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Environmental activists urge Kamala Harris to go big on climate: ‘She’s got to seize the moment’

www.theguardian.com Environmental activists urge Kamala Harris to go big on climate: ‘She’s got to seize the moment’

With the largest US fossil fuel lobby group at the Democratic convention, some urge VP to prioritize crisis in her speech

Environmental activists urge Kamala Harris to go big on climate: ‘She’s got to seize the moment’
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  • She doesn't want to.

    • She does not want to talk about it. However she has actually a pretty good record of supporting climate action like sponsoring the Green New Deal, which she mostly got passed in form of the inflation reduction act. Action is worth so much more then words.

      The reason she does not want to do it, is that it is better to run on women's rights and workers rights. Trump has an awful record on it as well and a lot more people care about it.

      • Do you also want to score her some points by claiming that she’s pro-Single Payer because she made the strategic decision to sponsor Bernie’s bill when she and her handlers were 100% positive that it wouldn’t pass?

        These corrupt Democrats have been ignoring their constituents for decades and you want to pretend that we should give them the benefit of the doubt.

        “I know she has never even run for office with anything even remotely resembling Single Payer on her platform but let’s pretend that she was just being shy and she doesn’t need to even though it would allow her to easily score points with constituents and coast into office.”

        an average 79% of Democrats since 2001 have asserted the government’s obligation to ensure healthcare for all in the U.S

        I’m guessing your 401K is invested in everything you are against.

        • Only 43% of Americans are for a government run health care system according to the Gallup polls you just provided. That basically excludes single payer health care. What Democrats believe does not matter, as it does not win elections.

          Politicans try to judge public sentiment and what it could turn into and only do act, when something is populare. Even then they are more likely to not do it, but for the most part they try to be reelected. Hence trying to appease donors and the public. The simple dumb truth is that climate activists in the US have failed to lay the groundwork for a strong climate policy. Most only just agree that something should be done. Actually doing something, which requires some sort of sacrifice is not going to happen.

          The advantage of having somebody like Harris is that they are more likely to actually enact left leaning policies, if they are populare enough. Never expect them to do anything even when necessary, if it destroys their chance of reelection. This also includes all other politicans and last time I checked a president needs the approval of the House to enact laws.

      • Agreed. The unfortunate conclusion here is they think that many people (particularly voters they feel are critical to this election) don't actually care about the climate. They're probably right too. So while the DNC platform is clear on their stance, they don't see it as a winning issue from a campaign perspective. Frankly that's not the worst outcome, I care more about action than campaign slogans. They need to win in order to do anything.

        • This is just about the most gullible, masochistic perspective I have ever seen. Of course an overwhelming MAJORITY of Democrats support clean energy and would be more likely to vote for Kamala if she put it on her platform.

          In a previous Center survey conducted in 2022, nearly the same share of Americans (69%) favored the U.S. taking steps to become carbon neutral by 2050, a goal outlined by President Joe Biden at the outset of his administration. Carbon neutrality means releasing no more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than is removed. Nine-in-ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the U.S. should prioritize developing alternative energy sources to address America’s energy supply. Among Republicans and Republican leaners, 42% support developing alternative energy sources, while 58% say the country should prioritize expanding exploration and production of oil, coal and natural gas. There are important differences by age within the GOP. Two-thirds of Republicans under age 30 (67%) prioritize the development of alternative energy sources. By contrast, 75% of Republicans ages 65 and older prioritize expanding the production of oil, coal and natural gas.

          Campaign promises are accepted as goals not set in stone objectives. For example: Joe Biden famously said he would “cure cancer” when he ran in 2020. Tell me, did he cure cancer? How many people criticized him for going back on that campaign promise? Do you see my point? She could promise Single Payer and clean energy and not give it to us but her donors WON’T EVEN LET HER DO THAT in much the same way that they wouldn’t allow a Palestinian to make a speech in front of the DNC yesterday.

          They would literally rather lose the presidential election than allow the DNC to be taken over by actual leftists. They like Trumpism because it allows them to stand for exactly nothing other than “not Trump” and if they lose, they can fundraise off of this impending “threat to democracy” in the coming election cycle while allowing their Overton window to ratchet ever-rightward…and you’ll be right there cheering for them, excusing massive election fraud in their primaries (if they even hold a primary) to pick their candidate, falling in line, uncritically letting them convince you that as the years pass, better things are increasingly less and less possible because they are “the adults in the room.”

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