V important that Biden says things like this now. Draws contrast with the Trump self-dealing agenda and legitimises Biden agenda when it hits Congress. The agenda isn’t just not being Trump. It’s both the right thing to do and good politics.
I’ve been keeping a close and interested eye on the Lincoln Project and their daily discussions. They too thought Biden’s ‘gaffes’ about fracking and the oil industry were something that he ‘needed to clean up’. It’s a bit rich for conservatives to forget that they’re throwing their support behind a Democrat and then expect him to swing right towards their conservative policies. Talking up future visions of transitioning to more sustainable policies in any field is exactly what ANY candidate should be doing.
Completely agree about the gift v gaffe. And I loved hearing him talk to you on PSA. He seemed really animated around climate and clearly can go pretty deep on the policy. I know if he wins there will be so many competing priorities to address right away but I love the framing of climate (and infrastructure btw) as a top priority to help bolster the economy and create jobs to help the nation recover as we fight our way out of the pandemic. Addressing climate change (and infrastructure) could become a real solution to multiple challenges facing us including getting people back to work.
My meme-spewing aunts' arguments have shifted from climate change is a hoax to poking holes at environmental solutions as flawed. I think this means that they're no longer saying the problem doesn't exist. They're pointing to issues with lithium extraction labor and pollution, electric car battery recyclability, wind turbine blade waste, hot solar farms killing birds along with wind turbines. They say oil and gas are better for these reasons. I think we can address these issues and move forward together. Probably easier said then done, but I'm gathering info to address their concerns
This analysis and comments here strike me as spot on. It seems to me that Joe's trying to land that "third way" frame that acknowledges the moral/existential message as well as the fear of economic change. He's been disciplined in repeating the "jobs" and "opportunity" message but I don't know that it's making converts of skeptics. Esp in this economy, the fear of job loss message will resonate in many electorally key geographic areas. That's easily debunked, though, and while it will likely need to wait til post election (knock on wood), there are lots of great examples of states like Texas becoming green energy powerhouses. Those new jobs aren't hypothetical, they are here now. People need to hear that, There are green industry allies in red states--get them to speak out.
Oh, and China is eclipsing the US in renewables R&D investment. Jobs, saving lives of troops, security at home, being the dominant economy in the future....go Joe!
Completely agree. I'm glad Biden made it clear. In my area, CARES act funds are being used to reclaim plugged and abandoned oil well sites. Costs that should have been covered by the operators of the wells are now being covered by the state. The defense of this is that it will keep work crews in the area, ready to jump back to work for the oil companies when the industry rebounds. It's a huge bottom line and liability win for those companies on the hook. There's such a long history of subsidies in this industry. Yet, its proponents seem to ignore that whenever subsidies for renewables come up. We pay the fossil fuel industry to research new ways to be more clean, but the notion of that same money going toward renewables is aggressively fought. Our vote can swing those subsidy dollars, but it's still going to be a long hard fight.
Thanks for the data points, Dan. I was thrilled at the "gaffe" to stoke up our progressive base and demonstrate Joe's/Dems future-facing view on energy, a willingness to say it and do something about it. What surprised me was the industry's reaction. As it turns out, they're not that bothered and are "keenly aware that the world is starting to move from fossil fuels toward renewable energy" says they NYTimes. Remember British Petroleum's ad campaign "Beyond Petroleum" way back in the day? Time to walk the talk, fellas.
100% right.
V important that Biden says things like this now. Draws contrast with the Trump self-dealing agenda and legitimises Biden agenda when it hits Congress. The agenda isn’t just not being Trump. It’s both the right thing to do and good politics.
I’ve been keeping a close and interested eye on the Lincoln Project and their daily discussions. They too thought Biden’s ‘gaffes’ about fracking and the oil industry were something that he ‘needed to clean up’. It’s a bit rich for conservatives to forget that they’re throwing their support behind a Democrat and then expect him to swing right towards their conservative policies. Talking up future visions of transitioning to more sustainable policies in any field is exactly what ANY candidate should be doing.
Completely agree about the gift v gaffe. And I loved hearing him talk to you on PSA. He seemed really animated around climate and clearly can go pretty deep on the policy. I know if he wins there will be so many competing priorities to address right away but I love the framing of climate (and infrastructure btw) as a top priority to help bolster the economy and create jobs to help the nation recover as we fight our way out of the pandemic. Addressing climate change (and infrastructure) could become a real solution to multiple challenges facing us including getting people back to work.
My meme-spewing aunts' arguments have shifted from climate change is a hoax to poking holes at environmental solutions as flawed. I think this means that they're no longer saying the problem doesn't exist. They're pointing to issues with lithium extraction labor and pollution, electric car battery recyclability, wind turbine blade waste, hot solar farms killing birds along with wind turbines. They say oil and gas are better for these reasons. I think we can address these issues and move forward together. Probably easier said then done, but I'm gathering info to address their concerns
This analysis and comments here strike me as spot on. It seems to me that Joe's trying to land that "third way" frame that acknowledges the moral/existential message as well as the fear of economic change. He's been disciplined in repeating the "jobs" and "opportunity" message but I don't know that it's making converts of skeptics. Esp in this economy, the fear of job loss message will resonate in many electorally key geographic areas. That's easily debunked, though, and while it will likely need to wait til post election (knock on wood), there are lots of great examples of states like Texas becoming green energy powerhouses. Those new jobs aren't hypothetical, they are here now. People need to hear that, There are green industry allies in red states--get them to speak out.
Listening to the PSA interview I was glad to hear Joe focus on R&D investments as well. This points to another frame that I haven't heard yet: national security. The US military has long embraced renewable energy as a security strategy, and in an era when cyber attacks on power grids are a real threat, we can leverage this. Here's an article I've shared with family/friends that summarizes it well: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-military-green-energy-insight/u-s-military-marches-forward-on-green-energy-despite-trump-idUSKBN1683BL
Oh, and China is eclipsing the US in renewables R&D investment. Jobs, saving lives of troops, security at home, being the dominant economy in the future....go Joe!
Completely agree. I'm glad Biden made it clear. In my area, CARES act funds are being used to reclaim plugged and abandoned oil well sites. Costs that should have been covered by the operators of the wells are now being covered by the state. The defense of this is that it will keep work crews in the area, ready to jump back to work for the oil companies when the industry rebounds. It's a huge bottom line and liability win for those companies on the hook. There's such a long history of subsidies in this industry. Yet, its proponents seem to ignore that whenever subsidies for renewables come up. We pay the fossil fuel industry to research new ways to be more clean, but the notion of that same money going toward renewables is aggressively fought. Our vote can swing those subsidy dollars, but it's still going to be a long hard fight.
Thanks for the data points, Dan. I was thrilled at the "gaffe" to stoke up our progressive base and demonstrate Joe's/Dems future-facing view on energy, a willingness to say it and do something about it. What surprised me was the industry's reaction. As it turns out, they're not that bothered and are "keenly aware that the world is starting to move from fossil fuels toward renewable energy" says they NYTimes. Remember British Petroleum's ad campaign "Beyond Petroleum" way back in the day? Time to walk the talk, fellas.