Carving up the Northwest vote
By CNN's Richard Quest
 |  "The most important thing to me is to have a strong military," says Jim Brummett. |
| |
|  VIDEO |
 CNN's Richard Quest is in the Pacific Northwest to gauge voters' opinions on the presidential race
|
|
SNOQUALMIE, Washington (CNN) -- After a week sweltering in the humid heat of Atlanta, doing duty at the CNN Center, I am back on the road again. This time I have come to the top of the continental United States -- the Pacific Northwest and Seattle.
Seattle is one of America's relatively undiscovered beautiful cities. Surrounded by forests, mountains and lakes, the Puget Sound region is home to some of the world's best-known brands, including Microsoft, Boeing and Starbucks.
Starbucks started in Seattle's Pike Place Market in 1971 and since then has expanded to around 7,500 branches worldwide. Walking around this city, it seems like a good number of them are here. There really is a Starbucks on every corner, up every alley -- even one in my hotel lobby.
We had hoped to discuss politics in the original Starbucks, but the management wouldn't have anything of it. They didn't mind us promoting Starbucks, but they didn't want us doing anything controversial like discussing politics in one. Go figure.
Instead, I headed to one of the small towns around the city -- Snoqualmie, population 6,000, some 50 miles from Seattle. Here they celebrate their railroad days with a summer fair that somehow seems to have more vintage cars on display than trains.
They also have some very interesting local traditions here, such as "chainsaw art." Yes, you literally take a lump of wood and start carving out bears, eagles or rocks with a chainsaw. Not that I had a go -- far too dangerous to be wielding a chainsaw in such a fashion. Someone might get hurt --me!
But the Snoqualmie fair was a perfect place to realize that this part of the country, like my first destination, Florida, was split between whether to vote for President George W. Bush or Democratic Sen. John Kerry.
In 2000, Washington state voted for Democrat Al Gore. This time, both sides believe they can win this important economic state and are putting huge amounts of time into convincing the electorate.
Washington is a classic frontier-spirit state. On the one hand the residents are often free-thinking and liberal (Washington may become the second U.S. state to allow same-sex marriage if a court ruling is upheld).
But that frontier spirit also generates great conservatism. Citizens here don't like being told how to live their lives. They believe government shouldn't interfere in hunting, fishing and cutting down trees. Live and let people use chainsaws -- or something like that.
Jim Brummett was proudly showing me his 1999 Corvette, which he had decorated with the Stars and Stripes, Statue of Liberty ornaments and various military artifacts. He was in the U.S. Coast Guard and is firmly in the Bush camp. For him, the issue is one of security.
"The most important thing to me is to have a strong military right now, and continue, because the threats are there," Brummett says.
"We are going to get hit again no matter who is president, but I would rather have my commander be George Bush. I feel a lot more safer."
 Carving "chainsaw art" in Snoqualmie | |
Then John Larson took me for a spin in his vintage Ford Galaxy, and I heard the opposite point of view. For Larson, Iraq is the crucial issue. He thought Bush had misled the American people.
Larson said he would do everything he could to ensure Bush wasn't re-elected and believes that Republicans here are shifting towards Kerry.
What did I learn after a day at Snoqualmie's summer fair? Well, first, just how many greasy potato rings you can eat before you feel decidedly queasy. And second, that like the rest of the country, there is a hardening of attitudes on both sides of the political fence.
Back to the artist with the chainsaw, Don Etue, who admitted he had not yet made up his mind who to vote for.
"I am completely undecided until the final minute," he said. "Bush is doing a good job on a lot of aspects, but on a lot of aspects I don't agree with (him). Kerry has a lot of good ideas, but some of his aspects I don't believe in. So its going to be a hard one."
Frankly, you don't argue with a man wielding a chainsaw -- even if he is carving something as gentle as a bird.
