(Image: @MurrayCampaign)
Her Republican opponent Tiffany Smiley couldn’t find coffee on Capitol Hill. Patty Murray had no such difficulties Wednesday in her visit to Seattle’s most caffeinated neighborhood.
Murray stopped through Summit Ave E’s Analog Coffee for an afternoon pick me up with King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay and State Senator Joe Nguyen.
CHS reported here on Smiley’s ad criticizing the incumbent Democrat over the closure of the E Olive Way Starbucks. “These doors are closed because it’s too dangerous to ask employees to work here anymore,” Senate challenger Smiley says in the ad, standing in front of the location the company closed this summer amid a swirl of controversy over its politics and labor tactics. Smiley, with her video image superimposed over a shot of the vandalized cafe, never stepped foot on E Olive Way but complained there is “so much crime that you can’t even get a cup of coffee from the hometown shop on Capitol Hill.”
Analog stands a few hundred feet from the shuttered Starbucks.
Smiley’s chances in November, meanwhile, remain dim despite enthusiasm from corners of the party desperate to find Republican bright spots. Fond of MAGA-friendly posturing, stuck in the Republican mess around abortion rights, and up against Murray’s three decades of work in the state, Smiley’s campaign has increasingly turned to ads like the Starbucks eye-roller and attention from tiffs with the Seattle Times and the Seattle Seahawks, of all things.
Met up with @GirmayZahilay & @meetjoenguyen for a cup of coffee @analogcoffee—a hometown shop in the thriving Capitol Hill community! ☕ pic.twitter.com/qKs7zOGI5C
— Senator Patty Murray (@MurrayCampaign) October 6, 2022
Now, in one of the most densely populated areas of the state, Smiley has managed to stir up resentment in voters who didn’t even know her name and given some of them a new reason to make sure to deliver their votes to the ballot box on their way to grab coffee in November.
Her campaign says Murray was in Seattle Wednesday to meet with veterans, legislators, and advocates. In 2011, Murray became the first woman to lead the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and currently serves as a senior member. We’ll see Murray around the city more this weekend as she is slated to be part of First Lady Jill Biden’s stop through the region.
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I don’t know. A lot of people are tired of the crime and drugs. As liberal as I am, politics here have swung way too far for sense. If a politician stood up with focus on actually improving things I might give them my attention.
Agreed. I will vote for Murray to block the Republicans from controlling congress, but my support for progressives is diminished. I have watched my state, city and neighborhood deteriorate on their watch. Their framing around crime and public disorder as the result of an affordability crisis is bullsh*t. “Harm reduction” drug policies are a disaster. Defund the police and criminal justice reform are detached from reality. The reflexive blaming of their policy failures on the pandemic is infuriating. Letting people set up tents on the side walk where they accumulate stolen bikes isn’t urbanism. Where are the results from the billions of dollars pissed away on progressive politics locally? If the left can’t deliver, they will loses people like me, and if they lose the center left, they are not going to win elections.
You think Murray, et al. represent a swing too far? Seriously? Who are you listening to that makes you think there are no champions here? I have absolutely no love for the past and current administrations but I’ve personally seen my life saved/improved a number of times by local action from a certain individual politician you would likely vilify.
FYI, These problems are indicative of a complex national downward spiral with Seattle barely registering. Drawing in and lashing out will give you exactly what you don’t want.
These are symptoms. This empire is slowly dying just as all empires eventually do.
She didn’t say Murray is a swing to far. She said people are frustrated with the crime and drugs. So presumably she was saying Murray’s I can get a coffee so everything’s fine stunt didn’t make everything ok because there are obviously huge problems in this city that are not being addressed.
She is standing beside Girmay Zihaly and Joe Nguyen, who I think represent local politicians who have swung too far left. And your declaration regarding this so called empire promises much but delivers little. Folks like you and that local politician you referenced may wish it so, but don’t be surprised if it’s still standing long after said politician enters obscurity.
Glenn, agreed. People die trying to escape countries with political systems like one local politician promotes while they search for a better life here. I agree about Girmay and Joe too. They are part of the problem not the solution. Patty should vet who she poses with.
The truth is Patty doesn’t know who Girmay and Joe are, in any real depth. She knows they were elected, the local dems sent them for the photo op, and she can’t let the cracks show between her ideals and theirs in an election season.
