OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.” IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.” UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED…
OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.” IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.” UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED…
OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.” IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.” UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED…
Everyone needs a hobby. Might as well make it a productive one. Confronting politicians, PACs, judges, and others for their law breaking can be beneficial to everyone
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Over the past few years, I’ve put a little effort into helping ensure Washington State’s glorious campaign finance laws are enforced, reformed, and experienced first hand by as many politicians, judges, and PACs as possible. Mostly this has been a function of free time and a willingness to study an obscure law passed with good intentions, but which has produced mixed results. Sometimes it is worth reflecting on what has been accomplished by this hobby. I expect this project to continue for maybe another ten years or so (depending on how long the law lasts), but it seems worthwhile to review the adventure mid-stream.
One unquestionable result was the fact that compliance with the current campaign finance laws in Washington State is higher than it ever has been in the past. Far more politicians, PACs, judges, and others get much closer to following the law than their predecessors. I will take credit for this outcome. One inevitable result has been the cottage industry on the Democratic Party side of the political spectrum of paying for “compliance experts,” and on the Republican side, the treasurers seem to take their job much more seriously. The day of the unprofessional treasurer is long gone for any large political campaigns. It is rare for candidates to do their own reporting today.
Everything counts in large amounts
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson
I became interested in Washington State’s campaign finance laws in a more focused way in late 2016, as a result of exchanging complaints with some of my friends in the Democratic Party as they were losing two local campaigns for the Thurston County Commissioner’s office. I’ve discussed this in more detail in the past (see stories here, here, and here). I consider Washington State AG Bob Ferguson and Senator Sam Hunt as the two people who most inspired me to start this quest. I can’t thank them enough for inspiring and motivating me to travel down this road. All the politicians who have been fined for the legal violations I caught and exposed should thank these two politicians for their encouragement to launch this crusade.
Since 2016 I have filed approximately 580 campaign finance complaints with Washington State’s Campaign Finance enforcer – the Public Disclosure Commission. Some complaints, particularly when I was just getting up to speed about this process, went nowhere. Some documented relatively minor violations which resulted in technical fixes. Other complaints resulted in lawsuits filed by Washington State’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson (against his will, due to what was called a “Citizen Action Notice” process) with modestly significant settlements. While many complaints are still in “process” and some are still in court, it is worth reviewing the cases that have been resolved to formal conclusion.
A volume of campaign finance cases resolved in a relatively short period of time provide us some statistically significant data from which to draw policy conclusions, measure bias by the agencies involved, and other useful information for those who care. Presumably someone now or in the future will care. Everyone needs a hobby, and this has been mine for a while and as joyful as the process has been so far, I’m hopeful that I can inspire others to join in the fun and experience the sense of accomplishment a productive and useful hobby like this can generate. However, one should be cautioned, this hobby is unlikely to win you many friends in the political world. Obviously, the politicians you catch breaking the law aren’t happy they were exposed, but the ones you don’t catch aren’t happy with you either because they feel like they will be next. Everyone gets annoyed, upset, conspiratorial, and they probably won’t put you on their Christmas card list or invite you to the next wine and cheese club meeting.
“I know no method to secure the repeal of bad or obnoxious laws so effective as their stringent execution.”
President Ulysses S. Grant March 4,1869 at his first inauguration address (often a similar quote is attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but this appears to be the first verifiable confirmed quote)
The Cost of Violating the law – Once it was high, but no longer
Abraham Lincoln was credited with saying that the best way to repeal a law is to enforce it strictly. However, his use of this statement has not been confirmed. President Grant used a similar quote (see above) at his first inaugural address in 1869. Regardless of the quote source, the operating principal behind it is still relevant today. This can be applied to Washington State’s Campaign Finance laws as well. The original statute was created by Citizen’s initiative in 1972 (see here). However, like a creaky, leaking boat left too long in Puget Sound, this law has collected barnacle layers of random new laws and rules proposed by incumbent politicians who are always looking for ways to make life more difficult for future political challengers. The current law can be found at RCW 42.17A. Like all laws in Washington State, the underlying rules drafted by the agencies enforcing those laws add another level of complexity, and most of the Washington State Administrative Code supporting Washington State’s campaign finance laws can be found at WAC 390-16 and elsewhere.
I started this process with the clear recognition that everyone has violated Washington State’s campaign finance laws (the Olympian quoted me to this effect in 2016 – see article here). That was true then, but it is not entirely true any more (after the passage of HB 2938 the “Stop Glen Morgan bill” see article here). However, violations are still more numerous and common than anyone could have time to file complaints to address all of them. This still reflects some problems with the law itself, but the bureaucracy is motivated to ignore these problems by ensuring that the law is no longer strictly enforced, which in turn ensures the law survives no matter how poorly it is written. This creates the opposite outcome of the axiom often misattributed to Lincoln – “A law not strictly enforced is sure to last forever.” This is a wise policy choice for the bureaucracy. If they ignore or give minor wrist slaps to the violators (particularly if they are affiliated with the Democrats),perhaps the legislature won’t mess with the law on which your job depends.
