Comments

2
@1 obviously never watches TV, or reads literally anything about how it works.
3
Pretty ironic charge coming from anyone associated with Ed Murray, the most inaccessible mayor in Seattle's modern history.
4
According to Dan Savage, anything we can do to become more like NYC is a good thing. In Seattle's current political climate, this objection could backfire on Banks and earn Sawant more votes.
5
So Pamela Banks is lying about the hearing.
6
Why doesn't Sawant cozy up the local big money interests like the rest of our local politicians?
7
Someone should check into who paid for her trip to New York. Is it paid for by the "non profit" she "donates" her salary to who pays for most of her profit making travel?

Sawant is great for pushing the council left, but we wanted district elections so concerns specific to neighborhoods would be heard, and so residents could have access to and influence on their local reps. Sawant fails at both of these things.
8
@4
I think the whole 'be like NYC' trend is backfiring. It was a nice idea having the guy who designed Central Park come up with all the great parks in Seattle, but that was 100 years ago. The current development feels more like Dallas than NYC.
9
#8, I agree that it is not ideal for the region, but the whole "be like NYC" trend is still going quite strong. Just look at the mass transit discussions going on right now. Going against that trend right now could very well be political suicide.
10
Hell, City Attorney Pete Holmes was singing the high praises of NYPD Chief William Bratton at a recent EastPAC meeting, and Murray is in love with the idea of the city existing as a fiefdom. Hence the 9 1/2 blocks. Hence the fencing on 3rd Ave. Et al.
11
@7
Thats not why I voted for district election. I voted for them hoping to dilute the influence of money on our local politics and reward candidates with a good ground game.

Its hard to make a case that Sawant doesn't care about the common residents of her district. In my eyes, she has been the most effective liberal freshman councilmember in my memory.
12
@9
Political suicide I heartily endorse. On the other hand, even though the Folk Implosion had some good songs, 'Lo-Fi Suicide' wasn't one of them. Then about two years ago on SLOG we had a fun discussion about what people call a drink that mixes coke, sprite, root beer, orange and/or etc. Some people say 'graveyard' and others say 'suicide.'
13
Are we supposed to believe that Banks receives no money from out-of-state investors?
14
GOOD GRAVY.. the fundraiser cost $15 a person and the subject was progressive organizing. I live in Kshama's district and am neither a donor or volunteer for her... but I am paying attention... slamming her for working with national progressives is not a damning rap this CapHill mama will buy. OY.
15
On the other hand, why should we care from which state the money comes? What's more important is what (who) those donations represent.
16
Fundraising in NY? Looks like someone is using her position to gain a national audience instead of working for the people of Seattle. #NOTVotingforKShama
17
Yeah isn't Banks supposed to be expecting a flood of out-of-state PAC money soon? That's the pot calling the kettle black.
18
So, is this what's called "praising with faint damnation"?
19
I've often sensed that if Sawant had a choice between a local meeting with constituents on an issue of importance to them (but not in her Little Red Playbook) or a socialist rally in Cleveland, she would choose to travel every time. This NYC episode adds credence.
20
It's only fitting that the Chairman and CEO of Urban League Corp. attack a socialist candidate, while the Urban League heads in a decidedly pro-corporate direction. At least her mega-corporate backers will be happy she stood up against the dangerous, solution-presenting leftist, and offered us a real, down-to-earth, not-a-single-idea-in-her-head alternative.
21
No one mentions the once a year Left Forum 2015 and why it was important for her to add her voice in support of the 99% by showing what she is doing.
22
Banks is annoying, as are her friends and employees in the comments section.
24
OMG! Sawant is not surrendering without a fight!

Quelle horreur!
25
"We need council members who are present, attentive, and dedicated to reading the fine print, not jet setting in search of campaign cash."

Ummm, I recently collected signatures for Kshama at at several locations in District 3 including one in the CD, where a student approached me to sign Kshama's filing fee waiver petition. The student said, "I'm kind of new to Seattle. I've heard good things about Kshama, but I don't really know much about her." I started tell the student about how Kshama and labor activists got the $15 hour minimum wage passed in six months flat--unheard of in Seattle politics, which typically proceeds at molluscan pace, except for stuff like approving the new $450,000,000 basketball-hockey stadium. I then started telling the student about how Kshama and low income housing activists beat back SHA's ridiculous scheme to increase rent on Seattle Housing Authority's tenants by 400%, when suddenly I noticed someone standing next to me. It was Kshama, in person, humbly making the rounds to say hi to some of her signature gatherers.

