Democrat Alison Holcomb—ACLU attorney and leader of the 2012 marijuana legalization campaign—was billed as a potential challenger to Socialist Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant in 2015. Last week, Holcomb officially declined but not without first making a biting comment concerning Sawant. Holcomb said,
“I respect and appreciate Sawant’s activism, but I don’t think she’s an effective councilmember. In my conversations with constituents, community leaders, and city and organizational leaders over the past several months, I frequently heard that Sawant didn’t invite them to conversation, hear their concerns, or engage with their issues. She clearly has an agenda, but I don’t think it’s District 3’s agenda. So yes, I think someone should run against her.”
Holcomb’s comment comes as just another example of Democrats attempting to create distance between their party and Sawant. But, the reality is that little to no difference exists between Democrats in Seattle and Sawant—the rush to pass the $15 minimum wage by both Mayor Ed Murray and the Seattle City Council serves as a testament to fact.
As SHIFT has reported, it isn’t just Sawant who refuses to invite those with differing opinions to engage in conversation or hear their concerns. Both Democrats and Sawant refused to listen to the concerns of small businesses and small business franchise owners during the $15 minimum wage debate. David Meinert, who owns several Seattle restaurants and bars and was a member of Murray’s Income Inequality Advisory Committee, called the “compromise” process of debating the $15 minimum wage a “charade.” Meinert felt justifiably betrayed by the fact that the proposal business owners agreed to was not the same plan that the City Council “debated” and passed.
The lack of respect for differing opinions and the concerns of others isn’t unique to Sawant—it’s a quality exhibited time and time again by Democrats.
