Comments

1

Nobody has weakened the progressive movement in Seattle (and nationally) more than Sawant. She campaigned against Hillary Clinton in swing states and helped deliver the White House to Trump. She turned Seattle from being a model of progressive leadership to a cautionary tale. She is a toxic populist that has taken a page from the Republican playbook of sowing division as an election strategy. The citizens of District 3 deserve better than a cult leader as our representative. If she loses her seat in the most progressive district in the most progressive city in the country, it is because her constituents have had enough of her scorched-earth politics that have failed to deliver results, not because a “racist right-wing” bogeyman is conspiring against her.

4

Another shill for Sawant. Are they going to have an editorial from someone who supports her recall as well? Bwahahaha. No.

6

So your "model of progressive leadership" is Sally Bagshaw, Tim Burgess, Sally Clark, Richard Conlin, Jean Godden, and Tom Rasmussen (who all sat on the city council the year prior to Sawant's first election)?

7

“Yet, Sawant has responded to these attacks with grace“….
Wow.

8

@5
Yes. Every day.
Am I'm against the recall as a waste of time and money.

11

Okay, now let's see a piece from someone who supports the recall.

Either to be balanced or just of kicks.

12

Sawant is just another Trump with a different constituency Like Trump, she panders to the fears of her supporters while making no practical proposals. She doesn't blame BIPoC but instead blames everything on Amazon. Seattle has social problems? It's Amazon's fault. Rents are high? Nothing to do with the cost of construction that makes it impossible to build new apartments for less than $350K, it's just greedy property owners and developers. If the city could somehow confiscate all that ill-gotten wealth then everything would be great.

14

I appreciate The Stranger using a totally different voice to spread their bullshit propaganda but it doesn't change the fact its still propaganda. The defense of Sawant always comes down to the same things: She abused her office but it really wasn't that bad and she has influence on the council. In response to those I continually ask where is the line for abuse of office and violating your oath? There is no answer to that of course and its not like Sawant has learned anything. She has expressed no contrition for her actions nor has vowed to do better. Instead she deflects, casts blames and petulantly insists the ends justify the means. As for influence on the council I'd say those days are over. In used to be she could roll in the red army with this signs, chanting and preprepared speeches and use the bully pulpit to browbeat the other members of the SCC into voting her way but anyone who pays any attention to the council can see no one fears her anymore and her divisive, caustic rhetoric towards her colleagues has left her alone on an island, shouting into the wind. For an example, just watch the meeting where the council approved the new budget Monday. She motioned for an amendment to try and up the Amazon tax a substantial amount and was met with crickets. Her ability to shape and build coalitions to pass the reformative legislations she touts is DOA from her years of lashing out.

As for Sawant handling anything with grace i'd just invite anyone to watch the last debate she held with Henry Bridger for the Seattle Channel. I don't see much grace here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU2di6MI4hM. More like attacks, derision and completely toxic behavior. District 3 deserves better than this. If Sawant ends up being recalled the council will appoint a new progressive voice who will actually work to make the system better instead of continually trying to burn it down in pursuit of a Marxist vision that will never materialize. Vote for the promise of someone will actually represent District 3.

16

@15 I'm normally the last one to suggest the folks at the Stranger know what they are doing, but this was tagged as a "Guest Rant," which is sporadically and inconsistently applied to guest editorials: https://www.thestranger.com/archive/guest-editorial.

17

Last month the Sawant Solidarity campaign purchased 6000 stickers from Amazon stating "Vote by December 7th."

You'd think Sawant would instead buy from a local woman-owned business, like this one: http://www.girliepress.com/

But nope, she found Amazon more convenient.

And in the past month the Sawant Solidarity campaign made numerous other purchases from Amazon including office supplies, toner, printers, vacuum sealer bags (Wtf?), rain ponchos, colored paper, canopy tents and a host of other times. Again, there are plenty of local businesses in the District 3 that would have gladly sold Sawant these items.

I know the author of this piece believes Sawant supports local business. But the reality is Sawant just isn't putting her money where her mouth is.

18

The most hilarious pseudo argument in favor of the Socialist Alternative I've come across yet. So many cogent arguments against her. So few (approximately zero) for. It boils down to her fucking role as a Seattle city council member. Is she to save the world from fascism or is she to represent her constituents and help run the city of Seattle. She has not, to date, demonstrated much of an interest in the latter. Recall si!

