—as long as we make ourselves right and the others wrong
we become victims of our own lack of perspective:
our perspective has collapsed into a single point.

We still find ourselves trying to stop the nasty viruses
instead of introducing beneficial viruses to create
an environment of balance and healthy function.

FFS man, Biden's announcement of a VP pick was "imminent" the moment he secured the nomination. I was gonna post a whiny rant urging him to just go ahead and make the choice already. But after seeing that list of front-runners... Ugh. The most politically compelling of those listed is Warren, and it's not gonna be Warren. Of those remaining I suppose I'm all in for Rice, though I suspect it's gonna be Harris, which again... Ugh.

What did the City Council expect would happen? That Best would stay?

@10 Where did you hear the mayor ordered the abandonment of the East Precinct? Your post, right here, is the first time I have ever heard anyone make a specific claim about how that decision was made (if there was ever any decision at all)

I can't discount the possibility that I missed it. But I also can't discount the possibility you are full of shit.

Smug won't keep this community safe. Will be interesting to see how all this rolls out and if, in a year or two, the snide, all-too-knowing attitude attending the coverage of the SPD and Chief Best isn't made to look out of place by events. Believe it or not, I do not wish more chaos or unsafety on our city. I hope Seattle can hold it together.

You'd have to have a fucking death wish to willingly fly down to a plague state like Florida, ruled by corpulent Tr666p-humping Florida Men, such as moRon deSATANis.

It'd be GOP-assisted suicide: Our Washington looks like New Zealand compared to those dumb FLucks.

Realizing their haphazard actions and polarizing rhetoric has caused a dedicated public servant to walk away rather than continue to be set up to fail by the very people who voted to give them the position a mere 2 years ago you would think the council might take a pause before moving into the 2021 budget discussion and ask if they are really making the city a better place. I have no doubt that the council could care less though and will continue down their destructive path safely ensconced in their idealogical bubble. Every day it becomes apparent to more and more people that this whole farce is not about improving the police but about the political ambitions of the council and getting on the public gravy train for Nikkita Oliver and her ilk. The only real question at this point is when do the populace finally say enough and take action of their own.

@16 Ok, that's what I thought.

I think if Durkan (or Best) made that decision, it would be impossible to keep it a secret. And therefore, that's not how it happened. Some kind of spontaneous insubordination is my pet theory, - they all ran away to sulk after they were forbidden their tear gas. But I don't know better than anyone else.

Once again one of the better police chiefs resign because of their mishandling of protests. I'm not saying Best would have been the reformer that Stamper was, but it is hard to see how this helps things. Best had widespread support within the community, which is how she got the job. I am skeptical that the next permanent police chief will do better.

A 99-page rebuttal to a legally imposed fine is surely a thing of beauty, no doubt replete with comic misspellings, typographical errors and far too many capital letters and exclamation points. Though it'd make me even happier if it were a Shining-esque "All work and no play makes jack a dull boy" manifesto, but subbing in "Make America Great Again" as the lone, awkwardly spaced and incessantly repeated phrase.

Here's hoping it makes it's way into the public record by some means or other anyway.

Let the conservatives whine, they're only jealous because they could never do what liberals are capable of, confronting and replacing leaders who do not serve their communities.

Let the cops quit. The chief's resignation statement called Seattle the best police department in the country. That is not even remotely a statement based in reality. The police need to be forced into accepting that the people are no longer interested in paying them obscene amounts of money so they can brutalize people and never be held accountable. Remove all of the military gear, force them to live where they work, to know the people they are policing, to be fired every time they murder someone (and indicted and prosecuted), and keep at it until policing as we know it no longer exists. Of course cops like the chief are going to quit. Let them. They are going to do everything they can to fearmonger people into keeping the status quo. They are going to have baby temper tantrums because they are not getting their way. I say Bye Felicia! Don't let the door hit you on your ass on the way out.

People need to understand that just like white supremacists and misogynists, cops are not going to go quietly and without a fight to keep their power, their bloated budgets, and their brutal way of "law enforcement." This is just the beginning. Everyone who wants to go willingly, BYE! The rest are going to have to be forced out and it is going to take time and determination by those who want a better way, a different way, a non-violent and always held accountable way.

