The Political Climate: an ongoing commentary on the NH Primary and Climate Change

Before Christmas, LCV was complaining that the media elite were dissing climate change and presidential politics.  If Russert, Stephanopoulos, and Couric won’t listen to LCV, maybe they will follow in the footsteps of one of their peers: The New York Times.

The New York Times editorial board decided to take a look at the candidates’ climate change positions in yesterday’s editorial “The One Environmental Issue.”  The editorial found that in past years Democratic and Republican strategists believed that climate change was “too complicated and forbidding an issue to sell to ordinary voters” and therefore was not an issue in 2000 or 2004 elections, but now they say, “the times have certainly changed.”

Of the Democrats, the editorial now says:

“Still, the country is a long way from a comprehensive response equal to the challenge. That is what the Democratic candidates are proposing. Senators Joseph Biden, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, former Senator John Edwards, Gov. Bill Richardson and Representative Dennis Kucinich have all offered aggressive plans that would go beyond the Senate bill and reduce emissions by 80 percent by midcentury (90 percent in Mr. Richardson’s case), much as called for in the United Nations reports.

Internationally, the Democrats say they would seek a new global accord on reducing emissions to replace and improve upon the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. Winning agreement among more than 180 nations will be slow-going, so several candidates, including Mrs. Clinton, have suggested jump-starting the process by bringing together the big emitters like China very early in their administrations.”

Two months ago, The New York Times first highlighted “the GOP Divide” on climate change after Mike Huckabee joined John McCain as the only Republicans to endorse a cap on carbon emissions.

This Times editorial described McCain as “authentic pioneer” in the senate on climate change, and “The other leading Republican candidates — Mitt Romney, Rudolph Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mike Huckabee — talk about energy issues almost exclusively in the context of freeing America from its dependence on foreign oil. All promote nuclear power, embrace energy efficiency and promise greener technologies. Only Mr. Huckabee has dared raise the idea of government regulation, embracing, at least theoretically, the idea of a mandatory cap on emissions. The rest prefer President Bush’s cost-free and demonstrably inadequate voluntary approach, which essentially asks industry to do what it can to reduce emissions.”

When so much of the campaign news is focused on anything but the actual issues, it is refreshing to finally see national coverage of the climate issue and the presidential campaign.

FOTPC’s and climate voters were out in full force last night holding up signs, wearing t-shirts and passing out stickers at the John Edwards town hall in Manchester.  With only 42 days left until the NH Primary, you can expect to see a lot more global warming visibility around the Granite State.  Let us know if you would like to join in the fun!

After noting global warming briefly in his stump speech, Edwards took a question from an FOTPC who asked if he would put money into R&D for coal and nuclear.  Edwards took the opportunity to emphasize that he “does not support the building of new nuclear power” because we don’t have a safe way to dispose of the waste, we cannot protect them adequately given the terrorist environment we live in and it is very expensive and timely to get them online.

Concerning coal, Edwards said that he is against building new coal-fired power plants “unless and until we have the capacity to capture the carbon and sequester it; we do not have it today.”  Edwards stated that “I think that it does make sense for America to be investing in the development of that technology, because in the forseeable future, coal is still part of our power source, part of our energy needs … but I think we should not be building anymore coal-fired power plants and making the problem worse until we have that technology.”

Up in Conway, Dennis Kucinich and John Edwards faced questions about the proposed Schwarzenegger/Gore bipartisan climate change summit and both Kucinich and Edwards responded positively.  Edwards even stated: “Al Gore called me and I said I will be there.”  Details about the forum are yet to be released.

Kucinich will be attending the Carbon/Nuclear Free Symposium to be held in Concord tomorrow.

Edwards was in Rochester and Meredith to unveil his proposals to take on big oil companies to fight rising home heating costs.  Naturally, when talking about “taking on big oil” there was discussion of climate change and Edwards spoke about removing the existing subsidies for ‘big oil.’  Edwards stressed that one of the main solutions to the cost of high heating prices is weatherization.  For tips on winter weatherization check out the EPA website.

Listen to Laura Knoy and Edwards chat about his climate and energy priorities on this morning’s The Exchange.  The climate change talk starts about 38 minutes into the program.

Senator John McCain campaigned up North this weekend and a few FOTPCs were there to ask him about his climate plans.  In Hanover, McCain once again included global warming in his stump speech to a crowd spotted with ’stop global warming’ stickers.

McCain also received a question from a teacher concerned with the “3-Cs” of climate change - crude oil, climate change, and China.  McCain responded by stressing the need for more nuclear power, new energy solutions, and international action.

In Dixville Notch, McCain again touted nuclear power as his approach to combat climate change and stressed the importance of research and development into new energy sources.  McCain also noted the importance of a bipartisan approach on climate change policy stating “I can reach across the aisle and work with the Democrats.”   

Before leaving, a FOTPC asked McCain about the upcoming climate summit in New Hampshire sponsored by Arnold Schwarzenegger and McCain responded by saying that he “never refuses the Terminator.”  So far McCain is the only candidate confirmed for the NH climate change summit.  No further details have been released regarding the event since Thursday.

Three Democrats participated this weekend in the first debate dedicated solely to climate change and energy issues.  The debate organizers invited the sixteen major candidates, but only Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards, and Hillary Clinton took the stage in Los Angeles for the debate.   The candidates spoke at different times to discuss their climate and energy platforms before taking questions from a knowledgeable audience.

Clinton first cited the major points of her climate change plan, Strategic Energy Fund, 80% by 2050, etc.  Clinton then offered the activist crowd a thought to take away from the forum: “There is no way that we will ever produce a piece of legislation that will get through the Congress that every one of you will agree with.”  She explained that she realized this after her failed attempt at healthcare reform as First Lady.

Edwards countered Clinton’s advice by stating “We have to ask ourselves a basic question: Are we willing to put political calculation aside and actually stand up with a little backbone for what’s right? Are we willing to say that the time for compromise and half-measures is over?”  Edwards also laid out many of his familiar policy positions for emissions reductions and creating new technologies.

The NY Times reported that Kucinich called for an abolishment of nuclear weapons and stated that environmental principles need to be worked into trade agreements.  Kucinich also noted his support for the United States rejoining the Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement that limits the emissions of greenhouse gases from most industrialized countries.

Read more about the debate in the LA Times review.