19

yep, knshama just single-handedly holding back a giant wave of fascist nazi seattleites in-waiting. lol what did I just read

20

"a time when the threat of fascism is expanding and we need to unite to fight off right-wing extremism."

Yes, during a time when we need to unite against threats like Donald Trump and support the Democratic nominee for president, like in the 2016 and 2020 elections, Kshama Sawant was utterly on the wrong side of history. Thank you for the reminder that she completely failed when it really mattered.

21

There is one sound, that I don't know. What does Neil Fox say? Yawn yawn yawn, yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn.

23

@11 She's another Trump? A mendacious p*ssy grabbing spouse abusing real estate con? Your brain cells for analogy are super sloppy. Im not in love with her on council but she has done practical stuff, one item which helped me personally: No more paying first, last, and deposit up front when renting an apartment. And I appreciate it.

26

I'm not seeing how she is stopping fascism. In fact she kinda reminds me of a mirror-image Trump.

28

Ooh #1 “Phineas Barnum”, you’re obviously a Barnum & Bailey circus clown with your “But but Kshama is a cult leader” caterwaulings!
:)

Nonsense — capitalism is the ruling cult, with just 8 billionaire bastids owning more wealth than half our sisters and brothers on the planet put together.

In the US our Wall Street overlords have 2 “mass” parties — or more accurately a single party, the Republican-Democrat 2-headed snake.
We the working-class have no mass party.
In fact the entire political history of the US working-class is precisely the continuous struggle to create a mass workers’ party throughout the land — as the fountain of hope for all our class.

Every serious election, and every serious recall attempt, is a pitched battle between our class and our exploiters, oppressors, blood-drinkers.

As is every workplace strike, every picket-line.

In such serious battle, between completely irreconcilable classes, whether you like Kshama or hate her guts is completely irrelevant.

Because the fundamental question you have to ask yourself is: Whose side are you on?
Are you with billionaire Bezos and his ilk — or are you with your fellow-workers and Kshama Sawant?
Are you a fighter — or are you a “traitor”?
Are you (as you put it) a “progressive” — or are you a strike-breaking scab?

And no, you can’t stand in the middle of the road — you could get run over.
And no, you can’t sit on the barbed-wire fence — you could get your jeans torn.
:)

We criticize Kshama Sawant and Socialist Alternative for their abandonment of the core socialist principle of working-class political independence when they in 2019 endorsed a bourgeois-party candidate (Bernie Sanders of the Democ-RAT Party) for an elected public position (president).

To commit that silly political somersault, Kshama and Socialist Alternative broke their political solidarity with our International organization the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI).

So in the US we, the Independent Socialist Group, parted company with both Kshama and Socialist Alternative.

Despite their above profound errors, Kshama and Socialist Alternative remain effective and enthusiastic fighters for all our class — Women and Men, Black and White, Gay and Straight.

As seen by:
the great $15 Minimum Wage victory in Seattle now reverberating nationwide.
the historic Seattle Amazon Tax victory.
the ongoing battles for Police Accountability, Rent Control, and free construction worker car-parking.

Hence another core socialist concept also applies:  The United Front.
Which can be summarized as:
* No mixing of banners, No muting of criticism! 
* March separately, Strike together!

We, the Independent Socialist Group, say:
Critical Support for, and Unconditional Defense of, Socialist Alternative’s Kshama Sawant!

Vote “No” — Smash the billionaire scoundrels’ recall attempt!

Together let’s defeat the rich Wall Street scum in this and all other battles — for a livable planet, a fulfilling life, the socialist future of all humankind!

https://independentsocialistgroup.org

https://www.socialistworld.net

30

Always a good idea to rid marxists and communists from any proximity to power.

32

Sorry Neil, but who are you again? Just a single voice is all. I love how casually the words Fascism and socialism are tossed around these days. It’s like the new cool trend to use. Basically, if you don’t agree with Sawant, you are a fascist!
Sawant is someone that keeps repeating the same old tired rhetoric about how the big business republicans and companies are out to get her and she is the true defender of the people!
She has brought no peace to the table for Seattle voters, just divide and conquer. Seattle voters need new people in place that will actually turn their heads both directions and use their ears to hear all opinions, as opposed to chronically running their mouth.
Neil, don’t quit your day job!

33

28, nice socialist wet dream you wrote. Socialism isn’t going to work here and your snarky “wordsmithing” is just tired hot air spewing out nothing but failure. As John said, give peace a chance!”

