Olympia Time

History, politics, people of Oly WA

Author: Emmett O'Connell (Page 65 of 176)

“What is up with Steve Buxbaum?”

June 26, 2009 / / 0 Comments

EDIT October 10, 2011: I just realized that this blog post I put up is being used in an anonymous lit drop campaign in Olympia. I don’t endorse its use and while I find photo-bombing funny and sort of rude, its no reason not to vote for Stephen Buxbaum. If you found this post through a flier left on your door step by someone you don’t know, well, consider the source.

In a completely innocent context that question was asked of me this morning. In answering I said “seems like a good candidate on paper” (I’m supporting JK btw), but, wow.

Stop being weird Steve Buxbaum (from jusbytheclown.com):


Your opponent should be allowed a photo-op with a clown without you jumping into the picture with your sign and half smile.

Or, is this a case of un-equal time with clowns? The Olympia Clown Guild will take this one up at their next meeting.

Olympia as “an arm pit,” Olympia as a “Best City”

June 15, 2009 / / 0 Comments

You can’t please everyone and generally speaking you can’t please Andy at Thurston Pundits. The same week Olympia celebrates being number 6 on some national list (yawn, I’m so tired of being honored so), Andy rips out with this one:

I avoid Olympia proper as much as I possibly can. I don’t shop there and I try to avoid dining there if I can think of an alternative. Why? The place is an arm pit and has become more so in line with the volume of the “We hate America” crowd that infests downtown and nearby areas.

Generally speaking, the reason Olympia gets on certain national lists as being a good place is that its relatively cheap to live here, because of government our employment levels are stable (generally), there is a lot of culture here for the size of the city (thanks to the state government and Evergreen), temperate weather and pretty geography.

The reason Andy hates downtown Olympia is because a lot of liberals hang out down there and there is graffiti. Makes sense to me, people oftentimes make decisions where to be based on politics and how their politics inform their culture.

Far be it from Andy to shop at Einmaleins, that anti-American shop owned by a German! (By the way, that’s a joke. In my mind there is no more pro-American shop than Mathias’ place.)

Anyway, it makes sense because so many people make the same decisions. Read a great series by the Austin American-Statesmen on the Great Divide phenomena here. Generally speaking, it says people choose where they live by Andy’s standards: do you agree with me, do you like the stuff I like.

So, for the very reason Andy hates downtown Olympia, a lot of people simply love it. They love the liberal to radical politics of our geography, they love things like graffiti art (a portion of it is art) and Procession.

The Kiplinger’s rating has nothing to do with taste, but rather other, less subjective standards. Other than, I guess, the presence or absence of culture.

All that said, Andy is right. Olympia is a total hole. Crap hole filled with dung heaped with bad food and smelly people. Don’t move here. Just send envelopes of cash. Thanks!

Best histories of Olympia, Part 1 (the ones I already wrote about)

June 14, 2009 / / 0 Comments

This is the first part of a series of undermined length about the best written histories of Olympia. This part deals with two books that I’ve already blogged, so will be really easy for me.

The best, the most complete (up to the 1960s or so) is “Rogues, Buffoons and Statesmen” by Gordon Newell. This is a seriously thick book that covers almost every moment of Olympia’s history (from the state government and local perspective) from pioneer days to the 1960s. Of course its incomplete now because its so old now, but still very complete.

The second best book would of course be something that updates RB&S to the current day.

Here’s what I wrote about it earlier:

Generally speaking, the books tells the story of Olympia from main street and the Capitol. Gordon was an old time newspaper guy in Olympia, so he had great background for both Olympia scenes. He also lived early enough in Olympia’s history that the really old stuff really wasn’t that old to him. It is oft-referred to, but seldom seen. There are only six copies in the Timberland system, a few of which don’t circulate.

The lack of local library (or even digital editions) is made up by there being a lot of affordable copies online. Right now, Amazon has several copies under $20.