@4 -- Worth noting, the Times mentions other candidates: Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico and Representatives Karen Bass of California and Val Demings of Florida.

It is quite likely that picking the vice presidential nominee ends up being a purely political act. Unless something happens to Biden, there is little difference in how they conduct their job. Even if Biden dies, the difference between candidates in terms of domestic policy is minor. It doesn't matter what the president wants -- there is only so much domestic executive power. Congress passes a bill, and the president signs it, or vetoes it. The difference between a President Bernie Sanders and a President Joe Biden is minuscule in that regard. There is nothing that Sanders would sign, that Biden wouldn't (or vice versa).

It mostly comes down to getting elected, and moving Congress to the left. Both involve getting a candidate that appeals to the masses.

Of course that is just domestic policy. Foreign policy is completely different. With most of these candidates, we have no idea how they will handle that aspect of their job (and for that matter, only have hints as to how Biden will handle it).

My first choice would be Duckworth. She is respected across the aisle, and any attack on her (from Trump) will likely backfire.

Grisham would make a solid choice. She is the most qualified candidate, being both a governor and serving in the House. That would be a safe choice (like Duckworth) which could put the final touches on a Biden landslide, and with it, a Democratic Senate (and a very Democratic House).

I would be OK with Rice, even though she has made her share of mistakes. The Republicans will gleefully attack her (Benghazi!) and some on the left will as well (for good reason -- https://www.theglobalist.com/libya-the-ghost-of-rwanda-west-united-states/). One would hope, though, that just as she learned her lesson from Rwanda, she would have learned her lesson in Libya. She is a good speaker, and most would probably ignore the arguments, as most of America is ignorant of what happens outside our shores (unless it involves a lot of dead Americans). It would not be a great choice politically, but not the worst, and she might govern a lot better than some of the alternatives (she could answer the phone at 3 AM, so to speak).

Demings would be an interesting choice. Four years in the House is not much experience, but it isn't much different than four years in the Senate (Obama). In an era where inexperience is a positive, it would probably work out, although choosing a cop seems like a risky move in this era. The Republicans will fault her for the mistakes she made as a cop (e. g. losing a gun) while those in the BLM movement might have further doubts about a Biden presidency. On the other hand, if she could get their support, then the narrative would be a big winner (a good cop who wants to knows what it takes to reform and improve policing ...).

Harris would be a bad choice -- too much baggage for being so young. So would Warren. I voted for her in the primary, but I don't see how she helps the ticket (her age certainly hurts). Whitmer is another bad choice. Michigan has been hit hard by the pandemic, and while little of that is her fault, that won't stop the Republicans from attacking her on that. Bass would lose Florida for Biden -- that would be stupid.

Nice little town you have here. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to it.

-- SPD

"Best was doing a great job right up until she had to choose between doing what is right and being police - and making that choice in front of intense international scrutiny. She chose police. Everybody saw it. And that was that."

@30 -- Fair enough, but that is why this is bullshit. As with Stamper, we have very unusual circumstances, and a reformer is being kicked out. Most of the complaints about the police are based on the way they handle these protests, which are hardly normal. They probably point to an existing problem, but that doesn't mean that Best wasn't slowly but surely changing the system.

Now I don't see that happening. The only way things will change is if there is a major overhaul of the police department, and I don't see that happening either. The city signed a labor agreement. It is tough to change those in this state. The city council (in a year or two) may make some changes, but that could have happened with Best in charge anyway. Instead, it is quite possible that you will have someone in charge that doesn't give a shit -- a reactionary cop, if you will, who quietly does everything they can to preserve the old system, regardless of what the council does.

Have we all really forgotten that Carmen Best didn't even make Durkan's shortlist for Police Chief, and got the job only through a political squeeze by the SPG on one end, who wanted one of their own instead of an outsider, and reform advocates on the other, who didn't trust a former prosecutor to choose a new Chief?

It wasn't that long ago, was it?

@40 Best is not a reformer. She spent her entire career at the SPD and came up through the ranks. That does not happen in Seattle if SPOG doesn't trust you, and SPOG to this day doesn't trust anyone who so much as ties their shoes like a reformer.

