Is Gov. Inslee Just Mirroring Pres. Obama?

Throughout his political career, no one ever confused which side of the fence Jay Inslee was on.   But now, he's becoming eerily similar to that guy in the White House.

Inslee has stuck to his liberal/progressive roots, even after being blasted out of the House of Representatives for his liberal votes in the Eastern, conservative side of the state, in 1994.   He then relocated to the West side, where his uber-liberal views are far more tolerated.

But since becoming governor last fall,  he has become a clone, or at least a carbon-copy of President Obama.  How?  Let's compare the two.

• Health Care: Inslee is wholeheartedly behind the Affordable Care Act, in fact, Washington is one of the 17 states closest to having its health care exchange website up and running on time Oct. 1 (26 states are currently refusing to set up such exchanges).
• Job Creation: Inslee campaigned upon a platform of job creation, but his idea mirrors Obama's: government involvement and a heavy reliance on green energy.
• Pregnancy and Abortion: The two share very similar positions, Inslee completely supported the failed Reproductive Parity Bill that didn't make it through the legislature.
• Same-Sex Marriage: Inslee echoed Obama when he praised the legalization of same-sex marriages in Washington state, saying it was a great day for equality.
• Campaign Slogan: although Inslee has not been in office nearly as long as Obama, he still uses many of the same lines he campaigned on last fall when at public speaking engagements.

And now, the latest similarity. The Seattle Times political blog is reporting Inslee is shifting into campaign fund-raiding mode. They claim Inslee has never really stopped campaigning and next week, on Aug. 22, he will be hosting a fundraiser that, depending on what role YOU want to play, will set you back as much as $500.

According to the Times Joel Connelly:

Inslee has never really stopped campaigning.  He pops up at funerals (the UW’s Brewster Denny), modest disasters (the Whidbey Island landslide) and does walking tours at places like bustling South Lake Union.  He still delivers familiar lines from his 2012 stump speech, whether it’s the biofuels plant in Moses Lake or the solar cell manufacturer in Marysville."

And yet, for all this hustle, bustle, talking, and fundraising, it took the state THREE swings at legislative sessions before finally passing a budget. According to legislators on both sides of the aisle in Olympia, Inslee was largely an ineffective spectator in that affair.

To really solidify the similarities with the president, Inslee will just need to start playing golf and take more vacations!