The second is “Confederacy of Ambition.” Certainly less of a total history than RB&S, but also deeper (if that’s possible). My earlier review.

This book is great because it takes on the glossiness that people put on local history when they’re being lazy. Like this:

Washington began as a state founded by optimistic settlers with utopian dreams, and to some degree that sentiment continues resonating.

Uh, no. If William Winlock Miller was the typical settler (and I think he was), he may have been optimistic, but he certainly wasn’t utopian. He was a driven, realistic, politically savvy and business focused sort of guy.

Or, more simply, it fills in with personal history the gaps that are left when you do a local history that just names names and takes down dates.

I miss Pat Beehler’s old R. Scott centric banner

June 13, 2009 / / 0 Comments

When you go to Pat Beehler’s website now, you’ll see this perfectly acceptable banner that not only features the colors of the American flag, but a picture of Pat himself. Totally professional.

But, you know what I miss?

This:


The original banner, that featured the chair of the county Republicans giving his thumbs up endorsement of Beehler, looking like the dude from Steethawk.


The man… the machine… R. Scott.

Who wants a general election challenge (from HA)

June 13, 2009 / / 0 Comments

Back in the day David Goldstein didn’t like the Top Two primary, though he probably still doesn’t:

Supporters of the top-two primary, like Sec. of State Sam Reed, keep arguing that it offers voters more choice. Well, in the 36th LD, the district highlighted in the article, voters will be given the choice this November between a progressive Democrat and a liberal Democrat.

That quotes makes an interesting contrast to today’s post from Goldstein on challenging sitting Seattle legislative Dems from the left:

The irony is, we all know there’s a fair share of deadwood in the Seattle delegation, along with a handful legislators who simply aren’t as progressive as their constituents on a number of important issues, such as pay day lending, the homebuyers bill of rights, tax restructuring, and more. Indeed, start this conversation at nearly any political gathering, and the same names keep popping up again and again, the usual suspects of Democratic incumbents who deserve a serious, well-financed primary challenge, and who just might not survive should they face one.

A primary challenge is one thing. In the old days of actual party-based primaries a well healed incumbent could slap down an insurgent in September, well before the actual public discussion ever got going. And, with the primary in August now, the debate is even shorter in duration.

Most Democrats from Seattle, once they got past the primary, were able to coast through to November with token opposition from a Republican or maybe a Green. But now, a serious progressive insurgent Dem could challenge a sitting moderate Democrat all the way until November, pushing the discussion harder and actually giving voters in liberal Seattle districts a real choice from within the party.

I’m surprised Goldstein hasn’t seen this utility of the Top Two and is still calling for “primary” challenges, when it is really unlikely that a challenging Dem to totally knock off a sitting legislator in August.

Twittering the who voted in the Library vote last February

June 10, 2009 / / 2 Comments

Mark Messinger of up Steamboat Island way had a great series of tweets last night on who voted in the library special election last February. Very interesting results?

Olympia city councilmembers Jeff Kingsbury, Joe Hyer, Rhenda Strub, and Thurston County administrator Don Krupp did not. They didn’t vote no, they didn’t turn in a ballot at all.

Councilmemembers (yeah, I guess he’s a mayor) Doug Mah, Karen Messmer, and Joan Machlis, and county commissioners Karen Valenzuela, Cathy Wolfe and Sandra Romero all turned in ballots.

One of my favorite local treasures: StevenL

June 8, 2009 / / 0 Comments

From the beginning of OlyBlog, he’s been a constant positive force over there. Not in the least because of his ongoing “where was this” sort of local history quiz (like today’s). Here is my contribution to the current discussion on lost neighborhoods and the Capital Apartments. I found a photo from which I took this detail at the state archives:


The three large buildings lining Capitol Way in the center of the detail are the old county courthouse (where my big boss spent some time), old William Winlock Miller High, and the above mentioned Capital Apartments.

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