Governor Jay Inslee had to face questions from someone who wasn’t at one of his many fundraisers for the first time in months, and it did not go well at yesterday’s campaign debate. Bill Bryant kept pointing out the many mistakes of the Inslee administration – failing to adequately fund our public schools, letting prisoners out early, making congestion on I-405 even worse, etc. – leaving the “green” governor with little to do but try and change the subject.
Multiple media sources covered the debate in Spokane, providing voters around the state a chance to see and hear just how poorly Jay is doing his job.
Just consider his response when asked what he thought was the biggest failure of his first term, as reported by The News Tribune: “Inslee at first deflected with humor: ‘I don’t know, taking that check you contributed to me when I ran for Congress in 1994?’”
That right, when faced with his many failures in the last four years, Inslee tried to get a laugh about a campaign contribution he received from Bryant over 20 years ago. And when he did answer the question semi-seriously, he picked a subject over which the governor has no control: “Inslee went on to say his biggest regret in office has been seeing an increase in homelessness.”
Evidently the fact that the state being held in contempt of court for not providing enough money to our public schools, or letting inmates out early who go on to commit horrific crimes, doesn’t quite bother Jay.
Nor was the truth something that Jay was troubled by. In a fundraising email to supporters immediately after the debate, Inslee told the whopper that “I’m the only candidate who is committed to building a world-class education system here in Washington state.”
The fact that he had to be dragged kicking and screaming by Senate Republicans into lowering college tuition, and has said we can only fund our schools if we create a state income tax, equates in Inslee’s mind to “building” a better school system.
The Seattle Times also caught Inslee being less than truthful in the debate, reporting that reporting that “Inslee said Bryant ‘fundamentally … doesn’t believe in the minimum wage”, even though Bryant said repeatedly during the debate that he does support minimum wage laws that are tailored to the various regions of the state. Evidently Inslee’s big-dollar union contributors didn’t tell him that would be OK, so he stayed on his false attack.
Nor was Inslee able to ignore his economic failures, as the Times reported it was true when “Bryant said Washington has ‘one of the highest unemployment rates in America.’ That’s true. Washington’s statewide unemployment rate in July remained at 5.8 percent, the same as the previous six months, according to figures released Wednesday.
That’s about a full percentage point above the national average, and up slightly from the 5.6 percent rate in June of last year. Washington’s rate was tied for 40th among the states as of June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
So, when faced with the truth about high unemployment, underfunded public schools, and mismanagement of state agencies, Inslee resorted to his favorite defense – it must somehow be Donald Trump’s fault, so how could anyone support him? It was an attack that the TNT reported Bryant was waiting for: “Bryant, in turn, accused Inslee of ignoring state-specific issues by focusing on Trump. ‘We’re going to start talking about your four years of failure, and you’re going to have to start defending your record,’ Bryant said.”
And that’s a discussion that Inslee really doesn’t want to participate in. One can only guess how many debates he’ll be ducking in the remaining days of the campaign.
Bryant said Washington has ‘one of the highest unemployment rates in America.’ That’s true. Washington’s statewide unemployment rate in July remained at 5.8 percent, the same as the previous six months, according to figures released Wednesday.
From the link to The Seattle Times:
“If we had a state that only consisted of areas west of the mountains, we’d see the unemployment rate be a whole lot lower. It’d be like the Seattle area.”
So, any idea what Bill Bryant will do to make the conservative, Republican areas of our state more like “areas west of the mountains,” and more “like the Seattle area.”?
Maybe he could tell them to stop voting for Republicans, and instead to vote more “like the Seattle area.” Like, maybe, perhaps voting for leaders “like the Seattle area” chooses? Like, you know, Gov. Jay Inslee?
Please let us know what Bill Bryant will do in this regard.
LOL… right.
Never mind rural versus urban.
Well, we have since learned that Bill Bryant has publicly declared he won’t vote for his own Party’s presidential candidate.
That’s a decent start.
We have since learned that it doesn’t matter who the gubernatorial candidates will vote for for a national office. Governor Bryant could have taken a page out of Greenie’s handbook of non-governing and waited until election night to declare who he was voting for, like I-1351.
