Well, we won't have to call it anything if it's dead...
At NPI, we are working every week to put Tim Eyman out of business and deny him funding. We're the only ones working to dismantle his initiative factory on a year-round basis. We've always done what we could with what we had.
But I've often wished that we had more help.
When it comes to time, talent, and treasure, the earlier you can put it to work, the bigger return you get. That's why, instead of waiting to see what happens with this, we are actively trying to disrupt Eyman's plans before he can get this off the ground. It's why we published the post that Martha excerpted from below. What a concept, huh?
I'm not sure how many of you have heard the name Bill Sizemore, but Bill Sizemore used to be doing in Oregon what Tim Eyman is doing in Washington. He was their Grover Norquist clone. He's not a factor anymore, because the Oregon AFL-CIO and the Oregon Education Association put him out of business. They made the most of opportunities to capitalize on Sizemore's stumbles. They made sure his lawbreaking cost him. They went after him in court, and they prevailed.
Aside from NPI, there really isn't another progressive organization in this state that's watchdogging and opposing Eyman at every turn. I will say the Washington State Democratic Party and Fuse have been reliable, willing, helpful partners, particularly at election time, and that is deeply, deeply appreciated.
But other organizations just don't seem interested in fighting Eyman, and it's mystifying. His initiative factory has been such a major threat for years. It's a menace. But on our side, there's been this attitude that, if we just ignore Eyman, he'll go away eventually... maybe move to another state.
To anyone who thinks this, I've said, sorry, the only way to make Eyman go away is to give him the vigorous, unrelenting opposition that he deserves. That's what we're committed to doing. Of course, even if we succeed, it doesn't eliminate the possibility of having to face right wing initiatives from some other entity in any given year. There will always be a need for permanent infrastructure and proactive ballot activism. Which is why I don't envision our Permanent Defense project ever shutting down.
Andrew Villeneuve
State Committeeman
45th District Democrats
Executive Director
Northwest Progressive Institute
= new reply since forum marked as read