It is conventional wisdom in American politics that candidates run to their respective fringe bases during the primaries, then back to the center for the general election. The 2020 Democratic field has been working so hard to “out-left” each other that their party’s center may soon be moved off-planet.
In Tuesday’s debate, Bernie Sanders managed to attack Amazon as one of the great evils of 21st-century society not once, but twice. Both he and Elizabeth Warren continue to treat successful business people as if they are all Hell spawn for merely having made money.
Just hours before Wednesday’s debate, Washington Governor Jay Inslee tried to make sure everyone knows he’s the most extreme of the climate scare hoaxers in the field.
Democratic presidential candidate Jay Inslee hinted Wednesday that he is open to prosecuting fossil fuel executives, a topic that came up in Tuesday’s CNN debate and is likely to again enter the debate’s second installment.
Standing in a community center just across the street from Michigan’s only oil refinery, the Washington governor said the Department of Justice should ultimately decide whether to charge executives from any industry with committing a crime.
“But I do know the decisions being made are killing people in the United States,” Inslee said of the oil, gas and coal industry. “That’s something that should be taken seriously.”
This perfectly illustrates the problem with letting progressive ideas into the mainstream of politics: they can’t make a political point without thoroughly demonizing the people with whom they disagree.
That’s because progressivism is more of an extended adult temper tantrum than it is a political philosophy.
It could be said that Inslee is merely desperate and trying to get some press. He is, after all, polling so low that he doesn’t even appear on the Real Clear Politics polling average graphic.
Climate hysteria is Inslee’s shtick, however, and has been for a long time. He isn’t getting traction in this primary because his platform is all about what people need to have taken away from them.
As everyone knows, the eventual Democratic nominee will be whichever candidate promises the most free stuff.
(PROGRAMMING NOTE: My PJ Media colleagues will once again be live-tweeting and posting during the debate. I’ll be doing a quick wrap-up after. I think we’ve settled on the hashtag #PJMDrunkblog. Enjoy!)
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