Stories for Nov. 30, 2007

How an electronic newspaper could become profitable

Fri, Nov 30, 2 p.m.

Papers like The Seattle Times are in a tough spot: Online advertising revenue is a long way from covering expenses. Meanwhile, print advertising is vanishing. So why not ditch the presses and trucks and go electronic? It just might pencil out.

Does Washington state matter in the presidential campaign?

Fri, Nov 30, 9:28 a.m.

By David Brewster

Does Washington state count for much in the presidential campaigns? It's taken itself out of the primary contests, though the state is a good grazing pasture for contributions. But come November might it be a contest and therefore worth campaigning in? Even for a Republican? Liz Mair, a conservative columnist writing for the Post-Intelligencer, cites October and November SurveyUSA polls that indicate that John McCain could run a good race in the Evergreen state against Hillary Clinton, beating her by one point in October but sliding to 43-52 in November. Rudy Giuliani matches up 43-50 against Clinton, with Hillary in the lead. The weak candidate is Mitt Romney, trailing Clinton by 37-57 in the November survey.

On returning to an unrecognizable home state

Fri, Nov 30, 5 a.m.

By Ted Van Dyk

A veteran political insider writes a discerning book about being witness to an eventful history. His return to Seattle and his native state brings a shock at discovering how a once-exceptional political climate had soured into something depressingly like that of the rest of the nation, where the people's real needs are not addressed with forthright leadership.