Democratic governor Jay Inslee compared his fight for a carbon tax in his state of Washington to Nelson Mandela’s fight against apartheid in South Africa.
Inslee’s comparison came during a panel on “Climate Change and Our Global Future” at the Center for American Progress Ideas Festival, where he was joined by billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer.
Inslee was asked by moderator Amy Harder, a climate change reporter for Axios, why it was taking so long to get carbon tax policies enacted in Washington.
“I’m undeterred because I think if you look at the arc of history, you know Nelson Mandela didn’t win for 22 years and then he became president,” Inslee said.
Inslee also pointed out that it “took us a long time to get Medicare.”
“This is the nature of progress, but we’re going to win it,” he concluded.
Mandela spent much of the 22 years referenced by Inslee in a South African prison.
Inslee predicted that the fight for a carbon tax would be won in November through a ballot initiative.
“This November we’re going to have people coming out in droves to vote because they have been inspired because they have seen the chaos when you have a climate-denier in the White House,” he said.
He predicted that an alliance between the “labor community,” the “communities of color and poverty,” and the “traditional environmental community” would get the carbon tax initiative across the finish line.
“We have one of the most beautiful alliances I’ve ever seen in my state,” he said.
Read more at Free Beacon
What Liars !
A ” carbon ” Tax is actually a tax on everything.
It is a tax on existence.
It’s the gov’t reaching into your pecket because rou exist
AS IF
You have no right to exist except by
Leave of the government !
How soon will Al Bore amd Leonardo DiCaprion start living like Robinson Caruso
The people in Washington state care about the environment they just don’t care for climate crusading con-man and their sugar daddies .
I do love the stare off into space visionary look so well refined by Obama and Gore .
Washington state is benefitting tremendously from the carbon tax in neighbouring British Columbia . Why would you be in BC getting ripped off when you can just drive across the border and save 20 % on gasoline and other products ?
Doubtful Washington state residents will be bullied or conned into a carbon tax by the eco -anarchists and their California bag man .
My youngest daughter worked for Target in Bellingham for a number of months. They had lots of customers from British Columbia. I remembering being in the auto motive section in Walmart. A man from British Columbia was stranding there in amazement. He said that a large container of motor at Walmart for $20 was $50 in British Columbia.
What in the world has he been smoking lately looks to me like he is wearing rainbow color glasses and seeing himself as a savior like Christ
Keep in mind that there were three motivations that started the global warming movement. One was to force de-industrialization by making energy scarce and expensive. The other group wanted to increase the power of government and create an excuse for new taxes. Other motivations, such transferring the wealth of the industrial nations to those who are developing came later.
Inslee’s carbon tax is a manifestation of the original goal. However, unlike Mandela, Inslee does not have 22 years. By then there is a better than even chance we will be in a mini ice age. Even if we are lucky enough to avoid that, as each year goes by it is more obvious that anthropological climate change isn’t happening. Time is against Inslee.
By the way, Washington voters have a pretty consistent record of voting against taxes on the state level. He mentioned the labor community. You can bet that the labor union members don’t agree with their leadership.
Difficulty getting voter support for climate change issues is why the movement relies on action from unelected unaccountable bureaucrats.
Inslee sounds like a competitive virtue signaller.
David, you may be right about union members backing climate activism. I carried a union card for 35 years, and the only cause I had in common with the union executive was charitable donations.