Obama To Climate Activists: "I Can't Do This Alone" A: "What Does He Think We're Doing Here?"

[hatrack]

A dozen young climate change activists expecting a discussion with White House staffers Friday instead got a meeting with President Obama himself. The surprise meeting came hours ahead of the April 15-18 Power Shift 2011 conference, which is slated to include criticism of a White House that some activists allege has not been aggressive enough on climate change.

EDIT

“The president challenged us. He said ‘I can’t do this alone,’” Hight said, noting Obama cited the need to organize and challenge their elected officials. “So we said, what do you think we’re doing here? There’s 10,000 of us actually,” said Hight, a former Obama campaign staffer, onstage at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center Friday night.

She told CNN that the advocates expressed their concern about White House support for nuclear energy. “The president said it's something he's going to continue to support, so we have a difference of opinion on that,” she told the news service. Maura Cowley, the other co-director of the Energy Action Coalition, said the meeting was promising despite some differences with the White House. “We saw the community organizer side of President Obama come out in this meeting,” she told CNN. “I think we're hoping it's the beginning of a dialogue.”

A White House spokesman did not respond to a request for comment about the meeting.

EDIT

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/156455-obama-meets-with-young-climate-change-activists-

[polichick]

1. As a climate activist, I'm sick of the president's bullshit about "clean coal" and nuclear energy...

The Exelon/Obama connection is explained here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-23/nuclear-illinois-helped-shape-obama-view-on-energy-in-dealings-with-exelon.html

[DCKit]

3. "Clean Coal". Too funny.

Huge problem though, nobody's ever called them on it. And it's not even the CO2 I'm worried about, it's the mercury, radio-nucleotides and heavy metals.

Our fish are poisoned with that crap, no matter where they come from.

[ThomCat]

5. Seriously! "Clean coal" is industry created fraud. Having Obama

sell "clean coal" constantly is insulting and offensive. He promised, as a candidate, to be an environmental president. Instead he's a paid spokesperson for the extraction energy industry. x(

[CoffeeCat]

2. Great...throw some crumbs at the slaves...

"I think we're hoping it's the beginning of a dialogue."

That makes me so sad.

This is similar to how an abuse victim would talk about a therapy session with her alcoholic husband--who
didn't agree to change, but left the door open for further discussion...maybe...but nothing definite.

The stakes are just so high, and the most we can hope for is that...possibly...sometime...hopefully--we can talk.

[DCKit]

4. Though I agree, we can't afford to become that passive, beaten spouse. nt

[Wilms]

6. How ironic.

We can't even post a dialogue on DU challenging the administrations policies without it getting freeped by his ardent apologists.

Sad.