Posted on 06/20/2006 6:13:34 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SAN FRANCISCO
The Sierra Club plans to shift millions in campaign cash from Congressional races to state and local campaigns this fall, a sign from the nation's oldest and largest environmental group that Washington is becoming less relevant to its cause.
In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope said his group is dedicating about a third of its anticipated $5 million to $10 million campaign fund to competitive state races this year. In past years, it has invested only 5 percent of its political money in state legislative campaigns.
"We are putting 10 times as much energy into state races," Pope said. "We've never made that national investment in state races before."
With partisan Washington deadlocked over most environmental issues, state governments nationwide have been taking a lead role on initiatives ranging from global warming to fuel economy standards. Despite Democrats' hopes to gain seats in the House and Senate, most political observers think the climate in Washington is unlikely to change.
"Whatever happens this fall, Washington is still going to be paralyzed," Pope said. "This pattern of state and local leadership is going to continue environmentally."
In California, Pope credited Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for supporting legislation that would set caps on greenhouse gases setting himself in sharp contrast to the Bush administration, which has opposed such efforts.
While complimentary of Schwarzenegger, Pope said the San Francisco-based Sierra Club is endorsing Democratic challenger Phil Angelides. Schwarzenegger declined to take part in the group's endorsement process, Pope said.
One of the Sierra Club's top targets on the national map is Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, who has drawn the ire of environmental groups. As chairman of the House Resources Committee, Pombo has advocated weakening protections in the Endangered Species Act and allowing oil and gas drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf.
The Sierra Club will spend "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in an effort to defeat Pombo this fall, targeting newcomers to the fast-growing conservative district east of the San Francisco Bay area. His opponent is Democrat Jerry McNerney, who lost to Pombo in 2004.
"We've been trying to identify people who are mainstream Republicans and independents ... who just don't find Pombo their cup of tea," Pope said.
Pombo spokesman Wayne Johnson said voters were not swayed by environmental attack ads in this month's primary, when Pombo defeated former Rep. Pete McCloskey.
"If they want to continue to spend their money, it's a free society," Johnson said. "The accusations they make don't hold any water."
The Sierra Club also plans to make a big investment in Rhode Island's Senate Republican primary, where they are supporting incumbent Lincoln Chafee over Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey.
In Pennsylvania's Senate race, the group is backing Democrat Bob Casey over Republican incumbent Rick Santorum.
"Our real goal is deny Republicans effective control of the House floor and the Senate floor and we're very close," Pope said. "If we can pick up five to 10 House seats then effectively they can't move anything on the House floor that we don't like."
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On the Net: http://www.sierraclub.org/
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"Our real goal is deny Republicans effective control of the House floor and the Senate floor and we're very close," Pope said.
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Chafee.. Another Main Street Republican backed by Soros and the Sierra Club.
Gotta make sure we don't thin any forests so they all burn down.
Green is the color of fungus that grows on liberals...it is pretty clear that these once-tree-huggers are just another thug group that is working for liberalism.
So, the Sierra Club is supporting candidates that support open borders and unlimited immigration. What sense does that make? It's like Jews voting for Palestinian apologists.
Is the Sierra Club a non-profit? If so, after reading this, I hope they lose their tax-emempt status and pay BIG taxes on all their contributions.
These tax-exempts are not supposed to be able to back or give to candidates. Bush should enforce the tax laws and put a cramp on this.
Hell no. These left-wing groups are feeding at the public trough.
Sierra Club are a bunch of hypocrites anyway. The former director built his home out of old-growth, protective trees.
Problem: Humans poison biosphere and/or outgrow food supplies.
Result: Human population crashes, along with collapse back to stone-age technology.
Problem solves itself!
Why, then, are these environmentalist wackos trying to interfere with nature?
I'm a conservationist and a wise-use environmentalist. I want to alter the global climate, making the whole planet a paradise for hairless apes, specifically Homo Sapien.
And they are backed by ??? The socialists are determined by any and all means to gain control of this country
Yeah, they got theirs.
Sierra Club is just as bad as E.L.F...
In fact, I would venture to guess that some of them are members of both organizations. Good people for the FBI to be watching.
As a condition for 501(C) tax-exempt status in the Internal Revenue Code, all such non-profits should have mandatory drug testing for any paid employee...
Watch these leftist wacko groups fold overnight. Cut off their dope...
"Non-profit" is really a tax exempt corporation - - true corporate welfare...
Some of that species are not so hairless... Have you see a Code Pink gathering lately ?
You can bet some of that money will be going to Maria Cantwell's Senate re-election campaign.
That's why it never pays for Republicans to try to pander to these groups...
The only thing possibly gained is that they might hate you slightly less than they normally would.
How can we get this to the IRS? They are clearly using funds for partisan purposes.
Re the Sierra Club's tax status: You're a little late. Like about 40 years.
In the 1960s the Sierra Club successfully opposed a project that would've flooded part of the Grand Canyon. LBJ was not a man to put up with such conduct, and he saw to it that the Sierra Club lost its 501(c)(3) status.
As a result, contributions to the Sierra Club are not tax-deductible. The organization is allowed to endorse candidates, though.
Thanks, Let me stretch that a couple links further
Phil Angelides' = The Sierra Club = Carl Pope = ACT =
GEORGE SOROS = Main Street Republicans = New Majority
There,, the left , center and right part of the equation.
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