Should the Democrats make alternative energy the cornerstone of the 2006-2008 term?

[Guaranteed]

This is an issue just sitting out there waiting for us to grab it. Our country needs it, badly, for economic, environmental and foreign policy reasons, IMO.

I don't even see it as a "risky" issue, either. Isn't it something all Americans can get behind? Who doesn't hate our country's addiction to oil?

Should the Democrats grab it? If so, to what level should they legislate it?

Here are some answers to choose from. Pick the one you like best:

1) Hell freaking YES they should grab it, and every speech they make should be referring to it. We need to retool our society completely to get us off of this damned oil, even if it means spending hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars doing so, over the years.

2) Yes, alternative energy should play a significant role in the Democratic agenda. I don't feel so comfortable about publicizing it at every turn, but I think the American public would appreciate it, and would be willing to spend a good chunk of change on it.

3) Yes, I think the Democrats should look into an alternative energy plan, but I don't think it should be legislated past maybe giving some tax incentives to corporations to give them a push in the right direction.

4) I don't think the Democrats should be looking at alternative energy at all.

[leftstreet]

1. Single Payer National Health Care

C.O.R.N.E.R.S.T.O.N.E.

[lvx35]

2. true, but there's room for both.

I think unwinding the energy mess is the biggest part of sorting out our foreign policy, and our role in the world. On the home front, its all healthcare.

[leftstreet]

5. Agree

Room for both, and the "home front" will vote overwhelmingly Dem if the Dems grab single payer health care. And THEN we can start unwinding the energy mess.

[lumberjack_jeff]

25. How many "THE cornerstones" do we get?

I say #2.

[GOPBasher]

17. I think both of those should be.

Those are the two most important issues to me.

[OzarkDem]

29. Agree, new energy policy #2

Both are very, very important.

[Guaranteed]

31. Given the broad implications of alternative energy,

I would give it priority over nationalized health care.

[wtmusic]

3. Let's use the same way we got seat belts, catalytic converters, and airbags

require them, and make the country and the world a better place.

[papau]

26. If that way can get me a plug in sedan hybrid in 2008, I'm happy!

Even a good low cost EU type diesel sedan would be nice.

[Kosmo]

4. definitely no. 1

Energy Independence is the key to our geo-political standing. Not to mention the economic benefits to suppling ourselves with the energy we need.

[Guaranteed]

7. I think, if we did this, our economy would BOOM.

When I saw Big Dawg in Stockton campaigning for McNerney, he said that every eight years (not sure how he came up with that number) a country needs a new "big thing" to create an economy with. The last "big thing" was the Internet, of course, and 22 million jobs were created (at least over Clinton's term).

Anyway, the idea is that retooling our society to get rid of oil would create millions upon millions of jobs, and make people more productive.

It would also give our country something to be proud of- put us back on the cutting edge.

I can think of nothing I would like to see the Democrats do more. Except maybe deconglomerating the media. :P

[lvx35]

10. Wow, that would be awesome.

Building the world beyond oil. The dot-energy boom, accessible to all kinds of small entrepreneurs just like the net. rad.

[lvx35]

8. Its the key to our moral standing...

and that's seriously important to me, personally.

[newyawker99]

28. Hi Kosmo!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[FogerRox]

6. Start here

Dr Bussards IEC fusion prototype:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/11/28/15328/187

[Viva_La_Revolution]

9. Iraq first...

Alternative Energy second.

In the end, they are both the same thing.


BOOK TV Schedule - December 2nd - 4th
*John Edwards, ed., Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives
*Henry Louis Gates, Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience
*A World Ignited: How Apostles of Ethnic, Religious, and Racial Hatred Torch the Globe
*In Depth: Jimmy Carter - Live Call-in show! 3 hours!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2843827#2843857

[slackmaster]

27. Thank you for noting that the isues are both the same thing

I agree with you.

[wickerwoman]

11. I would fold it into a larger point about corruption, corruption, corruption...

Alternative energy isn't very juicy by itself-> that is to say, real anger hasn't penetrated the middle yet.

The larger point is that corruption has left us dependant on Saudi oil decades after we should have weaned ourself off it. Corruption is leaving little old ladies with a choice between eating, heating the house or buying medicine.

Corruption is why Iraq is such a bloody mess- how many "insurgents" would have never picked up a gun if they'd been given jobs at decent wages rebuilding the infrastructure of their country four years ago? Instead, all those no-bid contracts that went to Halliburton and Bechtel are responsible for the lion's share of the mess over there.

Corruption is undermining our faith in our system of elections. Corruption is making Dems and Repubs beholden to special interests before they ever step foot in office.

