Thank you Pete!!

You completely misread the Gene Balk article, Charles. $250,000 is not the income required for a couple with kids to live in Seattle, it's the median income of couples with kids living in Seattle.

The Buttigieg video looks like AI, but I think that's just how he is. I really hope someone better than him or Newsom emerges before 2028 (assuming there's even an election that year)

emperor ratty
shutting US down
we wanted a President
and we got US a kkklown

@4 pretty sure we'll see Pritzker and Shaprio at least test the waters as well. I continue to also see articles that AOC is looking to take up Bernie's mantle and may dip a toe in the water. Not because she has any shot but because she can concentrate the progressive vote and get a seat at the table and pull the party in her direction. Of course by then NY will have had a few years of socialist governance so her brand may end up taking a hit if Mamdani's policies completely flop.

@3 It didn't cost Pete anything but an hour of his time talking on the phone with Bruce and shooting a video. People running for president like to have local officials on their side. Big city mayors can typically turn out more support for a national candidate than US reps or state legislators. The completely-standard-in-politics quid pro quo would be that Pete supports Bruce now and Bruce supports Pete in 2028. It's so standard it probably didn't even need to be stated.

It's hard to say who got the better of that deal. I don't see Pete's endorsement moving that many votes, and Bruce is soon to be an ex-mayor who won't have much influence in 2 years.

I would welcome a dead rat for Seattle Mayor, but I live in Bellevue where the trains run on time and all the kids are above average.

The sun is sticking around to personally spite Cliff Mass but he says it's just a one day phenomenon (every day) and doesn't mean anything

A second-rate Ben Shapiro? Ooooo, that strikes deep. Or the love child of Benny and Loomer? One shudders at the thought.

More than 70 Nexstar and Sinclair local stations across the country will not carry Kimmel's show. The loss of 25% of ABC affiliates will surely do wonders for Kimmel's numbers in the advertiser-coveted 18–49 demo, where Kimmel averaged only 𝟭𝟮𝟵,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 in August, off from 212,000 in January.

Anibal Hernandez Santana, the man who fired a gun into a Sacramento ABC news station must be especially upset with Kimmel's return - while Kimmel was benched for a mere five days, Anibal is looking at a year in the dock. And shooting within a school zone...tsk, tsk, tsk.

Who was he? A former legislative director for the California Federation of Teachers Union.
Shocker...

Police found the following written notes in his home/car;
"Do the Next Scary Thing."
"For hiding Epstein & ignoring red flags. Do not support Patel, Bongino, & AG Pam Bondi. They’re next. – C.K. from above."

His social media was a raging cacophony of the same, and nearly identical to the quotidian bilge here at TS Slog.

Dr. Garen Wintemute, a leading expert on political violence commenting on the current of our lovely polity had this to say, "Posting, exhibiting hyper-partisan behavior, strongly polarizing partisan behavior, is a risk factor for committing violence. On the other hand, the vast majority of people who exhibit hyper-partisan behavior, do not commit violence." Votive candles for that.

No worries though. I'm sure TS will dig into this, claiming that being brought up as a strong Catholic makes him MAGA, while those cryptic indecipherable messages posted on his refrigerator were simply ironic gamer memes.

@10 I'm sure whatever schlock Nexstar and Sinclair replace him with will do wonders for their numbers and advertising as well. Sinclair's share price has already been struggling this year and boycotting what's poised to be the #1 late night show (after CBS's cowardly decision to push out Colbert) won't help any.

@11 "His social media was a raging cacophony of the same, and nearly identical to the quotidian bilge here at TS Slog."

Nobody's forcing you to read and post here you pompous douche

@10,

He's also got over 20 million YouTube subscribers (myself among them, since this is where I typically watch his monologues.) I'm sure a hefty number of those are bots, but even still he's surely well over 10 million, which is huge.

I always appreciate a Mudede Slog AM - it has a distinctive style and flow. Nice show Charles!

big government conservatives are really having a moment right now

@14 the youtube page you are talking about are owned by Disney/ABC. So in fact those followers belong to the show, not Jimmy Kimmel the person.

Color me skeptical that KOMO will actually preempt Kimmel (or, if it preempts him tonight, will continue to do so past this week). They declined to air Sinclair's f-you-libs Charlie Kirk tribute show last Friday, so obviously they have some understanding of the Seattle market's political dynamics. The last thing KOMO wants (or should want) is a loud, widely publicized audience boycott movement, which is what they'll almost surely get if they don't change their minds today.

@4 I'd vote for Pete but his repeatedly pulling 0% of the black vote in polls is ominous

The job cuts at PBS sounds like an outstanding opportunity for the progressives who were ever so outraged over federal funding cuts to show their commitment by increasing their donations.
I bet you don’t.