Despite this, and despite the political bias inherent in a one-party ruled state (which does influence the bureaucracy and how they enforce the laws), some politicians and PACs had violations too obvious to ignore and they were forced to pay some sort of price for those violations, at least to maintain appearances. Here is the list of the first 60 I exposed (who were fined or paid a penalty) and how much they settled in lawsuits, fines, forfeits to the state, or reimbursements to their campaigns due to illegal reimbursements (you can see updates to this list including all source documents, which is maintained here):
Satpal Sidhu (Whatcom County Exec.) – Oct 22, 2019 – personal forfeit – $1,380
Political Destiny PAC – Oct 18, 2019 – Citizen Act. Sanctions – $1,300
Rep. Jeff Morris (40th LD) – Nov 20, 2017 – AG lawsuit – $1,130
Pierce County Democrats – Oct 27, 2017 – AG lawsuit – $38,520
WA & N. Idaho Dist. Council Laborers PAC – Sept 22, 2017 – AG lawsuit – $36,310
People for Thurston County PAC – Aug 24, 2017 – Cit. Action lawsuit – $14,640
Rep. Strom Peterson (21st LD) – Aug 15, 2017 – AG lawsuit – $11,950
Senator Sam Hunt (22nd LD) – July 14, 2017 – AG lawsuit – $6,475
Speaker Frank Chopp (43rd LD) – Mar 14, 2017 – AG lawsuit – $6,880
Kelsey Hulse (Thurston County Commissioner cand.) – Mar 2, 2017 – AG lawsuit –$2,920
Kshama Sawant (Seattle City Council) – Feb 21, 2017 – SEEC fine – $150
Jay Manning (DOE Director/Gov. Chief of Staff) – Feb 13, 2017 – AG lawsuit – $6,385
While this is list is obviously a work still in process, with many more in the pipeline, even with the PDC’s current abandonment of campaign finance enforcement, there will be more politicos who are caught, exposed and will need to pay a fine of some kind (even if it is just the discipline equivalent of a minor wrist slap). The total above is currently only a miserly total of $585,642. This doesn’t include legal costs or compliance costs.
Most politicians break the law, but what happens when someone actually tries to confront them?
These fines do not go to me, they go to the state. I get nothing for filing these complaints and exposing the truth – it is just an academic exercise and a hobby at this point. These penalties accrue to the general fund of the State of Washington, where it gets squandered along with the rest of the tax dollars which have been extracted from the people of Washington State. Some of these funds go directly to the Public Disclosure Commission or the Attorney General’s office to reimburse them for investigative, legal, or court costs.
This is just part 1 in a series which will attempt to document:
The chaotic and challenging nature of holding government accountable
The Byzantine world of government accountability (and how accountability has long been lost and is mostly an illusion)
The way government and bureaucracy can be politically influenced to bend the rules
Absurd reactions and pointless political panic
How the bureaucracy backs down and changes the rules to reduce accountability
Most policy decisions are inherently political in government
One person can have an impact, if they want to commit the time
One person really can have an impact, but they don’t exist as an island. It would be impossible to make this impact or write this article without the politicians, judges and PACs breaking the law so often and making my work so much easier as a result. Without their unwilling participation, there would be nothing to see here. They are really the true stars of this adventure and they deserve the spotlight.
Maybe you could make it your hobby too?
OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.” IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.” UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED…
Western Washington University has been issuing "ghost classes" for some students according to a 2019 internal audit exposing widespread financial aid fraud at the Univsersity. The auditors appear to have been removed.
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Higher education in Washington State needs more housekeeping to clean up their declining reputations (not to mention the claims they are “educating” their students). While the national focus has been on the Evergreen College fiasco, downward spiral, and likely collapse (See here, here, and here), it appears Evergreen College is not alone in failing to educate the students who go into debt to attend these institutions.
Ghosts aren’t just found in Elementary School anymore
Located Just a few hours north of Evergreen College is Western Washington University. The campus is located in the City of Bellingham. Like Evergreen, this is another State College, also located near Puget Sound. While Western has its fair share of “Woke” Professors and is also self-immolating under the Diversity, Intersectionality, and Equity (D.I.E.) religion, they have avoided Evergreen’s very public weirdness, student bat brigades, and campus takeovers. This university also doesn’t appear to have leadership nearly as incompetent as George Bridges (Evergreen’s loony President).
However, based on the results of a recent internal audit, they appear to have implemented a policy of falsifying credits and creating “ghost classes” or “ghost credits” for students in order to make sure the university gets the federal grant dollars and tuition they strive so hard to collect. The complete audit from last July is linked here. If you want interesting reading, go to Appendix B, and read their internal emails. My favorite quote:
“It isn’t a course that you need to attend. Think of it as a “ghost” course.”
email from Sarah Jerns, Manager, Elementary Education Department Woodring College of Education, dated February 26, 2018 to a student asking how he can justify getting extra credits so he can qualify for student loans to be counted as “full time.” (see appendix B)
The conclusion of this audit basically determined that staff
at Western Washington University committed:
Financial Aid Fraud (See Appendix A – page 1) which would expose the university to fines up to $57,317 per violation. The report documented where this was done for at least 20 students (it seems likely there are many more).
