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Olympia Democrats Take Notes from Seattle's Policy Failure—Then Do the Exact Same Thing
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When in Doubt, Democrats Tax It and Tank the Economy
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In a masterclass of political tone-deafness, Democrats in Olympia watched Seattle torch its economy with job-killing payroll taxes—and then decided, “Sounds great, let’s do that statewide!” As the Washington Policy Center points out, while Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell was busy lamenting a gaping revenue hole caused by companies fleeing his city (surprise: businesses don’t like being punished), lawmakers in the state legislature unveiled budgets with even more spending and more taxes—especially on the very innovators driving Washington’s economic engine.
Faced with a real-time case study in how not to fund a city, our fearless legislators chose to double down on identity-fueled policymaking over actual results. Forget trial and error—why bother when you can virtue-signal your way through the session? Seattle’s mistake was obvious and immediate, but Democrats shrugged and hit copy-paste.
The Washington Policy Center points out that, instead of learning from failure, Democrats clung to the political equivalent of fanfiction—governing based on who says something rather than whether it works. Reality is messy, trial and error is hard, and admitting you’re wrong? Politically suicidal in a culture where certainty and tribal loyalty are more valuable than facts.
Whether it’s taxing Tesla to stick it to Elon Musk (even if it undercuts their own EV goals), or selling “clean energy” funds that were really just slush piles for social justice hobby horses, Democrats have mastered the art of governing by identity rather than outcome. And the results speak for themselves: worse schools, crumbling roads, more wildfires, stagnating job growth, and a growing gap between rhetoric and reality.
Want better results? Try humility and accountability. But don’t hold your breath—those are in short supply in a Capitol where political theater takes priority over practical solutions, and policy failures are just future campaign talking points waiting to happen. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.
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Democrats Shuffle Deck Chairs as Washington’s 2025 Election Season Kicks Off
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It’s filing week in Washington, and the Democrats are already busy rearranging their roster like it’s a game of political musical chairs. More than 3,200 seats are up for grabs statewide, but the real intrigue is in the nine Democrat-held legislative races—many of which feature lawmakers who were appointed rather than elected. Apparently, the voters’ role now is to rubber-stamp Olympia’s hand-picked insiders.
Take the state Senate: four appointed Democrats are trying to hold onto seats they barely had time to warm, including Deb Krishnadasan in the 26th, Tina Orwall in the 33rd, Emily Alvarado in the 34th, and Vandana Slatter in the 48th—each replacing another Democrat who conveniently moved up or out. Not to be outdone, former House Rep. Amy Walen is already challenging her ex-seatmate Slatter in the 48th, proving that even Democratic infighting is alive and well.
Then there’s the 5th District free-for-all, where Rep. Victoria Hunt is angling for a promotion and the appointment to her own campaign target. Why wait for voters when you can just grab the job now?
Over in the House, it’s more of the same. A steady stream of Democrat appointees—Edwin Obras, Brianna Thomas, Janice Zahn, and Osman Salahuddin—are hoping voters won’t mind that they were handed their roles without ever winning them.
Oh, and let’s not forget the special election to replace the late Sen. Bill Ramos in the 5th—a rare chance for voters to actually choose who represents them instead of watching Olympia insiders shuffle the deck.
As candidate filing week begins, it’s clear Democrats are hoping that musical chairs will keep the power in-house. Voters might want to crash the party and remind them what elections are actually for. Read more at the Washington State Standard.
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Nothing to See Here, Just the AG Cutting Checks to the Law Firm He’s Defending in Court
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File this one under “Totally Normal Government Behavior”: The Washington State Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has been quietly doling out hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to Perkins Coie, a Seattle-based law firm that just so happened to be at the center of a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump. And guess who jumped in to file an amicus brief defending that lawsuit? That’s right: The AGO.
You read that correctly—while the AGO had ten active contracts with Perkins Coie (ranging from $100,000 to $415,000 each), it also took time to run legal cover for them in federal court, arguing Trump’s executive order targeting the firm was “unconstitutional.” That little detail—that the state is a paying client of the very firm it’s defending—was conveniently left out of the brief. So much for transparency.
The contracts themselves? Redacted. Because heaven forbid the public knows what their money is actually buying. And let’s not forget: this is the same Perkins Coie that represented Hillary Clinton and helped peddle the infamous, now-debunked Trump-Russia dossier. If there were a law firm equivalent of a political fixer, this would be it.
When asked why none of these glaring conflicts were disclosed, the AGO basically shrugged and said it’s all routine—just standard “defense of the rule of law.” According to them, there’s “absolutely nothing wrong” with paying a politically aligned law firm while also using the weight of the state’s legal apparatus to defend said firm in a partisan lawsuit. Apparently, it’s only a conflict of interest if a Republican does it.
So, to recap: the Washington AGO is spending taxpayer money on a law firm it’s defending in court while hiding contract details from the public. But sure—this is all about “the rule of law,” not protecting allies and punishing enemies. Read more at Center Square.
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Profanity Over Policy: The Left’s New Clout-Chasing Strategy
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Seattle’s own Rep. Pramila Jayapal—once billed as a serious “policy mind”—has gone full TikTok-activist, now relying on juvenile vulgarity to get headlines instead of delivering results. Joining her Squad sisters in the “cuss like a teenager” caucus, Jayapal recently called Republicans and Trump “bats**t crazy,” because apparently calling names is easier than defending your sanctuary city policies or explaining why your side keeps losing voters.
She’s not alone. Democrats like Jasmine Crockett, Maxine Dexter, and Melanie Stansbury are dropping profanity in hearings like it’s some edgy stand against tyranny. Spoiler: it’s not. As KTTH’s Jason Rantz writes, it’s lazy, phony, and reeks of a political movement running on fumes.
This isn’t passion—it’s desperation. The “dark woke” strategy is just the left’s latest gimmick to mask the fact they have no solutions, no vision, and nothing new to offer. Voters want answers, not F-bombs. But when you’ve lost the argument, just swear louder, right?
Turns out, performative outrage makes a great tweet—but a terrible policy platform. Read more at MyNorthwest.com.
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