I can really get things wrong sometimes. Recently I got a notice that Governor Bob Ferguson was coming to Coupeville for a fundraiser. It suggested that the organizers would like to see guests contribute at least $100 and they wouldn’t mind $1,000 or more. As someone who hates our corrupted political system, where people essentially buy politicians and the game is mainly pay to play, I was prepared to be disgusted by the whole event.
On the other hand, I was looking for something to write about for the newspaper. So I asked if I could be a guest for the modest sum of $20, which is my usual contribution to candidates, given my modest income. I was a bit surprised when I was told, of course you can come and contribute whatever you like. So I went, fully expecting to see wealthy backers of the governor in suits, sipping wine and eating fancy appetizers, some with a trophy wife in tow. Oh, I also expected to be required to pass through a metal detector run by heavily armed state troopers. This was after the Kirk shooting.
So I was completely unprepared for the real event. A nice young woman greeted me at the door and took my $20 bill with a smile. As I filed in with others I noticed almost everyone was dressed similar to me in my flannel shirt and jeans. Security at the event was subtle and unobtrusive. The food consisted of a tray of locally smoked salmon and some cheese slices and crackers and a cooler full of cans of soda water.
The governor was greeting people as they strolled toward the seating area. He was an unimposing figure, modest in his manner and seemingly calm and relaxed as he chatted with guests. I chose not to meet and greet, waiting to hear his pitch for money, the idea of which still irked me a bit.
After a brief introduction from the historic barn’s owner, an obviously passionate supporter of the governor, he came to the podium to speak to the 50 or so folks who had come to hear him. It was a wonderful talk. Completely unrehearsed, conversational and rich in relevant content, sprinkled with only an occasional well-rehearsed anecdote from his life experience.
Do you know that he takes no corporate contributions? His highest personal contributor in the last campaign gave him not much more than a couple grand. Some 140,000 Washingtonians contributed to his campaign. He won over 54% of Island County’s voters, winning our county by the highest percentage in recent history, against a respectable ex-sheriff, former congressman opponent with plenty of corporate backing.
He didn’t waste a minute of our time with small talk. He got right to the point. We are in an existential struggle with a federal government bent on imposing its will on the citizens of our state, where a significant majority of the voters soundly rejected their values and goals. He drew examples from a 2018 book that he was proud to discover his 17-year-old son reading, “How Democracies Die.” It is a study by two Harvard professors of government, described by critics as a “guide to the forces that have undermined democracies across the globe” that warns that we can expect that “there will be a battle for democracy” in America in the days and years to come.
Our governor is well aware of the threat and he outlined some of the measures his administration has taken and is taking to combat the authoritarian federal takeover. He mentioned court challenges as well as alliances with neighboring blue states and plans being made to address such likely future threats as a national guard occupation of Seattle. He focused on three major areas of concern. One was how our state might make up some of the loss of Medicaid support to some quarter million state residents of modest means. He also mentioned the need to replace lost federal support for such things as routine vaccinations and Planned Parenthood programs that have served so many women in our state. He also addressed climate change. Even though the federal government denies the problem, our state remains committed to reducing fossil fuel use as we increasingly utilize alternative energy. He also talked about the state legal challenges of ICE arrests of our immigrant population.
You might be interested to know that our governor did not immediately choose to seek a college education. He tried his hand first in the fiercely competitive world of professional chess. And, as he told us, it helped prepare him to address the present threats as a chess master would, playing defense as required but knowing that you could only win by finally going on the offense.
I am putting my money on the humble, compassionate master chess player in his battle with the would be king, a man who can barely string five words together that make a lick of sense. We are so fortunate to have Bob Ferguson as our governor in this terrible moment in our nation’s history. And, by the way, he made it clear that he can’t save us, he can only do his part. And he mentioned that we were still going to need, as the Harvard professors pointed out, a critical 3.5% or more of us actively participating in our liberation, and in the streets protesting, if we hope to win this struggle to save our democracy.
Dr. Michael Seraphinoff is a Whidbey Island resident, a former professor at Skagit Valley College and academic consultant to the International Baccalaureate Organization.
