Eyman running for gov??? He says he's serious. Can you imagine? Shock jock Seahawks guy Dori Monson, gun nut Phil Fortunato, some guy who looks like he runs a youth group, and chair thief Tim Eyman all running to challenge two-term incumbent Jay Inslee? 2020 is going to be fucking insane. RICH SMITH
Heâs running. pic.twitter.com/prdbcyt9Up
â Lewis Kamb (@lewiskamb) November 21, 2019
Look, this news is from yesterday but it's important: Here's where you can find the best Australian meat pies in Seattle. CHASE BURNS
The RNC Dropped $100,000: Just to get Baby Don's Triggered on the top of the New York Times bestseller list. The move speaks to the particular marketing genius the Trumps have perfected for years: fake. Here's the only review of the book you need to read, courtesy of Ashley Feinberg, "This particular cash grab, though, transcends the ordinary campaign-publishing vanity project. Itâs the work of an author so nakedly self-consciousâor so in need of self-soothingâhe constantly breaks off his message to assure the reader heâs proud, confident, and doing fine." RS
Some impeachment hearing updates for the day: Former National Security Council official Fiona Hill and State Department official David Holmes testified today. Fiona Hill is a fucking badass. Read part of her statements here, where she read Republicans to filth for pushing Russian propaganda to reach domestic political goals. Meanwhile, looney Lindsay Graham has launched a probe into the Bidens. Great, good, fine, let's see what we find there, sir. Have you called your old best friend John's daughter Meghan recently? I think she's still mad at you. CB
The MORE Act passed a congressional committee: This is a big deal, as the act would "not just put an end to federal marijuana prohibition, but address the countless harms our prohibitionist policies have wrought." There's a whole host of great things the act would do if passed, more here. CB
Biden fucking sucks:
âYou should vote for Trump,â Joe Biden tells @CosechaMovement protester Carlos Rojas at tonightâs town hall in Greenwood, S.C.
Rojas and other protesters from the group were criticizing Obama-era deportations and asked Biden to say heâd end all deportations â which he rejected. pic.twitter.com/od188WIlrQ
â Eric Bradner (@ericbradner) November 22, 2019
It's difficult to write Slog PM at the moment: Because Stranger philosopher-in-residence Charles Mudede and El Presidente de EverOut Tim Keck are in the middle of the newsroom having an insightful conversation about writing. "You have to breathe fresh life into this monotonous thing, that is the sea," Mudede said, using the sea as a metaphor for language. "It's a hustle of bad sentences," he added after a moment of thought. Keck agreed, saying that writing takes him forever, even if it's "only like 10 words." Mudede nods, "Writing short is actually much harder," he continued, saying that writing long is actually a good strategy for generating new ideas, revealing arguments that seem to come from the language itself. Now Keck and Mudede are praising the work of Steve Humphrey: A great writer at The Portland Mercury. RS
Speaking of good writing: Seattle is being treated to some very fine readings this week and weekend. Tonight, the wonderfully weird and wise Mary Ruefle will read from her new book of poems, Dunce, from sorta Seattle-based Wave Books, for Seattle Arts and Lectures at the Broadway Performance Hall. On Friday at Elliott Bay Books, poet Tommy Pico will surely deliver a gut-busting reading of his new book-length poem, Feed, which will no doubt nourish parts of your soul that you didn't even know you had. You may as well pitch a tent at Elliott Bay and wait for Ben Lerner to stroll in on Saturday evening with his new work of autofiction, The Topeka School. I thought the book was excellent, and I think you will, too. RS
What do you think is going on with Smooth Bernie? Look, conspiracy theories are bad but this one is pretty fun. CB
Smooth Bernie is easily the funniest conspiracy theory this year pic.twitter.com/9gZcydJHI6
â Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) November 21, 2019
Snowboarding legend dies: His name was Jake Burton Carpenter. I've never met a sport I liked, but a lot of people seem upset about this guy's passing. Pour one out for Jake. Oooooh. BURTON. Jake BURTON. Like the SNOWBOARDS. He's the guy who founded the Burton snowboards! A big deal!!! CB
Pour another one out for the viaduct: The last piece of the viaduct came down today. A little Christmas tree was put on the pillar to kitschily commemorate the moment. CB
A little while ago crews cut and picked the final column of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. A remarkable job done safely, commemorated with a topping-off tree. #byeaduct pic.twitter.com/z65k5xjHeF
â SR 99 (@BerthaDigsSR99) November 21, 2019
Wait, let's get back to Fiona Hill: The Guardian is calling her a "heroine of our time." George Conway said he was starting a Fiona Hill fan club. Politico's chief called her a national treasure. But seriously, her testimony was stellar. CB
Independents are turning against impeachment: "This is the second poll this week to show voters are increasingly likely to oppose impeachment, despite wall-to-wall media coverage of the House hearings that have produced bombshell testimony about how Trump threatened to withhold financial aid to Ukraine if the country did not open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination," according to The Hill. Theory: "Independents," who aren't as politically engaged as people who identify as democrats or republicans, have bought the line that the President bribing a foreign country for his own personal gain isn't an impeachable offense, despite the fact that it absolutely is, because "Independents" don't understand foreign policy norms. RS
This woman's "Humans of New York" profile really broke the internet today: Read the caption. It starts out sorta normal and then it goes some wild places. I thought there was just one post but no, no, noâthere are three. Read to the end. I especially love the line "She was like the Internetâcould get you anything you wanted." CB