The Northwest Progressive Institute (NPI) is a left-wing think tank based in Redmond, Washington, founded in 2003 and incorporated in 2005. It uses technology, public policy research, and political advocacy to advance progressive causes in the Pacific Northwest region (the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho) as well as across the United States. It describes itself as "a netroots powered strategy center working to raise America's quality of life through innovative research and imaginative advocacy."Northwest Progressive Institute mission statement Accessed August 10, 2012
History NPI was founded on August 22, 2003, by activist Andrew Villeneuve, who had previously created a site called Permanent Defense in February 2002 to oppose initiatives sponsored by Tim Eyman and other conservatives.Spokesman-Review: Young progressive schools state's right wing Accessed June 29, 2007 Eyman's political action committee at the time was known as Permanent Offense, which was the inspiration for the name Permanent Defense.
Villeneuve's experience working against Tim Eyman's Initiative 776 convinced him that a larger umbrella organization was needed to foster meaningful public dialogue about the long-term well-being of the Pacific Northwest. This realization led Villeneuve to sketch out a plan for an organization with a broader focus.
Since its founding, the organization has launched several online publications, advocated for and against numerous ballot measures, sponsored events to organize activists, and researched the cost and consequences of cutting funding for public services. NPI formally incorporated as a nonprofit in March 2005.Washington Secretary of State, Corporations Division. Registration Data Search for "Northwest Progressive Institute". June 29, 2007.
The organization maintains a list of major milestones at its website.Northwest Progressive Institute's milestones Accessed June 29, 2007
Projects
NPI maintains several major projects and publications which are accessible to the public. They are: The Cascadia Advocate. Begun in March 2004, The Cascadia Advocate is NPI's blog, providing daily news and analysis from the organization's team of writers, including frequent liveblogging of events such as town halls, political party conventions, or even bus tours. The blog frequently covers campaigns for public office (though the organization does not endorse candidates for office), legislative activity in state capitals, and reporting of regional political developments. Posts often incorporate photos and illustrations, and occasionally cartoons. The National Journal's Hotline relied on The Cascadia Advocate throughout 2006 for perspective on Washington's U.S. Senate race."Washington; McGavick Calls for Civility." The Hotline (National Journal Group) 23 Jan. 2006, sec. Senate 2006."Washington; Shedding Some Light on Some Shady Deals." The Hotline (National Journal Group) 12 Apr. 2006, sec. Senate 2006."Washington; All in Favor of a Peace Dept, Say Aye!" The Hotline (National Journal Group) June 6, 2006, sec. Senate 2006. The blog is also featured as part of local television station KING5's Citizen Rain project, which chronicles what local blogs are talking about.KING5's Citizen Rain project Accessed June 29, 2007 Pacific NW Portal. Launched January 31, 2005, Pacific NW Portal is a news aggregator and media gateway, similar in some respects to the Huffington Post. It generally covers three American states - Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The site emphasizes political news (local and national) but also provides business and labor news, weather forecasts, and links to traffic reports. Hundreds of different blogs, newspapers, radio stations, and television networks are indexed. The site's Regional Blogs Directory provides a blogroll of progressive blogs based in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. (The organization likens the directory to the online equivalent of a white pages for the progressive community online). Pacific NW Portal has undergone several transformations, most notably the release of new versions 3.0/"Cannon Beach" (in July 2005), 3.5/"Gearhart" (in October 2005) 4.0/"Seaside" (May 2006) and 5.0/"Newport" (December 2011). Releases of Pacific NW Portal are named after Oregon coastal towns. In August 2005, Seattle Weekly readers gave Pacific NW Portal the honor of Best Local Website in the paper's annual "Best of Seattle" poll.Seattle Weekly: Best of 2005 Ballot Winners Accessed June 29, 2007 The paper's editors wrote:
When Seattleites are feeling, well, blue, they visit PACIFIC NW PORTAL for regional news for progressives. You can also find links to political blogs and newsgroups and drinking buddies for whenever Dubya next chooses to open his mouth. Podcast. The Northwest Progressive Institute also distributes a podcast which regularly includes monologue commentary from the organization's staff or interviews with candidates and elected officials. A notable episode from April 2006 was a discussion between NPI's founder and bloggers Markos Moulitsas of DailyKos and Jerome Armstrong of MyDD. In Brief. Begun in March 2009, In Brief is NPI's microblog. Published using Tumblr, it is a compendium of asides, quotations, recommended links, photographs, audio recordings, and video clips collected by NPI's staff and contributors. In Brief is embedded on the sidebar of the NPI Advocate and is also published to Pacific NW Portal's front page. Check the Attacks. Begun in July 2012, Check the Attacks (a play on the phrase "Check the facts") is a gallery of attack mailers sent by U.S. Mail to voters in the Pacific Northwest and collected by the organization. The intent of the site is to shine a spotlight on negative campaigning, allowing citizens, activists, and journalists to see what candidates or independent groups are telling voters.Political smears analyzed by new website Accessed August 10, 2012
Events and influence
NPI's work is followed by opinion-makers and elected leaders throughout the region. Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly has called NPI "the state's best grassroots research outfit"Joel Connelly: Be careful in "fixing" initiative process (Seattle P-I) Accessed June 29, 2007 while Washington's State Senate Majority Leader, Lisa Brown, has told the Spokesman-Review that NPI's network is one of her favorite online destinations:State Sen. Lisa Brown's favorite web sites Accessed June 29, 2007
When I've had too much of mainstream politics, I keep up with my activist roots by listening to Air America, or I go to Pacific NW Portal. I could spend hours there - if I had hours to spare!
