Climate policy: The road to hell is paved with conservative intentions

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from Grist Magazine's Gristmill blog:



The road to hell is paved with conservative intentions
On climate, how should progressives respond to the conservative strategy of 'obstruct and delay'

Posted by Joseph Romm (Guest Contributor) at 6:53 PM on 01 Mar 2009


When I first read the E&E News PM story, "Boxer eyeing bold move to thwart GOP filibuster on emissions bill," I was skeptical of the strategy described:

The chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee is considering a bold budget move aimed at passing global warming legislation in the Senate without having to deal with an expected Republican filibuster.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said that she is researching the use of the budget reconciliation process as an avenue for passing cap-and-trade legislation now considered a key agenda item for President Obama.

"We're certainly exploring it as a possibility," Boxer said of budget reconciliation, a bill that cannot be filibustered and therefore does not require meeting the 60-vote threshold that has consistently been a key hurdle to passage of global warming legislation.

After all, the climate bill will be among the consequential pieces of legislation ever considered by Congress given that failure to solve the climate problem will grievously harm the health and well-being the next 50 generations of Americans (see here). Shouldn't that issue be debated extensively?

But then I read William Kristol's Thusday op-ed, which argued Republicans need to "find reasons to obstruct and delay" (see here) Obama's agenda. I guess that's why they I call it the conservative movement stagnation.

Conservatives have no strategy for averting catastrophe. Indeed, they have chosen to tie the fate of their entire movement stagnation to humanity's self-destruction (see here). It is now taken for granted that one must get 60 votes for every piece of legislation because it is taken for granted that conservatives will filibuster anything Democrats tried to do, including trying to pass legislation aimed at preventing the unimaginable horror of 5.5° to 7°C warming and 850 ppm. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/2/27/152629/777

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