In Our Progressive Town, You Might Not be Progressive Enough

Seattle activists often serve up unwelcome surprises for Democrats who arrive expecting to feel some liberal love on the Left Coast. Hubert Humphrey was shouted down at the Coliseum (now KeyArena) by anti-war protesters in 1968. Bill Clinton’s international free trade photo-op was sacked by the WTO demonstrators in 1999. This weekend, Independent-Socialist-Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, senator from Vermont, came to town and was run out of Westlake by a few Black Lives Matter activists.

National liberals look at Seattle as a blue-hued safe-haven and a money machine for progressive candidates, but they can underestimate that in a progressive, activist town, you just might not be progressive enough. Thus Kshama Sawant, the most prominent socialist elected official in the nation, was able to flank her first opponent for city council—Seattle progressive Richard Conlin—who was ousted in part by being painted as too conservative. After last week’s primary, Sawant looks to have a very good shot at election to a new term in the 3rd District continuing to run to the left of her opponent, Pamela Banks.

The primary also delivered a wake-up call for city council president Tim Burgess, who should win, but recorded less than 50% of the vote running against housing activist Jon Grant, not good for an incumbent running citywide. Burgess has been dogged for years as too conservative for Seattle, which would be laughable by national standards. But the lesson of Conlin’s defeat should not be under-estimated.

The running room is on the left.

There is increasing energy from the young and the restless progressive Seattleites who are frustrated by the lack of progress on social and economic justice, and who have urgent demands for more to be done on housing, wages, police accountability, and race. I think there’s also some fatigue with Seattle’s gray-haired Democrats (bye-bye Jean Godden).

Since there is virtually no “right” in Seattle proper, it’s doubtful Donald Trump will be holding any Westlake rallies, but the Sanders experience suggests that Hillary Clinton will have to manage her political appearances here smartly to avoid being shouted down or embarrassed by those who want to highlight their issues and pull the Democratic party away from Wall Street and the muddy middle.

Will Hillary get the love that Barack Obama got in 2008 when he rocked the Key? Or better, will she have the ability to go to Westlake and be heard? Passing the Seattle test could be a challenge.