Why do these people always look like used car salesmen?

"Kilmer said he wouldn't sign onto Seattle Rep. Pramila Jayapal's Medicare for All bill because he couldn't with certainty 'look you in the eye and say, "We will replace your employer-provided health care with something better."'

No, the Humanitarian that he is, he's tons more committed to the Basic Republican 'Healthcare" Plan: "Let 'Em Die!"

Long as we have plenty enough Refrigerated
Trucks, what's the damn harm?

Demerits for taking Banthin's remarks out of context, and for not knowing that many of the world's successful universal health care systems are not single payer, and a bunch of other stuff that makes it pointless to attempt a well-formed argument with advocates who are not well INformed on the subject of their passions.

@1 -- it must be in their genes

Welcome back!
missed you

Derek Kilmer first was elected to the state house by beating an incumbent Republican. He then destroyed another Republican when he ran for the state senate, winning 60-40. His next election he won 59-41. Then when he vacated his senate seat to run for congress, which he won handily, his senate seat went back to GOP control 59-41 to Jan Angel. It stayed with Angel 58-42 in 2014. Then in 2018 in a massive Democratic wave election it was barely won by Emily Randall 50.07-49.93. Who did Randall just barely beat? Marty McClendon. Who did Derek Kilmer run against for congress in 2014 and beat 62.98-37.02? Marty McClendon.

If The Stranger thinks that we should elect more Republicans, it should just come out and say so. Because successfully primarying Kilmer would do just that. Kilmer runs extraordinarily well in his district. He was able to decimate Republicans when running for the state senate, and has kept right on doing it when he went to DC. He runs better than any other Democrat in his district. I'll take a helluva lot more Derek Kilmers in suburban districts to have a bigger Democratic majority than The Stranger's preferred alternative, which is supporting his primary opponent and losing the seat to the GOP. This take by the Stranger is almost as bad as when you guys said we should support a Tim Eyman initiative and stop building light rail.

@5: But if he looks like a used car salesman, the district would be better served by a Republican. After all, presentation is everything.

@6 - the irony is that his state Senate seat flipping was the margin that allowed the execrable Rodney Tom to take control. And the lesson The Stranger takes from that outcome is we need fewer people like Kilmer. It's complete lunacy.

Actually, I kinda think he looks like Mark Zuckerburg pre-braces, and maybe pre-puberty.

Can't comment with knowledge on his politics, though.

On paper, I can't imagine a more qualified candidate. But his voting record is too conservative for me. Too many Trump judges. Voted to fund ICE. No support for progressive/liberal initiatives, and takes a lot of money from Big Pharma and the insurance lobby.

I'm so tired of "third way" politicians.

@10 -- saying you're not going to vote for Kilmer because he has voted for too many Trump judges is a perfect example of the stupidity of the opposition to him. Judges are confirmed by the Senate. Kilmer is in the house.

Thank god The Stranger has fixed what’s wrong with Seattle politics and has moved on to making the Olympic Peninsula more progressive!

No doubt they’re complying with campaign finance laws and declaring this article as an in-kind contribution to Kilmer’s opponent.