Course Participation without Registration (See Appendix A – page 9). This affected at least 16 students. This also appears to be impossible to document completely, but they documented at least a lost of $6,882 in tuition losses with this violation.
Misrepresentation of Credit Hours to Avoid Tuition Costs (See Appendix A – page 10).
Misapplication of Incomplete Grades (see Appendix A – page 14). The auditors appear to have been able to document at least 24 students in this category. Basically, given credit for classes they did not complete.
Matt Babick – former internal auditor
The entire Appendix B provides emails used in the internal audit investigation and provides entertaining reading if you have some familiarity with how education credits, tuition, and financial aid works.
Based on the statement of the auditors, it appears that upper management at Western Washington University didn’t want to accept the results of this report (although they promised to change their ways and presumably policies). The management also wanted to make it clear that the auditors couldn’t formally determine criminal liability for staff or provide recommendations for staff discipline.
Antonia Allen, recently removed internal auditor, and hired as their ethics officer
Unfortunately, after receiving this internal audit report, it looks like the former internal auditor Antonia Allen has been shifted into a different department. .
Last year, the University also settled with the former internal auditor, Matthew Babick, who appears to have been removed without cause from that position. I hope to post the result of that settlement shortly. Regardless, this doesn’t look good. It is usually an obvious sign of problems at any organization when internal auditors are leaving or being shifted into different departments with alarming frequency.
Vikings and Ghosts appear to haunt the halls of Western Washington University
Clearly, serious scrutiny of Western Washington University is in order, and while neither the current legislature nor Governor Inslee’s office is likely to take this fraud any more seriously than they have addressed the collapse of Evergreen College, at some time in the near future, someone serious will need to sort this mess. The State Auditor’s office would be a logical candidate for this review, but their office seems more focused on burying problems and not wanting to look very closely.
Even with the poor state of secondary education in Washington State today, committing financial aid fraud and gifting “ghost classes” is probably not the way to restore confidence in the value of public education today.
We don’t need more ghosts in higher education (logo from Ghostbusters)
OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.” IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.” UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED…
For many years, we’ve had many questions about Washington State’s Top 2 Primary (sometimes called a Jungle Primary) system for elections. As the first state to adopt this election system for primaries, and with only one other state using it (California), it is worth discussing. Hopefully people find this helpful and useful. Let me know if you think we missed anything here, and I recommend the links referenced below as helpful for additional research.
OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.” IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.” UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED…
Related Articles (And Background Sources):
(for those who want to exhaustively review every legal filing in the various lawsuits about the top2 primary, go here. Excellent source link to download the original legal documents. Very comprehensive. Great place to find contemporaneous arguments in favor and in opposition in the legal documents)
As distinguished alumni graduate from Evergreen State College and join or confront local government, it proves that what happens on campus won't stay on campus
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This is the second video we have produced about Evergreen College. It is no longer a question. We should just shut down this institution. Put it out of its misery and protect future students from wasting their lives or time by going to this campus. The “Diversity, Intersectionality, and Equity (D.I.E)” cult has failed, and their failures no longer should be subsidized by taxpayers.
My proposed logo for the school as it transitions into a homeless camp:
A parody logo based on the Evergreen College’s crack marketing team explaining why students should attend their school.
OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.” IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.” UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED…
Tim Eyman, after 21 years of promoting initiatives, is now running for Governor of Washington State (photo November 26, 2019 in Seattle outside King County Superior Court)
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Tim Eyman and his daughter – speaking to the media election night in Bellevue, Washington – November 5, 2019
I was surprised when I heard last week that Washington State’s own initiative king, Tim Eyman, announced his campaign for governor. Less than a week before his announcement, in a conversation with Eyman, we discussed how crazy it would be for him to run for public office. Until Eyman’s announcement last week, the thought of Eyman holding any elected political office seemed unlikely. I never seriously considered it, and I never heard Eyman seriously consider it either.
Things have now changed, and while the entire political establishment of Washington State will be ridiculing and attacking Eyman relentlessly for the next 12 months, it might be prudent to pause and consider the potential ramifications of an Eyman campaign for Washington State’s next governor. How might this campaign unfold?
Tim Eyman at the November 26, 2019 hearing explaining to the press how the AG is trying to sabotage the I-976 ($30 car tab) court case.