Best was the loudest cheerleader for Durkan's motion to terminate the consent decree, claiming the department was totally reformed now and had no need of any of this silly red-tape Federal oversight anymore. That motion was sheepishly withdrawn in June of this year.

"before Nathalie actually does some real reporting"- bwahhahhahhhahhhhhaaaaa!!!!! Funniest fucking thing I've read in awhile.

@56 Um, I think the nice people responding to your comment all thought they were discussing the removal of the police officers from the precinct headquarters, not the removal of the temporary barriers set up around the building.

@37 I don't see how Warren would be a 'bad choice'. She was by far the most competent and capable candidate the Dems had and have had since Obama.

One thing to note is that almost always it is the case that a presidential candidate is going to choose someone who is not going to eclipse them however. A bit of a challenge for doofus Biden.

I'd say likely to be Harris. I despise prosecutors pretty much universally and I don't see how that would make black Dems happy given her baggage. Seems likely though.

The party was over when a bunch of anarchists from Eugene got stoned, missed the Portland exit on I-5 and ended up in CHOP. That and the "Free Tibet" sign. Seattle is the white dude trying to fit in at the party.

@64 We still haven't heard any compelling arguments that it wasn't Donald Duck who gave the order to abandon the precinct, either.

The Stranger: "So many Best moments to choose from"---snarky condescension and irony to the end. And The Stranger staff presume to speak against racism and for compassion? Carmen: please know your career is appreciated by many in Seattle, and we understand you had a very, very tough job this year. Thank you for having worked so hard. I have little doubt you hoped for a happier ending, but I can totally respect your decision.

Hey, Wikipedia says Harris was chosen, not that that can be trusted, but there was a citation.

it also says: "Harris oversaw more than 1900 convictions for marijuana possession, a higher rate than under her predecessor. "

And: "In addition to creating a gun crime unit, Harris opposed releasing defendants on their own recognizance if they were arrested on gun crimes, sought minimum 90-day sentences for possession of concealed or loaded weapons, and charged all assault weapons possession cases as felonies, adding that she would seek prison terms for criminals who possessed or used assault weapons and would seek maximum penalties on gun-related crimes"

I've said it before, one is not required to write the oppositions talking points for them.
Now with Trump claiming to be all Law and Order, Harris being hard on criminals might not sound so bad, but of course "criminal" is relative.

@67 Dang it, I forget that jokes make you feel like someone's playing a rhetorical trick on you, and distract your sharp little mind from the point being made. How's this then:

We still haven't heard any compelling arguments that it wasn't Carmen Best who gave the order to abandon the precinct, either.

@69,

Yup, is being widely reported now.

Oof.

I'm Rich Smith, a spoiled little white boy who knows whats best for all minorities.

Whatever, I can certainly live with it. Though I could've lived with a cocker spaniel that stood a decent chance of winning (which it most certainly would) and tossing that fat piece of shit out on his fatass. That said, 2024 best be wide open at the top of the ticket, regardless of how this all shakes out.

@75 Speak for yourself, pal. When I dress up in all black carrying all of the above, I'm going to a LEATHER SEX PARTY.

Or maybe an eastern European soccer match. Same vibe.

Hasn't she left yet?

It's been a few hours ...

@77:

Just more speculation on your part - and we have ample evidence of how bad you are at THAT.

@79 He's feebletrolling at this point.

Once he realizes he can't reach the "kick me" sign you've taped to his back, he usually just does the old "no i lulz u" shuffle until the bell rings.

@81:

Just because a thought occasionally dribbles out of the mass of undifferentiated goo between your ears doesn't make it plausible - quite the opposite in fact. How many times do you have to be proven wrong before this realization starts to sink in?

@85- "Down Syndrome clinic"? It's Downs Syndrome, and there are no "clinics", you pathetic fuck. If you're gonna be an ableist, at least get it right. The scenario you're describing is more akin to paranoid schizophrenia, not Downs.

Always fascinating to see which throwaway wisecrack unexpectedly gets under a chud's skin.

@91 Yeah, it was pretty nauseating even for our furious perfesser, but looks like it warn't enough to make you barf until someone else barfed first.