DORI MONSON

Dori: It’s official at last — Jay Inslee is running for president

Mar 2, 2019, 6:44 AM

Inslee...

Gov. Jay Inslee announced on Friday that he is running for president. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Jay Inslee shocked the world Friday morning by announcing that he is running for president of the United States.

I just loved his opening words.

“It really is a good morning, we have the sun raining down on us.”

Does the sun rain down? I’m not much of a wordsmith, but I believe the sun shines down or beams down. The rain is what rains down. That was such a great start to the speech.

RELATED: Now there’s proof Jay Inslee is running for president

Then came the big moment — he announced he is running for president in 2020. The crowd went wild. I’d bet not more than three percent of the people who cheered at this announcement will vote for him in the primaries. They just won’t. There are so many other candidates.

The speech, as you can guess, was all climate change. He is going to be the climate change candidate. That’s all he cares about.

If climate change is the biggest issue we are facing, then why are you getting zero percent in the early Democratic polling, Mr. Governor? You’ve been on MSNBC, CBS, CNN talking to a national audience every opportunity you get for weeks, telling us all that climate change is everything, and you’re getting zero percent in the polling that came out Thursday morning. So you’re telling us that the nation will elect you president based on this one issue?

Why is that, Mr. Governor? Why are you spreading that lie? The poor air quality was caused by wildfires in British Columbia. Winds from the north brought the smoke down into Washington. British Columbia, by the way, has a carbon tax like the one you’ve been pushing, yet their forests still caught on fire and their smoke still was able to cross the border. Maybe we should build a 40,000-foot-high wall between Canada and the United States so that none of the smoke could cross the border. Build that wall.

Inslee also reminded us what a climate change expert he is because of his 2007 book, “Apollo’s Fire: Igniting America’s Clean Energy Economy.” Let me tell you something about that book. At any given time, about five times the number of people who purchased Jay Inslee’s book in the last 12 years are listening to my radio show. Nobody cares about his book.

He then told us that the two fastest-growing jobs in the country are solar panel installer and wind turbine technician. If you go to the stats on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ website, you’ll see that besides the solar and wind jobs, some of the other fastest-growing jobs are physicians’ assistants, which will go from 106,000 in 2016 to nearly 146,000 by 2026, and home health care workers, which are expected to increase from 2.9 million to over four million.

In 2016, there were 5,800 wind turbine technicians in America, and about 5,600 new positions will be created by 2026, so that there will be about 11,400 people doing that job in seven years. Percentage-wise that’s huge, but when you start from an almost non-existent base, it’s easy to be the fastest-growing field. Compare 11,000 people doing a job to 146,000 people or four million people. It’s an insignificant number of jobs. There are many more people working in one downtown Seattle skyscraper than working as a wind turbine technician across the nation.

There are 11,300 solar panel installers in America, and they’ll add 11,800 positions — 23,000 by 2026. Again, on a percentage basis it’s fast, but that’s because it’s starting from a very small base. It’s easy to increase a small number of jobs by 100 percent. So he throws out these numbers that are technically correct, but is anyone in the media talking about how it’s an insignificant number in the first place?

It is about the phoniest stat you will ever hear. But no one will call him out on it, because nobody in the media checks numbers. So he gets away with pitching these lies back and forth. However, unlike everyone else in the media, we check these numbers and we report them to you.

Then Inslee talked about all of the wonderful things happening in Washington with green energy. We’ve made our public transport electric, and we’ve grown clean energy jobs, and invested in renewable energy companies. Yes, Washington is a great place. Did you talk about the gridlock on Washington roads, Mr. Governor? Did you talk about the opioid crisis and the homelessness on our streets? Did you mention that the Cato Institute rated you the worst governor in the nation when it comes to taxation and spending? Because all that is going to come out in the campaign. You can talk about green energy and jobs, but at some point you’re going to have to answer for the gridlock, the drugs, the skyrocketing taxes, and the lack of effectiveness of state government.

