Jay Inslee is building his 2020 campaign around a more pragmatic approach to tackling climate change

[DonViejo]

By James Hohmann
February 25 at 10:14 AM

THE BIG IDEA: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), who is poised to formally announce that he is running for president as early as this week, has held elected office since before Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, was born.

Though he said it has felt lonely at times, the 68-year-old has been trying to do something about global warming for almost that entire time. He’s learned more from his failures than his successes. Now he hopes that Democratic primary voters come to value hard-earned wisdom.

Every 2020 candidate is talking extensively about climate change in his or her stump speech, but no one else has made it the central rationale for seeking the presidency. “I've got three grandkids, and I want them to experience what I have: salmon in the river, snow in the mountains, clean air and forests to hike in,” he said in an interview this weekend at the National Governors Association winter meeting. “It's all going to be degraded if we don't take this battle on.”

As a congressman, Inslee was a key player in the push for a cap-and-trade system 10 years ago. A bill passed in the House but stalled in the Senate, even though Democrats had a near-filibuster-proof majority.

Last March, Inslee fought hard but failed to enact the nation’s first carbon tax in Washington state. He couldn’t whip the votes to pass the bill through his state’s Democratic-controlled legislature. This past November, voters in his state rejected a ballot initiative to impose a carbon fee on fossil fuel emissions. A separate push he spearheaded to cap emissions was blocked in the courts.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2019/02/25/daily-202-jay-inslee-is-building-his-2020-campaign-around-a-more-pragmatic-approach-to-tackling-climate-change/5c72e37e1b326b71858c6c25/

[Renew Deal]

1. Climate change alone is not enough to win the presidency

And will pigeon hole him.

[oasis]

2. Wonk won't work. Knowledgeable Dem, but sadly lacking in pizzazz. nt

[frazzled]

3. Well, with respect to climate change at least, do we want pizazz or do we want real policy?

I'm happy if Inslee, who is probably one of the most long-term worker bees on climate change, brings his voice to the debate. I don't think he could win either, but his views on this subject are welcome if they push other candidates to adopt significant policy issues.

Pizazz and 50 cents will get you a cup of coffee. What we need is real, enactable, enforceable policy. Failed pizazz actually hurts the goals.

[oasis]

4. I wish he could find a way to get a sizable boost onto the

national stage. Inslee presents his climate change message quite well, but sadly (again I'm using 'sadly') the climate message by itself is not enough to to carry the day.

[Persondem]

5. Good stuff, but Inslee is way more than a 1 issue candidate. He has a great record

as a progressive when he was a congressman and is still progressive as a governor.

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100211462374