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Seattle Nice

David Hyde, Erica Barnett, and Sandeep Kaushik

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It’s getting harder and harder to talk about politics, especially if you disagree. Well, screw that. Seattle Nice aims to be the most opinionated and smartest analysis of what’s really happening in Seattle politics available in any medium. Each episode dives into contentious and sometimes ridiculous topics, exploring perspectives from across Seattle's political spectrum, from city council brawls to the ways the national political conversation filters through our unique political process. Eve ...
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Blue City Blues

David Hyde, Sandeep Kaushik

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Twenty years ago, Dan Savage encouraged progressives to move to blue cities to escape the reactionary politics of red places. And he got his wish. Over the last two decades, rural places have gotten redder and urban areas much bluer. America’s bluest cities developed their own distinctive culture, politics and governance. They became the leading edge of a cultural transformation that reshaped progressivism, redefined urbanism and remade the Democratic Party. But as blue cities went their own ...
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Nearly 6 in 10 Seattle voters said yes to Proposition 1A to fund social housing after the first ballot count. It's shaping up like a big win for the more progressive side in Seattle politics. Why did voters move left this time? Is Seattle's pendulum swinging in a more progressive direction as we head into a big local election year? Is there really …
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Sociologist Musa al-Gharbi is having a well-deserved moment. His highly praised new book, We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite (Princeton University Press), released last October, has caused quite the stir, becoming the cutting edge of a burgeoning elite cultural reassessment of the decade plus-long “Great Awokening” …
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Two longtime political journalists, Erica C. Barnett and Josh Feit, explore all the reasons that the 2003 film Shattered Glass, about the rise and downfall of former New Republic journalist Stephen Glass, is the greatest journalism movie—nay, greatest movie—of all time. In the inaugural episode, we dissect some of our favorite scenes from Shattered…
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SODA Seattle's new drug "stay out zones" are barely being unforced. Erica said this was the predictable result of bad, "performative" policy by council. Sandeep defended the policy but said more enforcement is needed, echoing this comment by City Council President Sara Nelson. She called on Mayor Harrell and other leaders to do more. Will "One Seat…
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Our special guest this week is new Seattle City Council appointee Mark Solomon, who has vowed to serve as a "caretaker" for the District 2 position previously held by Tammy Morales, who resigned last year because of what she called bullying and gaslighting by her newly elected council colleagues. Solomon lost to Morales in 2019 and sought the cityw…
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Our special guest this week is Katie Wilson, the general secretary of the Transit Riders Union and an advocate for affordable housing, who argues that the left has failed to acknowledge some critical realities about homelessness, ceding the issue to "Seattle Is Dying" demagogues. Our editor is Quinn Waller. Your support on Patreon helps pay for edi…
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Seattle Nice makes some predictions for 2025 that you won't hear anywhere else. We are joined by guest star predictor Josh Feit, one of the co-founders of PubliCola. Our editor is Quinn Waller. Special thanks to our Patreon donors who make this podcast possible. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.…
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Seattle Nice brings you a deep dive debate on the two competing "social housing" measures that are on the ballot for the February special election in Seattle. Tiffani McCoy, the co-Executive director of The House Our Neighbors Coalition, made the case for Proposition 1A. And Jessie Clawson, a Seattle land use attorney and partner at McCullough Hill…
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20 people have put their hats in the ring to be appointed to replace Tammy Morales on the Seattle City Council following her surprise resignation late last year. Today's member's-only special podcast takes a closer look at the 20 aspirants and the council politics driving the decision. The council plans to pick a replacement on January 27th. Our ed…
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City Councilmember Bob Kettle joins Seattle Nice to answer some questions and talk about his priorities for 2025. Our editor is Quinn Waller Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails [email protected] Thanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this week's episode! If you want to advertise please contact us at reals…
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Seattle's minimum wage just hit $20.76 per hour for all businesses. The pod takes a closer look at the hike and the politics of the minimum wage in Seattle. Plus, should Seattle sympathize with Amazon workers because they're being forced back to the office 5 days a week? Or should the city celebrate the move, which could help revitalize downtown? W…
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You asked and we answered your questions on topics including the 2025 Seattle mayoral election, the race for city council position 9, and what we'd like to see happen in city politics next year. Quinn Waller is our editor. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails [email protected] Thanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for s…
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This week Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell fired former SPD chief Adrian Diaz following an investigation by the city’s Office of Inspector General. The report found Diaz violated a number of city policies in the course of a workplace relationship that he tried to cover up. We take a closer look at the report, which includes some salacious details and St…
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Seattle's City Council is considering legislation to remove restrictions on the use of “less lethal” weapons for crowd control. Should SPD be allowed to use "blast balls" on protestors? Erica's been covering it. We take a closer look. In Part Deux we discuss the brewing controversy over a Ballard bar applying for an "adult cabaret" license. A nearb…
