Let's be clear here. What happened to Senator Diane Feinstein was an ambush. I don't want to hear anything about how smug she was. Let's see how you react when a bunch of people plant themselves outside your front door. For those who bothered to watch the entire video, I thought she handled herself pretty well, given that she had to contend with a bunch of students - most of whom couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 - who were being used as pawns by the Sunrise Movement, a progressive group spearheaded by Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez and the Justice Democrats.
It was a shameless display of cowardice by people who are driving Democrats so far to the left, they are imperiling the party's chances of not only defeating Trump in 2020, but of holding the majority in the House, as well. Is this what it's come to, using children as pawns? What's next, the suicide kiddie patrol? Maybe Marvel can design the costumes. I'm sure Captain America and Tony Stark wouldn't mind loaning out their suits.
Don't get me wrong, I do believe that climate change is real and that humans are primarily responsible for it. And I agree that if something isn't done about it, dire consequences lie ahead for the entire planet. The issue comes down simple math. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can pass the Senate without 60 votes. That means the Green New Deal is dead on arrival. Calling it "aspirational" is like calling a unicorn tangible. And investing even a microsecond's worth of attention to a proposal that has zero chance of becoming law is a waste of time and resources.
If you seriously believe eliminating ALL carbon emissions in ten years is an achievable goal, you're either on some kind of weird hallucinogenic or you're as young and gullible as those poor students outside of Feinstein's office. Think about what that would mean. You'd have to ostensibly shut down the whole damn planet to achieve zero carbon emissions. And even then you'd still have the emissions from cattle, because, well, it turns out they fart and when they do, guess what comes out?
And just in case you were wondering what a total shutdown of the planet would look like. Remember that little thing we had in the '30s called the Great Depression? Think that, only worse. No planes, no fossil fuel cars, trucks or buses and every source of energy from renewable sources. Even under the most ambitious plans that have been laid out by scientists who've studied the problem for years, it would take at least thirty years to achieve something like 50 percent compliance with the Green New Deal's objectives.
This "my way or the highway" tact, as Feinstein correctly called it, is the real problem that besets Democrats. The Left's overreach is irresponsible, not because it isn't a good thing to defend the planet we live on - I'd much rather be on the right side of history than the wrong side - but because it needlessly gives Trump and the GOP valuable ammunition at the worst possible time. Poll after poll shows that climate change is not even close to the number one issue concerning voters. The economy and healthcare are 1A & 1B. Running on those two issues is how Democrats won the House and picked up seven governorships last fall. And that strategy is still the best path forward to winning the Senate and White House in 2020.
Leadership needs to step in now before the die is cast. There are many freshmen Democrats who aren't part of the AOC / Bernie wing of the party that are serving in swing districts where Trump won. Up till now, they have, for the most part, stayed quite. Well it's time for them to raise their voices and be heard. It's time for the few remaining Blue Dogs in the Senate to nip this thing in the bud. It's time for Nancy Pelosi to remind Ms. Ocasio-Cortez who the real "boss" is.
If Democrats are truly interested in building a big tent party, the best way to do that is NOT by pissing off two thirds of the country.
And just in case you were wondering what a total shutdown of the planet would look like. Remember that little thing we had in the '30s called the Great Depression? Think that, only worse. No planes, no fossil fuel cars, trucks or buses and every source of energy from renewable sources. Even under the most ambitious plans that have been laid out by scientists who've studied the problem for years, it would take at least thirty years to achieve something like 50 percent compliance with the Green New Deal's objectives.
This "my way or the highway" tact, as Feinstein correctly called it, is the real problem that besets Democrats. The Left's overreach is irresponsible, not because it isn't a good thing to defend the planet we live on - I'd much rather be on the right side of history than the wrong side - but because it needlessly gives Trump and the GOP valuable ammunition at the worst possible time. Poll after poll shows that climate change is not even close to the number one issue concerning voters. The economy and healthcare are 1A & 1B. Running on those two issues is how Democrats won the House and picked up seven governorships last fall. And that strategy is still the best path forward to winning the Senate and White House in 2020.
Leadership needs to step in now before the die is cast. There are many freshmen Democrats who aren't part of the AOC / Bernie wing of the party that are serving in swing districts where Trump won. Up till now, they have, for the most part, stayed quite. Well it's time for them to raise their voices and be heard. It's time for the few remaining Blue Dogs in the Senate to nip this thing in the bud. It's time for Nancy Pelosi to remind Ms. Ocasio-Cortez who the real "boss" is.
If Democrats are truly interested in building a big tent party, the best way to do that is NOT by pissing off two thirds of the country.
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