It is totally NOT TRUE that Kshama is inaccessible. I have seen her talking with all kinds of people at many public events. I would much rather have a staunch social justice fighter gather many small donations from individual donors in Seattle (or NYC, where I lived for a number of years), than see almost the entire rest of the council on their annual junket to a posh resort in Eastern Washington to hobnob with corporate lobbyists. I have never once seen Pamela Banks hanging out with her volunteers. Why not? Is she is too busy taking style tips from Ed Murray, who personally asked her to run in order to take out Kshama?

Good luck with that Ms. Banks. Fact is, Seattle residents LOVE Kshama because she stands up for regular people, rather than being a tool of the mayor.
26
If Pamela Banks could fundraise in New York, she would. Democrat groups in New York don't give a shit about a Seattle city council race. Take a second to consider why the Socialist Alternative party does. Could it be because Kshama stands for something LARGER than herself? Stands, as Pamela puts it, "noisily"?
27
Simple fact is, Kshama Sawant's election was news and her work as a city councilor is national news. Activists all over the US are being inspired by her example -- I wouldn't be surprised if more Americans can name Kshama Sawant than can name their own city councilor or alderman or selectman or whatever. National news means she has to make national appearances, because we're talking about a national movement. If you object to her going to NYC or anywhere else...get more people like her elected in your town.
28
So did Mr Locker get the right licenses to be a contractor or is he still breaking Seattle law? Or did Sawant do the right thing and have him as a full time employee and pay a payroll tax for him?

Also wtf can people outside of the city donate money to city races? That seems like complete BS and it seems like something Sawant should be against. Why should outside forces with no real interests in this city be able to have a say in the election? What would Sawant think if big new York banks donated money to someone?
29
I'm voting Sanders/Sawant in 2016.
30
I can't vote for Sawant again (wrong district) but I have been really happy with her performance so far. Without her, the minimum wage wouldn't have moved. Lots of folks worked on that, but the city needed someone tenacious to push on the issue, and she was that person.
I disagree with her solutions to housing affordability, but I am confident that she won't let the issue get swept under the rug. That's what we need.
31
@29 - good plan except the Seattle City Council elections are in 2015.
32
I went to college in the 1960's. I met dozens if not hundreds of fellow students just exactly like Kwameesha Swameesha. At any meeting or public gathering, they took over the microphone and refused to let anyone else get a word in edgewise, refused to let anyone else have a say. All they did was recite slogans and sayings straight out of the "little red book" of Chairman Mao, with little or no understanding of what they actually mean.
Their heart was in the right place, but their methods were counter-productive, to say the least.
Here's a bet : that Kwameesha Swameesha has a poster of Che handing over her bed. Like I said, I went to college in the 60's, I know from experience exactly where she's coming from.
33
@32, perhaps you should spend a bit more time in 2015 and less back in the 1960s. You have no idea where Sawant is coming from. I'm in your age group -- perhaps even older -- and I know the difference between then and now. Those "fellow students" you talk about didn't serve effectively in elective office. .
34
@33 ... And neither does Sawant.

36
@1 (Ken Mehlman): Yes, Ken, the network that fired Phil Donohue, its highest-rated anchor, "for low ratings" (for being against the Iraq war), Keith Olbermann "for making political contributions without getting advance permission" (for supporting RaĆŗl Grijalva), and Cenk Uygur "for striking the wrong tone" (for showing insufficient deference to the rich and powerful) is going to hire Kshama Sawant. Because behind all of the activism and lofty rhetoric, all she really wants to do is shill for Comcast and NBC Universal's corporate advertisers for $7 million a year, like Rachel Maddow. It's just so obvious! Why can't anyone else see it? [As if it were even necessary ... /s]
37
Remember that Ken Mehlman was fired by Nixon for being too evil.

Please wait...

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.