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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGore to Obama on climate change: Talk is cheap, it’s time to act
Just as were discovering that the tough talk about the fiscal cliff is false, and that President Obama and the Democrats appear to possibly be folding, again, on the important topic of climate change, what were hearing from the Democrats is more talk than action.
Al Gore spent a lot of time in Washington, so he has to be well aware of the ability of the political class to talk a lot, yet do nothing.
As we saw with Hurricane Sandy, the problem of climate change is getting worse and we cant afford to keep letting the party of ignorance dictate the discussion.
Al Gore is calling on President Obama to make climate change a higher priority in his second term.
I deeply respect our president and I am grateful for the steps that he has taken, but we cannot have four more years of mentioning this occasionally and saying its too bad that the Congress cant act, Gore said in New York City on Thursday, Reuters reports.
http://americablog.com/2012/12/gore-obama-climate-change-talk-is-cheap.html
Obama's refusal to talk about climate change gives the issue to weirdos like James Inhofe. Al Gore is right. It's time for Obama to break the silence on climate change.Obama instead uses the term, "Clean energy" but that is not enough. Time is running short. The election is over. It's time for Obama, and the Democrats, to grow a pair on this issue.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)to many old school, anti-science Leaders with connections to Industry lobbyists. Get rid of the people like Salazar, President Obama.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)n/t
Iggy
(1,418 posts)did Gore forget we have a Congress?
uhhh....
Enrique
(27,461 posts)Gore himself has served in the House, the Senate, and in the Executive Branch, and he has worked on global warming in all of these roles and so of course he knows it isn't just the president.
"Our democracy has been hacked," Gore said in remarks to the New York League of Conservation Voters and Regional Plan Association. "And when the large part of polluters and their ideological allies tell the members of Congress to jump, they do say, 'how high?' And we need leadership in the executive branch as well."
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Obama has the bully pulpit. As president, it is his DUTY to lead on this issue. He can use the bully pulpit to force the issue to the fore, and take it back from Koch brother marionettes like James Inhofe.
The climate denial crackpots are heard more on this issue than climatologists. That is because the Democrats, and especially Obama, refuse to speak of it.
The Obama administration intentionally rebranded the terms Global warming and Climate change as "clean energy" in 2009 because they believed it was a hot button issue.
THE ELECTION IS OVER, TIME TO FACE REALITY.
stlsaxman
(9,236 posts)it's not a position of the power to "bully".
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)"A bully pulpit is a position sufficiently conspicuous to provide an opportunity to speak out and be listened to."
"This term was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt, who referred to the White House as a "bully pulpit", by which he meant a terrific platform from which to advocate an agenda. Roosevelt famously used the word bully as an adjective meaning "superb" or "wonderful", a more common usage in his time than it is today."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bully_pulpit
stlsaxman
(9,236 posts)i just found out myself and put it together. i LOVED the fact that it was originally meant "I have an AWESOME pulpit!!!" and not- "fuck you I can say what i fuckin' want or i'll beat your face in!!"
you know... like a bully!
Iggy
(1,418 posts)WILL be running to keep their jobs... so there's that feeble excuse again.
My point is Congress is NOT FACING REALITY, and neither is Obama. The "bully pulpit" is vastly overrated. Congress isn't listening. we just had a huge drought, and a huge storm hit and flooded lower Manhattan-- something the "experts" said would never happen.
what is Congress doing about any of this? ZERO.
DirkGently
(12,151 posts)RegieRocker
(4,226 posts)to make money on Carbon Tax so no, Obama does not need to Carbon Tax! Push congress to do something on pollution yes. Congress needs to take away all tax breaks from corporations and then give them tax breaks to reduce their carbon foot print. Also tax breaks for citizens on more efficient anything especially cars, heating cooling, solar etc....
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Tax it so extremely that it is no longer economically viable as a fuel. That would solve the problem and force industry into clean energy. Thank you for the idea!!
RegieRocker
(4,226 posts)ridiculous idea. Yea like that will get implemented. Deep end far right idea symbolism.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Add a 5% carbon tax that goes up 5% every two years. There would be an explosion of private investment in clean energy and energy efficiency. After ten years, have it go up 5% every year until it is at 100%.
Problem solved. No more carbon 'polluting' our atmosphere.
pampango
(24,692 posts)carbon emissions and green energy.
RegieRocker
(4,226 posts)Truth: Germany not Europe.
RepublicansRZombies
(982 posts)He pushed the free trade agreements, sending our jobs to countries with no environmental standards.
CO2 productions is down in the US and it is way up in China because they are producing most of our goods.
If Gore has half a brain, he would realize we are all on the same planet and sending our pollution (and jobs!) to other countries isn't really a solution.
Gore should be apologizing for pushing the offshoring of our jobs to countries who are polluting wildly, not criticizing Obama for not taxing us.
When we eliminate trade with countries who are wildly polluting and start producing our own goods, then we will be responsible citizens of planet earth, not when we start taxing more.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Except in the Republican mind. It is a fact that Al Gore has done more, singlehandedly, to bring climate change to the fore than every other US politician combined. That is why the GOP hate him.
"then we will be responsible citizens of planet earth, not when we start taxing more" Why did you throw tax cuts in? Odd. I believe we should tax carbon so heavily that it disappears as an issue. Tax it out of existence. Tax the rich out of existence too.
RegieRocker
(4,226 posts)Uncle Joe
(59,676 posts)China because they have 5 times our population and are rapidly modernizing via Industrialization, that was happening regardless of any trade agreement with the U.S. just as it's happening in India.
The U.S. is number two in global warming pollution and is responsible for putting most of it into the Earth's atmosphere along with the Industrialized West over the past 150 years.
This B.S.; about the Third World having no environment standards when it comes to global warming pollution when we're the primary culprits is just that, bullshit.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)There sky was smoggy all the way across. Must be from China.
Uncle Joe
(59,676 posts)than standing against the wind and telling it to quit blowing.
Your flight across the Pacific is no different than flying from New York to Paris. It must be the U.S.
All of this doesn't change the historical fact that the U.S. and Industrialized World have been and still are the primary culprits in regards to global warming pollution.
Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)as many of us knew they would. And of course the usual suspects are giving them a pass. When the party gets trounced again in 2014, this is why - they don't show up for us, so showing up for them would be the height of hypocrisy
Fire Walk With Me
(38,893 posts)or do it ourselves.