Some of the major Democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential nomination still haven’t bothered to articulate cohesive policy promises, yet are receiving significant support and campaign contributions. Remember the old days, when politicians had enough respect for voters to lie to them?
If Politicians Don’t Promise Anything, They Can’t Be Accused of Breaking Their Promises
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«Now I long for yesterd-a-a-a-a-y»….
Henri
Cartoon inspired me to go look at Beto’s site. Here’s some stuff that certainly *sounds* like promises. (Full disclosure: I have no hard opinion on Beto, one way or the other. I do like what I read below…)
https://betoorourke.com/climate-change/#part-1
As President, Beto will use his executive authority not only to reverse the problematic decisions made by the current administration, but also to go beyond the climate actions under previous presidents:
Re-enter the Paris Agreement and lead the negotiations for an even more ambitious global plan for 2030 and beyond;
Reduce methane leakage from existing sources in the oil and natural gas industry for the first time and rapidly phase-out hydrofluorocarbons, the super-polluting greenhouse gas that is up to 9,000 times worse for climate change than carbon dioxide;
Strengthen the clean air and hazardous waste limits for power plants and fuel economy standards that save consumers money and improve public health, while setting a trajectory to rapidly accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles;
Increase consumer savings through new, modernized, and ambitious appliance- and building-efficiency standards;
Create unprecedented access to the technologies and markets that allow farmers and ranchers to profit from the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions they secure;
Leverage $500 billion in annual government procurement to decarbonize across all sectors for the first time, including a new “buy clean” program for steel, glass, and cement;
Require any federal permitting decision to fully account for climate costs and community impacts;
Set a first-ever, net-zero emissions by 2030 carbon budget for federal lands, stopping new fossil fuel leases, changing royalties to reflect climate costs, and accelerating renewables development and forestation; and
Protect our most wild, beautiful, and biodiverse places for generations to come — including more of the Arctic and of our sensitive landscapes and seascapes than ever before — and establish National Parks and Monuments that more fully tell our American story.
Nice rhetoric, but what will President Beto do when the GOP blocks all climate change legislation and the fossil fuel lobbyists start throwing their money around? A few minor Executive Orders I expect.
If you don’t have a plan to mobilize the U.S. public to force political change, it’s all useless talk that won’t go anywhere. We need a President willing to create something like the Yellow Vests to put pressure on the streets. That’s the only way real change will happen. So far only one Democratic Presidential candidate (Bernie) seems to understand that.
«We need a President willing to create something like the Yellow Vests to put pressure on the streets.» Alas, it’s hard to see how it would be possible to mobilise a US counterpart to the Gilets jaunes that would support the action needed to effectively counter the current climate crisis. A movement to lower petrol prices – i e, just the opposite of what is required – is more likely to result….
Henri