He finally got away from climate change to talk about how he “stood up to Donald Trump’s Muslim ban.” The thing is, there was no “Muslim ban.” Trump wanted enhanced background checks from the countries that Barack Obama identified as the most terror-exporting nations on the planet. Not all of the countries on the list were Muslim-majority nations. And the countries in the world with the largest Muslim populations, such as Indonesia, India, and Pakistan, weren’t even on the list. So you can’t call it a “Muslim ban.”

Inslee also praised Washington’s new family medical leave law and the higher minimum wage. That has been wondrous — you should bring that to all of our nation’s business owners. Let’s make government more intrusive. Do you want to know why investors are still optimistic in America? It’s because we have freed up business from incredible government meddling and regulation. So you want to bring back the most meddlesome type of government to all the businesses in America? And as far as raising the minimum wage, did you see the University of Washington study, Mr. Governor, that said the take-home pay for minimum-wage workers went down when the higher minimum wage went in? Maybe you want to dismiss the University of Washington, but … didn’t you go there? Oh well — nobody else in the media will call you out because they want you to have your day in the sun.

So Jay Inslee is officially a candidate now and will go campaign in Iowa this coming Tuesday. I’d like to know, what would happen if I went to our bosses here at Bonneville and said, “Hey, I’m going to LA to see if KFI AM 640 will hire me as a talk show host. Will you pay me for my normal working hours while I fly down there and meet with their management to see if they can give me a better job?” Of course that would not work. I would have to take a vacation day or a phony sick day. I don’t think that anybody listening to this show would be able to spend an entire day trying to land a better job and count it as time worked for their current one. So why do we as taxpayers have to pay Jay Inslee to go campaign for president?

The $700 he makes in a day should go back to the taxpayers every day that he spends on the presidential campaign trail instead of doing his real job as governor. I said the same thing about President Bush and President Obama when they were on the campaign trail, and I will say it about President Trump next year. Unfortunately in this country, you can’t run without campaigning so long, and that’s why the system is so corrupt. As a politician, all you do is fund-raise and market yourself.

So there you have it. Governor Jay Inslee is running for president. If it is Inslee vs. Trump in 2020, Trump might actually carry all 50 states. But wait, don’t count Inslee out — remember, he did carry nine whole counties in the last gubernatorial election.

Dori Monson Show

Dori Monson

Dori Monson stage show...

MyNorthwest Staff

Watch: Dori Monson’s ‘What are the Odds?’ stage show

In 2019, Dori Monson hosted a stage show - 'What are the Odds?' - which introduced you to the people who helped shape his improbable career.

1 year ago

Dori Monson welcomes the Moose back to KIRO. Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest...

MyNorthwest Staff

A collection of the all-time best Dori Monson stories

With the passing of Dori Monson, a collection of some of his top stories to remember all the hard work Dori brought to Seattle.

1 year ago

Alaska, fishing...

KIRO Newsradio staff

Listen: Friends, colleagues offer tribute to KIRO Newsradio’s Dori Monson

All day Monday, KIRO Newsradio's John Curley talked to friends, news makers, and more in tribute to Dori Monson.

1 year ago

Dori Monson Shorecrest...

Dori Monson Show

How to support charities reflecting Dori Monson’s values, passions

In tribute to Dori Monson, learn more about how you can support these three charities which best reflect his values, passions, and advocacy.

1 year ago

From left, Producer Nicole Thompson and KIRO host Dori Monson. (Courtesy of the Monson family)...

MyNorthwest Staff

Broadcasters, politicians, coworkers and friends remember Dori Monson

Dori Monson, a longtime KIRO Newsradio host, passed away Saturday. He is remembered by public figures, broadcasters, coworkers, and listeners.

1 year ago

Dori Monson...

MyNorthwest Staff

Longtime KIRO Newsradio host Dori Monson dies at age 61

We are deeply saddened to announce Dori Monson's sudden passing on Saturday, December 31, 2022, at a Seattle hospital.

1 year ago

Dori: It’s official at last — Jay Inslee is running for president