Jay Inslee on His Last Big Climate Fight as Governor

A Quick Weekend Listen

Inslee on Voltz

David Roberts, a nationally renowned climate reporter, formerly of Vox, interviewed Jay Inslee this week. I was slated to attend the live event but ended up with a family conflict, which was a real bummer. But I enjoyed the listen very much, and I recommend it.

The main thing they discuss is the current effort by a hedge-fund ghoul to use our ballot process to gut our pollution caps and spoil the spending plans for cleaning up our communities. 

(That same rich guy is also trying to eliminate much needed elder care investments and cut taxes for the rich in a state where the rich are some of the most undertaxed in the country, aiming to take a billion dollars out of schools. Vote NO on all three initiatives this fall, and tell your friends!).

In the interview, Inslee reflects on this particular fight, his legacy, his Presidential run, and his future plans. It’s a good listen, and goes by quick (on 2.5x anyway!). 

You can listen online, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts (I use overcast, and mostly like it). 

PS. BTW, for those of you who think Harrell or even straight-up conservatives like Sara Nelson are the same kind of Democrat as Inslee–I offer you this same journalist’s perspective on those two:

Roberts said in response to Harrell deciding to make housing prices worse  that Harrell is “perpetually disappointing,” elsewhere that he is an “epic disappointment,” and more chuckle-worthy “sounds like a parody–has our mayor . . . ever met a youth?” in response to a particular statement about techies mentoring kids on golf courses. 

When Sara Nelson penned her oped in January, David said the following: “New City Council president Sara Nelson is a vintage Seattle pol: full of vague goo-goo bullshit about ‘good governance’ being ‘less ideological,’ which always, always means ‘in hoc to the business community.’ Uninspired, uninspiring.”

Note that Nelson is putting her own money into Mark Mullet’s (not mainstream Dem) campaign against Bob Ferguson (actual mainstream Dem), who is endorsed by Jay Inslee (actual mainstream Dem).

Just your regular friendly reminder that our current city government is not governing like a mainstream Democratic government and that this is a myth peddled by a Chamber that wants to put low taxes for itself ahead of libraries, affordable housing and health clinics for marginalized groups, and who knows what else! We’ll know after budget season this fall.