Joe Biden Vows Not To Take Fossil Fuel Money At UWS Fundraiser Hosted By Fossil Fuel Leader

[melman]

Joe Biden is facing questions about whether he violated a "No Fossil Fuel Money" pledge, after attending an Upper West Side fundraiser organized by the founder of a natural gas company.

The former vice president and current frontrunner for the Democratic nomination was in town this week for a forum on climate change hosted by CNN. On Thursday night, he slipped into Majestic for an event hosted by banker David Soloman and Andrew Goldman, co-founder of the liquified natural gas company Western LNG.

While Biden vigorously denied that the appearance was at odds with his own pledge to reject financial support from the fossil fuel industry, dozens of climate activists who'd gathered outside the Central Park West building held a different view.

"I think it violates the spirit of the pledge, if not the word," Matthew Miles Goodrich, an organizer with the grassroots group Sunrise Movement, told Gothamist on Friday. "Goldman is the founder of a natural gas company, and the reality is that natural gas does not have any role in this country under the Green New Deal, and certainly not in a livable future for our generation."


Biden's campaign team has countered that Goldman is no longer involved in day-to-day operations of the company. But the Times notes that he is still listed as LNG's co-founder, and a company press release from last year describes him as a “a long-term investor in the liquefied natural gas sector.”

(Solomon, for his part, is the scion of Hildred Capital Partners and former VP of Forest Laboratories, which previously coughed up $313 million to settle claims that it was illegally marketing antidepressants to children.)

According to a pool report, Biden addressed this tension with Berman during the fundraiser, though stopped short of explaining how exactly his appearance squared with his commitment. "I just want to be very clear to everyone here: I am committed to not raising money from fossil fuel executives and I am not doing that tonight,” he told attendees. "Climate change presents an existential threat, and it is real."

https://gothamist.com/news/joe-biden-vows-not-take-fossil-fuel-money-uws-fundraiser-hosted-fossil-fuel-leader

[Hekate]

1. Undecided, eh? We know who you hate, but who do you like?

[BlueMississippi]

17. It is classified

I mean .. as classified as Trump's tweets!

[stonecutter357]

2. good let's go Joe !

[George II]

14. For what it's worth, Sanders has accepted fossil fuel money.

[OilemFirchen]

3. Did he violate his pledge?

What's the story, actually?

[melman]

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

I thought we went over this.

[OilemFirchen]

6. I'm a co-founder of two corporations, registered in 1984.

I've never heard of any of the current principals, nor am I at all aware of their product offerings.

I am still a co-founder.

Do you have a point, other than the one established previously?

[George II]

9. Oh man, you're just being TOO sensible! BTW, surprised you're not on the outs with many....

....here on DU, you have a fossil fuel in your screen name!

[OilemFirchen]

29. I've my dad to blame for that.

Worse yet, he was in the plastics industry all of his adult life.

[ehrnst]

19. Oh dear. You contradicted a rant with facts and knowledge of the topic.

Don't you know that righteous indignation is above mere factual details?

Wait - you don't work for the Washington Post do you?

[OilemFirchen]

30. I've found it not uncommon that those who blast "corporate America"...

have never worked in "corporate America". See also Government.

I'm the worst of the hypocrites, daring to see myself as liberal whilst having a career in corporations under government (defense department) contract. I shall forthwith begin the self-flagellation.

[melman]

22. That's wonderful

Are you listed on their websites' "leadership" pages?

[OilemFirchen]

28. NOYB

What difference does it make, though?

[sheshe2]

31. ...

[Cary]

37. Bashing is an end in and of itself.

One has to be "able to walk and chew gum at the same time." Otherwise one is, you know.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

41. Are you still on the company website under "our leadership"

Were you listed as management in a filing last year?

If not, probably not the same situation.

Does this help with the confusion?

[OilemFirchen]

43. NOYB

And, no.

What is Goldman's title at Western LNG?

Does this help with the confusion?

[George II]

10. I'll repeat for OF:

Did he violate his pledge?

What's the story, actually?

Got anything?

[melman]

23. "What's the story, actually?"

You don't know the story? That's odd.


Luckily it's easy to find information on this.

[George II]

24. You skipped the first question. Why can't you answer either?

[melman]

25. The answer is yes

Here's Western LNG President and CEO Davis Thames describing Goldman as part of a "seasoned team of executives"




https://www.bcuc.com/Documents/Proceedings/2018/DOC_52129_C1-5_WLNG-Evidence.pdf




And that's the story.

[Thekaspervote]

33. You did answer the first question.

[melman]

34. Yes

I answered them both.

[Cary]

38. You can't interpret your own code?

That' odd.

Luckily no one really cares.

[melman]

42. My code?

What on earth are you talking about?

[Cary]

44. Code, then sea lioning.

To be followed with denial.

[melman]

45. Absolutely not

[melman]

36. Got plenty

Didn't you see post #25? I really don't know how you could have missed it.


Or maybe you just didn't like the story? Oh well.

[Control-Z]

11. Yeah.

That jump out at me. How does one ever change that particular status? Just one ridiculous idea in an article full of them.

[OilemFirchen]

32. Well, how DOES one ever change that particular status?

Your interlocutor is chronically unable to even understand the question.

What's your thought?

[AlexSFCA]

5. Who cares?

We need all the money we can get to beat trump.

[monmouth4]

7. He's coming off as sort of "slick" IMO..n/t

[George II]

8. Good for him, nice going Mr. VP! And it's great to see that he's sticking to his word. Bravo!

[NurseJackie]

12. Meh! Who cares?

[Cary]

39. Who, indeed.

[bootcamp]

13. DNC accepts money from fossil fuel industry and Biden is running as a Democrat.

So then you should not be undecided which party you really supports since DNC announced last year they will accepts money from the fossil fuel industry. Besides, I do not understand this sudden righteous indignation coming from some progressives when not so long ago natural gas was considered to an alternative fuel source.
Please bear in mind there will be no progress to curb the use of fossil fuel unless Trump is defeated, and Biden so far is the only candidate who could soundly defeat trump.

[NYMinute]

15. lol

[BlueMississippi]

16. I need to stock up on cheese

all this whining requires it

[melman]

18. .

[BlueMississippi]

26. I disagree ....

[sheshe2]

27. Brava/ Bravo

Well done!

[crazytown]

20. Wait, I'll check it out.

No, it ain't risen from the dead yet.

[Magoo48]

21. There's a big party for me down at the pub, free booze and weed, but,

I promise I won’t drink or inhale....

[Kurt V.]

35. with such a good all around field, this cycle will be a test run for future dem candidates.

with gen x and millennials being more imp in the future, what will our electorate tolerate.

[Joe941]

40. Politicians taking big money from oil exec's- that's news?

Par for the course - business as usual. Now if you want to shake things up looks towards bernie.