As much as I hate to say it, we should take a page from Newt Gingrich's book, except in this case it's really true. The middle and the left are both sick of the richest 2% leading our country around by the nose. And I think that's an issue that really speaks to people across the political spectrum.

[Deja Q]

12. Michelle Bachmann says public transport would cost $7200/person

She also says lots of other dumb things too.

$7200 seems little right now. But as the cost of oil increases, more people will want public transport. The cost of public transport will become less costly to folks than maintaining a car + gas + stress due to worrying about being in an accident because nobody knows how to drive anymore.

Our society schedules everything else by the hour, so why not public transport? I can live without a car and gladly take the public transport routes.

[GOPBasher]

19. $7200 is less than we're paying for cars, gas, repairs, maintenence, and insurance.

Even that figure would be fine with me.

[Porcupine]

13. Wind=Jobs, Solar=Jobs, Biofuels=Jobs, Conservation=Jobs

Public transportation=Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. For each of these jobs hundreds of thousands of dollars would stay in LOCAL communities where Americans get to spend the money that is saved or created.

All the Dems need to do is show a picture of a wind farm going up in the Midwest and round up the farmers who lease the land and the techs who work on them. Voice over: "Wouldn't you rather have a good job right here."

The same with a Solar installation on a school. "This installation will save the school $$$ in power costs over the next 10 years."

Same w/biofuels. For Agriculture you get succesful organic farmers like Joel Salatin who are making money producing healthier food and sequestering carbon at the same time to write your policy. Imagine farmers that can make money farming without slave labor or government subsidies every year.

Good energy policy is good JOBS policy!!

[whirlygigspin]

15. if every tractor could run on molasses

we could have great tractor pulls and make toffee free for all the squirrels!

Nuclear free coal, now!

[Porcupine]

21. Um, Tractors are all Diesel. As in Biodiesel.

and oil presses and turnkey biodiesel converters are now available for farmers to use for closed circle fuel manufactering.

Are you sure you're in the right forum? I'm sure there are free-energy forums somewhere that could use your lack of connection with reality.

[dmosh42]

14. Yes, it's very important, but....

we don't have enough practical information to know where we should be focusing. The methanol sounded great, until we found it's still pretty expensive, and the engines capable of handling E-85 do not get quite the mileage as a same amount of gasoline. Hydrogen and some others are coming along, but are not ready for prime time. So I voted for the second option of letting the American people know we consider it a high priority, and when we have the practical replacement, we'll go all out for it.

[whirlygigspin]

16. I know my environmental friends will accuse me of heresy...but

I agree with Peter Huber and Mark Mills


http://www.isa.org/Content/ContentGroups/News/20051/March28/Pintos_Point__Energy,_the_bottomless_well.htm


"Peter Huber and Mark Mills wrote one of the best-ever books on energy technologies: The Bottomless Well: The Twilight of Fuel, the Virtue of Waste, and Why We Will Never Run Out of Energy. It's good reading for engineers and marketers.

No, this is not a book that says oil will run out. Rather it emphasizes that, as humanity advances, more and more energy, if not oil, will inevitably come from the "bottomless well" of human ingenuity, innovation, and progress.

Today, oil is not the dominant fuel of our modern economy; it supplies about 40% of the raw energy we use and mainly sees use for automobiles and transportation. Coal, uranium, gas, and hydroelectric power supply the other 60%. By far the most important use of this not-oil fuel is to produce electricity to power almost everything else."

[dmosh42]

20. maybe we should concentrate more on replacing oil in industrial use first

All the talk we hear is on the 'gasoline usage', but that might be the most difficult to change. As you mention, there are many other alternatives for industry, and maybe it's time to try and get the electric companies to concentrate on producing power without oil. I used to live in one area of NY where coal produced all the power, and was quite reasonable compared to some other nearby companies. However, I lived in SW Florida for 13 yrs, and they use a lot of oil for electricity.

[Porcupine]

22. Sounds like you're waiting for the hydrogen fairy to me.........

.

[GOPBasher]

18. Absolutely. It would be great for our environment, our economy and

our security.

[cali]

23. The cornerstone? Hell no.

Yes it's important. Yes the appropriate and knowledgable folks should embrace it and work their asses off on it, but the cornerstone of the term should be restoring the constitution. Period.

[bowens43]

24. Maybe we should wait and see what happens over the next years.

Dems haven't even taken control yet. It useless to speculate about 2008.

[clarquistador]

30. Major reason why I'm backing Clark.....

He was the Chairman of a company (I think it's called WaveCrest?) that created alternative energy technologies and applications.