Supporters at left of a tax on large companies face off against opponents of the tax at City Hall in Seattle, June 12, 2018.

For roughly a month, the City of Seattle seemed to be at the vanguard of a new affordable-housing movement, an emblem of what government can do when elected representatives heed the demands of a mobilized working-class constituency.

Supporters at left of a tax on large companies face off against opponents of the tax at City Hall in Seattle, June 12, 2018. (AP Photo / Ted S. Warren)

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