Best Idea
Seattle is giving voters four vouchers worth $25 each in a publicly financed municipal election. It’s hope, y’all.
When elections can be bought by corporations, a publicly financed campaign is a game changer.
“For us it really is about creating a new pathway for participation,” says Alissa Haslam, executive director of the Win/Win Network, a progressive Seattle coalition that led the initiative campaign. Haslam says organizers were “shocked” that they won the ballot initiative by such a large margin, particularly since it included a property tax increase that will generate $30 million over ten years to underwrite the vouchers.
It is cheaper to pay for an election this way than to have to pay the mark-up city vendors charge for all the campaign money they have to give candidates. If a concrete company has to give city council members a large campaign donation to get their vote on a contract, that cost is passed along to you in higher taxes anyway. At least this way, you get to decide who gets the campaign money instead of a cement company in another city.
Most importantly, it totally screws the Koch brothers.
Thanks to Alfredo over at the Dairy Queen for the heads up.
Seattle gets it; Texas and other red states don’t and won’t.
1Thanks for the happy news, JJ!
You just know the Rethugs and their Supreme buddies will find a way to strangle this idea in its crib.
2Thank you Ms. Juanita Jean Herownself and Alfredo! Any plan that increases voter participation and “Most importantly, it totally screws the Koch brothers” is a certain win-win and a step in the correct direction.
“Right” is a word of the past, so no ‘right’ direction for me. The snacilbupeR conservatives own the word “right,” ergo I won’t use it without air quotes or derision.
Leading into 2018 we need to borrow everything good, such as this Seattle template and the Oregon everyone eligible to vote given every opportunity to vote model. Small d democracy is all about participation.
Sam in St Paul, don’t “count out” Texas or other currently red states. Howard Dean is far from perfect, but he was spot on with his 50 state strategy. 100 Senate seats and 435 House seats means fight and take them when & where we can. Including all 50 states is a good place to start. We may not be able to match the Koch money, but we can seriously stomp on their oligarch message. Your Senator, Amy Klobuchar, is a fine example of solid, but subtle messaging. 2018 should be fun. It sure is important to all of us; red, blue, purple and in flux.
3Wo! I can’t believe it! This sounds radical. And I like it!
4Half of my brain approves of this for the reason’s stated.
The half of my brain writing this and the half utterly jaded with the third world country Texas has become thinks the big money guys will still purchase all the high priced whores before the $25 vouchers ever get to the whorehouse. I can’t see election vouchers making a difference.
5Speaking of the fight we need leading into 2018, I love Senator Warren like I love my own mother and grandmother, and almost as much as I love my wife.
“Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has a warning for President Trump: “Donald, you ain’t seen nasty yet.”
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/warren-to-trump-donald-you-aint-seen-nasty-yet/ar-BBCOB2F?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp
Thinking I need to buy some t-shirts for KJ and Jack: “Nasty Women ARE Our Future!”
6So do I understand this correctly? Is the city of Seattle saying that if corporations are people ‘who’ can pour unlimited money into elections, then people are people too?
What a novel concept!
7Micr, my friend, the beauty is in the simplicity of simple math. You’re 99.9% correct that “the big money guys will still purchase all the high priced whores.” Added beauty is that big money tends not to focus on piddling sums like $25. May the addition of small numbers equaling their $billions come as a blindside surprise to the Koch bro and their ilk.
* Exception to the rule to prove the rule: Loopy Louie Gohmert who is the cheapest sell out chump in the Koch stable, settling for chump change. That old boy would improve with finance lessons from a street walker on crack.
In the every vote counts battle, the Seattle voucher concept may not be the solution in every district or state. But it helps, and added up every little gain becomes a big gain.
My main hope for 2018 is with President Obama and former AG Holder as they take voter suppression and racist gerrymandering to the courts. With help they have been winning a few battles.
8Major step in the proper direction, the way forward, for sure. Those of us deep in Redville — and you may be surprised to find there are more progressives/liberals than you think — have NOT given up hope. The GOP here in Georgia are completely lacking in positive political ideas and are totally sold out to their oligarch masters. That’s why they are so afraid of Stacey Abrams, she has great ideas, articulates them with clarity, and will seek votes anywhere and everywhere. This is novel, portable, doable, and improving.
9A Father’s Day wish to Dolt45: go covfere yourself with COVFEFE: THE BROADWAY MEDLEY! from Randy Rainbow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UW2ZndKqcg
😀 Enjoy our day, guys. Donnie can wait until Monday. Gals, keep the beer cold and the barbecue hot.
10I like it. I’ll bite my tongue about Texas gummint.
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