Is the P-I obsessed with Initiative 912?
Coverage and opinion on Initiative 912 is a hot commodity these days.
None so more then at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Seattle's second largest daily.
Now, we're not saying that the P-I is biased in its news coverage of I-912, or that all the commentary from columnists and editorial boards has been off the mark - actually, most of the commentary has been good.
But there sure is a lot of it. (We have to admit - we're guilty of it too. The issue is very important - and we have to take back control of the debate).
Today, Joel Connelly has his column, "I-912 has familiar twists and turns". Yesterday, it was Bill Virgin who had a column, and the P-I had an editorial. On Sunday, the P-I had another editorial on I-912, and the day before that, Neil Modie wrote a story about the signature turn in event in Olympia.
The P-I editorial board also had editorials last Thursday and last Wednesday relating to the initiative.
Clearly, I-912 is a "hot topic".
In any case, Connelly is mostly on the money this morning. He describes the way many of these initiative campaigns over taxes - many of them Eyman initiatives - have gone, time and time again, in recent years.
The challenge, as Joel notes, is not to run into the same old pitfalls. The campaign against I-912 needs to steer carefully and work very, very, very hard. Voter outreach will be very critical.
People need to understand what is at stake - because the other side is going to manipulate the facts and seek to control the debate.
This can't be "another one of those" campaigns. We've been through enough of them already. Referendum 51 and Initiative 776 in 2002 - a double defeat for the business community in particular - should serve as a blinking red warning late.
The other side is counting on us to do what we always do. Let's surprise them instead, and change the way we do things.
The strategy needs to change. The business community and other coalition partners need to collaborate closely on a new, winning plan, and built the broadest coalition possible to unite different interests and citizens together.
None so more then at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Seattle's second largest daily.
Now, we're not saying that the P-I is biased in its news coverage of I-912, or that all the commentary from columnists and editorial boards has been off the mark - actually, most of the commentary has been good.
But there sure is a lot of it. (We have to admit - we're guilty of it too. The issue is very important - and we have to take back control of the debate).
Today, Joel Connelly has his column, "I-912 has familiar twists and turns". Yesterday, it was Bill Virgin who had a column, and the P-I had an editorial. On Sunday, the P-I had another editorial on I-912, and the day before that, Neil Modie wrote a story about the signature turn in event in Olympia.
The P-I editorial board also had editorials last Thursday and last Wednesday relating to the initiative.
Clearly, I-912 is a "hot topic".
In any case, Connelly is mostly on the money this morning. He describes the way many of these initiative campaigns over taxes - many of them Eyman initiatives - have gone, time and time again, in recent years.
The challenge, as Joel notes, is not to run into the same old pitfalls. The campaign against I-912 needs to steer carefully and work very, very, very hard. Voter outreach will be very critical.
People need to understand what is at stake - because the other side is going to manipulate the facts and seek to control the debate.
This can't be "another one of those" campaigns. We've been through enough of them already. Referendum 51 and Initiative 776 in 2002 - a double defeat for the business community in particular - should serve as a blinking red warning late.
The other side is counting on us to do what we always do. Let's surprise them instead, and change the way we do things.
The strategy needs to change. The business community and other coalition partners need to collaborate closely on a new, winning plan, and built the broadest coalition possible to unite different interests and citizens together.
