she seems destined to be, and that I hope she is. Just like McGinn, she's an activist, not a politician.
Compass Rose on April 29, 2015 at 3:37 PM Report this
35
To be frank, even I had no idea who John O was.

And that means he's a drop in appointment not a local.
Will in Seattle on April 29, 2015 at 3:44 PM Report this
37
Goldy is writing a book with her? Has he disclosed that publicly anywhere?
Bax on April 29, 2015 at 4:45 PM Report this
38
I am so surprised that Sawant survived for so long. She is a Tankie after all. She believes in some arcane Trotskyist Socialist philosophy left over from before the wall came down.

Way to go Seattle, you elected a Tankie.
Nick CapHill on April 29, 2015 at 5:07 PM Report this
39
Dave Meinert and other Stranger advertisers must be thrilled by this hit piece. Good work!
frozenfrog on April 29, 2015 at 6:13 PM Report this
40
34) Some people on here don't have a clue about opinion polls showing Sawant's popularity or the fact that she has passed policy with multiple members of the council. Even the 43rd Dems strawpoll she demolished her closest competitor in this race.
frozenfrog on April 29, 2015 at 6:14 PM Report this
41
And I'm so over The Stranger. Goldie, Holden, Schmader, Minard--the last shreds of credibility left with them.
alyssarp on April 29, 2015 at 6:33 PM Report this
42
I just sent Sawant an email telling her that she's doing a great job. The other council members are just crybabies.
Oldmesenger82 on April 29, 2015 at 8:17 PM Report this
43
@35, if you don't know who John Okamoto is, you haven't been reading anything about Seattle or the Port for about 10 years.
sarah91 on April 29, 2015 at 9:32 PM Report this
44
Just heard a good joke today………Kshama Sawant….but I didn't laugh.
schleit on April 29, 2015 at 10:39 PM Report this
45
Oh no POLITICS! WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN?
THESTRANGERSDIRTYSECRET on May 1, 2015 at 12:09 PM Report this
46
Sawant managed to bridge the gap between the poor and the middle class. I know her intentions were good, but does she really think she's taking a bite out of big business? All they're going to do is cut back as much as they can, overwork their employees, and if they still can't make their nut, close up shop and move out of this city. I've already seen it first hand. I'm sure they'll put up more overpriced housing where that place once was. She should really take a giant step back and look at the shit-hole picture. I'm all for a higher minimum wage, but not if it gets taken out of my medium income. Please somebody stop her before she destroys this city and moves on to the next!
Elron H. on August 19, 2015 at 2:30 AM Report this

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