Posted on 03/27/2008 1:17:59 PM PDT by Gelato
A series of events this week provided interesting insight into how climate and energy issues might play out in the general election next fall when Republican nominee John McCain will face either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. McCain spent six months before the New Hampshire primary highlighting his environmental credentials in comparison to the weaker records of his Republican competition.
For first time in the campaign, McCain is now directly challenging the Democratic candidates on their climate commitments and highlighting his record in the Senate. At a town hall in California yesterday, The Washington Post blog The Trail reported that when asked to distinguish himself from the Democrats on climate change, McCain stated:
“I don’t know what their position is because I haven’t seen them show any particular commitment in the U.S. Senate or elsewhere…I have proposed legislation and fought for amendments.”
If McCain continues to make this argument through the general election climate change will surely be covered by the media and play a role in the election.
Interestingly, John McCain spent much of last week meeting with European leaders and discussing global problems such as climate change while the two Democratic candidates slogged it out in West Virginia talking up “clean coal” to scrounge up votes in the coal rich state.
In an op-ed in the UK’s Financial Times titled “America must be a good role model,” McCain promised that the United States would work with all European countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat global climate change.
McCain writes:
“I have introduced legislation that would require a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but that is just a start. We need a successor to Kyoto, a cap-and-trade system that delivers the necessary environmental impact in an economically responsible manner. New technologies hold great promise. We need to unleash the power and innovation of the marketplace in order to meet our environmental challenges. Right now safe, climate-friendly nuclear energy is a critical way both to improve the quality of our air and to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources.”
Clinton’s statements on West Virginia Public Radio:
“I am concerned about it for all the reasons people state, but I think it’s a difficult question because of the conflict between the economic and environmental trade-off that you have here.”
Obama on the stump in West Virginia:
“We can create up to 5 million new green jobs … including new clean coal jobs.”
The statements coming from the Clinton and Obama camps out of West Virginia have some environmentalists concerned. If you need proof, just read the comments on the grist stories. It is important to remember that McCain has been generally supportive of expanding and investing in clean coal technology throughout the campaign as well.
John McCain enjoys a position in the election right now where many of his statements go unchallenged by either of the Democratic candidates. In the fall it will be interesting to see how the Democrats eventually counterpunch McCain’s charge that neither has demonstrated any “particular commitments” to climate change.
Just damn.....
Where’s the “BARF ALERT!”?
Shoooooooo
He should have been talking this junk before...and we wouldn’t be stuck with such a loon,.
Is this idiot McLame running to be Barry O'Bama's Veep? WTF?
THe thing is, it - as some are hypothesizing - Al Gore ends up being the Dem candidate (I know, slim chance), McCain’s idiotic embrace of global warming junk science will deprive him of the most compelling argument to the voters for keeping Gore out of office.
Personally, I would love to see a Constitutiona amendment prohibiting the government from taking any action designed to regulate or change the climate of the planet.
But apparently, that’s just me.
He was and we are.
A sucessor to the Kyoto treaty?
Go to hell in a handbasket.
All McCain has to do is open his mouth. I’d hate to be one of that Freep crowd charged with defending this man.
The Kyoto treaty was overturned by the senate by what? 100 to 0?
Mark my words, those vowing to hold their nose and vote for this man aren’t going to be able to do it.
This megalomaniac must be stopped.
Why didn’t he run on sKerry’s ticket? McPain, you’re a fraud! You’re a demoncRAT hiding behind the Pubby title. And the Pub Party should be ashamed of even offering the voters McPain. Egads!
I predict no posts by the McCainiacs on this thread.....
The reason so many public figures get so rich is they invest in industries and companies just before the pass laws against us to use their product or service.
GW is the same, they have been creating and investing in companies and will now pass laws to enrich themselves on this hoax.
“Mark my words, those vowing to hold their nose and vote for this man aren’t going to be able to do it.”
The heck they won’t. They will do it and demand the same of you and I. When we jump all over that turd after inauguration, they’ll try to have us banned.
How can anyone be expected to vote for this guy?
WORST. REPUBLICAN. CANDIDATE. EVER.
I'm still undecided.
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.Between a write-in and whoever is running on the Constitution Party ticket. Heck, at this point, I'd even vote for the Libertarian or Prohibition candidate before McCain!
I am going to go out on a limb here and make a prediction. I predict our next President will be a Senaturd and a moron who will embrace the Anthropogenic Global Warming Hoax, advocate for “Comprehensive” immigration reform, try to close Gitmo and despise Conservatives.
He's another Bob Dole. Wait...let me check that.
He's another Bob Dole, except he's missing a sense of humor.
This would be OK if he would continue by saying, "... so we can reject that, too."
Damn, you're good!!! Any stock market tips you'd like to share with us? LOL!
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