Despite the DNC’s insistance that they would not repeat the RNC’s 2016 undercard debate system, it seems increasingly likely that just ten candidates of the 20 sparring this week will make it to the September debate stage. It’s time for a handful of candidates to throw a Hail Mary, and none is better positioned to do so than Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
Inslee is only 30,000 donors away from the September donor requirements, but he’s nearly fell off the scoreboard of polling entirely. Candidates like Inslee who focus their entire campaign around a single issue (in his case, climate change) tend to have a bit more staying power if they can garner enough headlines. For example, entrepreneur Andrew Yang went from being a virtual unknown to beating out three of the seven sitting senators running in the primary thanks to his targeted messaging about addressing automation with a universal basic income and better vocational training. Inslee’s climate agenda positions him both as focused enough to garner a single-issue boost and left-wing enough to place him safely within a lane.
Which brings us to the easiest attack for Inslee to boost his media coverage and possibly polls.
Twenty years ago, three of our current presidential contenders served in Congress while President Bill Clinton authorized American troops to assist in NATO’s bombing campaign of Serbian civilians. The Clinton administration lied about the scope and nature of the civil war between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians, and Amnesty International considers the bombings, which intentionally killed journalists and Chinese nationals, a war crime.
Then-Sen. Joe Biden sponsored the resolution authorizing the strikes. In the House, then-Rep. Inslee voted against the authorizing resolution. Then-Representative and supposed pacifist Bernie Sanders voted in favor.
Inslee will share a debate stage with Biden, who will already face fire from Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. Inslee will only gain left-wing bonafides for attacking the much-maligned moderate of the race. More importantly, he can also hit the leading but vulnerable candidate of the far-left lane of the race with one simple contrast: Inslee had the moral courage to vote against an illegal war, so why didn’t Bernie?
Thanks to all the war waged by the Obama administration without congressional approval, illegal wars are a part of Biden’s brand at this point. Inslee’s attacks wouldn’t damage him much, but they would boost the governor’s name recognition. Even more importantly, it’d strike a blow against Bernie’s left-wing stature, positioning Inslee as a vociferous alternative.
It’s a gamble, sure. But when you’re losing to Bill de Blasio, do you actually have anything left to lose?
