McSurprise

As someone who voted for McGinn, thank you for reporting rather than cheer-leading.

Propagandizing is lame when Fox News does it, and it would be just as lame if you guys did it, too.

Watching the entire McGinn press conference held earlier this week on Council-Tunnel-Gate, it was clear that Erica was one of the most professional journalists and the one who asked questions (perfectly appropriately) that moved the conversation beyond the Mayor's Council-Tunnel-Budget Buster Gate message.

The City Council is playing the part of British Petroleum management and asserting that cost over-runs are about as likely as a big oil spill. While Nickels was acting as the Bureau of Mining management (you're right BP there is little likelihood of overruns/oil spills); McGinn (and now OBrien) are raising worst-case questions. If this is 1994 redux then the chances of reversing the legislature's language is virtually nil with a GOP House or Senate and Seattle's budget deficit will be 2-8 times larger than it currently is (the oil spill). The GOP response will be to cut services, privatize City Light, toll W Seattle Bridge, cut transit and privatize parks & libraries.

And this is why I read publicola. Because you don't just repeat talking points and you call BS when you see it. That is what the media is supposed to do.

Frankly, you could be a lot tougher on the guy. This guy is a political reporters wet dream. What you need is to get people on the record about this guy. I have never seen a politician who is simultaneously mocked and hated by his fellow elected officials and his own employees– get them to say it on the record. The floodgates are only a story or two away from piling on.

Sometimes you guys (okay, sometimes Erica) get(s) on the soapbox or the bandwagon, but you do a far better job than most local media outlets of staying mostly objective and reporting the details.

So…here's my concern vis-a-vis Publicola and McGinn.

I'm not so much concerned that your reporting on McGinn is due to bias either for or against McGinn, my concern is that Publicola has decided it's good business for Publicola to manufacture controversy. This motivates you to hype certain stories beyond reasonableness, playing into the fears and biases of certain constituencies. Additionally, by pushing harder on McGinn related stories than the news-value of those stories merit, you've found you may be able to widen your readership. Obviously, you need a broader audience than McGinn supporters, so you've seemed to be overreaching oout to them.

For example, it's a fact that McGinn needs to trim the size of employment at City Hall. Doing so, however, creates natural conflict between the Mayor and those employees who may potentially lose their jobs. It is in their interest to hype every tiny point, and Publicola turned this into a seeming free-for-all to increase readership.

It may be a subtle difference in your mind, but I think it plays on your credibility.

ddamn typos! @#!#$SA#

you and ECB are playing good-cop, bad-cop to keep that ol' access flowing. Hey: you gotta do what you gotta do. Schlumpen as he may be, McGinn's still the mayor… you gotta at least pretend he's making sense, that's your job. Not amused recently when I was in a small group of people greeting him as he dismounted from his bicycle and he took that less-than-private opportunity to pass gas. The wind was wrong, and it smothered my carefully nurtured objectivity about him for a few days… I'm over it now.

Not sure about the good cop thing: I just called him Hugo Chavez.

The quote I remember best was something to the tune of, “we've been riding him hard the whole time”.

If you are a taxpaying citizen of Seattle who embraces law and order, supports the tunnel and the proposed new 520 bridge and believes that automobiles are an integral part of commerce and making a city work then it is pretty hard not to be anti-McGinn. The man is incompetent to run a city the size of Seattle.

I think McGinn is trying too hard to be the anti-Mayor. He shows no signs of knowing how to govern, especially in a regional/state context. He regularly forgets that there are other elected officials, often times many other elected officials, who have a stake in the issues he's interested in. And he's gone out of his way to show others that he's in charge. Most telling to me are the people he's chosen to surround himself with as well as those he's kicked to the curb. The City is in a very tough financial position and he needs smart people with good credibility and yet he dumps Dwight Dively one of the region's most respected public officials. While it's typical for Mayors, even really good Mayors, to get off to a rocky start, the McGinn administration shows no signs of righting the ship.

Then why has Erica been sitting on a story about McGinn for months? I've heard it from 3 different sources, so it's not like it's been kept under wraps. Out with it already!

