Joe Biden will attend a fundraiser co-hosted by a fossil fuel company founder

[melman]

Joe Biden has not canceled a Thursday fundraiser co-hosted by a founder of a fossil fuel company despite criticism from climate activists who point to his pledge to turn away money from oil and gas industry executives.


Biden is scheduled to attend two high-dollar fundraisers Thursday in New York -- one of which is being co-hosted by Andrew Goldman, a former aide in Biden's Senate office who co-founded Western LNG, a Houston-based natural gas production and transportation company. Natural gas is a fossil fuel, according to the US Energy Information Administration, because it was "formed from the buried remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago."


His schedule did not change Thursday, even after Biden said Wednesday night he might reconsider attending the fundraiser with Goldman.

The controversy over the fundraiser illustrates progressives' skepticism of the approach to the 2020 race taken by Biden, the Democratic front-runner in national 2020 primary polls. His two chief challengers, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, have decided not to hold fundraisers at all, instead relying mostly on online, small-dollar donors. Biden, though, regularly holds fundraisers, sometimes high-dollar affairs -- and faces increased scrutiny over his ties to individual donors because of those events.


All the top Democratic presidential contenders, including Biden, have signed the "No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge," a commitment to reject contributions of more than $200 from fossil fuel executives, lobbyists and political action committees.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/05/politics/joe-biden-andrew-goldman-fundraiser/index.html

[Turbineguy]

1. If Biden fails the purity test

we'd better keep trump.

https://www.westernlng.com/about

[Eliot Rosewater]

57. LIke I have said I will suport Bernie if he is the nominee. Now, if he isnt and

decides it isnt good enough to support our nominee, then we have a problem.

[OKNancy]

2. Good. He'll need all the money he can get to beat Tru$mp

Plus... natural gas is a good alternative to oil products. It's the stepping stone to clean energy.

[floppyboo]

20. LNG from the Western Sedimentary Basin is not an alternative - it is a by-product of fracking.

The dirty oil will go out to the platforms (major incident oil spill 2016 in same area - water too rough for tugs to help)
LNG may be cleaner, but the odorless methane leaks are more dangerous.
It really is time to throw in the towel.
And - that pipeline from the tar sands bringing it to the northern coast of BC? We'll see.

[oldsoftie]

3. Good. Its nice to see a candidate embrace reality.

Have at me. I have facts on my side.

[LincolnRossiter]

4. So the guy really isn't, in fact, in an executive position at a fossil fuel company?

In that case (and as the kids say)

Go get that paper, Joe!

[progressoid]

6. He's literally listed as a co-founder of a fossil fuel company.

[melman]

8. But he's not at the office "day to day"

So it totally doesn't count.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

35. He works from home! And he doesn't have a key to the "executive" bathrooms!

[melman]

40. A co-founder is a co-founder forever

At least this is what I was told by someone last night. I'm not sure how that helps their case but it's what I was told.

[OilemFirchen]

48. How does one become an un-co-founder?

Please respond ASAP. I'm all atwitter.

[melman]

59. .

[OilemFirchen]

60. Logic are hard.

Right, melman?

Still have pins and needles awaiting a response.

[melman]

61. Awaiting a response?

You already got one.

[OilemFirchen]

64. I think YOU'VE missed the point.

Not surprising.

[melman]

65. I certainly have not

btw, I met Bill Griffith once. He was cool.

[George II]

67. Yes you have.

[OilemFirchen]

69. Ahhh.

You explained how one can un-co-found something by pretending to be a 90s tween having just discovered the Internet. Not original, but I'll admit I haven't seen that proto-pwnage for some time.

[George II]

66. You know the point.

[melman]

68. Of course I do

I'm the one that made it.

[George II]

71. No you didn't.

[OilemFirchen]

58. ...

[LincolnRossiter]

11. Co-founder does not equal executive. He has no role in the company's operations.

I’m not going to judge Joe for taking money from a guy who used to have equities in the energy sector. As long as Joe’s team is comfortable that he’s not actively involved with the company and/or looking to exert influence on a President Biden to favor fossil fuel, we’re good.

As I wrote.

Get. That. Money. A campaign against Trump, the Adelsons, and the DeVos family isn’t going to run on lilac-colored dreams.

[progressoid]

13. What difference does that make?

Oh, I started a company that sells pro-life propaganda to home-schoolers, but I'm not an executive so it's OK.

Hey, I started a company that manufactures automatic weapons, but I'm not an executive so it's OK.


“A man is known by the company he keeps”

[BlueMississippi]

24. Be careful -- stretching too much will make that rubber band snap nt

[W_HAMILTON]

52. Because the issue at hand was whether it violated the pledge that Biden signed.

And -- based on the information that has come out so far -- it does NOT violate the pledge and therefore it was shameful that CNN allowed that Sanders supporter to angrily launch a hatchet job on the frontrunner without vetting him or his question ahead of time.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

39. He's literally listed as "Leadership" on the corporate website

lead·er·ship
/ˈlēdərˌSHip/
noun
the action of leading a group of people or an organization.


From the “about us” page on Western LNG

[George II]

37. What is his position with Western LNG today, here in September 2019?

[progressoid]

41. And that matters how?

[George II]

47. You know how that matters, otherwise you wouldn't have brought up his past in the first place.

And it's probably why you're hesitant to say or accept what his position with the company (if any) is in 2019.

