Two VIPs in Washington state: Today So Far

Two high-profile made stops in Western Washington this week, and had a lot to say.

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for Aug. 16, 2023.

Quick hits

• Washington state serves up solidarity, relief for Maui wildfire victims
• As Seattle area heat wave continues, outdoor workers feel the burn
• Homebuyers got a deal they couldn’t refuse — and pests they can’t get rid of

A couple points stuck out to me when Vice President Kamala Harris was speaking in Seattle Tuesday. One: Clean energy, and the jobs around it, are a big focus of this administration. Two: The Biden administration is in campaign mode. Sure, politicians always act like they're campaigning, but as KUOW's Liz Brazile put it, the event offered clues around how the Biden campaign will move toward the next presidential election. Harris' speech leaned heavily into points about the economy, jobs, and American jobs at that; all balanced with how the clean energy frontier supports all of it. The term "Bidenonomics" came up, so clearly that is going to become more than just a meme. And Harris threw out some numbers to support all this: 175,000 new clean energy jobs; 13 million jobs created during the Biden administration; and 400,000 new jobs in Washington state.

Our region had another visitor Tuesday. Country and pop culture icon Dolly Parton visited Tacoma for a special celebration. Before she sang a couple tunes, she was welcomed by a drum line and a youth symphony. Parton was introduced by Lieutenant Gov. Denny Heck, and had a fireside chat with State Superintendent Chris Reykdal. The main purpose of her visit was to highlight her charity, the Imagination Library, going statewide. It provides free books to children, with the aim of improving reading skills. I'm not sure if every story on Parton's visit will include this little bit, but it stuck out to me. Parton took time to make a point about how our country is treating itself these days. In short, she encouraged more common decency and kindness; we shouldn't be thinking about what we can do to each other, and instead think about what we can do for each other.

"No matter if you're a Democrat or Republican, we're still human beings. We don't have to be so mean to each other ... we're not all supposed to be alike. Remember what they say about 'variety being the spice of life'? That doesn't mean we can't be good neighbors, that we can't be good people. I think that everybody should treat other people the way they want to be treated, and the way your want your family to be treated."

"People all over the world are exactly alike. Everybody has their families. They have their problems. Everybody has the same heartaches. Everybody cries. Everybody laughs. Everybody bleeds. Everybody is the same in that way. To me, I just think you should listen more, care more."

AS SEEN ON KUOW

Omar Rodriguez and his sons, Julian and Nathaniel, run through International Fountain on Monday, August 14, 2023 amid a heat wave across Western Washington. (Casey Martin / KUOW)

DID YOU KNOW?

While Dolly Parton is known for hit songs and a charming personality, she spends much of her time on charities close to her heart, one of which is the Imagination Library that brought her to Tacoma this week. Her philanthropy also spans wildfire relief, children's hospitals, and wildlife conservation. Those efforts recently got a major boost. In 2022, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos gifted $100 million to Parton with one condition: she donate it to charities of her choice. Some of that money will go to support the Imagination Library, but while visiting Tacoma this week, Parton said she's going to take about a year to figure out the best ways to target the money.

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