You Can't Take the Politics Out of Politics

Posted Feb. 3 at 6:57 am by Krist Novoselic

Krist Novoselic's column runs every Tuesday on the Daily Weekly.

Anyone who needs further convincing that it's impossible to take the politics out of politics should look no further than King County, Washington.

Like the Florida butterfly ballot that wrecked the 2000 presidential election for Democrats, or Chicago ward politics where residents of cemeteries can still vote, as the center of the disputed 2004 governor's race, King County elections administration has gained a certain infamy in Washington state. And this distinction was made apparent during the 2008 election with GOP political signage that read, "Don't Let Seattle Steal This Election!".

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Answer the Call of the Obama Era

Posted Jan. 26 at 8:18 pm by Krist Novoselic

President Obama with Dr. King

The Obama era promises to foster goodwill and increased citizen participation in public service. By all accounts, we're on track toward this lofty notion, but the question remains: How are we going to go about this?

Attending the inauguration last week, I was struck by the common goodwill among the almost 2 million people attending. This was refreshing considering the bad news regarding our economy, which seems to get worse by the day. I hope the positive sentiment around the inauguration stays aloft and doesn't shift toward acrimony once the honeymoon is over.

President Obama is seen as a pragmatist. And I'm happy to hear this in light of his seeming ascension to presidential greatness merely minutes into his first day on the job. We've placed our new president atop a mighty high perch from which he could fall, but from the tone of his call for service, it's obvious Obama knows he can't right things by himself.

Regular readers of this column should know I am very active in community efforts. There are many personal reasons for this, but I'll just share one—I'm interested in politics. Politics are about people. Unfortunately, too many think that participating in politics means surfing from blog to blog. It's important to communicate, and the Internet is a phenomenal tool, but I've found interacting with people face-to-face is the way to accomplish things.

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Krist Novoselic: We All Owe Something to The Melvins

Posted Jan. 20 at 6:54 am by Krist Novoselic

Krist Novoselic's column runs every Tuesday on the Daily Weekly. Listen to an mp3 of The Melvins' Buzz Osborne, Dave Groh, and Novoselic at The Crocodile in 1992.

Going on twenty five years as a band, The Melvins' new album, Nude With Boots, shows them stronger than ever. I want to tell you a little about my experience with the Melvins and how their new record rocks!

I first met Buzz in 1983. I was working at a Taco Bell when he and Matt Lukin stopped in to say hello to my co-worker, Bill. Bill had been expelled from Aberdeen High for setting off a pipe bomb. He was school mates with Buzz and Matt at nearby Montesano High.

Our two visitors were dressed differently than typical teenagers of the era - Buzz had on an old overcoat and Matt wore tattered flannel with heavy metal cheese grater wristbands.

I was aware of the first wave of punk from the late 1970's, but it was the Melvins who introduced me to American Hardcore.

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There's Still Money to Be Made in News and Music. Seriously.

Posted Jan. 13 at 12:20 pm by Krist Novoselic

All Beer Is Free For A Demanding Pomeranian

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is up for sale and many say there will be no buyers. CD sales are in a tailspin and major labels have all but been proclaimed dead. But, despite the dire state of the industry, through a mix of technology and law, music as digital content is adapting to the Internet. A similar effort may provide news reporting a sustainable business model as well. Why am I so optimistic? It's simple: with such an overwhelming demand for media such as news and music, there will always be money to be made. There just might not be as much, and it's certainly going to be made differently.

Our hunger for knowledge, entertainment and connectivity with others drives the initiative for better tools to obtain these things. The prospect of wealth has propelled the growth of Internet technology from the start. Ever heard the line, "Don't you wish you bought Google stock early on?" Of course I do, but I didn't, and regardless, many benefit from their search product.

Technological progress will accommodate the need to compensate content producers for the same reason - there's money to be made.