Brown has also urged constituents to visit the NPI Advocate on the official website of the Senate Democratic caucus.Legislative Update: Week 6, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown Accessed June 29, 2007
Each year, NPI holds a spring fundraising gala which brings together the organization's supporters. The speaking program usually consists of elected officials, candidates for office, and well known community leaders. The speaking program for the first event (held in 2008) included Major General Paul Eaton (Ret)., congressional candidate Darcy Burner, and hydroplane legend Chip Hanauer. Speakers at the second event, held in 2010, included VoteVets.org founder Jon Soltz, former Microsoft vice president and congressional candidate Suzan DelBene, State Representative Hans Dunshee and documentary filmmaker John de Graaf. Speakers at the third event, held in 2011, included well-known Seattle attorney Timothy Ford, King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson, former Seattle City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck, the University of Washington's Scott Macklin, former U.S. Representative Jay Inslee and State Representative Reuven Carlyle.Touching bases for '12 gubernatorial race Accessed August 10, 2012 Speakers at the fourth event, held in 2012, included U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, U.S. Representative Adam Smith, and former King County Executive Ron Sims.The Tuesday Morning News Accessed August 10, 2012
In August 2012, NPI was accredited to cover the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.A new chapter for the NPI Advocate Accessed August 10, 2012
Since late 2002, the organization's perspective has frequently been sought by the regional press, including The Associated Press The Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Spokesman-Review, The Stranger, KIRO-TV and KIRO (AM), KOMO, The Olympian, Washington Law & Politics, and others.
NPI's founder Andrew Villeneuve has written a column for Reporter Newspapers since December 2008,Kirkland Reporter welcomes new contributors, more change Accessed August 10, 2012 as well as guest op-eds for newspapers like the Seattle Post-IntelligencerAndrew Villeneuve: Eyman out to destroy representative democracy (Seattle P-I) Accessed June 29, 2007 and Everett Herald.Andrew Villeneuve and Steve Zemke: Voters deserve the truth about state's tax structure (Everett Herald) Accessed June 29, 2007
Work on ballot measures
Permanent Defense, which became a project of NPI following NPI's formation in August 2003, has continued to oppose initiatives and referendums sponsored by conservative groups and activists, especially Tim Eyman. Though Permanent Defense's first campaign (NO on I-776) ended in a loss, it has since put together a string of victories, working alongside businesses, unions, and civic groups in coalitions organized to defeat Eyman's proposals.
Permanent Defense has actively opposed the following ballot measures: Initiative 776 (2002): Repealed motor vehicle excise taxes levied by King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Douglas counties which paid for road maintenance and transit operations.Initiative 776: Municipal Research Services Center Accessed August 10, 2012 The measure also sought to repeal a motor vehicle excise tax collected by Sound Transit, a municipal transit authority based in Seattle, which Sound Transit was counting on to help fund its Central Link light rail project. Eyman had advertised I-776 as a way for the public to pull the plug on the light rail line (by cutting off some of Sound Transit's funding). Although I-776 was narrowly passed by voters, Washington courts ruled that because the taxes had been pledged to pay off bonds, they could not be repealed.Pierce County v. State Opinion Information Sheet Accessed August 10, 2012 The tax continued to be collected, construction on the line began in 2003, and opened to the public in July 2009. NPI chronicled the progress of the project during its construction phase; it also liveblogged the opening weekend.LIVE from Link: Let the celebration begin! Accessed August 10, 2012 Initiative 267 (2002): Would have required vehicle sales and use taxes to be used exclusively for road construction and maintenance, and opened high occupancy vehicle lanes to solo drivers during more hours of the day. I-267 did not qualify for the ballot. Initiative 807 (2003): Would have required two-thirds votes for tax increases. I-807 did not qualify for the ballot. Initiative 864 (2004): Would have drastically cut property taxes. I-864 did not qualify for the ballot. During the campaign against I-864, Permanent Defense participated in a grassroots coalition that included firefighters, librarians, and other public servants. These efforts paid off in July 2004 when Tim Eyman failed to collect the required number of signatures.Associated Press (via KOMO TV): One Eyman measure falls short of signatures Accessed June 29, 2007