So you brought it up just as a curious anecdote in his past life?

[LincolnRossiter]

44. To my, Joe's, and Anderson Cooper's knowledge, he has no role.

NT

[melman]

5. lol I love the new spin

This is a good thing! Also...pledge, schmedge. That shit's for purists!

[LanternWaste]

7. This is troubling for Bernie.

[melman]

9. I get it

[progressoid]

10. He's done this before. Nothing to see here.

Union-Busting Lawyer to Host Biden's 1st Fundraiser Thursday

PITTSBURGH, PA. – On Monday, Vice President Joe Biden intends to launch his presidential campaign at the Teamsters Local 249 in Pittsburgh with United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard appearing alongside him.

However, first, on Thursday, Biden is hosting a $2,800 dollar-a-plate fundraiser at the mansion of Comcast Executive President David Cohen in Philadelphia. Among the dozen select political power players on the host committee for Biden’s 1st fundraiser are Steven Cozen, founder and chairman of the union-busting law firm Cozen O’Connor.

According to Cozen O’Connor website, the firm specializes in union busting advertising that it helps employers to “avoid unionization through positive employee relations and regain nonunion status when employees indicate they no longer wish to be union-represented”.

The firm also boasts on its website that it helps employers to lock out their unionized workforce.

The inclusion of Cozen on Biden’s first fundraiser raises lingering questions about Biden’s continued commitment to organized labor and why so many labor leaders are eager to hop on board with Biden.

more...http://paydayreport.com/union-busting-lawyer-to-host-bidens-1st-fundraiser-thursday/

[BlueMississippi]

22. A big yawn

[progressoid]

38. Yeah, screw union members.

What matters is $$$.

[stonecutter357]

12. good let's go Joe !

[BlueMississippi]

14. Already debunked. nt

[melman]

15. Certainly not

This is from CNN. Posted an hour ago

[Thekaspervote]

18. Awhhh already debunked... you're no fun!

Go Joe go...we’ve got your back!

[Bradical79]

70. Where?

Kind of pointless to claim it's debunked without even a link to the debunking.

[Skya Rhen]

16. They want to knee-cap Joe in having the ability to fundraise. As long as it's not illegal

(which it's not) I fully support Joe in raising funds for his campaign, as he sees fit.

[Thekaspervote]

19. Hummm... "doing what's politically possible" sound goods

Go Joe go!! We’ve got your back!!

[BlueMississippi]

23. And BS is the new Martin O'Malley -- fading away fast nt

[JI7]

25. don't insult o'Malley

he supporting beto orourke and not attacking other Democrats.

[BlueMississippi]

27. Yes .. fading away is where the comparison ends

my apologies if it implied more.

Gov. O'Malley is a quintessential Democrat and would always support and campaign for Democrats.

[jalan48]

21. He says the right things though.

[Thekaspervote]

26. And stands by his word... without promising things that are impossible

[melman]

28. Does he?

How about pledges?

[jalan48]

29. Probably why the fossil fuel guy is doing the fundraiser.

[Thekaspervote]

30. Go Joe go..we've got your back!

[George II]

31. He has no reason to cancel. At least we'll know who was there and how much they contributed....

...unlike others who have $MILLIONS in "unitemized" (i.e., undisclosed) contributions, as much as 70+% of total contributions.

At least we now know he's not "returning to Wall Street" for those two fundraisers. Whew, that's a relief.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=265219

[TexasTowelie]

32. Comparatively, it's better than having campaign staffers that advocated voting for Jill Stein. nt

[melman]

33. Whataboutism

Weak effort. Try again.

[TexasTowelie]

34. Can't handle the truth?

Nothing else needs to be said.

[Thekaspervote]

36. Indeed..

[melman]

42. Broken pledges don't matter

Because BERNIE!1!

[TexasTowelie]

46. You're the person that posted the OP about the associations that one candidate in order to tarnish

their reputation (which was the third OP against that candidate in the past 24 hours). I'm merely pointing out the associations of one the other candidates that you appear to favor.

[sheshe2]

50. It is not whataboutism.

It is a fact.

[melman]

51. Yeah it is

This thread is about Joe Biden breaking his pledge.

Bringing up something else to divert from that is textbook whataboutism.

[sheshe2]

53. Umhmmm.

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/04/sanders-takes-lead-as-candidates-begin-to-sign-unity-pledge.html

2020 Candidates Begin Signing Unity Pledge, With Sanders Taking the Lead

lol

[melman]

54. More whataboutism

Weak. How about you try defending this instead.

[sheshe2]

55. Nope.

Your post is about pledges not kept. BS did not keep his.

PERIOD.

[melman]

56. So you can't

That's not a surprise. That's why people resort to whataboutism in the first place.

[sheshe2]

62. ;)

[George II]

73. The fact of the matter is that Biden didn't break any "pledges".

[demosincebirth]

43. Really??

[melman]

45. Apparently so

Sad to say.

[demosincebirth]

72. I forgot the

Sarcasm

[walkingman]

63. If I can find out by googling then anyone can

[Hekate]

74. Take the money and run. Run for POTUS, that is. Citizens United gave us this reality...

...so I'm not using that alone as a purity test.