1077 splash sign on web

Whatever your other views of Tim Eyman, there is this: The man knows something about running ballot initiatives in Washington state. No one is more experienced at doing that than he is. (He is even in the process of running a new one now.)

So when asked about Initiative 1077, the just-filed proposal to raise new revenues by increasing taxes on certain income, his analysis carries some weight: Yes, the backers of the measure, who have some money at their disposal, probably can get it on the ballot. No, it probably won’t pass.

The reason is compelling: “I just don’t think the voters are going to go for it. I think at the end of the day it’s an enormous leap of faith to think that this is actually going to go to what they say it’s going to go to because initiatives can be changed after two years.” Speaking as the backer of an initiative mostly thrown out by this year’s legislature, the argument has some force.

Of course, that’s true of all initiatives. And as the campaign begins, the guess here is that its odds are – even if not by a lot – better than even.

The backers of 1077, who include Bill Gates Sr. (not the Microsoft founder but rather his father, long prominent in Washington public affairs), have worked through the politics to a considerable degree. They may have observed how carefully crafted tax measures in Oregon managed to pass at a time when, for a generation, the wealthiest in America got regular tax breaks while the rest seldom did.

So the slogan: “Help put middle class tax relief on the ballot. Tax cuts and job creation PLUS dedicated funding for quality education and health care.” That might sell.

And if it does, look for it to be tried elsewhere.

UPDATE A first round of polling lends some support for the idea of the measure’s popularity. A SurveyUSA/King5 poll conducted shortly after the announcement said that the proposed measure got support from 66% of those polled and opposition from 27%, with just 6% undecided. Support was substantial (and in the majority) across a range of demographic groups.