34

Lots of "magic words" Neil... Spoiler alert anyone who uses the word "Reactionary" is an automatic emphatic NO.

35

"In this section, Marx presents and critiques three subsets of Socialist and Communist literature. The first subset is Reactionary Socialism. Reactionary Socialists include the Feudal Socialists, the Petty-Bourgeois Socialists, and the German, or "True" Socialists; all of these groups fight against the rise of the bourgeoisie and modern Industry, without realizing the historical process the bourgeoisie represent." From the Communist manifesto section 3
3 Terms ago Sawant was an interesting progressive alternative choice, but we got Leon Trotsky - You are too small for this town Sawant. Take your reimagined brand of vulgar Marxism somewhere else. We're done. Equitable access to pile of smoking rubble ? No thanks

36

Socialism is not the problem if it follows the Scandinavian model. This country needs to better find a balance between socialism and capitalism so fewer people fall through the cracks. The problem is that Sawant is like Hugo Chavez and The Socialist Alternative is a Trotskyist cult. She wants a capital R Revolution not to solve problems. It is unfortunate that many gen z voters new to the city don’t seem to know the difference. I blame the Stranger.

37

Ooh #30 “raindrop”-snowflake, #31 Mr. X”-ecrable, #32 & #33 “Oldmac”-SadSack, #34 and #35 “janitor”-jabberer, and #36 “Phineas Barnum” circus clown,

Stick to the subject: The ruling billionaire bandits’ attempt, through their lying political catspaws, to fool gullible nitwits like you into voting against your own class interests as workers.

“But but Mayor Durkan’s residential address is Top Secret! Classified!! Mum’s the Word!!!”
Well, we all know that Durkan lives inside Amazon Billionaire Bezos’s $350,000 pajamas — or maybe Space Suit, given Bezos’s recent Exospheric Extravaganza.
:)

This recall attempt is a pitched battle: Our class, the working class, the 99 Per Cent, versus the Bezoses, the ruling class, the 0.01 Per Cent.

So, whose side are you on?
Are you with your fellow-workers and Kshama Sawant — or are you with Billionaire Bezos and his filthy ilk?
Do you think for yourself — or have the rich capitalist liars drowned your conscience in their vile vomit?
Are you a fighter — or are you a dupe, a traitor, a strike-breaking scab?

We, the Independent Socialist Group, say:
Critical Support for, and Unconditional Defense of, Socialist Alternative’s Kshama Sawant!

Vote “No” — Smash the billionaire scoundrels’ recall attempt!

Together let’s defeat the rich Wall Street scum in this and all other battles — for a livable planet, a fulfilling life, the socialist future of all humankind!

https://independentsocialistgroup.org

https://www.socialistworld.net

38

37 get a grip

39

Sawant should be recalled. The SA party does not believe in property ownership and will seek to take your house away from you. They also do not believe in single detached homes. They will start by selecting areas around the city, say, a 10 square block area and remove all of the residents to FEMA trailers then raze the area to build large medium high rise apartment blocks. The the former home owners will be given and apartment. In other ares of the city where such building is not practical if you have extra room, such as a retired couple in a 3 bedroom house, you will be forced to move to a 1 bedroom apartment or you can stay but will have to take in people from the ranks of the homeless as housemates. If you don't believe me read up on some of Chas. Mudede's past article on the subject.

Don't let Kshama Sawant take your house away from you.

40

39 get a grip

41

A grip of what 40? The Scandinavian model of socialism worked fine with a relatively homogeneous population that was not too large. That system is now falling apart due to immigration of peoples who want to live there but remain separatists.

42

I agree that she should be recalled. I disagree that you will lose your house if she is not.

43

Ooh #37 Circus Clown “Phineas Barnum” and #39 & #41 Bass-Ackward “bertha”,
Two half-wits don’t make a wit!
:)

“Socialists want to take your house away from you”???
Does Elvis talk to you?
:)
On the contrary — it’s the landlords and mortgage banksters who will “take your house away from you” if you miss the monthly rent or mortgage payment.

“System’s falling apart because … Immigrants”???
Ass-backward nonsense.
Capitalism is the system, the vile hell we “live” under, and it’s in crisis worldwide.
In the US, trillions of dollars stolen from us workers every year by the military “demonic suction tube”, as MLK memorably put it.
With just 3 billionaire bastids owning more wealth than half the workers in the US put together!
Monopolizing the media to try to turn us into tame, servile, brainwashed zombies — hey, they seem to have succeeded with you, haven’t they?
:)

But capitalism won’t “fall apart” by itself.
Instead, we have to build a mass movement against capitalism, fight it, and ultimately smash it.