We have since learned that it doesn’t matter who the gubernatorial candidates will vote for for a national office.
Yes, but think of all the other Republican candidates, at all levels, for whom Bill Bryant might not be voting. Those could include many offices right here in Washington state. He really could provide a significant public service by telling us who on the entire slate of Republican candidates is also unworthy of his vote.
Apparently you consider the most pressing issue facing our state to be who the governor is voting for. Like a typical leftist, you ignore blatant failures and woeful mismanagement so long as your “green” guy votes the party line. You have a pathetic ideology.
Apparently you consider the most pressing issue facing our state to be who the governor is voting for.
I’m sorry — do you believe we were discussing the votes cast by the Governor of Washington state? Because we were clearly talking about the votes Bill Bryant will — and, far more importantly — will not cast. Those are two entirely separate subjects. You’re welcome.
That’s even more pathetic. You’ve reached a new low. The most pressing issue facing our state is who a citizen will vote for or not. Let me translate it into crayon for your limited intellect; With all that’s involved in our current gubernatorial campaign, you choose to laser focus on who the candidates will vote for in the presidential race, ignoring all the other issues completely. It’s the National (Democratic) Socialist way.
The most pressing issue facing our state is who a citizen will vote for or not.
Because our elections are not decided by the votes of us citizens, right?
…to laser focus on who the candidates will vote for in the presidential race,
No, not “the candidates,” (which, as you’ve now repeatedly failed to notice, is a plural) but “the (singular) gubernatorial candidate from the party which has not occupied our governor’s mansion in well over thirty years.”
Also, I explicitly asked about which *local* Republican candidates Bill Bryant (note: singular) may refuse to vote for:
“Yes, but think of all the other Republican candidates, at all levels, for whom Bill Bryant might not be voting. Those could include many offices right here in Washington state. He really could provide a significant public service by telling us who on the entire slate of Republican candidates is also unworthy of his vote.”
…ignoring all the other issues completely.
Actually, I’ve “laser focused” on the very issue Shift mentioned: Washington State’s higher-than-our-national-average unemployment rate, which is so incredibly high for the reason Shift’s source explicitly stated: other parts of Washington state are insufficiently like Seattle. Therefore, I asked what gubernatorial candidate Bill Bryant would do to make the rest of Washington state more like Seattle, and he has already given the promising answer that he will behave like the overwhelming majority of voters in Seattle, by not voting for the Republican Party’s presidential candidate. I was hoping to build on his promising start by determining what other Republican candidates, at the state and local levels, would not receive his vote. Every vote he denies to a Republican candidate helps to make Washington state “more like Seattle,” and thus — according to Shift’s source — economically better off.
You do want our state to be better off economically, right?
A Republican Governor would reduce unemployment, statewide, not just on the East side of the mountains. Bryant’s comments where rhetorical, not specific.
With a Republican led legislature, the state could see lower taxes and a better quality of living for all it’s citizens…not just the ones nearest it’s capitol.
With a Republican led legislature, the state could see lower taxes and a better quality of living for all it’s citizens…not just the ones nearest it’s capitol.
The last time we had “a Republican led legislature,” King County, including Seattle, saw higher taxes on our small businesses, to fund a baseball stadium the voters of King County — led by Seattle — had rejected.
Bryant’s comments where rhetorical, not specific.
Um…
Bryant said Washington has ‘one of the highest unemployment rates in America.
That sounds pretty specific. Too bad he forgot to add it is the conservative, Republican portions of the state which are entirely responsible for it.
A Republican Governor would reduce unemployment, statewide, not just on the East side of the mountains.
And yet, decades have passed since we had one. Why Washington Republicans have little chance at statewide office is a real and enduring mystery — to Washington Republicans.
“Why Washington Republicans have so little chance at statewide office is a real and enduring mystery”
Anyone with two brain cells to rub together knows that’s no mystery; King County liberals
…that’s no mystery; King County liberals.
Yes, we King County liberals consistently believe that our lower-than-the-national-average unemployment levels are somehow better than the higher-than-the-national-average unemployment levels found in the conservative and Republican areas of Washington state.
You remain free to exhibit your continuing inability to undrstand this.
