As expected, Democrat politicians have rushed in using false scare tactics in an attempt to change the subject to abortion and hope voters forget about their massive policy failures on issues impacting most people every day. Led by Governor Jay Inslee, Democrats in Washington State have made factually incorrect statements surrounding the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision in the hope that voters will forget about their massive failures on inflation, crime, homelessness, taxes, legalizing lethal drugs, energy costs, housing supply, the Long-Term care payroll tax, adhering to COVID guidelines at state run facilities, removing dams, and abusing emergency powers.

As usual, Governor Inslee invented false scenarios not based on reality to scare voters.  His staff took to social media claiming, “We are one Republican majority away from losing our rights.” This silly statement ignores that 1) the legislature cannot overturn the state’s abortion laws without the signature of the governor; and 2) many Republicans in the Washington Legislature are pro-choice.

The governor even got into a short exchange on Twitter with Representative Drew Stokesbary (R – Auburn) over the Democrats call for a constitutional amendment to protect abortions, which even Democrat Attorney General Bob Ferguson says is unnecessary.  The representative replied, “I’m still waiting for a single constituent to say they want this constitutional amendment. Meanwhile thousands say they can’t afford gas and groceries thanks to your party’s failed policies and don’t feel safe thanks to your failed police reforms.”

Representative Stokesbary statement is backed up by recent national polling data released by Rasmussen Reports showing that Democrats’ issue focus (along with their friends in the media) is vastly out-of-touch with the concerns of Americans. Polling data reveals that Americans are most concerned with rising gas prices, inflation, the economy, violent crime, election integrity, and school issues, while the Democrats (and their media buddies) are wailing about climate change, abortion, January 6^th, COVID-19, and LGBTQ issues. (Governor Inslee Facebook post, U.S. Supreme Court, Drew Stokesbary Twitter, and Rasmussen Reports)

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Bremerton School District violated the religious rights of Assistant Football Coach Joe Kennedy when it fired him because he chose to pray on the field following games.  The coach said, “I haven’t stopped smiling once and it feels like my whole soul is vibrating.”  Coach Kennedy stated that he has no hard feelings towards those at the district, for they were only following the recommendations of the district’s attorneys. He said he looks forward to returning to the football field this summer when the Bremerton High School football team resumes practice.  Shift has followed this case closely over the years, including our interview with First Liberty’s Mike Berry, who was Coach Kennedy’s lead attorney on the case. (Kitsap Sun and Shift Newsmaker Interview)

Seattle’s Pride Parade took place on Sunday even as the city’s political leaders remained quiet over the blatant discrimination displayed by event organizers who banned police officers from participating.  It appears that Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and the members of the Seattle City Council have not learned from their past mistakes of supporting radical policies over the public safety of their own citizens.  Their past anti-police actions have resulted in a mass exodus of police officers, resulting in a police force which is currently only a little over half the size of comparable departments in the country and it does not have the staffing levels to conduct investigations on many serious crimes, including sexual assault.

Last week, Seattle Pride organizers bowed to the demands of radical anti-police activists and banned Seattle police officers from marching in the 2022 parade (as they have done annually since 1994).  Interim Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz called the decision by Pride organizers “discriminatory, demeaning, hateful and antiquated.” Mayor Harrell and city councilmembers have all ducked questions about the decision made by Pride officials, failing to follow the example set by San Francisco Mayor London Breed who said she would not participate in Pride events when organizers there made a similar decision.  Because of Mayor Breed’s actions, organizers reversed their decision and allowed police officers to participate in the parade. Even as Seattle taxpayers are spending millions to help the city to recruit police officers, why would any potential LGBTQ police officer want to work here if the city’s leaders aren’t willing to stand up against discriminatory actions? (KING5 News, MyNorthwest, NBC Bay Area, and Seattle Times)