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Tammy Morales has announced she's quitting the city council in January. She accused some colleagues of treating her very poorly and also told Erica she sees no point in continuing because she can't make any progress whatsoever passing progressive legislation with the current, more centrist council. Is the current council toxic? Is Morales right to …
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We take a closer look at the council's tie vote on Cathy Moore's proposal to tax the rich. Does the vote foreshadow more progressive things to come? We debate that and other juicy budget tidbits. Note: this episode taped on Wednesday Nov 20, before the full council vote on Moore's proposed capital gains tax. Quinn Waller is our editor. Thanks to Un…
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America’s bluest big cities are in a tense, co-dependent relationship with the tech giants that power their economies and anchor their prosperity. It didn’t start out that way. When tech giants first decided, about 20 years ago, to decamp from their cloistered suburban enclaves to embed themselves in the vibrant hearts of big blue cities, a torrid …
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King County Executive Dow Constantine has announced his plan to step down at the end of next year. We take a closer look at the move and the emerging tension between the centrist Seattle City Council and King County government, which has moved further left. Erica highlights the struggle in this recent story about a city council proposal to turn a s…
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It was a dreary election night for the left, but Seattle progressives celebrated city council candidate Alexis Mercedes Rinck's decisive victory over incumbent Tanya Woo. By Thursday afternoon Rinck's lead had grown to around 16 percentage points. Are voters sending a message to the centrist city council majority, led by Sara Nelson? Erica and Sand…
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In decisively winning the presidency, some of Donald Trump’s biggest gains came in the places you’d least expect them: big blue cities and urban suburbs. A lot of Trump’s victory is due to voter dissatisfaction with mass migration and the price of eggs. But Dan Savage suggests urban progressives also need to look in the mirror: did an “insufferable…
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On this deeply troubling election eve, Seattle Nice invites you inside the podcast for a comforting conversation about local politics. First, we take a closer look at the juicy allegations swirling around SPD Chief Sue Rahr's decision to place former Chief Adrian Diaz and his chief of staff on leave. Second, a recent poll finds progressive city cou…
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Erica’s out this week, so we bring you a preview of a new podcast called "Blue City Blues." Twenty years ago, in the wake of a searing presidential defeat, Dan Savage encouraged progressives to move to blue cities and to fortify them into an “Urban Archipelago” of culturally separatist bastions that rejected the reactionary politics of the larger r…
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Twenty years ago, in the wake of a searing presidential defeat, Dan Savage encouraged progressives to move to blue cities and to fortify them into an “Urban Archipelago” of culturally separatist bastions that rejected the reactionary politics of the larger red American landscape. And he got his wish. Over the last two decades, rural places got redd…
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With Erica gone this week David and Sandeep take a one-week vacation from city politics to take a closer look at the root causes of the problems facing Seattle Schools, including a controversial push by some district leaders to close up to 21 schools in the face of a nearly $100 million deficit. Said special guest Robert Cruickshank, “This is one o…
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This week special guest Daniel Malone, the Executive Director of the Downtown Emergency Service Center, answered some difficult questions about the politics of homelessness, troubles at the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, and other issues. Malone also turned the tables with a question of his own. "When are you guys going to start argui…
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We discuss and debate Erica's in-depth interview with SPD's interim chief Sue Rahr. Plus, Kshama Sawant's campaign against Kamala Harris, and Erica's latest on the city budget. Our editor is Quinn Waller. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails [email protected] Thanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this wee…
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Did Tanya Woo or Alexis Mercedes Rinck win the Seattle Nice debate for a citywide city council seat? Does it matter? Our editor is Quinn Waller. Thanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this week's episode! If you want to advertise please contact us at [email protected] Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails r…
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This week's episode is our Seattle Nice City Council Position 8 debate from Tuesday October 1. Special thanks to candidates Tanya Woo and Alexis Mercedes Rinck, the amazing pros at Town Hall and to the hundreds of civic-minded superstars who turned out to watch both the city council and vice presidential debates. Our editor is Quinn Waller. Send us…
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This week Seattle Nice debates Erica's take on Mayor Bruce Harrell's new budget. TL;DR Harrell avoided big budget cuts but progressives are pissed that he tapped the lucrative payroll tax on big business known as JumpStart to pull that off. Don't miss the city council debate and VP debate watch party at Town Hall this coming Tuesday October 1. We k…
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This week Seattle's city council voted to send two competing measures to the ballot to fund affordable housing. Initiative 137, the measure social housing activists support, proposes a new, "excess compensation tax" on big business. Council member Maritza Rivera is backing a new, "alternative" measure that would rely instead on existing JumpStart t…
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Caleb Banta-Green of UW medicine joins the pod to debate the pros and cons of Seattle's current approach to drugs. The conversation kicks off with Barnett and Banta-Green blasting the city council's latest plan to create six new “stay out” zones for drug crimes. The conversation then broadens to a deeper debate about whether some coercion helps or …
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The city council is making plans to speed up the process for building in downtown Seattle by exempting certain buildings from design review. Erica and Sandeep agree about the merits of the proposal, while David as devil's advocate tries to insert some skepticism into their urbanist love fest. We also talk about the King County Council's about-face …