Now that is the actual problem with our politics. If you’re not rigidly conformist to the party line (esp during an election year) you’re an outcast. Goes for both sides.
Seattle’s City Attorney is a Trump Republican. Seattle decided to dabble in far right politics and we’re paying for it with a high crime rate. So as a fellow, self-declared liberal I agree with you that politics have swung too far.
Hopefully Seattle gets the sense to vote her and Sara out as soon as possible.
Please provide proof that Ann Davison is a “Trump Republican.” Yes, she is a Republican, but I’ve seen no reporting that she is a maga-type. Seattleites seem pretty satisfied with her performance so far, so I doubt you will get your wish.
She switched parties to Republican while running for Lt. Governor in 2020, when the GOP was fully in lock step with Trump during his reelection run. I don’t see how someone can switch at that time and not be pro-Trump. She could have remained a Democrat or chosen any other party, but she didn’t.
But hearsay doesn’t make a MAGA-head. There’s plenty on the internet, but here’s an article rounding up all her far right views that align with the pro-Trump GOP:
https://publicola.com/2021/10/27/the-other-city-attorney-candidates-radical-tweets/
Now it’s your turn to provide proof. Property and violent crime is up during her tenure as a “tough on crime” Republican. Curious to see how and why Seattleites would be satisfied with that.
They aren’t satisfied, but she gives hope that the decriminalization of crime by her predecessor that led to the crime and disorder issues ravaging the city will be reversed.
Considering crime has gone significantly up since she’s taken office, those last few who are still holding out hope may be waiting a long time.
It’s funny how blog trolls rail on Pete for crime, but give Ann a pass, I assume because she’s a fellow far-right conservative?
When I look around the city, I see desperation. We can’t lose sight of the fact that what is sensationalized as crime is the tangible evidence that more and more people in this city every day are unhoused, hungry, out of options.
What I want to see from our elected officials is compassionate action. No more leaving people to die on the streets.
You all do realize that Patty Murray serves in the US Senate, right? She doesn’t have a direct role in what the city is doing, and anything legislation that she works on would be likely to have a federal impact and not a Seattle- or even WA-only impact? 🤦♂️
She represents Washington state. Seattle is the largest city in Washington State. She is one of the highest ranking democrats in the country. She definitely has a lot of direct and indirect influence on Seattle, or at least would if she used her position to lead on the issues that are effecting Seattle. Why don’t we have federal leadership and funds to build and manage mental health and drug treatment facilities? It has been 40 years since Reagan and the ACLU dumped mentally ill people out on the streets. What is her plan?
Have you written or called her office saying these things are important to you? I know she gets lots of pharma money and I’m not a big fan of that, but she’s generally championing strong federal causes I support and doing good work. There’s always room for improvement, and I would love to see more federal mental health support (the latest bills include quite a bit), but that’s going to take a lot more than one senator. NAMI is a great organization fighting for mental health rights if you want to help out!
Murray has my vote. Smiley wants to ban abortion. No thanks!!
She has her running shoes on, just in case.
No thank you on the same failing leadership!
Enact Change! I will vote for Smiley so that there is some “check” to this lack of balance.
You think that the US Senate needs more hard-right conservatives that want to strip abortion access? 😬
>running shoes
Do you actually think everyone on capitol hill is constantly ready to run at a moments notice? How dangerous do you actually think it is?? That corner is always full of people sitting on benches relaxing and having their coffee outside… I kind of pity people who’ve been so brainwashed they think the whole city is some bombed out hellhole
She’s always worn sneakers, she was originally elected as a “mom in tennis shoes” — which IIRC was a sneer her opponents tried that she ran with.
Everyone performing for our screens will be the end of us.
Madrona, Leschi and especially the CD have gotten nothing but safer and more upscale in the last 20 years. That is a fact.
Have always wanted to try this shop but the hours are so sparse. Seems like it was 8-3 last time I lived on that street. Hard to get coffee when I was already at work before they open
It’s open daily, so you could try a day off 🤷🏻♂️ I’ve been wanting to try their food spot (B-side) but every time I walk by it’s been busy, which is great for them and the neighborhood. I like that they have a set time and stick with it, they are running a successful business and seem like they have a good thing going for themselves and the neighborhood!