How do teachers feel about the pay cuts being considered in Olympia? A vote today, at a gathering of union activists in the Washington Education Association, can be seen as one measure of how angry they are.

Delegates at the WEA Representative Assembly in Tacoma chose between two strategies for action next year in the event of pay cuts: a loosely defined ”day of action,” leaving details up to local districts, or a Sept. 21 one-day strike.

To some extent, the question was symbolic because local unions would likely have to poll their members on any strike no matter what the statewide organization says.

Still, the issue of whether to proclaim “no pay, no day, no way” produced a long and occasionally emotional debate.

One educator who urged a strike said he and other protesters who slept in the Capitol Rotunda in Olympia demonstrated the power of collective action. An opponent said while her local union would probably strike during a day of action, those in other school districts might handle it differently. One member pointed out the state is broke, while another said there must be money to pay educators if private jet owners get a tax break.

In the end, the assembly voted comfortably against a strike, then more narrowly approved the statewide day of action.

On Friday, Gov. Chris Gregoire spoke to the assembly and reportedly was greeted with standing ovations despite signing on to proposals for teacher pay cuts. Today, they stood and cheered again for U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, who’s warming up for a 2012 re-election campaign. Cantwell told the crowd: Read more »

Sure, he begins with a major qualifier, that looking this far ahead is just slightly better than quesswork.

“It is ridiculously premature to issue hard projections,” wrote University of Virginia political scientist (and frequently quoted pundit) Larry Sabato on his webpage. “Any analyst who would call these ratings “predictions” should just open up a palm-reading service.”

But since poli-junkies love this stuff despite that, Sabato has updated his “descriptive short-term forecasts” for the U.S. Senate races in 2012.

Here’s how he described the Washington race:

“Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) is an automatic favorite for reelection to a third term. …

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Tonight’s State of the Union speech by President Barack Obama is turning into a politician prom, with Republicans and Democrats pairing up in a symbolic show of bipartisanship.

Eli Sanders at The Stranger has the details on the “dates” for Washington’s senators.

He reports that Patty Murray will sit with Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee tried his best last year to keep Murray from sitting anywhere in the Capitol.

Maria Cantwell will sit with moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. This despite ABC …

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What is more disturbing? That Pollster (via Huffington Post) has already started writing about the 2012 congresional electons or that I’m paying attention to it?

Don’t answer that.

Not wanting to wait for the 2010 vote to be certified (or the Alaska senate race to be decided), Pollster has done a race-by-race analysis of the U.S. Senate races that will be on the ballot in 23 months and two weeks.

Based on some rather thin polling numbers as well as the closeness of the Patty Murray/Dino Rossi race, the writers predict a close election for Washington’s junior senator, Maria Cantwell. …

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No surprises here: Both of Washington state’s Senators voted to support the Wall Street reform bill that passed the Senate 60-39 today.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, a finance wonk who was deeply involved in the shaping of the bill, had opposed an earlier incarnation because of perceived loopholes in the regulation of derivatives. Earlier this month, she announced that a new version of the bill made significant enough changes to win her support.

“The fact that Congress made a mistake and said ‘hands off’ to derivatives in 2000, and then an $80 trillion market exploded into what is today a $600 trillion dollar dark market,” Cantwell said in a floor speech. “The (Senate Banking Committee) Chairman (Rep. Chris Dodd) has now made sure that for the first time, over-the- counter derivatives will be regulated.”

Sen. Patty Murray also voted in favor of the bill:

“This bill is going to make sure that Washington state families and small business owners are protected from predatory Wall Street tactics,” she said in a press release. “And it will guarantee that American taxpayers will never again be on the hook to bail out the big banks.”

Read on for their full statements.

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U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell will vote ‘yes’ on a proposed overhaul of Wall Street regulations.

The Democrat bucked her party to oppose an earlier version of the bill. With the number of Republican supporters for the latest compromise version uncertain, and the death of Sen. Robert Byrd temporarily lowering Democrats’ Senate majority to 58-41, Democrats could use her vote. They need 60 votes to send it to President Obama.

Cantwell said final negotiations between the House and Senate improved the bill. Derivatives — wagers on the fate of products like bundles of mortgages, which helped bring the economy to the brink …

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U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell offered a statement explaining her vote against bringing up the finance-reform bill for a full floor vote last night. The Washington Democrat says she wants more debate and action to close loopholes allowing trading in complex derivatives.

See her release here. The vote for closing debate needed 60 votes, but failed with a 57-42 margin.

Cantwell has long crusaded against the complex financial derivatives, even raising similar objections to trading implications related to the so-called cap-and-trade legislation that deals with carbon credits and global warming

See full post.

Washington state’s senators split today on the reappointment of Ben Bernanke to the Federal Reserve Bank chairmanship. Patty Murray voted for, despite reservations, and Maria Cantwell voted against. The 70-30 vote was the closest ever for confirmation for a Fed chairman.

Cantwell: “This is not one Fed chairman’s problem or one administration’s problem … My vote against the Fed chairman has to do not with the past but with the future – the future prevention of another bubble, or more bankruptcies.”

Murray: “The concern across our state and nation about the pace of our recovery is understandable. I share that concern. I have shared it with Ben Bernanke directly. I told him I expect accountability and transparency from the Fed and a commitment to put the needs of American consumers ahead of Wall Street banks.

Below are full press releases from both Democrats.

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