West Seattle election countdown: 2 ways to talk politics

Continuing our nightly mini-updates looking ahead to the November 2nd election, with voting starting in just about a week, since the county says ballots go into the mail next Wednesday: If you’re interested in talking politics online with other West Seattleites, we call your attention to the WSB Forums, where we started a Politics section two years ago, by request. That year, perhaps not surprisingly, participants were far more interested in talking national politics than local politics. This year, it’s been a mix. You can browse the topics currently under discussion from the index page for this section of the forum – if you want to join in, you have to sign up, but it’s usually pretty quick. Meantime, if you want to talk politics in person – you’re in luck, since tonight (Thursday) is a special election-focused program by the Southwest Seattle Business and Professional Women, looking at how this year’s elections might affect women. Longtime political consultant Cathy Allen is the guest speaker. The event starts at 6 in White Center’s Greenbridge neighborhood; full details here, including how to RSVP. Meantime, as we will remind you in every update, you have more than three dozen races/issues to decide, so start preparing now, before your ballot arrives – here’s where to find your online “guide” (the general pamphlet’s linked on the left, or you can create your own custom version on the right).

foy-boy October 7, 2010 (10:33 am)

We need to start a forum on what it would take to get a park and ride in westseattle. I and like many of you are getting tired of just sitting for ever in traffic every mornning trying to get out of westseattle. Also this will help reduce our carbon foot print

Baba October 7, 2010 (1:15 pm)

I have a problem with WSB’s political forum. That is why I don’t want to join. There are only 3 or 4 people constantly talking to each other. Some of them are very opinionated…with great typing skills. I feel that internet forum is not a place for essays. You have to make your point known quick and short and to as many potential responders as possible. Thus I like this homepage format better. But what the heck do I know?

DP October 7, 2010 (3:03 pm)

Baba: We’re still trying to hammer out a user-friendly style on the Forums. I agree with you that some people can be too long-winded, but we also see the opposite problem as well, where someone will come on the forum, call someone a nasty name, then leave.
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Calling someone a name is an opinion, of course. And it’s brief.
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But it’s not very useful.
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If we can get more people like you on the forums, maybe we can move them in a direction you’d like to see. But if you’re determined to stay away, there’s probably nothing I can say to change your mind.
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In any case, if you ever want to start a topic there, I’ll be glad to support you in keeping it polite and brief.
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–David

Baba October 7, 2010 (4:27 pm)

David: I’m itrigued, as per your last sentence, how are you planning to achieve that ? Censorship?
You have quite a dilemma here. The forum’s current regulars are not going to like that. Where I stand, I can participate in Carson versus Smitty comedy specials all day and night long…But is that really productive? There are other blogs for that.
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Is this environment just a sigh of times? I believe so…I believe there are fewer intelligent people on this planet and WS then, lets say, 10 years ago.
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I’m not playing hard to get. I’m going to still post here with paying close attention to your Forums.
Baba.

WSB October 7, 2010 (4:36 pm)

To clarify, while the forum is a user-to-user discussion area, with thousands of members, no one has the ability to delete anything but Patrick and me as site owners. I took David’s comment as that of a forum regular who takes pride in participation that helps keep things on track, and there are many such forum regulars, who flag us on posts they consider questionable (that doesn’t mean an automatic deletion, but he does not have any special or different role or login type than anyone else who has signed up and is participating. When a post is flagged, we review it, and aside from the occasional extraordinary circumstance, do not comment publicly on what happens from there. Politics is just one part of the WSB Forums, one added two years ago by request. The 100,000+ posts in the forum, made over the past 2 years and 10 months, ranging from restaurant recommendations to job listings to rants/raves (another section added by request) include many “productive” exchanges – but some are just for the sake of discussion, and that’s fine too, as long as rules are not broken. – TR

Baba October 7, 2010 (4:59 pm)

Thanks WSB! My first question actually was: Who the heck is David??? I thought you did some hiring…
OER (Obama’s economic recovery) is still on till Nov 2.

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