Friday politics: Politicians dance toward reopening Washington

Washington has been moving toward phase two of statewide reopening after the coronavirus shutdown. And that carries some political peril.

Some counties have already been allowed to enter that phase but others, including King, Pierce and Snohomish, are still in phase one. But we will learn shortly whether businesses in those areas can start reopening next week as expected. And with the public exhibiting quarantine fatigue, the stakes couldn't be higher for Governor Jay Inslee and every other local politician.

Joni Balter, host of Civic Cocktail on the Seattle Channel, and Q13 News political analyst C.R. Douglas spoke with KUOW’s Angela King about the politics of reopening.

Angela King: What do you make of the governor standing at this point on the Coronavirus crisis?

C.R. Douglas: It's still quite strong, but the opposition is morphing some, in a way that that he needs to be attentive to. Early on the reopening fights were basically Inslee against some Republican voices. But now the calls to reopen are more bipartisan. Just look at Snohomish County: The executive there, Dave Somers, is a Democrat. And he's pleading with Inslee to go to phase two, even though his case count number there is too high.

Joni Balter: I don't honestly believe this is all about political capital or cachet for the governor. But the governor has a lot to consider in that area politically. He's like the kid in the class who has all A’s. He's sitting on 60 to 70 percent approval, which is about as high as those numbers ever go. So he can only get lower grades from here on out if he lets his guard down or stumbles.

One thing Inslee has been pretty keen on is taking digs at the president throughout all of this.

Balter: Did you see the Rolling Stone magazine feature interview for July just came out yesterday? The headline says Jay Inslee wants Trump removed from office for his disastrous coronavirus response. It's a super puff piece on Inslee. Keep in mind there is almost no downside to these kinds of interviews. Politically Trump is Inslee’s perfect foil. The president is polling at around 33 percent, something like that favorable in this state.

Douglas: I disagree a bit with that. I think it carries some risks to be attacking the president at this point. Inslee and Washington, we're still very dependent on the federal government for supplies for help, especially with testing. So you know, don't alienate the partner you need. Right now Inslee’s sole mission is to get Washington back as fast as he can. And for that he really needs this administration.