The Far Left activists over at Fuse Washington think they know why voters approved Initiative 1366 and voted in Republican Terri Hickel in the 30th Legislative District’s special election: low voter turnout. A recent email to supporters reads,
“… our biggest disappointment was a narrow victory for Tim Eyman’s I-1366. We started 13 points down in July and clawed our way to a tie in October, but we were unable to overcome low voter turnout – resulting in a conservative electorate statewide – to defeat this dangerous measure.”
Democrat State Representative Reuven Carlyle—who will seek appointment to the state Senate seat vacated by Jeanne Kohl-Welles as she raises her public pension on the King County Council—echoed Fuse’s excuses in explaining why his party, once again, lost a seat in the state House. Carlyle wrote via a Facebook post,
“Unfortunately, voter disengagement and shockingly low turnout is the real story and the most profound issue facing our democracy.”
Fuse and Rep. Carlyle’s analysis of the election results avoid the truth by blaming a convenient scapegoat whenever liberals lose: low voter turnout. By pointing to low voter turnout, instead of an inability to convince voters to support extremely bad ideas, the Far Left can ignore reality and continue pushing its higher taxes, big-government agenda.
I-1366’s passage and Hickel’s win come despite the best efforts of the Left’s attack network. Fuse, ironically, admits as much in its email. The email reads,
“…we helped lead a comprehensive communications campaign to educate voters about I-1366. We generated more than 100 news stories about the impact of this initiative, and more than 100 Fuse members across the state signed up to phonebank from home.”
The failed effort put into defeating I-1366, followed by the failed effort to elect incumbent Democrat Carol Gregory, should have sent a clear message to Democrats and their special interest supporters. Voters are fed up with the Left’s agenda, specifically the constant push for new taxes.
But, that’s a message the Left refuses to accept.
Accepting that message would mean Democrats would have to give up on their 2016 plan to introduce a state income tax via initiative. Democrats already have to contend with the fact that Washington voters have said “no” to an income tax many times before. It’s much easier to excuse the losses on something like low voter turnout than to accept that voters reject your party’s unimaginative “solutions.”
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