If It’s Good Enough for Bill McKibben…
Here are legendary environmentalist Bill McKibben’s thoughts on the upcoming U.S. elections. Worth noting, along with his contempt for Donald Trump, is his relatively sanguine perspective on the Democratic platform.
Obviously, he was rooting for Bernie, but absent a Sanders’ presidency, he’s happy to report that the current approach to climate change mitigation is more positive and progressive than it’s ever been in the past. In particular, he approves of the key criterion we now use to make our decisions on energy: If it’s bad for the climate, we’re not doing it.
The watch-word for the next four years: hard work; we need to keep up the pressure on the U.S. government to ratchet up the ferocity of its commitment to phase out fossil fuels.
I can’t say that I’m proud to be an American every minute of every day, but this is the type of stuff that makes my chest swell.
@ Billy McKibben
Keep on Keeping on Billy you done some real good Work !
Oh great! That’s just what Hillary needs, another preachy, leftist, self-righteous activist to alienate the middle and scare away older democrat voters.
Advocates like Bill Mckibben may get cheers from the “converted” but many Democrats will stay away from the polls because they don’t like his rhetoric.
His continual bitter rants against Donald Trump only increase Trump’s popularity with his followers, increase his stature, and focus media attention on Trump.
No candidate can win from the extreme wings of the political dynamic. All candidates must win the centre to gain office.
“If it’s bad for the climate, we’re not doing it.
The watch-word for the next four years: hard work; we need to keep up the pressure on the U.S. government to ratchet up the ferocity of its commitment to phase out fossil fuels.”
Great ! Just the stuff to upset a vast number of American retirees, (remember them, they’re the ones who actually vote)as to a loss of income. That should just about drive every blue collar worker worried about employment into listening to Donald Trump.
Rhetoric like that will also cripple HC once elected, as she tries to accommodate such campaign pledges with economic reality and administration.
Trump has no such baggage, in the unlikely event of his becoming elected, his pledges such as a wall across the Mexican border can be simply shrugged off by saying it wasn’t meant to be a literal “wall” made of bricks, but a sophisticated impenetrable hi tech barrier including beefed up subservience and detection. He can announce studying a way to “fine” to Mexico for every illegal migrant the failed to prevent entering the US.
That will satisfy his supporters and the issue will be quickly forgotten, not as a broken promise, but as a President who’s doing his best !
Activist advocates like Bill McKibben haven’t woken up to the fact that Trump feeds off his sort of outdated rhetoric. The general public have grown weary of being lectured, preached at by advocates with no practical answers. They want there concerns listened to, not told they’re stupid.
We should all be thankful that it’s only Donald Trump ! A more adept populist would win the election by a landslide.
You make some good points here, e.g., that we should all be thankful it’s only Donald Trump. But please see: http://www.2greenenergy.com/2016/07/30/the-effect-of-raising-ones-voice/.