Love him or hate him – you probably know him
Regardless of whether you love or hate Tim Eyman, let’s start with the fact that if you live in Washington State, you know his name. Tim Eyman has nearly universal name recognition. This is particularly true because for the past 6 months, a major $5 million state-wide ad campaign was launched attacking Initiative 976. This initiative was sponsored by Eyman and it reduces annual car tabs for all Washingtonians to $30. Rather than focusing on the policy merits of I-976, the geniuses who ran this anti- I-976 campaign decided to make it all about Tim Eyman. This included promoting his name on tens of thousands of signs, millions of mailers, and millions of TV ads, Youtube videos, public pronouncements by elected officials, public statements by high-level bureaucrats, and social media posts.
I am unaware of any other example in recent American political history where millions of dollars were spent attacking someone whose name wasn’t on the ballot. To top it all off, after squandering millions of dollars, the political capital of almost every elected Democrat in Washington State, and aligning with every single major media outlet to attack citizen activist Tim Eyman, I-976 easily passed with 53% of voters agreeing with the $30 car tab policy. However, since the opponents of the initiative made it all about Tim Eyman, they made it appear Eyman won (again) against all comers. This campaign against I-976 only enhanced Eyman’s reputation as a dragon slayer.
This ensures a high level of name recognition for a political candidate, and Tim Eyman didn’t spend the money to make the campaign all about him. The opposition which rabidly hates him spent their money instead. In fact, when it comes to free media coverage, it is hard to dispute the fact that for 21 years, Eyman has been making news in every Washington State media market on a regular basis mostly because of his initiatives and sometimes due to the whirlwind of lawsuits, public comment, or scandals which have swirled around the Eyman initiative hurricane for two decades. Name recognition is considered a positive thing when running a political campaign. If everyone already knows you, far less campaign money is needed to introduce you to the public.
Anti Tim Eyman cartoons like this one are legion
Tina Podlodowski, chair of the Washington State Democratic Party, would probably love to choke out Tim Eyman
Any non-Leftist activist in Washington State will inevitably experience personal attacks, threats, and harassment due to the nature of the political Left in this state. However, these experiences by others (including this author) are nothing in magnitude or ferocity compared to the rabid vitriol directed at Tim Eyman. This is not limited to Leftist trolls and weirdos (including some whose lives apparently would have no meaning if they didn’t have Tim Eyman to attack – like this guy). Eyman is publicly attacked by many elected officials in Washington State on a regular basis. He has been under public personal attack since 1999 when he sponsored the first $30 car tab initiative. Over the past 21 years, these politicians have come and gone, but Eyman is still the guy the Left loves to hate. This has inflated Eyman’s reputation and enhanced his outsider status.
The Seattle Times has printed some classic Tim Eyman cartoons lately
Eyman’s enemies, their persecution of Eyman, and he just won’t stop
Eyman is hated by many. The public sector unions despise him. His initiatives always threaten the cash flow they demand. He is hated by every Left-leaning group in Washington State. Eyman’s initiatives often threaten their grant grifter schemes, and his lower tax initiatives have reduced empire building efforts (particularly the wasteful and bloated Sound Transit Light Rail Boondoggle). He is hated and feared by all senior bureaucrats. His campaign claims he has saved taxpayers $43 billion in taxes the bureaucrats otherwise would have squandered over the past 20 years. These bureaucrats wanted this cash for themselves. The recent campaign against I-976, but directed at Eyman using his name, was funded by some of the largest corporations in Washington State – Amazon, Microsoft, Expedia, and others. Even the Evergreen Left can’t claim Eyman is a corporate shill when the state’s biggest corporations exclusively fund attack ads against him.
Eyman is depicted as a snake in this cartoon
Eyman’s initiatives are supported by most Republicans, but Eyman had plenty of conflicts with Republican party leaders in the past as well. Eyman has confronted specific Republicans who voted for higher taxes. He has publicly pushed them into lower tax approaches they might not have strongly supported. Sometimes Eyman has been clumsy, sloppy, and more confrontational than prudent in these interactions with ostensible political allies. Republican insiders are annoyed by Eyman or openly fight with him over style, policy, or strategy. This has generated resentment from many. This resentment is understandable. These intramural conflicts also paint Eyman as the ultimate outsider.
Eyman confronts Solicitor General Noah Purcell after I-976 court hearing in Seattle
On top of the obvious hatred and ridiculous attacks on Tim Eyman personally, he is currently the only person in Washington State history with whom the Democrat State Attorney General Bob Ferguson claims he will “never settle” in an ongoing scorched earth campaign finance lawsuit. Tim Eyman has been sued by Attorney General Ferguson in a 5 year legal campaign to destroy and end Tim Eyman’s ability to participate in the initiative process once and for all.
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson (Democrat)
While AG Ferguson spends most of his time suing the Trump administration (45 or is it 46 lawsuits now?), he has dedicated an exceptional volume of state resources attacking Tim Eyman for alleged campaign finance violations committed by a few PACs Tim managed back in 2012. The AG has piled on more charges over time, of course. AG Ferguson has directed more resources to go after Tim Eyman than all other campaign finance cases the AG has prosecuted over the past five years combined. No other campaign finance case even compares.
