It often appears as if Jay Inslee’s first priority is to leave a legacy as our nation’s “greenest” governor. Indeed, our “green” governor sacrifices quite a lot—not least of which his credibility—for his extreme agenda. For an example, Inslee has never been one to let science get in the way of his “green” schemes. He has quite a long history of using outdated, flawed studies to justify his plans or simply ignoring verified facts to advance his political goals.
But, there is one rather embarrassing reality that Inslee cannot run over on his path to force his agenda on our state: the car he is riding in. You see, the Washington State Patrol transports our green governor and the first lady in Chevy Suburbans. To be clear, Suburbans receive just 20 miles per gallon on the highway—hardly the picture of an environmentally conscious governor. That reality has, apparently, been a source of embarrassment for Inslee and his staff. The Northwest News Network,
Officially, the State Patrol says it’s a matter of safety and the governor doesn’t have a choice in the matter. But internally, the Patrol is aware the Suburban is not in line with Inslee’s green image…
“Because of the political sensitivity to the mileage and all that we want to keep that hard line on ‘you’re safer in the Suburban, we need to use the Suburban,’” Putnam said. “As long as we keep that that provides them with political cover to say they don’t get to choose which car they’re in that way they don’t get on the hook for where they’re at.”
In keeping with the “he-doesn’t-have-a-choice” messaging strategy, David Postman—spokesman for Inslee—stated that our green governor “would be in a Prius all day, every day if he were allowed to.” He also added “other considerations besides crash safety are also taken into consideration, including the ability for the Suburban to jump a curb in an emergency.”
Of course, considering the safety justifications, it’s unclear why Inslee and his staff have a bone to pick with Washingtonians who choose to drive SUVs for similar reasons.
Inslee isn’t the only extreme “green” activist to be caught in an embarrassing, hypocritical situation. As Shift reported, liberal California billionaire Tom Steyer is known for creating a carbon footprint to rival even the most jet-setting, SUV driving, environmentally unfriendly billionaire. In December 2014, Steyer traveled from his plush home in California to Louisiana in order to attend a global warming conference. While in New Orleans, Steyer participated in a panel discussion called “The Dollars and Sense of Climate Change.” Steyer then left the conference… in a gas-guzzling SUV.
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