Today’s Weekday was a little crazy, and quite entertaining. We took calls from a bunch of those fabled Obama-Rossi voters, one of whom suggested I wasn’t an American and claimed that his vote was going to be determined largely by an offensive public art tire sculpture at a transfer station in… I think it was Lynnwood.*

I don’t know if the audio is up yet, but once it is, it’s really worth a listen if you’re interested in the current Red Scare in Washington and curious about who these ticket-splitting voters are—and how they explain their plans to vote for, say, Obama, Rossi, and Reichert.

One thing that ran through the calls was a plain old “throw the bums out” mentality. Doesn’t matter what the politician’s party is, said one caller—he’s voting against every incumbent out there this year. Another strain of complaint, this one from a couple of self-identified Democrats, is that Gov. Christine Gregoire simply hasn’t earned their votes. They’re so disappointed in her—on everything from the Viaduct to general charisma—that they’re willing to vote for Rossi just to punish Gregoire and send a message to the state party that it had better put up better candidates in the future.

* Do you have any idea what this guy was talking about? I was shown a YouTube video of this offending sculpture after the show, but now I can’t find it—it involves truck tires and wind whistling through them and is apparently so infuriating it’s costing public officials votes.

UPDATE: Yes! Commenter SP (@11) is correct, the offending public art is in fact in Shoreline. And here is video of said public art, which is apparently destroying at least one voter’s faith in his elected officials:

Eli Sanders was The Stranger's associate editor. His book, "While the City Slept," was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He once did this and once won...

24 replies on “Hello, Voting Public”

  2. @1 That’s been my experience. When I worked that kind of job one summer in college a guy called me a “stupid fucking monkey” because I refused to give him a credit to his account he didn’t deserve.

  4. i determined some years ago that if you scratch the surface of your average joe or josette (plumber, six pack, whatever) you’ll discover a raving lunatic one out of three times. it’s a rough average–results may vary on a given day.

  6. Are you sure he wasn’t talking about the recycled truck tires lining the entrance to the dump, er, um, transfer station in Shoreline? According to the website they “emit recorded natural and urban sounds” but mostly they just sound like flushing toilets.

  9. The public art project was at a newly built waste station…maybe Shoreline? I think it was completed last year. It was four or so large tires (different color hubcaps) and the sounds of nature whistled through them so you could listen while you waited in line.

    Wow….of all the issues we’re facing, that’s the one that was a tipping point for someone???

  11. I can’t see the frenzied rage, but that is indeed pretty irritating public “art”. Why can’t the dump just be the dump?
    It doesn’t make me want to vote for Rossi one iota, though.

  12. I turned on my radio just before that guy called in and said “I’m not a Democrat or a Republican, I’m an American” and I just burst out laughing.
    I’m a Moderate, does that make me un-American? Maybe we should create an American Party and make it have really offensive positions on everything so people will stop and think before they blindly spurt out “I’m an American!”.

  14. The invitation of reporters from such downscale, vulgur publications as The Stranger attract a different kind of listener to KUOW. Eli thinks of himself as one of the liberal elite, but his presence alone tends to draw kooks, and liberal kooks in particular.

  15. A little off topic, but…

    The Chicago Tribune endorsed Obama today. The Trib has never, ever endorsed a Democrat for president since the paper’s founding in the mid 1800’s.

    It persuaded my mom, a Republican ever since voting for Goldwater, to go with Obama this time.

    http://www.chicagotribune.com

  17. Chris in Tampa…please stay there.

    Regarding the comments in the voter contact effort, “undecided voters” and anyone who is voting for Obama and then for Rossi:

    Let us remember that with folks voting in high numbers and doing so from home, that we are getting a much higher percentage of, well, just stupid voters. Here in our state with the Governors race so close millions will be spent trying to gain votes from these stupid voters.

    I can accept that 35% or so of registered voters will support Dino Rossi even though he has no moral compass and had acted unethically as an elected official, as a candidate and in business. These folks will vote for Dino because some issues are so key to them that they would support a crook anyway.

    Right now, another 12% to 13% of registered voters are supporting Rossi because they are unable to see through his sales pitch and blindly accept what Rossi and the BIAW put out there for them to lap up. These folks are hard to take since they are ignorant and lazy.

    And anyone who has made an informed decision to vote for Obama and plans to vote for Dino is either a skitzoid nut or one of those stupid voters I mentioned above.

    Sorry…no time left to pull punches.

  18. I have met many people who want to throw out all incumbents because of:

    a) schools. the low funding and bad management of seattle schools is apparently appalling (i dont have kids in school so i dont know first hand). My friends have to pay extra money for paper, pens, ink, etc for a public school in north seattle. I am not talk their kids supplies either. They are pissed, and rightfully so.

    b) the sonics. People are pissed about it, and gregiore didnt do anything/enough to keep them here and people are mad as hell

    c) I can’t give them 1 thing that gregiore did that benefitted them. Sure, she stood up to the pharmacy’s, but what else? i need good reasons and i haven’t got them.

    d) people who dont on party, i think, are awesome. they arent bound to someone because of a r or d. to get these people, you have to convince them that you are better and gregiore isnt making her case, and lord knows i cant figure out how either.

    So Stranger, please give us talking points as to why she will BENEFIT parents and schools. I could sway some votes if I had some ideas….

  19. @18: The clear funding shortfall should be reason enough. A good portion of Rossi’s 18 billion (2007 numbers, not YOE) transportation plan and I-985 will come from the general fund with I-985 being the most aggregious since it hurts areas outside of Seattle the most.

    Another issue is that Gregoire is unwilling to give up ground on education funding. None. It’s one reason she’s not too keen on transportation funding since it has a way of sapping the General Fund unless it’s done like Sound Transit.

    It should be noted that while Seattle schools may be marginally underfunded in some cases, the city is indeed top of the heap in the state with none of its schools classified as “dropout factories” versus almost 2 dozen throughout the state.

  21. I would love to see the theme for this project. Let’s see, it probably went something like this: “Artwork should reflect the artist’s creative input for recycling and bring attention to the Transfer Station as an important part of this process.” OK… get some big fucking tires, paint the hubs and stick a speaker in them. Collect $$$$$. Is it any wonder that initiative 985 is going to pass?

  22. I know, BA, I know. I sit here broken-hearted, in my underpants and novelty bow tie, doomed to watch Three’s Company reruns and never understand a thing about art.

  23. I think the Dems for Dino vote is non-existent.

    Some portion of independents will vote Obama and Rossi, soley on change.

    But I recently had dinner with a well known Republican, who is voting Gregoire. He says that most of his friends are voting for McCain, but none of them are voting for Rossi. They are King County Republicans that think Dino is 1) an empty suit; 2) downright fringe like; 3) lacking in any real business experience; and 4) They would rather McKenna get it in 4 years.

    So not all Republicans are with the new GOP

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