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Fuzzy Math

Posted Jan. 6 at 8:59 am by Krist Novoselic

Huntington Apportionment Is Easy!*

Most people don't think about the intricacies of elections. Do you ever wonder why your U.S. congressional rep is reelected in a landslide year after year? (See: Jim McDermott.) Or why most people can't even name their state representative? This is often because the election is settled in advance, for the benefit one party or another, by redistricting. Then these "safe seat" races fall off the political radar.

The United States constitution requires that congressional seats be reapportioned every 10 years according to the census. This has profound political implications, because somebody needs to draw the new district boundaries. The way it happens usually turns the notion of democracy on its head. In effect, the result of redistricting is to cherry-pick voters for incumbent lawmakers, instead of forcing them to compete for votes. Thus the major parties maintain control of those safe seats.

No matter that your calendar currently reads 2009, the 2012 reapportionment of congress has already begun. I'll let the Republican Governors Association state how much reapportionment counts: "The 2010 state-level elections will determine congressional and state legislative apportionment for the next 10 years, and who is governor of each state will be of utmost importance. A 25 seat congressional swing is up for grabs as a result of state-wide elections."

In other words—let's rig the system in our favor! Though, to be fair, Democrats mostly feel the same way.

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Old Songs on a New Screen

Posted Dec. 29, 2008 at 6:12 pm by Krist Novoselic

Krist Novoselic & Jack Endino - Live Coast Community Radio Benefit Broadcast. Krist Novoselic's column runs every Tuesday on The Daily Weekly. 

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As Counterculture Goes Mainstream, It Could Rebuild Our Nation

Posted Dec. 22, 2008 at 8:23 pm by Krist Novoselic

Cross Section Rendering of Arcosanti - Urban Arcology

I grew up listening to what my friends and I called "punk rock" music. But somewhere along the way, punk was rebranded as "alternative" music and embraced by the mainstream. Though it came with debatable artistic merit, punk's co-option by the mainstream is a good example of how elements of our counterculture—whether alternative lifestyles or alternative forms of energy—are given a shake by the mainstream.

As the Obama administration makes plans for a giant economic stimulus program—which could hit one trillion dollars—we may finally see some eco-conscious elements pulled into the mainstream. This is a once-a-generation opportunity. If the Bush years were about nation-building, the near future promises to be about nation-re-building—namely, our own. The funds are slotted to pay for repairing roads, bridges, and rail systems, and constructing or retrofitting buildings to meet modern green standards. This means that solar and wind energy, gray water collection, conservation, and green building concepts—once the realm of eco-hippies and other alt-types living off the grid—is finally ready for prime time.

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Mass Transit Doesn't Have to Kill Our Love Affair With Cars

Posted Dec. 16, 2008 at 7:50 am by Krist Novoselic

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I'm Not Gas Huffing, I'm Just Curious

Posted Dec. 9, 2008 at 12:27 pm by Krist Novoselic

Krist Novoselic's column runs every Tuesday on The Daily Weekly.

Gasohol Binge

I frequently drive a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan. It has over 230,000 miles on it and is going strong. (Who says Americans don't build good cars?). It's referred to as a minivan, but it's a nice big car that's served as the Flipper tour van, hauled large quantities of flowers to markets, and carried around three large dogs and a Pomeranian with ease.

After owning the rig for several years, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the van is capable of using E85 fuel. I thought that Flex Fuel vehicles were a very recent innovation. In fact, Flex Fuel has been around for quite a few years. Auto manufacturers build them to receive benefits for complying with government Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. When oil was over $150 a barrel and consciousness spread regarding the geopolitical costs of foreign oil, automakers started to tout their products' Flex Fuel capability.

E85 fuel is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Ethanol is made from homegrown American corn and other crops. The gasoline ratio helps the car engine with issues like cold-starting. Recently I happened to drive by a gas station offering E85. (There are only six such stations in Washington.) I had only a quarter-tank of regular gasoline left, so I decided to give the alternative fuel a shot. I read the owner's manual first, and things looked good!

