Making The Case for Jay Inslee for President

There has been a fair amount of angst about the state of the democratic field for President. The mainstream media has pictured this (not entirely incorrectly) as a battle between the progressives (as exemplified by Warren and Sanders) and the moderates (Biden + just about everyone else). The area of consensus is the priority for nominating someone who has the best shot at defeating Trump.

I am a big fan of Elizabeth Warren and I think she has the smarts and solid plans to be a great President but I share the concern of some that she might not be the best nationwide candidate. The fact that Joe Biden still comfortably leads the field says something about the confidence of voters in the ability of progressives to carry us to victory in 2020.

I think the priority of the next President needs to be the climate crisis, and Gov. Inslee is the only candidate who clearly states that this would his top priorioty if elected. I agree with him that unless we solve that, nothing else will matter because the fate of the entire planet hangs in the balance. He has the most comprehensive plan for addressing this emergency, as rated by independent organizations, including Greenpeace. Many of the progressive candidates are trying to out-do each other by pledging large sums for the Green Economy but addressing this problem will take much more than just throwing money at it. Jay Inslee has a much deeper understanding of the complex issues involved, and he even wrote a book about climate change in 2009 before it was on the radar of many politicians.

Gov. Inslee has more relevant experience than most of the other candidates with years as a US Congressman and executive experience as Governor of Washington State since 2013. He has helped that state achieve a thriving economy while improving access to health care, funding early-childhood education and family leave, and raising the minimum wage — while facilitating the transition to renewables.

I hesitate to say this but I also think that, as a white male, Inslee would avoid some of negative *&%#@ thrown by the right-wing media at women, minorities, and gays. Personally, I would love to see someone like Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, or Pete Buttigieg elected President but I also accept that there are large swaths of the country where the identity politics will work against those candidates. I wasn’t certain that that would be the case but the poll numbers in favor of Joe Biden suggest that I am not alone in thinking that way.