The Insane Campaign Against Susan Hutchison

Susan Hutchison: "I don't have to say anything" to voters.

That's the above-the-fold headline on seattlepi.com today. Given that Hutchison has been, until very recently, avoiding saying anything to the press or anyone else, you might assume this was her arrogantly asserting her right to be elected without deigning to speak to the electorate. But when you read the story, that's plainly not the context.

Hutchison was asked what she would say to the voters to demonstrate that she is a moderate.

"I don't have to say anything to the voters," said Hutchison, a long-time local television personality. "They've known me for 20 years on the air. They've known me for another seven years as someone who has served in the community."

In other words the reporter put her on the defensive by asking, in essence, how she'd convince liberally correct Seattleites that she's not a right-wing monster. And she replied that she wouldn't have to say anything because they don't think of her that way.

This one's about as appalling as the Seattle Times' infamous front-page Schell: "I'm not a wuss" headline of 2000. That one, too, turned out to be wildly out of context. Schell himself claimed he never even said it: The reporter asked if he was a wuss, and he said no.

The demonizing of Hutchison continues to be a splendid window into Seattle-style fascism. Someone who believes in God is unfit for public office? Maybe. Just as homosexuals are in other parts of the country. Sure, an intelligent-design partisan shouldn't be the head of the Seattle Public Schools. But what exactly is the rabid right-wing approach to things like processing sewage and running Metro buses (which are the actual county job)? Seems like we should be curious to know. Is the county in such great shape right now that those ideas aren't even worth hearing?

There's no excuse for Hutchison taking a Rose Garden strategy in her first shot at public office. But neither is there any excuse for the insane campaign to shout her down before she can even speak up.