In an attempt to further muddle the debate and do nothing to promote the public welfare, I offer 25 questions (and zero answers).
1. Who is more to blame for political gridlock in America, the voters, or the voters?
2. When negative campaigns and wedge politics work so well, why would the candidates do anything else?
3. Is anyone else disappointed how old-style negative politics moved so seamlessly to the Internet?
4. Is this what passes for a political revolution, that we can now watch the negative ads and read the hit pieces anytime we want, right on our laptops and smartphones?
5. Remember when social media were supposed to democratize politics and yank control away from the big-money men and the cynical consultants?
6. If Election 2010 turns out to be identical to Election 1994, will it be because the newsies and politicos talked about it all the time?
7. Are Washingtonians so eager to be able to buy booze at Safeway and mini-marts that they’ll adopt liquor-privatization initiatives written to benefit Costco and big liquor wholesalers?
8. Did backers of a state income tax spend too much time worrying about the constitutional lawsuits that will surely come if the tax is approved and too little on getting it passed in the first place?
9. Will the populist movement that has looked pretty conservative so far give a "tax-the-rich" income-tax initiative a boost?
10. What are the chances that the same batch of November voters will get rid of taxes on pop and candy but approve a high-earners income tax?
11. Did people who signed initiatives really think their identities and opinions would be kept secret?
12. At what point can we stop using air quotes whenever we say "summer"?
13. Can't we just agree that we use the term only to refer to the time between the June solstice and the autumnal equinox and not to the weather?
14. Aren't we at least fortunate that the whole "so-much-for-global-warming" joke seems to have played itself out?
15. Who was the smart guy who convinced me I should grow my own tomatoes and save money?
16. Why does a double-dip recession sound so tasty?
17. Shouldn"t the economists come up with something that doesn't sound like a new confection at Dairy Queen or a ride at the Puyallup Fair?
18. Who knew the Great Recession could be so bipartisan? The first dip took down Republicans and a second one could do the same to Democrats.
19. Don’t the politicians know that if they don't fix all possible problems within two years of being elected, they deserve to be tossed out of office?
20. Why are sports fans so susceptible to preseason hype?
21. What is worse, getting a realistic assessment of a favored team’s chances or being disappointed — again — when they don't measure up to overinflated predictions?
22. What college student could possibly deal with the pressure of being touted as a Heisman Trophy candidate?
23. Shouldn't dealing with the media spotlight be as much a qualifier as on-field performance?
24. Does the Heisman Trophy figurine show a ball-carrying player stiff-arming a would-be tackler, or is he simply trying to keep the sports-media hordes at bay?
25. Why must Seattle claim everything successful in Tacoma, first Russell Investments, then a Chihuly glass museum and now the Rainiers’ home playoff games?