All other campaign finance cases brought by the AG in the past have resulted in fines and penalties of some kind. Settlements are normal. Most are relatively small. Many even have payment plans (particularly if they are Democrats). However, Ferguson has made it clear that only the total destruction of Tim Eyman’s life is an acceptable outcome for this litigation. The AG has targeted the top 100 donors to Eyman’s past initiatives in a successful effort to intimidate them from future donations to Eyman’s campaigns. Ferguson has explicitly stated as a result of this lawsuit, he wants Tim Eyman’s ability to participate in the political process on initiatives (the only political activity Eyman has committed for 21 years) to be made illegal or failing this goal, at least made impossible. Ferguson’s office even tries to bully any media who dare report this fact (see article here). Not surprisingly, Eyman has been bankrupted and divorced as a direct result of this campaign.
The recent passage of I-976 ($30 car tabs) initiative is impressive. Tim Eyman originally sponsored this initiative. This was the third time since 1999 he has organized a successful initiative in Washington State on this exact same issue. With the legal, media, and political attack on Eyman making it difficult for him to raise money, he and his wife liquidated their retirement fund to launch the signature gathering campaign to get I-976 on the ballot. As he was entering bankruptcy and getting divorced last year, this initiative qualified for the ballot (first, the legislature had a chance to vote on it, which the Democrat leadership predictably ignored). Eyman had no money to promote the initiative. All he could do is make public comment at public hearings, confront elected officials, and provide his side of the argument to the traditional media. Eyman is energetic, a natural promoter, and fearless. He is always in hostile territory when he does this. Often, he is alone with no support or entourage. Despite this, the $30 car tabs initiative he sponsored, funded, and promoted easily passed with over 1.05 million voters (53%) agreeing with the policy.
Eyman on election night
Once again, this recent history of persecution enhanced Eyman’s reputation as the lone hero fighting against all the odds and the forces of the establishment. This is a heroic image for an activist.
Is Eyman Prepared to campaign for state-wide office?
Eyman poses with supporters at the I-976 hearing in Seattle during a break
Eyman made the announcement he was running for public office last Thursday at the Sound Transit public board meeting. Sound Transit is Seattle’s light rail boondoggle – which has squandered billions of dollars and been a great example of the total waste and incompetence of an out of control, unchecked bureaucracy. Most of these board members hate Tim Eyman. Nearly every politician on that board campaigned against I-976 (with a couple of notable exceptions like Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier). This meeting took place in Seattle, where the majority of voters opposed Eyman’s $30 car tab. In fact, the primary item on their agenda was a discussion how to deal with the success of I-976 and the impact on their bloated budget. This is hostile territory for Tim Eyman. Of course, THIS is where he announces his candidacy for governor. During his two minutes of public comment, against the rules for public comment, and right to their faces (on camera, of course). This makes political insiders uncomfortable and it infuriates the Leftists and bureaucrats. Average people tend to admire his style.
Eyman and the media
The hostile media couldn’t get enough, and they mobbed Eyman while the Transit Board left to deliberate in a secret meeting. The media presumed they were recording a train wreck, but Eyman, once again, had the opportunity to remind the public about his history of initiatives in Washington State (17 successfully to the ballot, 11 approved by voters), and he was able to go on the attack against Governor Inslee. One question asked by reporters was if he was ready for the rigors of a state-wide campaign. A reasonable question for most candidates, but in this case, let’s review what Tim Eyman has been doing for 21 years.
Eyman has been actively campaigning throughout Washington State for two decades, travelling to speak to groups large and small, fundraising, and working with activists. Nothing about a state-wide campaign for governor effectively changes anything he already does – he has a different message, but basically it is the same activity. He has spent two decades working the state and county fairs collecting signatures. He is already well known throughout the state. He already knows the activists. He can live off the land. He is the only conservative activist who has had a video documentary produced about him (The Battles of Tim Eyman see here). People in every county, every city, and in every precinct have signed his petitions and voted for his initiatives over the past 21 years. Thousands of them have donated to him in the past and many more have helped him collect signatures for at least one of his initiatives. I have an aunt and uncle from King County who once told me they have never donated to any politician before, but they gave money to Tim Eyman because, “he is the only guy who ever did anything to obviously help me.” I doubt they are alone with this attitude.
Most of the traditional media hate Eyman. They will be focused on publishing an endless series of articles attacking him. They’ve been doing this for years. They can’t help themselves. Eyman has given them colorful and stupid mistakes to work with, and he certainly can be blamed for some of this. However, his ability to troll the media and get media attention is unequaled in Washington State. The only obvious marketing failure on Eyman’s part has been his focus on traditional media (which is in rapid decline) and his rather slow start taking advantage of social media and the modern methods of traditional outreach on Youtube and other platforms. If he is able to get some help in this area, it seems likely he will address this deficiency.