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Political Association for the 21st Century

Posted Dec. 2, 2008 at 12:58 pm by Krist Novoselic

Now that America's youth have been engaged by a historic presidential election, our democracy needs these free-thinking, tech-savvy voters to stay involved in the democratic process, even in the coming years that won't see a presidential election.

Association will never die because it's a fundamental part of humanity. Networking is exploding on the Web. New tools are bringing new structures and the old fraternal/civic clubs that won't adapt will be left to fade away. It's different with political associations—the two dominant parties, Democratic and Republican, are virtually joined at the hip with government.

To abandon these civic institutions would be like leaving our democracy to politicians, lobbyists, consultants, and the special interests that fund them. We need a new generation of politicos to get involved with these old-school institutions. There also must be opportunities for new parties to succeed.

I'm active in the Washington State Democratic party. I've found that this political association best speaks to my values, and I agree with many of the policy goals of the party. Being active with Democrats gives me an opportunity to participate within democracy without running for office.

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Obama's Elected, But It's No Time to Snooze

Posted Nov. 25, 2008 at 10:49 am by Krist Novoselic

Novoselic, right, and his wife, Darbury, attend a public meeting. Novoselic's column runs every Thursday on the Daily Weekly.

The 2008 election has brought many new people into the process of democracy, but voting is only the starting point of civic engagement.

It's more important than ever to get involved in local affairs. With state and municipal budgets are facing severe shortfalls, private organizations doing service or charitable work could be a way of taking up the slack.

Millions of Americans of all ages participated in internet meet-up groups around the country to rally support for Barack Obama. There was a time when face meant in person and club membership was part of the fabric of the community.

But these days, Moose Clubs, Eagles, Kiwanis, Masons, Elks and many other groups are in decline. If you go to a meeting of any of these organizations you'll mostly find seniors in charge. These good folks are running things only because no one else cares to. This is a shame because civic groups exist to help others. Most raise money and resources only to give it away.

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What Really Happened at the 1992 MTV Music Video Awards

Posted Nov. 18, 2008 at 1:05 pm by Krist Novoselic

Krist Novoselic blogs every Tuesday on the Daily Weekly.

Seeing as this is the one-year anniversary of my column for SeattleWeekly.com, I thought I’d do something different this week and tell the whole story behind the 1992 MTV Music Video Awards when my bass came crashing down on my head.

Nirvana showed up for the production of the awards show early in the day at UCLA, west of Hollywood. The show was in the sports arena, and there were mobile houses set up for the performers off an athletic field.

We settled into our trailer. In the music world, you show up on time only to wait around a lot. Why not have a beer to take the edge off? Instead of a cold, sudsy treat, I found cans of warm cheap beer. Arg! Might as well let it cool down in the mini-fridge for a while.

I walked around and checked out the stage area. Other bands were showing up. I said hello to the fellows in Pearl Jam and the Black Crowes. Sammy Hagar said hi. There was Howard Stern in a suit made to let his bare buttocks hang out.

I eventually made it to the food service area, where Kurt and Courtney were at a table with their newborn daughter, Frances. They told me that Axl Rose had walked by and Courtney started teasing him. She yelled, “Axl, Axl—you’re the godfather!” Upon hearing this, Axl apparently got very annoyed, walked over to Kurt, and demanded that he keep his woman in line. Kurt turned to Courtney and sarcastically asked his woman to keep in line and left it at that. Axl then split. Of course, Kurt and Courtney were musing over Axl’s response in the context of society’s patriarchal tendencies. My thought was that Rose shouldn’t have gotten bent out of shape. He should have walked over and asked to kiss the baby or something!

At the same time, Kurt wanted to play the tune “Rape Me” and was adamant about it. The MTV people were upset. We were being asked from all corners not to. I thought we should play something off Nevermind, do the gig, and leave. Easy, right? No. Kurt was very stubborn and refused to play another tune. There was quite a swirl around this issue.

