Robinson Meyer at The Atlantic writes—It’s Younger and Cooler Than a Carbon Tax. The Green New Deal is surprisingly popular:
A new poll, provided exclusively to The Atlantic, suggests that Americans may prefer a Green New Deal–style policy of climate-targeted investment and regulation to a revenue-neutral carbon tax. It’s one of several shifts, underscored by the events of the past month, that suggest a grim future for the once-optimistic plan. [...]
Meanwhile, Democratic interest in a carbon-tax scheme has also faded. The party’s young progressive leaders have become more interested in an investment-involved Green New Deal package. Only one Democratic presidential candidate, John Delany, has included a carbon tax in his climate proposal, while others—including Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden—have endorsed investment plans.
About 59 percent of Americans support a Green New Deal–style package of climate investment and regulation, according to a June poll from YouGov and Data for Progress, a left-leaning think tank. About 22 percent of Americans oppose such a plan.
Only 50 percent of respondents supported a tax on carbon pollution, while 30 percent said they somewhat or strongly opposed it.
“I think the centrist establishment, the Chuck Schumers of the world, their concern is that the Green New Deal is unpopular,” Sean McElwee, the founder of Data for Progress, told me. “But actually, no, the strategy that centrist, Third Way–style think tanks want us to do is unpopular.” [...]
TOP COMMENTS
HIGH IMPACT STORIES • THE WEEK’S HIGH IMPACT STORIES
QUOTATION
“The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.”
~~Former Sen. Gaylord Nelson, 1984
TWEET OF THE DAY
BLAST FROM THE PAST
On this date at Daily Kos in 2006—Oops:
So Senate and the House Republicans seem pretty united that a time table for withdrawal of our men and women from Bush's Iraqi quagmire would be a bad idea. Why, it would be a sell out, bordering on treasonous assistance to the terrorists and an insult to the casualties of Bush's war. Bully for them, and as the traditional media reports in breathless glowing detail, that's a sign of strength. By golly those republicans are going to turn a major liability into a political advantage under the exceptional tutelage of Master Karl Rove:
The U.S. House has voted in favor of not setting a timetable for troops to be removed from Iraq. After the vote, West Michigan Congressman, Pete Hoekstra, appeared on Fox News Channel to talk about the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans in their views on the war.
And the DoD has signed right on the dotted line:
Rumsfeld: Iraq Timetable wouldn't 'do any good': As for a timetable for troop withdrawal, Rumsfeld said that timetables are often wrong. "Once you start doing that, then you are stuck with a number and a date, and it just doesn't do any good," he said.
Oops:
The Government will also offer a timetable for American troop withdrawal, stop US operations targeting insurgents, and clamp down on violations of human rights abuses, according to a 28-page deal reported by the Times. Such moves are likely to raise serious concerns in Washington, which has so far steadfastly refused to name a date for scaling down its presence in Iraq, and will not want its personnel under Iraqi jurisdiction.