I think overall McGinn has been a terrible Mayor – that's no McSurprise. But I agree with Josh, this week I think he hit the sweet spot on the viaduct DBT. He made a very effective argument during his interview on KUOW yesterday and explaned how his position now is consistent with his late campaign back-peddling on the issue. Who knows what he'd do if the legislature called his bluff and removed the overrun language.

Here's a question to anyone: has the AG weighed in with a legal opinion on whether the cost overrun provision is enforceable? Not that it would make a big difference to the current politics, just interested. I know it's been beat to death but I still have to say it again, I'm not even sure who the overruns would be enforced on – “property owners in the Seattle area who benefit from the project” could mean just about anything and there is very little in the record to indicate legislative intent.

Controversy and conflict are what sell. P-Cola is really no different than any news outlet in the way they focus on such issues. I agree it tends to blow things out of proportion, but it really has always been that way.

Maybe McGinn took that as a compliment:)

Josh, I listened to Weekday. I heard your theory about Mayor Maverick-y's coalition-building prowess, which I have also read here on Publicola.
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While I readily accept that your knowledge of Seattle politics far surpasses mine, I still disagree with you strongly. Mike Bikes may be building a coalition of social activist liberals and transportation geeks (or whatever your exact theory is), but he's also pissing off plenty of people within that coalition who want a real politician. They want someone who is an inspiring leader, who is a capable manager, and who isn't a d***head.
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And they will vote him out ASAP. Because the mistake of the last election, when no one competent dared to challenge Nickels, will NOT happen again. We can do better. He's setting the bar pretty low.
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But let me tell you how I really feel…

Law and Order is my favorite TV show!

“But actually, we don’t have a reporting bias”

Damn, that made me laugh. Thanks for a getting the morning off to a good start.

Sorry, you have a bias, and it happens to a highly left-leaning bias. Your reporting emphasizes new urban, in-city life. Suburbs=bad, cars=bad. As for not regurgitating press releases, I preferred it when you re-posted them verbatim, rather than re-writing them (poorly – hire a good copy editor, and maybe as “editors” you and Erica can actually consider editing what goes up here) to seem like your “reporters” actually did some investigation.

If you embrace law and order, you'd have seen through the charade of the aggressive panhandling law and opposed it.

If you feel threatened by a slight shift in focus to try to build out a meaningful mass transit system, and think that such a slight change in focus will force you out of your car, you're paranoid and delusional.

If you don't understand that there are real problems with both 520 and the DBT, then you're just not paying attention.

I don't get your claim that reporting about “urban, in city” life is contradictory or biased when Publicola lives/works/plays inside the city they cover.

Perhaps you could start your own blog called “Cul de Sac Soda?”

I guess we are drinking different kool aid. Probably an age thing.

Inquiring minds want to know! I hope against hope it's the one I can't see an even half-ethical way to even hint about here.

Maybe you are proving the point by providing a counter-argument.

The bias appears to be more personal, than ideological.
Had Cola stayed on some of its McGinn stories during the campaign with half of the personal desire you have for the Bushnell story I doubt McGinn would be mayor. The frequency and intensity if cheerleading last summer is not comparible to the critical stories.

Then, after he became mayor, cola and the thin skinned mayor got into some pissing contest over the characterization of some story so minor that I have forgotten all about it, but I am sure the mayor hasn't. Then cola raked McSandbag over the coles for a little while until McSandbag called Erica in to wag his finger at her in person.
He did not change any, he just lobbied you a little, now he has somehow transformed himself with a veto, and widening 520 for the fixie vote.

He loves you,
he loves you not,
he loves you,
he loves, uh, I just don't care anymore.

No reporting bias?

Oh, I know, it's not a bias if it's a “perspective?”

I like your product, even if I sometimes disagree with the bias/perspective/whatever. I also like the Seattle Times, and they clearly have a bias which I sometimes disagree with. The news landscape is healthier with you guys in the mix.

I have wondered with other people if any of the people that work at Publicola have children. Because, if anyone were to ask me, I would describe this particular news organization's bias as urban and childless.