No surprise that Kimmel is coming back. I figured they’d let it drag on for a couple of weeks so it didn’t look like the obvious publicity stunt that it was.
Haven’t watched him since he was on The Man Show. Adam Carolla was always the funnier of the two.

Some interesting stuff from Kamala's new book:

Harris writes that after Biden dropped out on July 21, 2024, she called Democrats for support but California Gov. Gavin Newsom avoided her: "Hiking. Will call back" and "He never did."

Harris says she pleaded with Biden to extend the empathy he expressed for Ukrainians to innocent civilians in Gaza but “he couldn't do it; while he could passionately state, 'I am a Zionist,' his remarks about innocent Palestinians came off as inadequate and forced.”

Harris reflects that after an October 2024 appearance on The View—when she said there was nothing she would have done differently than Biden—she realized voters wanted more separation between her and the president on Gaza.
She writes that post-election surveys found Biden voters in 2020 who declined to back her cited “ending Israel’s violence in Gaza” as their leading reason, above the economy, immigration or abortion.

@16: In many ways I would imagine, considering "big government" and "conservative" traditionally don't pair well.

I wrote at the time that Harris should give the following answer to the often-asked question of what she would do differently than Biden (pay attention to the specific wording):

"Under my administration, the people of Gaza will have all the humanitarian aid they need, whether Mr. Netanyahu likes it or not."

That one sentence would have given her left-flank skeptics and the Muslim community a rationale to support her that many of them were no doubt privately hoping for, while not committing herself to any shift in policy beyond providing aid. Her repeated refusal to distance herself even this token degree from Biden's near-total capitulation to Netanyahu, while perhaps not determinative by itself, was almost surely her single biggest mistake.

Gaza was an obvious answer, but the fact she declined the opportunity to distinguish herself in any way at all from an unpopular incumbent shows Kamala never had the political acumen to win. It's really unfortunate Biden's ego put her and us in that position.

@22 Pete needs to win Black votes to win the Democratic nomination let alone the presidency. He must have political connections to Black communities in Indiana. If he can't leverage those to get better at talking to and relating with Black communities nationwide, he's not going to win the nomination, and nor should he. This is a known bug for him and if he hasn't fixed it in 8 years of trying, he's doing it wrong.

Harris is making an even weirder political calculation than Buttigieg. At least there's no real downside to a Harrell endorsement for Pete's hopes in 2028. Slagging off 80%+ of the Democratic political establishment isn't a great way to win friends and influence people. Even if it's deserved, you don't engage in friendly fire if you want to get elected.

It's quite the hoot watching y'all flail into irrelevance.

Kisses

Mayor Pete is boring and even less appealing than Kamala, sorry to say.

@28 I think we could all use a few years of boring at this point.

@29. I fully agree! But boring won't get out the vote.

Fortunately JD Vance is the boringest turd in America.

@28: Pete does serve us platitude lasagna with a word salad, so that makes him more appealing.

@32: Pete doesn't serve...

Comments are closed on "Seattle Area Trans Women Are Being Attacked by Groups of Men", so I'll just say what I wanted to here: you're going to want pepper spray rather than pepper gel, as pepper gel takes longer to take effect and isn’t as potent as a directional spray.

Let's see here..."Under my administration, the people of Gaza will have all the humanitarian aid they need, whether Mr. Netanyahu likes it or not." As I recall, Ms. Harris handed a massive aid package to Mr. Netanyahu with a big smile on her face; this was after the party analysts had concluded that she would lose. The public blowback was swift and harsh, and it came as no surprise that J6-perp sallied once more into the White House (thanks, centrists!) the following January.

Literally every DNC ex-prez or failed prez candidate goes on to say that they would like to have had the Israel policy their constituents actually wanted, but something or the other just made it impossible. They're all full of shit - that is, they're speaking the truth when they acknowledge that their neocolonialism costs them votes every election, but none of them actually wish to challenge the system and end it. And all of them have held the power to do so.

And why all the concern for J. Kimmel here? He'll still be a multimillionaire no matter what the vicissitudes of his career at this point. All over the US, educators and innocent people are being fired, threatened, & harassed - mostly for pointing out (on social media) the glaring non-coincidence between Mr. Kirk's views on "gun rights" and the weapon that was used to murder him. Very few of these people have resources or access to legal restitution, unlike celebrities.

@38 There's no state or country on this continent where you can't buy one of the millions of bolt action rifles in a hunting caliber, so even in a place like Washington or California or Canada or Mexico where your right to self defense with a gun is severely curtailed it wouldn't have made a difference.

