Who Benefits Most from Gregoire Speculation?

In the speculation about whether Gov. Chris Gregoire may be headed to Washington, D.C. at some point in the near future (to replace Elena Kagan as Solicitor General, so the rumor goes), it’s useful to analyze who benefits from such speculation.

As the GOP’s former party chairman Chris Vance alludes, the woman who most benefits from all this is not Gregoire, it’s Patty Murray.

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Cheat Sheet: Jay Inslee’s Lobbyist Problem

A National Journal article claims that Washington Congressman Jay Inslee (D-Bainbridge Island) is circulating a letter to colleagues that was ghost-written by a lobbying group that wants the FCC to regulate the internet. The conservative blog, RedState.com, points out the irony of the Inslee letter originating from a Congressman so close to Microsoft being caught in a scandal by their technology.

Speaking of Inlee’s relations with lobbyists, it’s instructive to revisit a dust-up that hasn’t gotten much attention. After the state’s Republican AG joined a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the health care reform bill, all eyes were on Inslee (as he’s widely thought to be a candidate for Governor, ahem, should the incumbent leave early).

At the time, Inslee wrote in a press release:

“We fought over 2,000 insurance industry lobbyists in Washington DC to protect Washingtonians health care, we shouldn’t have to fight our own Attorney General too.”

You see, Inslee isn’t any lobbyist’s stooge. Unless, you know, you’re talking about a group wanting to regulate the internet, or the drug companies wanting to maintain their ability to charge exorbitant fees for life-saving drugs (h/t Firedoglake).