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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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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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Seattle venture capitalist and Democratic megadonor Nick Hanauer doesn’t fit neatly into pre-fab boxes. He’s a wildly successful tech investor who denounces tech moguls as “narcissistic sociopaths.” He’s a billionaire “class-traitor” (his term) who’s been sounding the alarm about what he sees as the dangerous obliviousness of the ultrarich to the r…
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A new way of administering buprenorphine—a gold-standard medication that combats opioid addiction by reducing the need to use drugs like fentanyl to function—is helping people reduce their fentanyl use without the painful withdrawals that keep many users away from other versions of the medication. The new protocol, which the Downtown Emergency Serv…
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First up, why are state lawmakers planning to decimate a successful Seattle homeless program? Then, things get a little cheeky as we discuss the lawsuit over alleged “lewd behavior” at Denny Blaine Park. Plus, Mayor Bruce Harrell throws down the gauntlet with an impromptu push-up contest at a middle school. Is he the "world's best mayor," or just r…
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In a quest to reinvent municipal governance, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is breaking ranks and breaking a few eggs. A Harvard grad who made his bones in the disruption-centered world of Silicon Valley tech startups, he tells us he's put his focus on prioritizing results over ideology since becoming mayor of one of California’s biggest blue cites in 2…
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Four city council candidates are vying to represent one of Seattle’s most progressive districts, District 2 in SE Seattle, and Erica’s been talking to them. We debate and discuss the issues and the candidates. But the real drama? The potential closure of the Virginia Inn, which has been operating near Pike Place market for 120 years. David pokes fu…
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This week, we take a close look at Trump's tariff-happy trade war and its impact on blue cities with New York Times global economics correspondent Peter Goodman, the author of Davos Man and How the World Ran Out of Everything. We explore the political tightrope blue city and Democratic Party leaders are walking on trade policy. Are they anti-tariff…
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It’s day 81 of the Trump administration as we record this episode (on Friday morning) and things are getting … alarming. Seattleites are increasingly freaking out about the chaos and insanity in the Other Washington, and who can blame them? Middle school students in West Seattle were rushed inside because someone thought they saw an ICE vehicle (sp…
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Donald Trump is in full retribution mode and the anxiety – and anger – in blue cities is spiking. Sex advice columnist and friend o’ the podcast Dan Savage joins us to talk about how blue cities should (and should not) resist an aggressively authoritarian administration that sees them as the enemy. We go deep on the April 5th protests, dissecting e…
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It's the first week of April, and things at the City Council are heating up faster than a sunny afternoon at Denny Blaine Park. First up: CM Cathy Moore initiates a debate over developer profits and offers a controversial proposal to expand the Mandatory Affordable Housing program (MHA) to Seattle’s current single-family zones. We ask: why can’t we…
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In recent years San Francisco, widely regarded as America’s most progressive city, has experienced a far-reaching anti-progressive backlash. In 2022, voters recalled three progressive school board members and progressive DA Chesa Boudin. Then moderates took control of the city’s Board of Supervisors. Last year they won a majority on the city’s Demo…
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This is a special preview of an episode of a new podcast, Blue City Blues. Click this link to hear the entire episode wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Humphreys: Why Drug Reform Failed In West Coast Blue Cities The wave of bold new decriminalization-centered approaches to drug policy reform that swept West Coast cities from San Francisco to Va…
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Breaking: Council President Sara Nelson tells Seattle Nice she’s open to considering new progressive taxes to fund drug treatment and that she supports involuntary commitment for people who are “severely impaired through years of addiction.” We also dive deep into the epic battle over Sara’s plan for affordable “workforce” housing near the stadiums…
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Former National Public Radio and Slate journalist Mike Pesca, host of the longest-running (and highly entertaining!) daily news podcast, "The Gist," joins us to talk about the tough challenges blue city media is facing during the terrifying roller coaster ride that is Trump’s second term. Especially at a time when public trust in the media is at a …
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Check out a preview of the latest episode of Are You Mad at Me?, the podcast about the movie Shattered Glass hosted by PubliCola co-founders Erica Barnett and Josh Feit. Shattered Glass, starting Hayden Christensen, Peter Sarsgaard, Chloe Sevigny, and Steve Zahn (among many other names you'll recognize), is about a journalism scandal in the late 19…
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In this episode, we dive deep into some of the big questions every left-of-center political observer has been asking: what the hell went so wrong in the last election? Why did so many urban working class voters in blue cities swing hard towards Trump? And is there any reason to think that the Trumpist right is making a credible and serious economic…
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Sandeep says Dow Constantine will be the next CEO of Sound Transit. Is Dow the best pick? Was the process a flawed example of cronyism? And why is the transit agency's CEO pay so high? We also discuss progressive activist Katie Wilson entering the Seattle mayor's race against Bruce Harrell. Does she have a shot against Harrell's record and "One Sea…
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The latest explosive headline about Bruce Harrell's 1996 arrest isn't great news for a mayor who is up for re-election later this year. We discuss the fallout and the fact that a mystery challenger is expected to join that race next week. Speaking of politics, we also discuss Erica's interview with Dionne Foster, who is challenging City Council Pre…
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The wave of bold new decriminalization-centered approaches to drug policy reform that swept West Coast cities from San Francisco to Vancouver, B.C. starting around 2020 has failed, according to one the nation’s leading drug policy experts, former Obama White House drug policy advisor and Stanford psychiatry professor Keith Humphreys. On this week’s…
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What do you call it when Mayor Bruce Harrell raises eyebrows with alleged praise for Trump advisors, a totem pole stands in the way of a park opening, and a tree divides a neighborhood? Just another week in Seattle! In this episode, we dive into Mayor Harrell's comments at a downtown business event, where he appeared to praise tech advisors to Dona…
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Democrat Adam Smith has spent the last several years engaged in a (perhaps quixotic?) crusade to save the Democratic Party from itself. The veteran congressman, who represents parts of Seattle and its South King County suburbs in Washington's 9th Congressional District, recently played the starring role in a New Yorker article titled "The Not-Quite…
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Freddie DeBoer knows a thing or two about mental illness. He’s been admitted into psychiatric hospitals five times; he was involuntarily committed in 2002. He has, as they say, lived experience. Freddie is also one of our most original and independent commentators on American cultural trends. A self-described Marxist and a cogent critic of recent i…
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Joy Hollingsworth was elected to the Seattle City Council in 2023 to replace Kshama Sawant in District 3. Her victory was part of a centrist wave. But Hollingsworth sometimes finds herself on the more progressive side of council legislation. Does she see herself as a swing vote? She also gets candid with us about Seattle’s racial politics, and how …
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In this members-only episode we take a closer look at the style, the substance and the politics of Tuesday's State of the City Address by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. This episode is a free preview. To hear the full episode just sign up at any level that's right for you at patreon.com/seattlenice. If you are already a member, here's how to access y…
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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] HEARTH Protection: Do not let fear make your world smaller. Thanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this week's …
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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] HEARTH Protection: Do not let fear m…
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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] HEARTH Protection: Do not let fear make your world sma…
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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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