Whereas you’re harming that noble endeavor with your hilarious “Recall Kshama” chirrupings.

So it’s high time you stopped being a deluded chump, a ventriloquist’s dummy for the ruling billionaire filth, a silly strike-breaking scab.

We, the Independent Socialist Group, say:
Critical Support for, and Unconditional Defense of, Socialist Alternative’s Kshama Sawant!

Vote “No” — Smash the billionaire scoundrels’ recall attempt!

Together let’s defeat the rich Wall Street scum in this and all other battles — for a livable planet, a fulfilling life, the socialist future of all humankind!

https://independentsocialistgroup.org

https://www.socialistworld.net

44

44 is probably Sawant’s husband being paid with her “solidarity fund” contributions. Such a grift.

45

Ooh #44 “Phineas Barnum” circus clown,

Don’t judge others by your own sordid standards.
:)

In every workers’ party fighting for humankind’s socialist future, our funds — our sinews of war — come from our members’ contributions and our friends’ donations.
That’s how we pay our full-time organizers’ meager salaries — everyone gets the same amount.
The remainder we use for the struggle — Us the Multimillions versus Them the Multimillionaires.

Every comrade elected to any trade-union position or public position is sworn to accept not a cent more in salary than the average salary of their constituents — after expenses, the rest goes to the struggle.
“Rise with your class — not out of your class”.

Despite Kshama Sawant’s and Socialist Alternative’s profound errors, they most certainly adhere to the above socialist funding principle:

Kshama Sawant accepts only $44,000 per year out of her $125,000 per year Seattle councilmember salary — the remainder she contributes to the struggle.

And how much do YOU contribute to the struggle, O circus clown “Phineas Barnum”?
Apart from the unintentional levity provided by your comical caterwaulings, of course.
:)

More seriously, the rightwing racist recall PAC “A Better Seattle” is allowed unlimited amounts as contributions — and has already received about a million dollars from our Wall Street and local elite overlords.
Such as Carl Haglund the Rodent Realtor.
Such as the Amazon company directors — they bought Mayor Durkan for $350,000, then they poured in millions to try to get the Amazon Tax repealed, yet the Seattle working-class beat the plutocrat scum.

Kshama and Socialist Alternative remain effective and enthusiastic fighters for all our class — Women and Men, Black and White, Gay and Straight.

As seen by:
the great $15 Minimum Wage victory in Seattle now reverberating nationwide.
the historic Seattle Amazon Tax victory.
the ongoing battles for Police Accountability, Rent Control, and free construction worker car-parking.

We, the Independent Socialist Group, say:
Critical Support for, and Unconditional Defense of, Socialist Alternative’s Kshama Sawant!

Vote “No” — Smash the billionaire scoundrels’ recall attempt!

Together let’s defeat the rich Wall Street filth in this and all other battles — for a livable planet, a fulfilling life, the socialist future of all humankind!

https://independentsocialistgroup.org

https://www.socialistworld.net

46

Kshama Sawant made a thinly veiled assassination attempt on Jenny Durkan last year by leading a mob to her home. Sawant was figuring that someone within the mob might be be so riled and so worked up and just might have a gun on their person. Hoping that Durkan was home she could be shot or at least have her home ransacked. The Socialist Alternative party talks a smooth line against the billionaires but the truth is they hate the middle class even more; they always refer to them as the contemptible petty bourgeoise. People who have managed to gather a little but the SA seeks to take it away from them and establish a world wide domination.

The SA does not believe in the ownership of private property so whatever you may have will only be what they allow you to have.
They will control what you may learn in schools and if you don't go along with their programs you'll be cancelled.
They will turn cities into anthill society by eliminating detached homes for massive apartment blocks where only the luck party bosses will have the upper floors with sunlight.

DON'T LET KSHAMA SAWANT TAKE YOUR HOME AWAY FROM YOU.

47

America has always been, and will be for the foreseeable future, a center-right country. There is no politically viable left wing in this country. Those who push a far-left agenda will only succeed in delivering the country into the hands of the far-right. Moderates like Joe Biden are the best we can hope for.

Vote Sawant out.


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