Rantz: Seattle fringe activists are mostly just loud

This week’s Seattle primary makes it clear: for the most part, Seattle activists are just kinda loud but don’t actually reflect the general community.

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Here are some musings.

Seattle activists tend to be the loudest voices in debates. They want all sorts of programs and policies to push ideological agendas ranging from safe injection sites to comfortably shoot up heroin, to even more regressive taxes to send children to museums they won’t pay attention to or appreciate. Despite how loud these activists shout, their opinions are not shared by the general public.

We buy into this misconception that Progressive activists are the voice of the Seattle area, but with Jenny Durkan — the clear and dominant choice by the voters — it shows you the limits Progressive activists actually have in the city. It doesn’t matter if disaster Cary Moon or activist Nikkita Oliver come in second place (it seems like Moon holds on to the second place spot with 16 percent of the vote to Oliver’s 13 percent). The movement they represent, at least right now, is badly damaged.

Durkan is the establishment candidate and she dominated an election in a city that is supposedly defined by what outsiders view as fringe activists.

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Is it possible that all those fringe, anti-establishment voters coalesce behind Moon? Sure. But, at the very least, it shows you how poorly organized the activist community is to allow for a race that would fracture the vote between a dozen fringe activists.

And the tax to help get kids to museums and plays? It was a big loser. Think about that: the county is so disgusted with the seemingly endless increases in taxes, they said no to a program that would help kids.

What’s this all mean? When we vote, we win; not the crazies pursuing fringe, dangerous, and/or foolish ideas. There’s a reason the county is pushing through safe injection sites. There’s a reason why Seattle City Council is instituting a soda tax on their own. They know that if they put it to vote, their ideas will lose.

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