A state of raging moderates
Published 4:04 pm Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The word is out: We Washingtonians are a bunch of raging moderates. Others — California, at least — are apparently envious and want to know our secret.
The Economist, in its June 4 edition, reports on “The centrist Northwest,” where “party machines are weak, heresy condoned.”
“In polarized and dysfunctional states such as California,” the article says, “the search is on to find the reason for this moderation in order to import it.”
Indeed, many lifelong Washington residents take pride in their willingness to consider any reasonable idea, whether it comes from a Democrat, a Republican, or someone with a less-familiar label.
Such open-mindedness is reflected in our long tradition of allowing voters to cross party lines, back and forth, on their primary election ballots. It gives candidates in partisan races a powerful incentive to appeal to the political center, where they can draw votes from Democrats, Republicans and independents. For most of the past 75 years, that’s yielded a lot of moderate winners.
Republicans, whose strongholds are on the less-populated east side of the Cascades, might argue with the “moderate” label. After all, Democrats have dominated statewide elections in recent years. They hold clear majorities in the Legislature, eight of 11 seats in the congressional delegation, and there hasn’t been a Republican governor here since John Spellman left office in 1985.
Yet Washington voted twice for Ronald Reagan, and Republican Dino Rossi essentially tied Chris Gregoire in the 2004 governor’s race. The Legislature had been split more evenly until lately; the current Democratic majorities may reflect a short-term national shift more than a long-term trend.
And it was two centrist Republicans — Secretary of State Sam Reed and Attorney General Rob McKenna — who fought vigorously in defense of the top-two primary system voters approved in 2004, a system that eventually was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The top-two primary replaced the old blanket primary that the Supreme Court threw out after California copied it. The court said it violated the rights of the political parties, so Washington voters adopted a new system that isn’t a party-nominating process, but simply a way of choosing the top two candidates for the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
Further efforts by the state parties to challenge the top-two primary system will only alienate voters, who value their independence.
As a state, we’re moderate. And darned proud of it.