Violent crime continues to skyrocket since the passage of Democrat’s anti-police measures in the state legislature.  Among the many incidents over the weekend were two men killed at a party in North Seattle on Saturday evening, and eight people injured in a shooting outside a rave in Tacoma very early on Sunday. (Seattle Police Department Blotter and News Tribune)

The Poulsbo mother of a two-year old boy who overdosed on fentanyl was arrested by police for an investigation of first-degree criminal mistreatment.  Fortunately the boy received medical treatment quick enough to survive the incident. The mother is “known to law enforcement to use narcotics from numerous contacts with her.” Fentanyl is among the many lethal and habitual drugs the Democrats in the Washington State Legislature have refused to fully criminalize (as it is in nearly all other states). Because of Democrat legislation, a person must be caught three times by the police with the drug before possession charges can be filed. (Kitsap Sun and Q13 Fox News)

The City of Seattle has begun the process of increasing property taxes due to its failure to maintain its parks.  A recent survey showed that Seattle residents are increasingly concerned about the conditions of their parks, which have often been taken over by homeless encampments.  Instead of prioritizing the use of public funds to take care of basic government responsibilities, the city council is using the survey results as an excuse to raise property taxes even higher and grow the size of city government even larger.  Even the Seattle Times admits the poor condition of the parks is not due to not enough funds, but due to the lack of accountability within the city. (Seattle Times)

A Spokane Police officer was a victim of one of the three drive-by shooting incidents in Northeast Spokane on Sunday. Two drive-by shooting incidents occurred within a few minutes and then the suspects fired shots at a police officer, leaving him in serious but stable condition with gunshot wounds to the head and leg. Two suspects were arrested after they crashed their car. Police Chief Craig Meidl said his department has seen a spike in drive-by shootings and other violent crimes since the passage of the Democrats’ anti-police package in 2021. Earlier this year Democrat Representatives Tarra Simmons (Bremerton) and David Hackney (Tukwila) proposed a bill (HB 1692) to reduce the sentence of those convicted of drive-by shootings. (Spokesman-Review and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

Shift’s Newsmaker Interview was with Republican State Senate candidate Ryika Hooshangi, the challenger seeking to remove controversial Democrat Senator Manka Dhingra.  This 45^th Legislative District (Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, and East King County) contest will be one of Washington State’s most watched campaigns in 2022, as Republicans seek to pick up four seats to take control of the state senate.  Hooshangi is an attorney, small business owner, PTSA president, water commissioner, and mother of two children.  She says she is running for the state senate because “we need real solutions to our problems, not extreme personal agendas.”  Hooshangi’s opponent has received much very deserved criticism for her leading efforts in passing the Democrats’ 2021 anti-police package. Senator Dhingra even went so far as to defend her Democrat colleagues who failed to support a legislative fix to the state’s police pursuit laws, which have allowed thousands of suspected criminals to flee police.

In her interview, Hooshangi provides her thoughts on the Democrats’ police pursuit restrictions, education reform, gas tax relief to help those who are struggling financially, and the Democrats’ “poorly written” Long-Term Care plan and payroll tax. She also provides an interesting choice for her favorite book. (Please click link to read full Newsmaker Interview)

Liberal greed is on full display here in Washington State as Governor Inslee and Democrat legislators have decided it is more important for the state government to keep billions in surplus tax revenue than it is to help lower- and middle- income families by suspending or reducing the state’s 49.4 cents a gallon gas tax.  As the famous economist and social theorist Thomas Sowell once said, “I have never understood why it is ‘greed’ to want to keep the money you have earned but not ‘greed’ to want to take somebody else’s money.” Republican legislators have repeatedly called for a short, virtual special session to suspend the state’s gas tax, which is the third-highest in the country, but Democrats have stubbornly held onto their liberal beliefs that it is better for government to have too much money than it is for working families to have enough money to pay their bills. Despite President Biden calling on states to follow the federal example he wants to set by of suspending its 18-cents-per-gallon gas tax, Governor Inslee continues to push false arguments which not even the national leader believes. (Click to read full Shift Article)

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