Flashback (July 2015) - Democratic Candidates Announce Climate Plans

[TomCADem]

I know it is hard to think that there is not a huge difference between Hillary and Sanders on climate change, but back in 2015, the Democratic candidates were pretty uniform on the need to address climate change. Now, compare this to Trump who tweeted:

https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/265895292191248385?lang=en

"The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive."

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/07/26/3684585/hillary-clintons-climate-plan-released/

On Sunday evening, the Democratic presidential candidate released a fact sheet detailing her plan to fight climate change, and it focuses heavily on promoting clean energy generation across the country.

Among other things, the plan includes a promise to install half a billion solar panels by 2021, or the end of Clinton’s first term. That would represent a 700 percent increase from current installations, she said. Clinton also promised that, if elected, enough renewable energy would be produced to power every home in the country within 10 years.

* * *

that certainly does not mean that Clinton’s is the only presidential campaign that’s put a hard focus on tackling global warming. Indeed, Democratic contender Martin O’Malley arguably has an even more aggressive climate agenda. His plan is to make the country powered completely by renewable energy by 2050 — meaning no fossil fuel use at all. He has condemned President Obama for approving offshore drilling, supporting domestic oil production, and shying away from bold stances on high-carbon tar sands oil from Canada, which would be transported by the Keystone XL pipeline if it were approved.

* * *
Clinton’s other Democratic rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) hasn’t released an official climate plan yet. But in an interview with the Washington Post in May, he said he would go further than President Obama has in tackling the problem.

[Kip Humphrey]

1. "Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) hasn’t released an official climate plan yet" - Google it...

https://berniesanders.com/people-before-polluters/

[TomCADem]

3. Bernie Released His Plan In December 2015

The article was back in July 2015 when the campaigns were just starting. The point is that the Democrats were all pretty aligned over a year ago on the idea that climate change was real and that we should be doing something about it. In comparison, Republicans are pretty uniform in denying the fact of climate change.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-climate-plan_us_5664f5f6e4b079b2818f09a4

[Ash_F]

2. Clinton has not come out against fracking which is a major difference.

I live nearby fracking.

[TomCADem]

4. She Came Out Against Coal and WVA Is Pretty Upset About This...

...though I do think most of the pro-coal demonstrators are really Republicans, rather than pro-coal Bernie supporters.

[Ash_F]

5. I think the issue is the way she said it.

She should have talked more about transitioning jobs and retraining.

Too bad she does not support free tuition!

[TomCADem]

6. Sad Thing Is That Many Bernie Supporters Would Turn On Him...

...if he does not somehow deliver irrespective of what he has to work with in Congress. The moment that Bernie cuts a deal, he would be roasted by the very same purists who insist that he does no wrong. I wish that Hillary was more of a dreamer, but with Bernie, I see no strategy for how he gets even half of his wish list, particularly big ticket items.

Also, while free tuition is nice in concept, there are some real issues about whether his plan would really lead to better outcomes:

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/02/17/466730455/fact-check-bernie-sanders-promises-free-college-will-it-work

I would prefer to have a financial aid system that provides greater incentives for colleges to provide affordable tuition. In California, Governor Brown has made increased U.C. funding contingent on U.C.'s slowing the pace in the growth of tuition.

Finally, it would be nice if Bernie's system had at least been rolled out in a State to show that it is feasible. The U.S. is not a relatively homogeneous society like Germany or Norway. This reminds me of Republicans citing Ireland as a reason for cutting corporate taxes in the U.S.

[Ash_F]

7. "free tuition is not required to produce the most educated workforce in the world."

For me it is more about whether people can have those opportunities.

Many coal miners have been doing it for generations with their families and can not imagine having other opportunities

Fracking is a little different in that it is new on the scene, so it is not such a hot potato.

[TomCADem]

8. I Went Back To Visit My College, A Public University...

..., and it looked really, really nice with lounges, brand new buildings, athletic centers, etc. It was a far cry from when I went to college where I thought the post - WW II era buildings had character. The dorms I stayed in were a bit bland, but they were functional. Back then, tuition seemed expensive, but it was not crazy like it is now where there is not much difference between private and public colleges when it comes to tuition.

Put another way, what happened? When did colleges become these high end malls that cater to the rich? This is what I mean. I can see what has changed, and can envision the alternative where I went to college at a public institution that was not all blinged out. Less bling, and more focus on making colleges affordable. If a candidate said that, I would support this view, rather than trying to import Finland or Slovenia's college system into the U.S.

As for health care, I wish Hillary Clinton simply made a commitment to pursue the public option, which supposed to be part of President Obama's original plan. Yes, it is incremental, but it is a realistic expansion of the current system, which could then be used in the future as a bridge toward a full fledged single payer system.

Of course, it is all for naught if we get a Republican congress, but it would be cool if we had someone a little more idealistic and inspiring then Hillary, but also more pragmatic then Bernie. I understand that Bernie can be pragmatic and can deal with the Republican Congress if that is what he has to deal with. Okay, but then what would his proposals look like after Republican congress has its say?

In the end, unless the Democrats re-take Congress, Hillary or Bernie will look a lot like President Obama at best.

[Ash_F]

9. What year did you begin college?

[amborin]

10. HRC lobbied the World Bk for 2 of world's largest coal plants in S. Africa, friends got the

construction contracts;

actions, not words

her actions show she opted for filthy coal, not renewables