Could Eyman actually win? – The nightmare of the political elite
Many people have asked me over the years if Tim Eyman can win a political campaign. I’ve dismissed the idea. He is the initiative guy, not a politician. I’ve discussed this concept with Eyman in the past and we both agreed it would be a crazy. I only remember those conversations in the context of running for the legislature. However, Eyman has now taken the leap, and it isn’t just a media stunt. He is serious. I spoke with him at length about it after I heard he had announced. His campaign is going all the way, even if there has been no strategic plan to launch. It is easy and probably reflexive for most political insiders to view this as a Don Quixote effort to tilt at the Governor Inslee windmill. It is worth looking at an Eyman campaign more seriously.
Washington State Governor Inslee
Eyman’s 21 year history as an activist has produced plenty of scandals which will be grist for future campaign ads against him, and Eyman always has the potential to self-immolate with some type of unforeseen scandal over the next 12 months. However, unlike most candidates – he has been under constant attack and intense scrutiny for two decades now. Few can take this type of relentless pressure and not retreat from public life. Eyman could legitimately run as either an independent or a Republican. Most of his activist support has come from the ranks of the Republican grassroots over the years. However, in order for 11 of his initiatives to get more than 50% voter approval, he obviously attracted some percentage of independents and Democrats. Initiatives have no party affiliation. Eyman, like the initiatives he has supported and promoted over the years needs no party affiliation to run for office, and it makes sense he has declared as an independent.
Tim already tried the Governor’s chair on for size earlier this year
Washington State has a top-two jungle primary system (see here), he only needs to get more than 33% of the vote in the August primary to get on the general ballot. It seems a given that Democrat Governor Inslee who is running for his third lackluster term as Governor, and the only Democrat affiliated candidate on the ballot will make it to the General election. This means Eyman needs to beat the Republicans on the August primary ballot to make the November ballot. Eyman was asked last Thursday by the mainstream media if any Republicans have decided to run for the Governor’s position. The traditional media’s ignorance doesn’t change the fact that four Republicans have declared. I know them all, and any one of them would be far better than Inslee. They are as follows (in no particular order):
State Senator Phil Fortunato (31st LD). The only current Republican Senator with part of his district still in King County, Phil has been a maverick, conservative Republican who filed early, and made his initial announcement in downtown Seattle (like Eyman). He has raised $71,000 according to the PDC. His website is linked here.
Former Bothell Mayor Joshua Freed. He is the best funded Republican candidate in the race so far (according to the PDC he has raised $614,000, including $500,000 he has loaned to the campaign). He is best known for his recent effort to get I-27 the Anti-Heroin injection site initiative passed in King County. That initiative had overwhelming support from people in King County (according to the polls), but a King County judge tossed it out, of course, denying the voters a right to say anything about this unpopular policy. His website is linked here.
City of Republic police chief Loren Culp. This Eastern Washington police chief made national news opposing the anti-gun, billionaire funded initiative I-1639 last year and declared his city one of the first of many jurisdictions that would not enforce that law due to the unconstitutional infringements on citizens 2nd Amendment Rights. His campaign has raised $50,000 for the campaign so far. His website is linked here.
Anton Sakarov. Anton is an immigrant from the Ukraine and has based his campaign on his family’s experience with Socialism in Ukraine and his desire to avoid taking the same destructive political path in our state. His website is linked here.
All these declared Republican candidates are good people. I’ve met all of them. I like all of them. I’ve worked with some of them for years on policy issues. They have their respective strengths and weaknesses. None of them have Tim Eyman’s name recognition, and none of them just had a $5 million media blitz campaign around the state to build up their name recognition. A media campaign like none the Republicans have ever managed in my lifetime would have to be launched to promote one of these candidates beyond the Tim Eyman name familiarity. It will be a real challenge for one of them to reach the point where they can get a high enough percentage of the vote to defeat Eyman. It can be done, but it won’t be easy, and they have to fight each other to do it.
Eyman with the iconic chair. Certain to be a staple of this campaign
Eyman could get bounced out in the primary under specific circumstances. They are as follows:
Eyman gets buried by some avoidable new, larger
than life scandal that looks like self-immolation and self-destruction.
A Republican candidate launches a mass-media
campaign on such a massive scale next spring they increase their name recognition
and Eyman fades into the background.
The Democrats (or Leftist allies using PACS)
decide to spend $20 million (or more) attacking Eyman (or even promoting a
Republican) all winter and spring in order to shift the narrative away from
Eyman.
Eyman gets run over by a Sound Transit light
Rail train while protesting a recent tax increase.
Like Moths to the Flame – Eyman will attract media attacks
Flyers like this old one will proliferate
One advantage the Republicans have is going negative on Tim Eyman is only likely to anger their base (and the same goes for Eyman attacking them). However, the Republicans can count on the Left to go absolutely insane attacking Eyman on their behalf. The Republicans can basically coast through the primary season knowing that Eyman will be attracting attack ads, stalkers, snarky comics, chair metaphors, trackers, and all manner of Leftist frenzy. Eyman will be like a bug zapper sucking in the mosquitos. The Republicans probably won’t get bit much in this scenario. However, this also will make it difficult for anyone to even notice the Republicans in the middle of a media attack orgy on Eyman. Eyman will surely be dishing back at Inslee. This will just make Eyman look like the dragon slayer once again.