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Dysfunction, Not Gays, Is a Threat to Marriage

Posted Nov. 10, 2008 at 10:12 pm by Krist Novoselic

It’s horrifying that someone can put a measure on a ballot to take a couple’s marriage away. It’s all the more horrifying, of course, that such a measure would pass. But while the passage of California’s Proposition 8 is a dispiriting loss, the fight for human dignity is far from over.

As happily married heterosexuals, my wife Darbury and I have built a relationship, household, and family on our own terms. It’s important that the state recognizes the sanctity of a relationship, and acknowledges that it’s the spouse who clearly has authority in case a partner is unable to make decisions due to illness or worse. When San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom started marrying same-sex couples in 2004, he was only codifying their relation with the state. This did not, as the measure’s proponents asserted, constitute an assault on the institution of marriage.

The actual threat to marriage is dysfunction. The ugly face of dysfunction comes in many guises. There’s abuse (physical and mental), chemical dependency, developmental issues, and many other factors that tear marriages apart. Considering these real threats to marriage, it makes no sense to assault a healthy homosexual relationship. The passage of Prop. 8 is a classic case of the tyranny of the majority.

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Votes for Change, and Changing the Vote

Posted Nov. 5, 2008 at 11:57 am by Krist Novoselic

Just as the election of Barack Obama obliterated a racial barrier in a spectacular way last night, obstacles between voters and our democracy were pushed aside in this state and around the country as a voters considered a new way of electing their public officials.

Two years after my colleagues and I at FairVote became involved with residents of Pierce County, voters in the greater Tacoma area held their first Ranked Choice Voting election. Races for County Executive, Sheriff, council and others were on the ballot. RCV promised to gives voters more choices, foster less negative campaigning and produce a majority winner in one election. On the historic night of November 4, 2008, RCV lived up to its promise. As the system takes hold, things will run even smoother.

The reform is spreading around the nation. 70 percent of voters in Memphis approved RCV on election night, as did voters in Telluride, Colo. Now the Washington State Legislature needs to pass a local option bill in the next session so communities around the state can choose whether or not to follow Pierce County's lead and use the system.

I have been a proponent of election reform since 1997. A few years earlier, I became involved in political issues regarding the music community in Washington. We were fighting for freedom of expression and inclusive rock shows. Along the way, I recognized the beauty of our democratic process. Even though it took a lot of work, change toward our goals was possible.

As my political education developed, the structural barriers to participation became more apparent. It seemed like it all boiled down to our voting system. Elections are the interface between the citizen and government. I was enthusiastic about our democracy, but that passion didn’t carry over to voting, and I met many others who shared this notion.

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The Internet: Politics’ Great Equalizer

Posted Oct. 28, 2008 at 3:24 pm by Krist Novoselic

People vote, volunteer, and plaster their car with bumper stickers, but the most primal way of showing support for your candidate is in the form of cold hard cash: a campaign contribution. Donors of all stripes give with their own special interests in mind. And with millions of dollars floating around in the span of a campaign, the smell of influence-peddling and bribery is often in the air.

Understandably, the term “campaign contribution” has become unsavory at best. Voters feel disconnected from the democratic system, which they perceive as transformed into a permanent campaign industry run by lobbyists, consultants, financed by others with deep pockets. Campaign-finance laws have done their best to prevent campaign cash from speaking louder than hard-working constituents, but campaign funds are like water: It’s flowing, and will find its way around the barriers. This is why the advent of the Internet may prove to do what legislation could not: level the playing field.

Why? Because a million small contributions are merely a click away. Passionate voters can instantly give to the campaign of their choosing. Sen. Barack Obama, for example—whose campaign passed on public financing so it could take private contributions—claims 3.1 million donors with an average donation of $86. The campaign’s been reaping record-breaking money from online contributions. In September he raised $5 million a day for a total of $150 million in one month alone!

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