I'll bet I'm older than you are.

I think Dan has at least one kid, and is the biggest urban-loving dude around. I have two, and want the city thing to work better.

And looking at the way Erica looks over at Josh, if it's not like a big brother, there will be kids

Can you ask McGinn, who hails from central Long Island, what is was like growing up in a placid, low density lifestyle in one of America's most desirable locations? Did he enjoy riding the L.I.R.R. where each station has adequate parking? Did he live in a nice house with a large yard? Did it make him unhappy? Is that why he wants everyone to live in a little cubbyhole condo and ride electric powered rickshaws? Can you ask him?

Get them to say it on the record? Why on earth would they do that? Would you criticize your CEO on the record?

And I'm no doubt older than either of you and am tired of both age comments and koolaid comments, mike.

Josh, would you say you've been as tough on Burgess as you've been on McGinn?

Oops, that was to John. Moving it up.

Hi, I grew up across the Sound from Lawn Guy Land. I can assure you that it's hardly “one of America's most desirable locations”. I think you're thinking of the enclaves of the ultra-rich on the far eastern end of the island. The far west end of Long Island is basically a big high-density suburb of NYC; the middle of the state may as well be Bellevue. I've yet to meet anyone from LI in my entire life that touts it as some wonderful Oz in which to live, except for people way out on the touristy beach communities (think the fictional Amity from Jaws).

Sounds like you're bitching about carpetbaggers, eh? I'm a carpetbagger from Connecticut, married to a 2nd gen native (and she's a 5th gen Washingtontian). Barring the unforseen I plan on being buried in Seattle and living here the rest of my life–I can't imagine living anywhere else now. So I'm like McGinn: transplants with a voice in Seattle from living here and caring about the city's future.

Do you live in Seattle, John?

Hi, I grew up across the Sound from Lawn Guy Land. I can assure you that it's hardly “one of America's most desirable locations”. I think you're thinking of the enclaves of the ultra-rich on the far eastern end of the island. The far west end of Long Island is basically a big high-density suburb of NYC; the middle of the state may as well be Bellevue. I've yet to meet anyone from LI in my entire life that touts it as some wonderful Oz in which to live, except for people way out on the touristy beach communities (think the fictional Amity from Jaws).

Sounds like you're bitching about carpetbaggers, eh? I'm a carpetbagger from Connecticut, married to a 2nd gen native (and she's a 5th gen Washingtontian). Barring the unforseen I plan on being buried in Seattle and living here the rest of my life–I can't imagine living anywhere else now. So I'm like McGinn: transplants with a voice in Seattle from living here and caring about the city's future.

Do you live in Seattle, John?

Considering that Publicola almost exclusively reports on Seattle local politics, why should they possibly work off the POV of a place like Sammashish or wherever?

“{{{BLANK}}} has decided it's good business for Publicola to manufacture controversy. This motivates you to hype certain stories beyond reasonableness, playing into the fears and biases of certain constituencies.”

{{BLANK}} = CNN, MSNBC, Fox, CNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC, NY Times, Seattle Times, The Stranger, Publicola, Seattle Weekly, the little local paper out in Omak (assuming they have one), and me and oh, everyone I know in conversation. Welcome to sociology and politics 101.

Oh, sorry: I MEAN JOSH YOU SUCK.

Compared to say the Seattle Times, Publicola is like a daily Pulitzer machine on those metrics.

I'm more curious as to what these floodgates are that he's talking about.

“BREAKING: MCGINN CALLS WIFE, SAYS HE'LL PICK UP DINNER ON WAY HOME FOR KIDS FROM SEATTLE-OWNED TELEPHONE, SPENDING $0.10 IN MINUTES ON PERSONAL USE.”

Well…. sometimes they do just spit out talking points without constant fact checks (I've grumbled about that, but I'm probably more unreasonable than most people against that because I grumble about everyone doing it sometimes). Only really crazy outfits like Talking Points Memo and Alter.net constantly hammer the fact checks.

I'll say that I classify myself as a transportation geek — I want smart investments in roads, bike/ped access, and transit.

