As the 2006 US midterm elections begin slowly creeping onto the political horizon, now's as good a time as any to start paying attention to certain still-unknown politicians who will also increasingly creep into our daily political lives over the next nine months--some appearing like shining saviors, others like merciless migraines.

When faced with unknown politicos, it's often wise to focus on the language they use to sell themselves, particularly their persistent catchphrases. Do they obsessively and phonetically fixate on "freedom"? "Security"? "Terror"? "Frivolous lawsuits"?

How about "civility"?

Now there's a loaded lexeme screaming for semantic dismantlement. There may still be places in America where the word "civility" might charm and disarm the politically naive, but in cynical Seattle, there's a certain savvy batch of activists who learned long ago to check for their wallets upon hearing a politician utter that suspiciously sugary word. Many still remember how "civility" was once used as a clever code for draconian social policies, advocated by certain Seattle city mothers and fathers, which in fact were designed to remove the city's poor and vulnerable from public view and in turn to make Seattle safe for the rich and boring.

For such activists, the word "civility" likely invokes the ironically sordid specter of Mark Sidran, former longtime Seattle City Attorney and a chief architect of Seattle's controversial dot-com-era "civility laws," which included bans on sitting on public sidewalks, drinking in public parks, and urinating in public. Enacted beginning in 1993 and defended by Sidran and his allies in the downtown business establishment as a means to promote "civility" in Seattle's downtown core, these laws had the de facto effect of punishing Seattle's homeless people for their plight, while conveniently ignoring similar behavior by, for example, affluent patrons of the Pioneer Square drinking district.

Such cognitive and moral dissonance led many in Seattle to conclude at the time that, to paraphrase a certain folk wisdom, civility is as civility does.

Now in 2006, there's a brand-new local politico claiming the "civility" mantle as he seeks a mandate and a steady paycheck from the people. Only it's not merely Seattle sought by this fresh face as his jurisdiction, it's the US Senate, by way of Washington State. On Saturday, Jan. 21, former Safeco CEO and Republican lobbyist Mike McGavick held an official campaign kickoff event at Seattle Center to launch his quest to unseat Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, which he announced back in July after resigning from Safeco, leaving behind a $7.3 million salary. Among other lofty promises, McGavick claimed at the kickoff that he would bring a "voice of"--you guessed it--"civility" to Washington, DC. Dramatically lamenting the need for such positive change in the US Senate, McGavick cited the Democrats' aggressive questioning of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, expressing deep conservative compassion for Alito's wife, who famously fled one hearing in tears, overwhelmed by the viciousness with which the Democrats carried out their constitutional duties that day.

"I think all of us turned in shame and disgust at the sham the Senate has become," McGavick dramatically declared.

So Mike McGavick is a maven of manners--all very well and good. However, turning to the difference between McGavick's rhetoric and his political agenda, perhaps we should ask: Is privatization "civil"?

It's a good question to ask of McGavick, since privatization of public institutions happens to be at the core of his agenda, like many before him who have come from the private sector seeking public office. McGavick is already noted in certain activist circles for comments he made in September 2002, while he was still Safeco CEO, advocating the privatization of higher education in Washington State. During his keynote address that month at the annual meeting of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, McGavick called for the privatization of the University of Washington and Washington State University:

"It is time to explore seriously whether over the next decade, we should either string the string or cut the cord and let the University of Washington and Washington State University operate more privately. Get them out of the budget fight and let them move on.... I know many of you are thinking, 'Now, wait a minute! There's a big public mission at the universities.' No doubt, but here's the sad truth.... The sad truth is our institutions are becoming more elite even as they face a budget crisis. We need to explore independence for those institutions."

Apparently for McGavick, the definition of "civility" encompasses restrained behavior in Washington, DC (for example, Democrats rolling over and playing dead while Republicans ram through extremist legislation and confirm extremist Bush appointees), while excluding such behavior as supporting public institutions that empower working class citizens.

This should serve as a red flag for Washington state voters. Privatization of public higher education would drastically increase the disempowerment of the working class that has already been in play during the past decade--especially in Washington State--as tuition at the UW and WSU has increased at an alarming rate of 78 percent during that time, according to the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board. At the UW, current resident undergraduate tuition, including fees, is $5,610 per year and climbing (compared to $3,019 for the 1995-96 academic year), and the state has already cut its support for the UW over the years down to 12 percent of its total operating budget. Congressional Republicans have led recent efforts to further gut student financial aid and other higher education funding at the federal level, including a proposed $12.7 billion cut in student aid that Congress may already have passed by the time this issue of ETS! goes to print.

At this early stage in the race, McGavick does not appear to be a great threat to Cantwell--especially given Cantwell's recent boost from her Dec. 21 ANWR victory. But with his pro-business and pro-privatization agenda (not to mention his over-the-top military boosterism--at Seattle Center he trotted out the myth that 9/11 mandated the US invasion of Iraq), McGavick's candidacy should be watched closely by Washington State progressives. He is currently considered the leading contender against Cantwell, and has already raised more than $1.5 million, seven months before the state primary elections in September. He also has backing from none other than Slade Gorton, Washington's former Republican US senator, who Cantwell defeated in 2000--and who McGavick once worked for, first as campaign manager and later as chief of staff. He could easily emerge as a formidable opponent as November approaches.