Eyman will be mocked endlessly
Eyman’s reputation has been built, in part, on the absurdity and mouth-foaming craziness of the attacks against him. His ability to infuriate and terrify the Leftist leadership in the state seems likely to spill into electoral support for him by disaffected voters who want to “send a message.” This will be particularly true if the $30 car tab initiative gets tossed out by another renegade judge. A large number of people are disgusted with the apparent collusion between the out of touch judge kings and their political allies in the bureaucracy in Washington State. The images of a rigged game are easy to generate, and hard to dispel.
King County Executive Dow Constantine leads a NO on I-976 press conference in Seattle (Photo: Andrew Villeneuve/Northwest Progressive Institute)
If Eyman does make it to the top two and faces off against Inslee, this will absolutely terrify the political establishment in Olympia and Seattle. Tim Eyman will be portrayed as the barbarian at the gate. They won’t resist launching the most absurd personal attacks on Eyman. It will be an avalanche of hatred and hyperbole. While Eyman has given them plenty to work with over the past few decades, it seems likely his enemies will overreach, as they have often done before. They never learn their lesson. Eyman has nothing to lose now that the AG has taken away everything from him. This becomes a credible David vs. Goliath narrative. Eyman presents an unlikely governor image – one that offends the political establishment.
Governor 1% Inslee vs. Tim Eyman
Inslee only had a moment on the national stage, but it was more than enough for most Americans to ignore
Governor Inslee is a particularly uninspiring candidate for office. Not even his supporters are enthusiastic. Inslee just squandered millions of dollars and a large portion of the last year in a feeble and embarrassing run for President. After barely clearing 1% support, Inslee’s ego and lackluster fundraising finally forced him to abandon the attempt. I’m sure his consultants were paid well.
Governor Inslee is running for a third term as a consolation prize. Somehow he intimidated or cowed AG Ferguson, Superintendent of Public Lands Hillary Franz, and King County Executive Dow Constantine to abandon their embryonic campaigns for governor and support Inslee’s third campaign. Inslee is more vulnerable than many political observers might realize, but he has silenced all opposition within his own party.
Inslee has been around politics a long time. He did convince Clinton to take a bite out of that apple.
On the other hand, Washington State wasn’t friendly to Trump in 2016 (he received 38% of the vote). Republican insiders believe that 2020 will be a difficult year to run for Governor as a Republican with the anti-Trump push from Seattle too hard to overcome. Because of this, several potential Republican leaders backed out of running in 2020. It is likely Eyman would not have considered running if there had been an obvious, well-funded Republican front runner.
If Eyman becomes the one to face off against Inslee, this will induce panic and disbelief in the halls of power. Eyman is the fly in the ointment, the bureaucrats worst nightmare, the peasant who should never be in the king’s hall, and he is the guy they can’t control. This scenario will inevitably result in more scorched earth, bizarre over the top personal attacks on Eyman. I don’t think they can help themselves. The problem with this is there are many disaffected potential Eyman voters, even in Washington State. Many of them don’t regularly vote. They might be convinced a vote for Eyman is a the equivalent of a monkey wrench in the machine. Think Brexit and Trump combined on a small Washington State scale.
Some urban voters in Washington State don’t want the whole state to look like this, so they are looking at political alternatives.
Even those who live in Seattle, angry about the needles in the their park, the unpunished drug addicts breaking into their house, and disgusted by the human waste on the street, and the arrogance of their city council in their ivory tower might view Eyman as some type of counter-balance to their problems. A way to send a message to Olympia. Screw the bureaucrats and the arrogant political elite. It isn’t just Republicans who feel this way. If Eyman taps into this discontent, he could conceivably win. The chaos that would unfold from that outcome would be beautiful, ugly, epic, and unforgettable at the same time.
A very specific set of circumstances is needed to create Governor Eyman. It seems unlikely to most, and political insiders are not seriously considering it right now. Eyman can always self-destruct with some unimaginable scandal in the next 10 months. However, if the Left loses its collective mind and starts foaming at the mouth while they strive to top each other in their attacks on Tim Eyman, and if the average voter in Washington decides to send a message to Olympia, Governor Eyman could happen. If it does, Eyman will owe the political establishment nothing. He will be beholden to none of the usual players. He will crash the dreams and schemes of many special interests in this state. It is hard to imagine that result, but the first step towards this unlikely outcome was made by Tim Eyman last week, and people who have written Eyman’s political obituary many times in the past should start paying some attention.
OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.” IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.” UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED…
Washington State's 2019 elections included voters approving $30 car tabs once again, rejecting race-based quotas and overturning the legislature with R-88, and a tax revolt in the City of Camas, among other interesting results...
