In the political world today, there are shames and damned shames. The shames we are used to such as certain Georgia and Florida Democrat candidates claiming an election was “stolen” from them even though they were behind in the official count. No concern for the integrity of the system. Not to mention that local Democrat election officials in certain Democrat counties did everything they could to “find” votes for the Democrat (they just couldn’t find enough, quickly enough).
Well, here in Washington State, specifically in Seattle, once again a microcosm of all that is wrong with leftist America, we just experienced a damned shame. Candidate Christopher Rufo never even had the opportunity for someone to steal the election from him. He will not get to serve his community as a councilmember. He was running for Seattle City Council District #6, in the election which will be held Nov. 5, 2019. Was, being the operative word.
But due to Seattle’s neo-leftist intolerance, he will not even get a chance to serve on the currently inept and morally corrupt Seattle City Council, where his ideas are so badly needed. The neo-left’s actions toward Rufo were disgusting and should never happen in the United States of America.
Now, with my initial defense, you’d think I was defending a Trump-Republican. Nope. Rufo is not that.
Rufo is a documentary filmmaker who’s directed documentaries for PBS and Netflix. Politically, I’d describe him as a, thinking, non-ideologue, true liberal with well-thought-out practical solutions. His goal was to add some true diversity to the Seattle City Council, which demagogic Democrat neo-leftists and radical socialists have dominated for years.
Rufo wanted to focus on the council’s inability or refusal to deal effectively with the city’s so-called homelessness problems. It’s clear that Seattle leaders have negligently, recklessly, even intentionally inflicted blight on many downtown and residential areas of the city. It’s like they want to keep the issue alive (he said sardonically).
About this issue in Seattle, Rufo wrote, “We have created a series of perverse incentives that only make the problem worse, with more addiction, more crime, and more tent encampments staking their claim in residential neighborhoods.” Every cop working the streets in Seattle would endorse this view.
Rufo knew the campaign would amount to engaging in political combat in such a radical, ideologically leftist-dominated city. Especially since he’d be running against the incumbent and adeptly inept Councilman Mike O’Brien (whose ineptness I wrote about earlier this year). Nevertheless, Rufo wanted to enter the fray and offer his ideas to try to improve his community.
Rufo points out the following on his website: “My opponent, Mike O’Brien, has proposed ordinances to legalize street camping on 167 miles of public sidewalks, legalize RV camping on all city streets, and prevent the city’s Navigation Teams [includes representatives from several city departments including the police] from cleaning up tent cities. He supported the disastrous ‘head tax’ and, when KUOW [Seattle’s NPR station] asked him what the city is doing about illegal campers, he replied: ‘We have no plan.’”
But with all the cries about a lack of “diversity” (in everything except thought) from these majestic members of Seattle’s oh-so-tolerant neo-left, political is not a form of diversity they will tolerate. Resistance is futile—Oh, unless it’s aimed at a U.S. president they hate.
This is what America’s neo-left does now when any “outsider” takes a shot in the arena of ideas in areas dominated by neo-leftist radicals. He gets shot down. Starting early in the campaign, leftists criticized Rufo for attending a conservative event. Apparently, he wanted to broaden his perspective and add conservatives to the voices in the homeless discussion. A constituency of Seattleites currently excluded, not to mention loathed, by Seattle’s government.
From Rufo’s campaign page: “The Seattle City Council has effectively ceded our streets and parks to more than 400 illegal homeless encampments. Recent complaints to the Seattle Customer Service Bureau include reports of theft, drugs, fighting, rape, murder, arson, prostitution, assaults, needles, and feces.
“But rather than take responsibility for their mistakes, our city council has doubled-down on the same failed policies.”
But Seattle’s residents will not benefit from Christopher Rufo’s fresh ideas and effective strategy to implement them. Sadly, Rufo felt compelled to drop out of the race. Why, because he thought his ideas were not good enough? No. Because he felt he had no chance of winning? No. He’d never even get the chance to win, or lose, because Seattle’s leftist radicals would not allow him to even try. Seattle has, in effect, become a totalitarian regime, formed of neo-leftist politicians, media, and community activists. Divergent political views will not be tolerated!