“Yes, we King County liberals consistently believe that our lower-than-the-national-average unemployment levels are somehow caused by our liberal policies, we just can’t cite any examples”
There, fixed it for ya.
We base our beliefs upon the facts, Biff. And the fact is, the liberal-led sections of our state have unemployment rates lower than the national average. So when Bill Bryant says Washington state’s unemployment rate is above the national average, he’s really saying the conservative and Republican parts of our state have unemployment rates far higher than our national average. If he or anyone else can explain this abject failure of conservsative and Republican leaders to implement effective policies for economic growth, let’s hear it.
Until then, we’re just going to have to find ways to make the conservative and Republican areas of our state “more like Seattle,” without knowing exactly why that is.
(Unless, of course, we really don’t want our state’s economy to improve.)
You liberals base your beliefs on the absurd notion that the Seattle area’s robust economy is somehow driven by leftist economic policies, yet you can’t point to a single, specific example. Like always, all you have is vague generalities. Tell us, what specific local policy made Seattle-based Amazon.com the largest retailer in the world? This is your cue to realize that you’re “just not that into” being uncomfortably wrong and stop responding.
We learn more from failure than we do from success, so it would be easier and faster to look at why conservative and Republican areas of our state have such whopping rates of unemployment. Why are those places failing so badly, despite receiving such huge economic subsidies from King County’s liberal taxpayers? What could we all do to help make them more “like the Seattle area”? What exactly is so hideously wrong with what they are doing now?
I’m hoping Bill Bryant will continue his promising start in this matter.
“From the link to The Seattle Times”
I thought you and the other two members of the beret-and-goatee gang down at Komrade’s Koffee (where a taxpayer pays for your drink) derisively referred to it as “The Bothell Times”. Why on Earth would you be citing a link to a rag like that? Perhaps because you’re ideologically bankrupt?
… derisively referred to it as “The Bothell Times”.
Yes, but a good writer always keeps his audience in mind, and the excruciatingly tender sensitivities you displayed the last time I exposed your poor little innocent self to the rough-and-tumble man’s world of Seattle political discourse suggested I should avoid such a difficult subject with you in future. You’re welcome.
Why on Earth would you be citing a link to a rag like that? Perhaps because you’re ideologically bankrupt?
You’re free to ask the anonymous author(s) of this post why they took the word of that dreadfully “liberal” newspaper as fact. I merely found it convenient to cite their own source as proof that electing fewer Republicans means more money for the rest of us.
I’m also free to ask you why you anonymously took the word of that dreadfully “liberal” newspaper as fact. Don’t let the other two members of the beret-and-goatee set down at Komrade’s Koffee in on your secret, you might get kicked out, be forced to shave and turn in your beret.
I’m also free ask you why you anonymously took the word of that dreadfully “liberal” newspaper as fact.
Of course you are, and we all fully understand why you are asking me, and not Shift, why Shift quoted The Seattle Times as a reliable source of information: I sometimes respond to your inquiries, while Shift, to whom you have easily submitted your hard-earned money, never does.
Since you helplessly missed it th first time, I”ll do you the (unearned) favor of repeating my reason: the source Shift cited in this post stated the economy Iin the Seattle area is far outperforming the economy in the rest of Washington state. You can ask Shift why they decided to quote and to believe such information.
“I sometimes respond to your inquiries”
When you don’t feel uncomfortably wrong, that is. When you frequently feel uncomfortably wrong, you respond with crickets.
Why do you continue heap praise on Shift and quote The Bothell Times as a reliable source of information?
Biff, the very people to whom you pay money (for their supposedly great political wisdom?) won’t pay any attention to you, but you somehow expect someone else to do it for free. You’re showing a pretty weak understanding of how capitalism is supposed to work, comrade.
And maybe sometimes I’m just not that into you? 😀
Why do you continue heap praise on Shift…
And where have I done that, reading comprehension genius?
…quote The Bothell Times as a reliable source of information?
Again, that’s a question for Shift. I was merely showing the logical result of their having done so: that the way to address the problem they identified would be to make more of Washington state like Seattle. You’re free to disagree with them on that if you like; I’m just the messenger here.
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