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In this video we discuss some of the 2019 elections from around Washington State. Special attention is paid to the success (for the 3rd time now) of the $30 car tabs initiative despite massive political insider and a $5 million campaign against it. We also discuss the success of the repeal I-1000, Referendum 88, the Camas Tax Revolt, and how a Mayor running unopposed for office can still lose.
A quick note – I usually try to do these videos in one take. I don’t have notes, and I don’t use a teleprompter, so they are a little rougher than I’d prefer. I made two clear mistakes in the video. The first is I reference the fact that the R88 people raised “thousands” of dollars. They actually raised around a million dollars, which is obviously more impressive than how I described it. Secondly, I kept saying that “R88 passed,” but it would have been more accurate for me to describe this as “R-88 was rejected” which was the success of this campaign. Referendums are always tricky and confusing because you have to first collect signatures to put it on the ballot, then you have to run a campaign to defeat it. That is always confusing for voters who may not be on top of all the political details. Regardless, while it is clear I am indicating in the video how the R-88 campaign succeeded, they didn’t “pass” R-88, nor were they trying to do so. They were successful in giving the voters another chance to vote on race-based quotas and affirmative action, which, for the second time in 21 years, has been rejected by the voters of Washington State.
OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.” IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.” UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED…
If you dare to be an activist doing anything not in solidarity with the Seattle Left, you always run the risk of being personally threatened. Leftists just can’t help themselves. They always personally threaten those who disagree with them. I’m used to it, but it still sometimes makes an impression when I see it happen to someone else.
Alex Hudson
I was reminded of how tolerant the political establishment in Washington State has become with threats like this when I watched the video linked below of a Leftist threatening Tim Eyman outside Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office a week ago. “We’re coming for you,” with her finger pointing at Eyman and glaring in his face. This wasn’t just another Evergreen College student or Antifa Nut (not that they can’t be both at the same time). Nope, the nice lady making the threat was Alex Hudson, who is the Executive Director of The Transportation Choices Coalition. This is the group who does Sound Transit’s dirty work for them. They carry the political water when Sound Transit wants another $40 Billion tax dollars to waste on 19th Century Technology, and they are well paid to do this. Apparently, threatening people is also part of the job description.
Eyman was surrounded by enemies and the media (again, not that they can’t be both at the same time), and Hudson felt very comfortable attacking the lone guy in the room who was supporting what a majority of Washington State just voted for – Initiative 976 – $30 car tabs. She didn’t care that the media was filming, and she probably believes making threats like this against all who disagree with her is an important part of her job. However, outside the political heart of darkness (Seattle), this is probably questionable behavior.
Thurston County Democrat Party Official’s death threats made KOMO TV news
Sure, people have threatened to kill me before. There was the Thurston County Democrat PCO who called me from his home phone and left a death threat voice mail (see article here). He wasn’t the brightest guy in the world, as this convenient voicemail was pretty solid evidence used to convince a judge to issue a restraining order against him. Most people just send the no-return address letters with poor grammar and stupid stick drawings (see article here). Sometimes people confront me in Costco, a coffee shop, or in a different public place. I like the personal touch, but they always run away when I ask them to identify themselves. Leftists feel pretty comfortable attacking and threatening people who disagree with them.
In 2012, the building where the Washington Contract Loggers Association (Olympia)was located had their windows broken and threats left behind (photo source Credit Union Times)
I’m sure that Leftists believe this is a good way to intimidate others into silence or resigned acceptance of their rule. They are probably correct in presuming it works when used against most people. Unfortunately, bullies get a taste of successfully threatening people and they keep escalating their bullying activity until they either commit violence or get some type of push back. They sure are not regulating themselves, and in fact, this type of behavior is encouraged by their political allies. I don’t believe it is a wise course of action and non-political people don’t like it.
TCC Executive Director Alex Hudson speaks at the Seattle NO on I-976 kickoff (Photo: Andrew Villeneuve/Northwest Progressive Institute)
Unfortunately, even highly paid, semi-educated people like Alex Hudson feel that openly threatening people personally is good for her career path and acceptable in society. Presumably she will cheer when someone carries through on her threat to “Come for” Tim Eyman. Eyman has been assaulted before, and it seems likely to happen again. I suppose these angry Leftists believe that Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s effort to destroy Tim Eyman personally is either taking too long or not harmful enough. Maybe personal violence directed at all who disagree with them is their next step.
Regardless, this is not healthy or normal behavior to witness, and those who remain apathetic about local issues should be warned that people like Hudson may be threatening Eyman today, but other people will eventually be next, unless everyone conforms to Hudson’s Borg-like Hivemind world view. Now might be time to get involved and prevent the crazy bullies like Hudson from following through with her personal threats before people get hurt. Today it is Eyman. Tomorrow it will eventually be you and I who she plans to “come for.”
OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.” IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.” UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED…