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Surrogates are calling Mayor Bruce Harrell's downtown recovery plan a "roaring success" for the city. Are they right? We debate that, and whether "return to work" is overrated. What is the good life, Seattle? To advertise or just get in touch you can reach Seattle Nice at [email protected] Our editor is Quinn Waller. Send us a text! Note th…
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Seattle Nice takes a lively look at a proposed ban on prostitution "loitering," and proposed Stay Out of Stay Out of Area of Prostitution (SOAP) zones. This follows the proposed banishment of some drug users from select areas downtown, called SODAs or “Stay Out of Drug Areas." Check out Erica's extensive coverage on Publicola, and while you're at i…
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Seattle Nice was on our best behavior this week because had company—Scott Greenstone, a politics reporter at KUOW radio and host of the new KUOW podcast Sound Politics! We discussed the statewide election results (Scott reported that the vibe at Republican gubernatorial candidate Semi Bird's party was weirdly "optimistic") and the race to replace F…
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There's an election coming up for a citywide seat on the Seattle City Council, and the question everyone's asking is: Can a progressive challenger beat a member of the Class of 2023? Tanya Woo, the citywide Position 8 incumbent, actually lost her race for a single-district seat last year but was elevated to a citywide position anyway—not by voters,…
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Seattle's City Council says it needs more options to jail people who commit misdemeanors. Criminal justice reformer and MacArthur "Genius" Grant winner Lisa Daugaard joins us to debate and discuss. Daugaard is best-known for helping launch Seattle's Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. Plus, Lisa weights in on a recent Seattle auditor…
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This week interim Seattle police chief Sue Rahr fired an officer for joking about the death of a 23-year-old graduate student. We discuss and debate the case and police accountability in Seattle. Plus, will Joe Biden be the Democrat's nominee? Quinn Waller is our editor. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattleni…
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Seattle Councilmember Tanya Woo recently reported graffiti to the FBI "as as hate crime," according to Publicola. We take a closer look at Woo's claims and concerns, and debate the civility question. Our editor is Quinn Waller. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails [email protected] Support the show Your support o…
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Seattle Nice digs into and debates the other controversial Supreme Court decision about homeless people sleeping outdoors. Our editor is Quinn Waller. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails [email protected] Support the show Your support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard…
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President Truman first coined the phrase "Do Nothing Congress" to blast his Republican opponents. Now, some progressive critics are implying Seattle has a "do nothing" city council. Has the new, less progressive council accomplished enough in its first 174 days? We debate and discuss, offering multiple perspectives. Seattle Nice is edited by Quinn …
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We discuss and debate Erica's recent article about troubles at the Washington Post, and David's recent piece about the troubles at NPR and his experience at Seattle affiliate KUOW. Quinn Waller is our editor. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails [email protected] Support the show Your support on Patreon helps pay…
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Garfield students are back in class today after one of their peers was shot and killed last week. Community members are calling for the city to do more. Erica and Sandeep debate how elected officials should respond. Quinn Waller is our editor. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails [email protected] Support the sho…
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David is away this week, and Sandeep and Erica are in charge! Our question for this week: Is Seattle in a state of chaos? The evidence: The Seattle school district is considering potentially devastating cuts. Hundreds showed up at a Seattle City Council meeting to protest a last-minute proposal that could doom the city's largest anti-displacement p…
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We talk about the troubling increase in homelessness in King County and take a closer look at this KUOW scoop about the "anonymous donor behind the controversial kid's playground at Seattle's Denny Blaine." Quinn Waller is our editor. If you want to advertise or book Seattle Nice Live! for your next neighborhood or other event, email us at realseat…
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On Thursday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a new overdose recovery center. Erica and Sandeep both support the idea but still find room for some lively disagreement. Quinn Waller is our editor. If you want to advertise or book Seattle Nice Live! for your next neighborhood or other event, email us at [email protected]. If you like thi…
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Street prostitution, crime and drugs on Aurora Ave are among the topics for this special live edition of Seattle Nice. This episode was taped Thursday May 2nd at the Haller Lake Community Club. Book Seattle Nice Live! for your next neighborhood or other event. Please email us at [email protected]. Quinn Waller is our editor. Send us a text!…
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Four female employees are suing SPD for alleged harassment and sexual discrimination by Chief Adrian Diaz and other leaders. The pod dissects and debates. Our editor is Quinn Waller. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails [email protected] Support the show Your support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, …
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A big Publicola scoop shows how Mayor Harrell watered down a draft comprehensive plan for "significantly more density in more parts of the city, including single-family neighborhoods, than the final version Mayor Harrell released in March." The pod discusses and debates the policy and the politics, in light of recent polling that suggests most Seat…
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Today's pod gets into new poll results about what Seattle's thinking and feeling. Most people say quality of life in the city has improved somewhat compared to last year. But last year most people said things really sucked. Seattle Nice discusses, debates and digresses. If you have any show requests, hot tips or questions please email us at realsea…
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