The fall out from the RTID blow-out is in full force. The biggest issue is that the political class just doesn't know how to read the tea leaves after such an huge "no" response from the public. Goldy summed it up best yesterday saying RTID's defeat provides the pols:

"No inkling as to whether voters said “no” because they don’t like roads, don’t like light rail, didn’t like these particular road projects or the routing for light rail, didn’t like the price tag, didn’t like the regressive tax, or didn’t like the legislature tying the fate of two separate measures together. Or any combination of the above."

You can definitely argue that the combo of roads & transit into one package created this confusion, but into this vacuum steps some dangerous thinking if you're a believer in mass transit. Waking up on the east coast earlier yesterday to read the news, I was greeted rudely by the results (ugh) and a nice column from the Seattle Times Danny Westneat. I blogged about his call yesterday which should scare the living daylights out of all the pro-transit anti-RTID folks as Westneat proclaimed, Clinton style, that the era of big projects is over.

The Times continues its verbal diarrea this morning over the possible answers that RTIDs slaughter provides the pols, including some gems from Eyman.

So, this is where the public can step in and provide some leadership. Now is the time to tell the political class the message they should receive from RTIDs failure - light rail now, no money for expanding roads.

They're soft, they don't know what to think and they need direction. If mass transit supporters don't step up to the plate and tell politicians what to think, the Eyman's of the world will.

Call and Email your State Legislature Representative. Write a letter to the editor. Email Sound Transit. Talk to your friends. Call the Sierra Club and tell them they need to step up to the plate now in the aftermath of urging a no vote on RTID.

The onus is on all of us, but especially those of you that were anti-RTID and pro-Transit. The time is now. We must act! Tell the political class what to think before someone else does. Personal contact, phone calls, and emails make all the difference!

Related Links:
Seattle Times - Reading the election's tea leaves (Nov 8, 2007)
Horsesass.org - Wednesday roundup: Grim election edition (Nov 7, 2007)
Seattle Times, Danny Westneat Editorial - After 15 votes, let's think smaller (Nov 7, 2007)