Danny Westneat

3 days ago | seattletimes.com | Danny Westneat

One handy rule of Seattle politics over the past decade has been: Never underestimate Kshama Sawant. No single figure did more to tilt Seattle policy and politics, to the left, than she did. Often derided, the socialist nevertheless prevailed in four hotly contested municipal elections. But now that she’s back and trying to leap onto the national stage by running for Congress, I’m going to break the rule and underestimate her. It’s not because she has changed or has any less of a potent following.

1 week ago | seattletimes.com | Danny Westneat

Elon Musk is packing up his chain saw and logging off from government work. The stories about this have a wistful note — about how the tech titan tried valiantly to wrestle a recalcitrant government into efficiency. Only to be foiled by a bureaucratic octopus. “I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least,” Musk said on his way out the door. Puh-lease. Just remember the Lutherans.

1 week ago | seattletimes.com | Danny Westneat

A few hours after the Christian rally in Seattle last weekend, that ended with 23 protesters getting arrested, one of the founders of the event could scarcely contain his glee. “We started a riot today in Seattle during worship and the gospel!!” tweeted Ross Johnston, a co-leader of Mayday USA, which put on the anti-abortion, anti-trans event. “THE CHURCH IS ALIVE!!”A few minutes later he explained why he felt it was such good news that an up with Jesus rally had ended in a melee.

2 weeks ago | tri-cityherald.com | Danny Westneat

May 24-Patty Murray is pleading her case. Except she's pleading it to better angels that have long since left the building. Multiple times per day now, when the U.S. Senate is in session, Murray, the senior senator from Washington, troops to a microphone at the Capitol to say that something the Donald Trump administration has done is abnormal, unethical, indefensible or downright illegal.

2 weeks ago | seattletimes.com | Danny Westneat

Patty Murray is pleading her case. Except she’s pleading it to better angels that have long since left the building. Multiple times per day now, when the U.S. Senate is in session, Murray, the senior senator from Washington, troops to a microphone at the Capitol to say that something the Donald Trump administration has done is abnormal, unethical, indefensible or downright illegal.