Everyone is very eager to point out their deep observation that Kirk was killed with a (100+ year old) gun while thinking they should be legal. It's about as significant as pointing out how Paul Walker died in a car crash (which kill many more Americans than guns) while, presumably, still thinking people should be allowed to have cars.

@8 what trains?

If you are referring to light rail, a) ya’ll just got it and it barely goes anywhere so of course it runs on time, if they even do and b) that shit is run by sound transit which is a regional authority.

Also your kids might test above average bc you a) have less of them and b) more money to spread around to make that happen.

@24: "Under my administration, the people of Gaza will have all the humanitarian aid they need, whether Mr. Netanyahu likes it or not."

And that one sentence absolutely satisfies the most important requirement the Stranger, and the international hard left, has about this conflict: it does not contain the word, "Hamas." As in, "...whether Mr. Netanyahu or Hamas like it or not." (Hamas, of course, would simply have taken whatever amount of that aid it wanted for making or buying weapons, whilst the United States would have had no way to stop this.)

"That one sentence would have given her left-flank skeptics and the Muslim community a rationale to support her that many of them were no doubt privately hoping for, while not committing herself to any shift in policy beyond providing aid."

If you'd read the Stranger, you'd know her "left-flank skeptics" repeatedly demanded she promise an arms embargo against Israel, and harassed her constantly do so, even after she refused. Such persons were never going to be placated by a mere promise of aid.

"Her repeated refusal to distance herself even this token degree from Biden's near-total capitulation to Netanyahu,"

On the topic of restraining Netanyahu, Biden did far more than Trump has, and as the only choice was between Harris and Trump, Harris had no reason to distance herself from Biden's efforts -- except in a futile attempt to placate those persons who were demanding we disarm Israel's fight against (Quick! Cover your ears!!) Hamas.

@25: "...Biden's ego..."

Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's "Genocide Joe," and don't you forget it! (You call him that because he did far more than Trump to restrain Netanyahu, right?)

@37: "The public blowback was swift and harsh, and it came as no surprise that J6-perp sallied once more into the White House (thanks, centrists!) the following January."

Read the Stranger harder: "Gaza Isn't Driving Votes." (https://www.thestranger.com/elections-2024/2024/08/07/79637812/seven-takeaways-from-washingtons-2024-august-primary) That was in one of the most liberal states in the country, complete with a student (?) protest on the UW campus.

"... but none of them actually wish to challenge the system and end it. And all of them have held the power to do so."

Your powers of observation and dedication continue to amaze even you! (Now, please tell us again how commenter "cressona" is not actually a real person. Go!)

@38: "And why all the concern for J. Kimmel here?"

Well, it's the principl-- darn, I've lost you already, haven't I?

@the
Wormtongue:

"If you'd read the Stranger,
you'd know her "left-flank skeptics" repeatedly
demanded she promise an arms embargo against Israel... "

using
OUR Munitions
to COMMIT WAR CRIMES*
IS ILLEGAL IN AMERICA, mr AIPAC

*no matter if you say
BUT HAMAS! Ten
Zillion Times.

not to Mention
Starvation; Destroying
Medical Facilities (BUT HAMAS!)
Preventing Palestinians from Reproducing

the List is Long
and grows more
so each and every day

you
and
bibi can
Fuck Off and die

@36: While the hypocrisy of progressive narratives is annoying and worth pointing out - to do so in an article about vicious attacks on trans women is tangential and inappropriate.

@42 "Read the Stranger harder: "Gaza Isn't Driving Votes."

The Stranger was wrong too.

https://www.imeupolicyproject.org/postelection-polling

"A poll released Wednesday, January 15, by IMEU Policy Project and conducted by YouGov found what few in the Democratic Party have been willing to admit: Vice President Harris lost votes because of the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza."

@45: Wow, you're still flogging the IMEU? Literally the first line of their Wikipedia page: "The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) is a 501(c)(3) pro-Palestinian[1] non-profit advocacy organization."

Was that the IMEU poll which asked a too-small sample of (possibly-skewed-against-most-reliable) voters questions like this?

"How much do you [agree or disagree] with the following statement: The $18 billion in weapons the U.S. provided to Israel over the last year, funded by taxpayer dollars, would be better spent lowering costs and supporting Americans dealing with inflation and struggling to afford basics like housing and healthcare."

(https://www.thestranger.com/slog-am/2025/01/29/79896661/slog-am-trump-is-flooding-the-zone-sue-rahr-has-her-last-day-as-police-chief-bob-kettle-melts-down/comments/72)

Citing the IMEU as a reliable source was averagebob's trick. You, sir, are no averagebob! ;-)

@37 Be that as it may, Harris had three somewhat conflicting tasks: distance herself at least a little from the very unpopular Biden; signal that she would be less reflexively indulgent toward Netanyahu; and not scare away too many Jewish Democrats who still broadly supported the war. Not an easy triangulation to pull off, but I think my formulation was her best bet and I told her so (or her campaign staff, anyway). For some reason she just wouldn't do it. I still don't quite understand why not.

