Why Is The Economist Interested in Seattle’s mayor race or the 522 initiative?
Last week’s Economist had TWO articles on Seattle on about our mayoral election and one about the 522 referendum to require GMO labelling of all food. The articles are both worth reading if only because the Economst writers are openly amused by our local propensity for quirky politics.
What they might have written on was the outsize influence the Stranger has on local liberal/progressive politics.
On 522? Of course the Stranger wants a vote for this initiative to put “Warning labels for safe stuff.” Why would a rational person use the Stranger as an authority? If you do not understand the issues (and there are real issues) then there is plenty you can read, including my own small contribution on TA or the piece in The Economist. The main reason to vote against 522 is fear of the corporations. That makes some sense. On the other hand, no expert sees a sustainable model for food in the future w/o GMO. The label may be less of an issue than the corporatism. THEN the question becomes is a yes vote effective vs. the corporations or is it the kind of useless gesture the Tea Party makes on its issues?
On McGinn, the Economist is even more quirky. They paint Seattle as a rich town, full of gourmet vegans and even imagine we have a trolley car running through Ballard. Why would such happy folk want to replace their Mayor? Frankly the campaign materials of both candidates are pretty good. McGinn and Murrray have essentially identical positions except their different career paths. Murray is an experienced politician who has gotten the endorsements of the people he will need as Mayor. McGinn has not been successful in getting that support.
Of course the Stranger endorsed McGinn. Why? I think this has two parts. First Murray is gay and has been the leader of the effort here to make gay marriage legal. It is legal now. So, I guess the Stranger needs to show it is too radical for success. That would be fine IF McGinn had taken progressive positions beyond the ones motivating Murray. McGinn’s only major position is his admirable support for more bike paths … something the Economist notes fits in with an image of Seattle as a self satisfied town for young’uns employed by Amazon and Microsoft. On other issues, low inc9me housing, development of Seattle’s magnificent new waterfront, Police reform … McGinn has a poor record of achievement.