But this time a candidate emerged that sounded so reasonable, and with the current Seattle government having overstepped so much, creating such quality-of-life issues for residents, that many Seattleites, even fellow lefties, found themselves questioning the current political status quo. So, Seattle’s radical neo-leftist activists resolved: If we can’t risk losing an election, let’s make it impossible for “outsiders” to run.
I mean, Hillary Clinton received 87 percent of Seattle’s vote. Trump got 8 percent. Don’t you primarily see these kinds of numbers in totalitarian countries, following their pseudo-elections? Now, while Seattle definitely lists far-left, this kind of election result may more accurately reflect the disenfranchisement of true liberals, traditional Democrats, independents, moderates, libertarians, and the political right, generally. A constituency Rufo was connecting with.
Sadly, I believe part of this phenomenon, which increases with each election cycle, is because conservatives in Seattle (yes, they exist, and likely in bigger numbers than you’d think) don’t vote any longer. They believe their votes don’t matter. And, especially in King County, they don’t trust the system.
King County has proven over the years it doesn’t deserve the voters’ trust. Still, it’s obvious political tolerance in Seattle is a thing of the past, and the social and criminal problems the perennial neo-leftists attempt to “fix,” quality-of-life issues, such as “homelessness,” never have worked and they never will work.
Unfortunately, for the oppressed taxpayers of Seattle, the radical leftists have won this battle by underhanded, immoral, and illegal means. Yes, threatening to sexually assault a candidate’s wife is illegal. (Another law the left wants to ignore, I suppose. After all, the victim doesn’t agree with them politically.)
So, Chris Rufo is out. But, rather than having surrendered, I prefer to look at the situation as this decent man has retreated, so he can re-group and figure out how to battle these political savages.
Rufo’s memo to his supporters tells his story in this Nov. 14, 2018 Facebook Post:
Friends:
I’m writing to you with a heavy heart. After spending the past two days in discussion with my family, I am terminating my campaign for Seattle City Council.
I had hoped that this would be a campaign of ideas, but I quickly discovered that there are some activists in this city who have no interest in ideas. Since the campaign launch, they have harassed and threatened my family nonstop. I was prepared to take the heat, but unfortunately, they have focused their hatred on my wife and children. They’ve made vile racist attacks against my wife, attempted to get her fired from her job, and threatened sexual violence. They even posted hateful messages to my 8-year-old son’s school message board. I know that as the race progresses, they will ratchet up their hate-machine and these attacks will intensify significantly.
I’m deeply disappointed by this turn of events and hope I have not let down my supporters as well. I’ve been overwhelmed by the excitement, love, and generosity from hundreds of people all over the Puget Sound. I know in my heart that our cause is just and our ideas would make Seattle a better place. But my primary responsibility is to make sure my family is healthy, happy, and safe. That’s not possible in our current political climate, which has been overtaken by polarization and the ever-present threat of violence.
I’ve learned that our problem here in Seattle is much deeper than the city council’s policies—we have created a culture of intolerance that is deeply destructive to the common good. I plan to spend the next few months reflecting on this experience and charting a way forward in a series of essays. I hope that some positive benefit can come out of this disappointment.
Over the next two weeks, I will be refunding all of our campaign donors and will personally cover the costs incurred since the launch of the campaign. I’m deeply grateful for all of you who have contributed and hope you can reroute your hard-earned money to other worthy candidates in the city.
I’m honored to have had your support.
Best,
Chris
Did the leftists win because Rufo is afraid to enter the political muck? No. He stated that he was prepared for the smears and attacks from the left directed at him. That is neo-leftist standard operating procedure. What he wasn’t prepared for was the smears and attacks against his family—his wife and children—all of whom are of Asian descent. (I only mention this because some of the threats against Rufo’s wife included racist comments.)
It is a true tragedy when an American can no longer enter a local political race because he fears for his family’s safety—in America! The City of Seattle, a tragically intolerant place where diverting from leftist conformity is not allowed. That is something I learned quite well over the course of my police career. But, even worse, rather than tragic, I think the Emerald City’s current political culture is more accurately described as pathetic.
I’ll close with these words from Chris Rufo about what his political hopes for the city were and, I would assume, still are: “I’m fighting for a city council that puts people above partisanship. I’m fighting for a city where blue-collar workers don’t have to worry about a tax on jobs. And I’m fighting for a city where everyone has a voice, not just the activist class.”
How refreshing would that voice have been?