McGinn pisses me off because instead of thinking long-term about building something, he goes half-cocked every few weeks about some new crazy scheme.

Whatever happened to the Seawall bill I was supposed to have voted on this month? What about that Ballard/West Seattle light rail line? How does that fit in with the 520 light rail? And do all those things get ignored now that he's supposed to be onboard with Walk, Bike, Ride?

I don't get the sense from McGinn that he's interested in actually building anything. What it looks like to me is that he reads the newspaper and blogs every morning, sees something going on, and has some bogus grave concern or another.

Throwing your political weight around, inasmuch as he still has any, is politics, but it's not governance. One day the city really will need a mayor that can lead beyond a young, idealist coalition, and I worry that we're all going to be very disappointed.

And to that end, wherefore art thou, Dow?

Sounds like he is “bitching” about hyprocracy, to McGinn. Are you defending hyprocracy, or are you McGinn?

No, I'm not McGinn, and I'm not defending any perceived hypocrisy, which is absurd. Because someone grew up in one physical environment they can't advocate another? Because that's what Bailo seems to be saying. And that's a patently absurd argument.

Yeah, McGinn is pissing *some* vocal people off, but he's pleasing just as many. A good leader doesn't just spend money and launches This And That New Thing. A good leader can also save money and stop This And That.

Therein lies the rub. I think that you and I, anti- and pro-McGinn, respectively, cancel each other out and the remaining 80% of the electorate doesn't give a rat's ass.
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And with those folks, I don't think McGinn registers as doing anything significant, positive or negative. He's a do-nothing Mayor for the un-wonky, and an incompetent blowhard to at least half of the wonky. Not a winning coalition, methinks, to bring it back to my original point.
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To your point, Joe, I do not see McGinn as the right guy to deal with the budget deficit. He inherited it. He has not choice but to deal with it. I predict he will do an utterly mediocre job.

I work in Seattle.

Sounds like you are so worried about my very true comments that you can't let McGinn answer in public and you have to “rush in” and defend people.

That is the typical response of Libs once their failed programs are exposed.

Oh, and the other thing they start doing is telling us that “young people” prefer their money wasting scheme.

I don't know how many times the argument goes to “oh, but young people really want us to spend that 5.4 billion”. Cut to photo of really old people receiving the check.

I feel that anyone who lives in Puget Sound has a right to comment on Seattle because it is such a drag and drain on what is a fairly modern, low density infrastructure. Seattle is our slow addled cousin, who costs us a lot of money. It might be time to put Jet City in a home and be done with it.

I meant—no bias on McGinn.

You are right that we have a pro-urban bias. We're up front about that.

There is so much off and wrong in this response that all I can say is: the liberals (myself, McGinn, and others) are against the tunnel and especially against Seattle having to pay for the bulk of the $5.4 billion's overruns. And welcome to the real world: cities DO get the most public funding because the most people live there and the most revenue and taxation is generated out of cities. It's like that in every single American state with dense cities. The cities subsidize the rest.

How did the un-wonky GWBush work out for ya?

So McGinn's a “Do nothing” mayor? He got the seawall put on the front burner, got the 520 amended, got more people questioning the Deep-bore fiasco. He'll get to the idiotic “Mercer West” Mess and the currently terrible design for Alaskan Way soon. You may not understand the extreme engineering flaws of these projects – neither do most poeple – but Mike is right on to bring process to a halt.

Nine years ago, WSDOT and SDOT were charged with replacing the AWV. Nine years. McGinn has done more in 3 months to get er done and get er done smart-like so's you all kin figger out later that he was right to oppose the deep-bore tunnel fiasco.

Just curious, do you have an opinion about the “typical response” for conservatives “once their failed programs are exposed?”
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That kind of comment is polarizing, and adds nothing to a debate.
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As for your greater point, you have plenty of company in the “let's screw Seattle” camp. This just constitutes one more party to the endless back and forth that prevents actual good decisions from being made.'
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Seattle needs the state and the state needs Seattle. The pissing contests and backstabbing are part of the problem, not part of the solution.