Sue Lani Madsen: Progressives playing defense with initiatives

Six initiatives promoted by Let’s Go Washington look like they’ve gathered enough signatures to advance to the Legislature. Even a coordinated effort by progressive groups to disrupt signature gatherers failed, in a victory for direct democracy. Voters are ready to exercise their sovereign power over a government drifting to the far left and drag it back to the center.

Washington Republicans call Let’s Go group a push back against one-party rule out of Olympia. Washington Democrats and their compatriots at Fuse Washington are busy churning out talking points and labeling Let’s Go and its initiatives as “Backwards Washington.”

Backwards is a slogan that might well backfire.

The first to qualify, I-2117 is designed to roll back the carbon credit system driving up fuel and natural gas prices paid by regular Washingtonians, the kind who signed the petitions. Democrats claim I-2117 will roll back progress on “fighting” climate change, except they’ll be hard-pressed to point to anything other than good intentions and ever-increasing spending. According to a recent investigative report by KING-5 reporter Susannah Frame, current programs are failing. Carbon emissions and greenhouse gases are up, the state is in violation of the 2015 deadline in RCW 43.19.649 for clean fuel use, and the state is behind schedule on electrifying 100% of state-owned vehicles by 2035.

Lack of progress is one reason Gov. Jay Inslee’s touted climate dashboard was removed in 2019, just before announcing he was running for president as the climate change guy. Turns out the “to the extent determined practicable” exemption is the key phrase in climate statutes, allowing the state to roll back the schedule for meeting its own targets. Initiative supporters easily made the case that a punitive gas “tax” hitting working families hardest is not practicable. They want a roll back, too.

I-2113 is focused on public safety and restoring proven rules for police pursuits. Fuse calls it rolling back best practice safety standards, Let’s Go calls it reinstating best practices for law enforcement and safety as endorsed by the Washington Council of Police & Sheriffs. After a few years dealing with the impact on property crime of legislative micro-managing of law enforcement by the Democratic majority, I-2113 proposes going with the professionals and bringing the laws on law enforcement back to the center.

At the GSI Legislative forum this month, Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane, repeated the roll back talking point in referencing all six initiatives. Then he described I-2081 codifying parental rights to access information about their kids in public schools as “a lot of nothing” and said “most of what’s in that initiative is already in law.” It can’t be a roll back and nothing, and it’s not nothing. Parents have run into obstructive school districts resisting their involvement, and their stories are compelling. Teachers have been frustrated by school district policies preventing them from fully engaging parents as allies in education, forcing them to keep uncomfortable secrets. If you peruse the website of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the word “parents,” you won’t find much. Parents want their state government to make their rights as critical partners in the public education system perfectly clear in statute.

The other three tax initiatives are being attacked with the usual fear-mongering and name-calling, lamely using MAGA as an all-purpose scary adjective. And tossing in the phrase “multimillionaire” as a bogeyman to refer to Brian Heywood as a backer of the Let’s Go team is disingenuous. Everyone knows Democrats are fine with megarich multibillionaires (with a “b”) funding petition drives when they write the initiatives.

Fuse claimed in a recent fundraising email that it will “redouble their efforts to educate the public about these destructive initiatives” that are “part of a far-right agenda” that “would cut nearly $900 million a year from public schools and child care and block seniors from accessing long-term care.” Their scary future only happens if Democrats adopt a budget with actual cuts. Not getting more money faster is only a budget cut in Olympia. Tax initiatives I-2109, I-2111 and I-2124 change tax policy, but budget priorities remain the responsibility of the Legislature.

When the Washington Legislature convenes in January, they will have several options in considering this package of legislation from the people. The Legislature can adopt, reject, neglect to act, or write an alternative. If adopted, the initiative becomes law and the governor doesn’t have a veto. If rejected or neglected, it goes on the ballot in November . If the legislature writes an alternative then both pieces of legislation go on the ballot in November .

If Billig and his Democratic colleague really think I-2081 securing parental rights is simply reinforcing existing law, then they can just as simply adopt it as soon as the Legislature convenes.

The tax measures will be trickier for legislative Democrats to deal with politically. The typical Washington voter is socially moderate but fiscally conservative. Taxes get attention.

And what’s really bothering progressives is an energized electorate tired of the leftward drift who might flip a few seats in state government and spoil their grip on power.

Contact Sue Lani Madsen at rulingpen@gmail.com.