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Washington ferry meltdown: How Democrats broke a third of the fleet
The Jason Rantz Show YT Channel ^ | Jan 08 2026 | Jason Rantz

Posted on 01/09/2026 6:17:21 AM PST by texas booster

A third of Washington State Ferries are offline—and this crisis didn’t just happen.

Years of Democrats chasing battery-powered ferry press releases while neglecting basic maintenance left commuters stranded and routes unreliable.

This is what misplaced priorities look like.

And those in charge waltz off into the sunset with a government pension.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: democratcorruption; democratincompetence; greennewdeal; seattleferries

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One-third of Washington's ferry fleet is dead in the water and this disaster didn't sneak up on us. Welcome to the Jason Ranch Show.

This week we learned that seven out of 21 Washington state fairies are offline. That's not a storm. That's not bad luck.

That's years of political malpractice finally catching up to the people who actually rely on these boats to get to work or school or medical appointments.

Commuters are now dealing with canceled sailings, reduced schedules and service levels that we haven't seen since the pandemic. All of this, this collapse was completely predictable.

You see, for years, Democrats running this state chase climate vanity projects instead of doing the unglamorous work of maintaining a fleet that actually functions.

While politicians were busy issuing press releases about battery powered ferries and green transformations, the reality is the existing boats, they were quietly rotting. The average ferry in this fleet is more than 40 years old. That's ancient in maritime terms.

And when you defer maintenance for years on end, things well, they start to fail. Propellers shear off, shafts overheat, engines die. None of this is shocking.

In fact, it's what happens when ideology replaces basic competence. The Waci conversion, I think, is a perfect example of this. What was sold as a roughly $50 million one-year hybrid conversion ballooned into an $86 million project that dragged on for nearly 2 years. During that time, the state lost ferry capacity it couldn't afford to lose. And even after all that, the boat has already spent significant time out of service.

Meanwhile, Jay Eninsley and Bob Ferguson, well, they're still pushing a long-term electrification plan with a projected $6.2 billion price tag by 2040. Maybe that's a debate worth having someday. But it's meaningless when today's fairies can't reliably cross the Puget Sound.

This crisis isn't about climate change. It's about misplaced priorities.

Democrats choose symbolism over service, press conferences over performance, and now ferry riders are paying the price for years of political vanity masquerading as transportation policy. That's absurd and we deserve better.

1 posted on 01/09/2026 6:17:21 AM PST by texas booster
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To: texas booster

You get what you vote for.


2 posted on 01/09/2026 6:17:44 AM PST by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: texas booster

Don’t tell me it’s pride month already. Oops... Wrong ferries.


3 posted on 01/09/2026 6:21:09 AM PST by EvilCapitalist (Pets are no substitute for children)
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To: texas booster
But it's meaningless when today's fairies can't reliably cross the Puget Sound.

Well, if they'd just fix those ferries, the fairies would be able to cross along with everyone else!

4 posted on 01/09/2026 6:21:20 AM PST by Bruce Campbells Chin
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To: EvilCapitalist


"How to speak San Franciscan....*pulls down guy's pants*.......Va-Joy-Na!"
5 posted on 01/09/2026 6:25:23 AM PST by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: texas booster

Gen. Washington is spinning in his grave. “Where did all this scum come from?”


6 posted on 01/09/2026 6:25:27 AM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Run your Honda dinghy into ICE and you face the same consequences as the Titanic.)
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To: dfwgator

Maybe having a third of their “fairies” offline would be a good thing for this state.


7 posted on 01/09/2026 6:26:13 AM PST by milagro (There is no peace in appeasement! There's maybe a little bit )
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To: texas booster

Communism hasn’t worked anywhere it has been installed.


8 posted on 01/09/2026 6:26:32 AM PST by bray (It's not racist to be racist against races the DNC hates.)
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To: texas booster

The Democrat Party is a criminal organization.


9 posted on 01/09/2026 6:26:45 AM PST by SpaceBar
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To: texas booster
This is the way it always works in socialism.

All the public money used to support critical infrastructure eventually gets diverted paying welfare payments because infrastructure is not a constituency.

What money does find it's way to infrastructure is either stolen through corruption or wasted by incompetence

As a result, the infrastructure is not maintained or modernized and starts to break down and the system grinds to a halt.

Think California, Washington and Oregon as prime example of once great places destroyed by liberals.

As opposed to places like NYC that are being run into the ground by liberals but were never that nice to begin with in the first place

10 posted on 01/09/2026 6:28:35 AM PST by rdcbn1 (..when poets buy guns, tourist season is over................Walter R. Mead.l)
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To: texas booster
This week we learned that seven out of 21 Washington state fairies are offline.

Washington state has cyborg homosexuals??

11 posted on 01/09/2026 6:29:37 AM PST by Ciaphas Cain
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To: texas booster
I personally think every politician involved should be drafted into oar duty. And they really shouldn’t mind. After all, it would be a green project.

Just don’t overdo the CO2 exhaling, ‘kay?

Note that there’s room to lash down cars on the deck.

12 posted on 01/09/2026 6:31:26 AM PST by Leaning Right (It's morning in America. Again.)
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To: SpaceBar

Yes, The Democrat Crime Syndicate is. Examples on display every day.


13 posted on 01/09/2026 6:32:17 AM PST by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
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To: Leaning Right


"Ramming Speed!"
14 posted on 01/09/2026 6:32:36 AM PST by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: PGalt

It’s something I try to remind people about daily hoping that it eventually will stick.


15 posted on 01/09/2026 6:34:30 AM PST by SpaceBar
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To: dfwgator

“...it’s meaningless when today’s fairies can’t reliably cross the Puget Sound.”

Yeah, how are they going to get to Orcas Island now?


16 posted on 01/09/2026 6:34:51 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: FlingWingFlyer
“Where did all this scum come from?”

Just think...70 years ago, we had less than 1% of this scum. The closest most Americans got to weirdos was this fella...and he was harmless.


17 posted on 01/09/2026 6:37:16 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

He then went on a three-hour tour....a three-hour tour.


18 posted on 01/09/2026 6:40:58 AM PST by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: texas booster

How about tightly-wound rubber bands for ferries? Works for airplanes.


19 posted on 01/09/2026 6:41:30 AM PST by Redmen4ever
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To: Leaning Right
They knew about the advantages of a bulbous bow back then?

Impressive!

20 posted on 01/09/2026 6:43:45 AM PST by grobdriver (The CDC can KMA!)
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