Family from Norway arrived in town last night, and the first thing they wanted to discuss was President Trump. “How is he changing America, or did America change and we didn’t realize it in Norway?” Norway is one of America’s stalwart allies in NATO. I’m going to try to impress them with the Space Needle, SeaFair and the Nordic Heritage Museum. We’ll see if we can change the subject a bit.
At any rate, here are a few items for your morning-now-midday read. As always, thank you for reading our stuff.
1. Northwest Republicans versus Helsinki Republicans
Last week’s trip to Europe by President Trump drew into stark contrast the legacy of Northwest Republicans with the modern Republican Party under President Trump. Northwest Republicans are “a little different” than their national peers, at least historically. They’re also pro-trade and pro-national defense, two policy positions put into some confusion by President Trump last week. It’s because of that unique legacy that the question arises: will candidates in Washington State run as Northwest Republicans or Helsinki Republicans?
Dino Rossi, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Jaime Herrera Beutler each face difficult elections where Trump is a primary issue. Each are addressing Trump’s performance in different ways: CMR more clearly; JHB more silently.
2. The human capital costs of the Janus ruling
Most of the coverage of the recent Janus ruling features the financial impacts of the decision. Public sector unions will likely see a fall off of member contributions to union activities, a threat well covered. However, there is also a significant impact on human capital in labor from this ruling. I outline three contextual observations some in labor are worried about in this story.
In short, this ruling – and the preceding 2016 Friedrichs case – have significantly eroded morale among some in organized labor. That has catalyzed a flight of talent from labor’s professional staff that was difficult to recruit and retain among the professional staff in the first place. In a time of Amazon, stock options, and full employment, recruiting into the professional union staff is hard. Post-Janus, it is going to be even harder.
3. The case for Democrat or Republican midterm success
Washington DC’s Bruce Mehlman, published a new slide deck last week exploring the various political and economic factors that will likely have an impact on the upcoming midterm elections. In favor of Republicans is a strong economy, typical midterm voter demographics, and Trump’s high Republican approval rating. Favoring Democrats are historical midterm election trends, the record number of Democratic candidates, and several “wave indicators” such as “resistance intensity” and “congressional job approval.”
Other key takeaways from Mehlman’s presentation: compromise is a skill in low regard, Congress still has ten “must do” things on its calendar this year, the GOP is experiencing a massive “brain drain” in Congress, and white men now make up the smallest overall percentage of the Congressional Democratic Caucus ever (39.4%).
4. Roundup of #SeaHomeless day of media coverage
#SeaHomeless is a collaboration across multiple media outlets in the northwest highlighting the increasing challenge of homelessness in the region. The Wire and our sister site, State of Reform, were proud to work in collaboration with outlets ranging from the Seattle Times to The Evergrey. Kudos to Crosscut for organizing and leading the work. We curated this list of some of the most informative and powerful stories from the day from across all participating media.
As part of The Washington State Wire’s participation in #SeaHomeless, the Wire’s Emily Boerger spoke with Erin Chapman-Smith, Director of YouthCare’s Over-18 Housing Services, about the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. Chapman-Smith also discussed YouthCare’s Isis at Ravenna House, the only state-funded transitional housing specifically for LGBTQ youth and their allies in Washington.
5. Census prep begins earlier than ever before
In response to the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census questionnaire, outreach and preparations for an accurate and complete census count are beginning earlier than ever before. King County has already begun planning its community-led effort to help reach hard-to-count groups such as the immigrant community, low-income households, and people of color. The goal of the community effort is to coordinate outreach and assistance with local nonprofits, philanthropies, and local governments.
Outside of the newly added citizenship question, Matias Valenzuela, Director of the King County Office of Equity and Social Justice, says the rising number of individuals experiencing homelessness in King County adds an additional layer of difficulty in getting an accurate count. “We knew, already going in, that 2020 was going to be a challenging year…But some of these added challenges make the work more difficult.”
6. Local gun safety efforts at odds with NRA and SAF
As I-1639 moves forward toward certification for the the November ballot, three Washington cities have supported or passed safe storage and reporting measures similar to those passed in Seattle earlier this month. Read our round-up of local gun safety efforts here.
However, less than two weeks after Seattle City Council’s safe firearm storage legislation, the NRA and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) filed suit Friday arguing the protections are preempted by state law. If successful, the lawsuit could invalidate Seattle and other municipal efforts to regulate firearms.
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