Jay Inslee - The Empty Suit Dilemma

Washington's newest Governor

Nobody can accuse Governor Inslee of being a genius.  It is the beginning of the Inslee era in Olympia.  The last few months have been the usual chaos as former insiders unsuccessfully attempt to remain relevant, resumes and reputations are scrutinized for possible placement, and the inevitable Olympian insider games begin.  Who is Jay Inslee?  What is he like?  What type of governor has Washington just elected?  If you use the word “intelligent” as part of your description for Washington’s newest governor, then true insiders will know you are not on the inside.  Washington elected an empty suit. 

Regardless of how anyone felt about the former Governor Gregoire, nobody could call her stupid.  Dishonest?  Absolutely.  Corrupt?  Probably.  An idiot?  Not her.  Political observers might love or hate Governor Gregoire, but they couldn’t honestly accuse her of not being intelligent.  However, the newest Washington State Governor is a classic example of political devolution and the dumbing down of the Governor’s office.  He  will require a lot of coaching, handling, and a very compliant media to maintain even the veneer of being a marginally capable leader.  There is no law against ignorance or incompetence.  It is fortunate for many politicians that an intelligence test is not required to run for office.  You don't have to be smart to become a powerful politician.  Washington State has proven this by reelecting Patty Murray as senator many times.

Jay Inslee filling the suit for a photo

While Senator Murray can hide her incompetence and lack of smarts in a city full of politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists on the other side of the continent, Governor Inslee can’t hide so easily.  A Governor actually has to do more than just post the right votes and collect donation checks.  Real decisions have to be made, and even in Olympia, people will notice total incompetence.  Governor Inslee may be an empty suit, but this does not necessarily mean disaster for Washington. 

When a very weak, incompetent, or empty suit leader is elected to high office – we must look at the real puppet masters running the show.  Watch who Governor Inslee appoints to key positions, and note who leads the inner circle.  Who pulls the puppet strings?  They will be running the governor’s office while the hapless Inslee walks around in his suit (and maybe has a few scripted bulldozer events for the tame media).  This also means that the people in these positions are more important than they were under previous administrations. 

Staff will certainly be running the show in Olympia

The dilemma is the fact that staff will be running Washington State instead of the governor for the next four years.  We didn't elect them, but they will be running the show. There will be challenges for our state and this administration.  These challenges are likely to be significant considering the state of the nation’s economy.  Regardless of which recent governor candidate we supported in the recent election– we all need to pray that a good team of people surround Inslee and can protect Washington State from the damage that a leadership intelligence vacuum creates. 

We need to hope that these people can make up for the clear deficiencies in the politician we just elected to office.  We must hope that their agendas are not more harmful than normal to our state.  We must assume they can fill the empty suit and make it appear as though somebody is home.  Above all, we must pray that our State faces no serious crisis in the next few years that can sweep away the empty suit and leave the rest of us to suffer the consequences of electing an empty suit.  Perhaps our state will even consider electing someone next time who can do more than fill a suit to sit in the Governor's office.