Divided in Sequim

Clallamity Jen Podcast

Divided in Sequim

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Divided in Sequim

Saturday Podcast

Clallamity Jen

Feb 14, 2026

Intro Haiku:

Divided in Sequim
You’re with them or against them.
What happened to love?

Article includes the ChatGPT synopsis of the CCWD article segments we discussed. Full forecast discussion is available in the automated transcript of the podcast and can be accessed by clicking the ‘transcript’ button under the podcast window at the top of the article.

Sequim Monitor poll results:

Are you going to the Sunshine Festival? 20 answered

70% No, I’m not interested
5% Yes, I’ve gone in previous years
25% I don’t know yet
0% not if it rains; yes, this will be my first year

Did you know Fire District 3 board meetings were open to the public? 13 answered

85% No
15% Yes

Podcast: Civic Neutrality, Partisanship, and Community Retaliation in Sequim

CC Watchdog Articles Referenced:

How the League of Women Voters Lost Its Way (February 5, 2026)
Filibusters, Fences, and the Cost of Silence (February 9, 2026)
When Voters Lose Their Voice, Bureaucrats Gain Power (February 11, 2026)

Executive Summary:

Two recent developments in Sequim center on the activities of Indivisible Sequim, its association with the League of Women Voters, and events hosted at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

Event 1: “Blue Wave Tsunami Time” at St. Luke’s Church

An explicitly electoral organizing event promoted messaging such as:

“Let’s flip the Senate”
“Let’s flip the House”
Phone banking
Postcard writing
Primary tracking
Traveling to districts for get out the vote efforts

The language reflects structured campaign activity rather than neutral civic education. The concern raised is whether a tax-exempt church (501(c)(3)) can host or facilitate partisan campaign organizing without legal or reputational risk.

Event 2: Boycott Pressure Against a Local Business

After a small local business displayed a CC Watchdog sign, social media comments from individuals aligned with Indivisible Sequim included:

Calls not to patronize the business
Encouragement to avoid using them as subcontractors
Public mockery and insult

The issue raised is whether claims of inclusivity and nonpartisanship are consistent with organized economic pressure against businesses expressing opposing views.

Social Media Issue: A woman was told to choose between reading Clallam County Watchdog and Indivisible Sequim.

The social media post as shown on CCWD:

Some in the group know that I read Jeff Tozzer’s column from time to time and asked me to choose between Tozzer and Indivisible Sequim. I said I couldn’t since both were a result of the Constitution and a democratic process of free speech which IS is supposedly standing for. I also invited 40+ people to join and one of them was not liked by an IS moderator and they cancelled the invite. I’ve heard from others at this point that he’s done this before as a moderator. So, not sure if I broke a rule but the group seems to be being run by a few rather than many.

Talking Points:

The Legal Line for Churches

Under federal law (Johnson Amendment framework), 501(c)(3) organizations:

May not endorse or oppose candidates.
May not participate in campaign intervention.
May conduct neutral civic education.

The event description included operational campaign language (phone banking, get out the vote training, flipping legislative chambers).

Discussion Questions:

Does hosting such an event constitute facilitation?
Is the church responsible for content, or merely space rental?
Where does passive hosting become active participation?

Issue Advocacy vs. Campaign Strategy

There is a distinction between:

Educating voters about issues
Organizing specific electoral outcomes

“Flip the Senate” is outcome-driven language.

Discussion Question:

At what point does civic engagement become partisan machinery?

Enforcement Reality vs. Principle

IRS enforcement of campaign violations by churches is historically rare.

So the real question may be less about enforcement and more about:

Public trust
Institutional credibility
Long-term reputational risk

Discussion Question:

Should standards matter even if enforcement is unlikely?

Inclusivity — Conditional or Universal?

Indivisible Sequim publicly promotes inclusivity and respect.

However, social media responses included:

“Not patronizing that business.”
“Make sure they’re not subcontracting.”
Personal insults.

Boycotts are legal. So is criticism.

But the question is whether:

Inclusivity applies to ideological opponents
Or whether tolerance stops at disagreement

Discussion Question:

Is inclusivity meaningful if it excludes dissenters?

Economic Retaliation as a Political Tool

There is a difference between:

Individual consumer choice
Organized economic targeting

Small businesses operate on thin margins. Public shaming campaigns can escalate quickly.

Discussion Questions:

Is organized boycott pressure proportional (does the punishment fit the offense)?
Does this create a chilling effect for business owners expressing political views?

The Double Standard Test

Would similar actions be condemned if reversed?

If conservative groups targeted progressive businesses?
If a church hosted a right-leaning “flip the House” event?

Consistency is the credibility test.

Discussion Question:

Are standards applied evenly across political divides?

Escalation of Purity Politics

Two recurring patterns:

Ideological litmus tests for participation
Public pressure to economically isolate dissent

That dynamic shifts community politics from debate to compliance enforcement.

Discussion Question:

Is this strengthening civic life — or hardening tribal lines?

Optics vs. Intent

Even if:

The church believes it is merely hosting
The organization (LWV/IS) believes it is promoting engagement
The boycott comments represent only a subset of supporters

Public perception may tell a different story.

Discussion Question:

How much does optics (perception) matter in maintaining institutional trust?

Friday the 13th, Part IV: The Final Chapter

Crispin Glover wows the girl with his rhythmic moves

Thank you for listening, laughing & sharing!

Upcoming February Interviews:

This coming week I will be interviewing:

Jake Seegers, candidate for Clallam County Commissioner District 3.
Mark Curtis, a Clallam County resident and member of the Calico Cat Club, an organization that is in the planning process for a public safety town hall event.

If you have questions you would like me to ask, please submit them in a comment, in a Substack message, or by email clallamityjen@gmail.com. Thank you!.