But for what it's worth I do think that once in office, Harris would have been better on Gaza than Biden. At the very least, when she looks at Netanyahu she doesn't see Golda Meir smiling back at her over his shoulder. That's something.

but IS it Truly*
"genocide'?

Netanyahu:
‘These So-Called
Genocide Experts Have Probably
Never Committed A Genocide In Their Lives’

JERUSALEM—In response to an independent United Nations inquiry concluding that Israel is committing an ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a defiant statement Thursday in which he criticized the commission’s finding, declaring that “these so-called genocide experts have probably never committed a genocide in their lives.”

“Until you’ve killed countless civilians, the word ‘genocide’ shouldn’t even come out of your damn mouth,” said Netanyahu, arguing that the pampered intellectuals at the U.N. were nothing more than a bunch of armchair human rights abusers.

“Name one ethnic group you’ve attempted to obliterate.
I’ll wait. I mean, have you even bombed
a single children’s hospital?

Please, you’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.
Maybe you read a book about the
1948 Genocide Convention?

Well, I’ve read Sports Illustrated,
but that doesn’t mean
I’m a quarterback.

You have no on-the-ground experience
mass-murdering civilians
like I do, okay?”

At press time,
the acting U.S. ambassador
to the U.N. formally backed Israel’s motion
to compel the chair of the Human Rights Council
to list three families whose lines he had wiped out if he was such a genocide scholar.

Oodles More
sadly, madly
infuriatingly

https://theonion.com/netanyahu-these-so-called-genocide-experts-have-probably-never-committed-a-genocide-in-their-lives/

and if it Isn't
Actually Genocide
then WTF's 'the harm'?

YOUR Tax
Dollars $TILL
HARD AF AT WORK.

*TWO YEAR
ANNIVERSARY
COMING UP SOON!

https://www.thestranger.com/news/2025/09/23/80249464/seattle-area-trans-women-are-being-attacked-by-groups-of-men/comments

Words aren't violence.
Silence isn't violence.
Violence is violence, I know it's tautological, so sue me.
Closing the comments doesn't keep anyone safe.

The comments were open for a hot second after the post went live but within minutes someone was already throwing slurs. Some people just can’t help themselves i guess. You could certainly argue that turning off comments doesn’t keep anyone safe but it doesn’t hurt anyone either.

@34, @49, and @60: All too bad, because that article shows what the Stranger can do when it actually practices journalism. Those women's stories deserve to be heard, and I hope this story gets picked up by major Seattle media outlets and investigated further. If a person cannot feel safe in walking to Pony (!), then she can't feel safe anywhere, and all persons deserve safe streets.

It was also pleasant to read about someone going to jail without the Stranger rattling on about the inherent oppression of the carceral state:

"When a high school boy pulled Faumuina off the women, Faumuina pulled out a handgun and fired it at him several times. He missed the boy, and the crowd of people around him. One bullet went through a window at the Museum of History & Industry.

"Faumuina pleaded guilty to a count of second degree assault for shooting at the teen and a hate crime for beating the trans woman. In July, he was sentenced to a year in jail, but was given credit for the time he had already served."

ONE YEAR?!? For a completely unprovoked hate crime, shooting at a minor, and the flagrant irresponsiblity of discharging a weapon in a crowded area? (Discharge of a weapon within the Seattle city limits is itself a misdemeanor, which is why the SPD's firing range is in Tukwila.) What do we have police, courts, and prisons for, exactly, if not to protect us from such violent predators?

Kamala Harris is an incompetent politician on so many levels, and a homophobic DEI hire, and I'm so glad I didn't vote for her and let the electoral college do its thing so my lack of a vote in this heavily blue state didn't tilt things to Trump. Thank God for the electoral college!

@46 where's your poll that shows otherwise then? Imperfect evidence wins against no evidence at all.

@51 "ONE YEAR?!?"

Felony sentences in this state are set by statute. One year is the high end of the standard range for a person convicted of Second Degree Assault and one other felony. Absent any evidence that person had any priors, the judge gave him the most time they legally could.

@54: ‘…where's your poll that shows otherwise then?’

“Gaza Isn’t Driving Votes.”

@55 you can just say "I don't have any"

@56: Um, you had cited that fake public-opinion poll in response to the Stranger's take on how actual citizens, in legally-binding polls across the state of Washington, had really voted. Those election results, all taken together, were my "poll that shows otherwise."

You're welcome.