People often complain that politics is depressing. Politicians are often dishonest and power-grabbing. Meetings are boring. Political activists are annoying. The media barely covers rallies. It’s all so frustrating and exhausting. They say all politics is local. That’s not quite true, but it is true that getting involved makes a big difference. Even though it’s…

I got email today from Chris Bowers (Campaign Director, Daily Kos) asking me to donate money to support the recall of GOP politicians in Wisconsin: “On Monday, I sent you an email about how the recall against Republican state Senators had begun in Wisconsin. You can support the recall by contributing to the Democratic Party…

One thing unrealistic about this image is that the spelling is correct on the signs.

TOWARD MORE EFFECTIVE APPROACHES (AND WHY HACKING DEMOs ARE NOW INSANITY) by Bev Harris Reprinted with permission of Black Box Voting About once a week, I am asked to bring in a team somewhere and demonstrate the hacking of a voting system. I don’t, because I’ve concluded this is a form of insanity, tracking the…

(click arrow to hear) (Re-recorded) From the state of Washington comes a dude named Tim Eyman. He hates government and taxes, Gives the rich folks all they want. You see, Eyman he is a hater. He thinks police and schools are bad. Poor and sick and old folks suffer. He don’t give a damn. Ain’t…

On February 21, 2011 I traveled from Seattle with three progressive friends to hear Dennis Kucinich speak on “The True Cost of War” at the Capitol Theatre in Olympia, Washington. As we drove in the fuel-efficient Prius, we left a trail of sticky smugness behind us in the aether. Kucinich was preceded by a peace…

Conservatives are slashing state budgets, as well as tax rates for the well-to-do. They’re blaming budget problems on the alleged high pay of public employees. This report from the Economic Opportunity Institute exposes some of the myths about public employee compensation. Wages of public employees are typically lower than those of people working in private…

Check out this sneak peek into the Anti-Labor Administration of Governor Rob McKenna, at the Stranger. On the campaign trail, McKenna will rail against state workers—their cost-of-living increases, skyrocketing health care costs, and “fat” pensions—but of course, that’s how all Republican candidates talk these days, so neither pundits nor plebs will take much notice.

Call Speaker Frank Chopp at (360) 786-7920 TODAY with this message: Please pull the Limited Service Pregnancy Center Accountability Act (HB 1366) out of the Rules Committee for a floor vote. Women facing a possible unintended pregnancy deserve to know the truth about these centers and to have their medical information kept private. Limited service…

Special Series by the Sightline Institute The Dirt on Coal Here in the Northwest, coal feels like someone else’s problem. We know that much of the electricity that powers our homes comes from carbon-free hydropower, which can make flipping a light switch feel almost virtuous. But the numbers tell a different story: coal is big…