In an attempt to elevate the discourse in our community, I'm going to discuss possibly the single most important Issue among Democrats: Who is really really Green
First, I'd point you in the direction of an exceptionally excellent and fully objective website here, where each candidate is scored on their being Green: http://www.lcv.org/...
For purposes of this diary, we will exclude the Republicans from our discussion and focus on our Four Green Democrats: Obama, Clinton, Edwards and Kucinich
First, can you guess who scores the highest among the League of Conservation Voters?
Kucinich Right? I mean, he's vegan. In discussions of Environment, he even discusses how the food he eats is Eco-Friendlier... Well, maybe It's John Edwards, Champion of the Progressive Movement? What about Hillary Clinton? Green? Yes, very...
However the Greenest of them all if none other than Sen. Barack Obama. Here are the Lifetime Scorecards of each candidate:
Barack Obama : 96
Dennis Kucinich : 92
Hillary Clinton : 90
John Edwards : 59
These are based upon the voting history of each Candidate... Interesting Observations indicate that John Edwards scored 17 in '04 and 37 in '03, the two years that he was running for President. A reader below fairly points out that JRE'S Score of 59 was weighed down by his activity on the campaign trail and he actually had an improving record prior to that point as a Senator. Additionally, Hillary Clinton Scored 76 in '06, the year leading into her current run, while she was high 80+ before, with compliment to a score of 100 in '04, while JRE was scoring 17. Barack Obama has a shorter history yes, but his two scored years are 95 in '05, Equalling Hillary for the same year, but moving further to score a perfect 100, the year before his Presidential campaign began.
Based upon this simple method of scoring by the LCV, Barack Obama is a few shades of Green, 6 to be specific, than Hillary Clinton. Now, the LCV has a great addition to their voters guide where each candidate gets to speak in their own words. Lets review the comments of our 3 frontrunners.
Barack Obama
“Putting a price on carbon is the most important step we can to take to reduce emissions. As president, my first priority to combat global warming will be enacting an economy-wide cap on U.S. carbon emissions that will reduce U.S. emissions by the amount scientists agree is necessary (80%) for the U.S. to bear an equitable share of the global emissions reduction burden. I will devote significant resources from a permit auction toward accelerating the development and deployment of low carbon technologies, addressing the economic challenges imposed on key industrial sectors, and providing meaningful incentives for action by developing countries. Another top priority for my energy and global warming agenda will be changing the cars we drive and the fossil fuels we burn. I will increase fuel efficiency standards to the limits of technological and economic feasibility, introduce legislation to lift the 60,000-per-manufacturer cap on buyer tax credits to encourage more Americans to buy ultraefficient vehicles and encourage automakers to make fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles by helping them shoulder the health care costs of their retirees. Domestic automakers will get health care assistance in exchange for investing 50 percent of the savings into technology to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles. In addition, I will provide automakers with generous tax incentives for retooling assembly plants. To change the fuels we burn, I introduced legislation to enact a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard that will reduce the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of passenger vehicle fuels sold in the U.S. by 10 percent in 2020 and require additional reductions of 1% annually thereafter.”
Hillary Clinton
“Energy independence and global warming are top priorities that I continually discuss on the campaign trail, and I will focus on them in my first months in office. I will use executive orders to restore federal leadership in energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy. I will realign budget priorities to bolster research and development programs that can help to reduce oil dependence and greenhouse gas emissions. I will nominate committed, highly qualified people to run the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and other related Departments. I will promote legislation to promote alternative energy, and I will personally act to restore American leadership in international discussions about global warming.”
John Edwards
“One of this Administration’s biggest mistakes after September 11th was ignoring the country’s will to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. I will seize the opportunity of my fi rst 100 days as president to send legislation to Congress that enacts my agenda to halt global warming and achieve energy independence. I believe that the United States must pass legislation capping the emissions of greenhouse gases as quickly as possible. I will submit a budget that doubles the Department of Energy’s research budget for development of clean energies and makes the renewable energy tax credit permanent. At the same time, I will issue an executive order to reduce the federal government’s use of energy and make the White House carbon neutral. Finally, I will begin discussions with other world leaders to enact a new global climate change treaty.”
It is nice to read and review each candidate on the merits of the Issue. I would like to Applaud each Candidate for their leadership on this issue which I and I'm sure many of you hold to be sacred among members of the Democratic Party and Progressive Movement.
This is a very excellent chart that I found on their Website and Cropped to include our Three Excellent Frontrunners.
It is difficult to argue one candidate is better than any other on their Environmental Proposals based upon the LCV Chart. They are all doing a wonderful job of Setting really high standards and reaching for what the LCV would agree is where our country needs to go on the Environment.
That said, there is one Proposal of Barack Obama that I especially love, one that I think could create an entire new way to seed the ideas and technology needed to transition our Oil Economy to a Green Economy.
Clean Technologies Deployment Venture Capital Fund: Obama will create a Clean Technologies Venture Capital Fund to fill a critical gap in U.S. technology development. Obama will invest $10 billion per year into this fund for five years. The fund will partner with existing investment funds and our National Laboratories to ensure that promising technologies move beyond the lab and are commercialized in the U.S
This in my mind is a real new idea, that breaks Senator Obama a bit ahead of the pack. While they all intend to deploy Billions in attemptiing to convert our Economy, Obama will reemploy a proven model to create the Technologies needed. This Venture Fund will be based upon the CIA's own wildly successful In-Q-Tel
Working from an evolving strategic blueprint defining the Intelligence Community's critical technology needs, In-Q-Tel engages with entrepreneurs, growth companies, researchers, and venture capitalists to deliver technologies that provide superior capabilities for the CIA, DIA, NGA, and the larger Intelligence Community. In-Q-Tel concentrates on three broad commercial technology areas: software, infrastructure and materials sciences.
What did In-Q-Tel bring us? For starters, Try GOOGLE EARTH
In-Q-Tel sold 5,636 shares of Google Inc., worth over $2.2 million, on Nov 15, 2005. The stocks were a result of Google’s acquisition of Keyhole, the CIA funded satellite mapping software now known as Google Earth.
Nice. Now, how big is In-Q-Tel? And what is their total track record?
As of August 2006, In-Q-Tel had reviewed more than 5,800 business plans, invested some $150 million in more than 90 companies, and delivered more than 130 technology solutions to the intelligence community. In 2005 it was said to be funded with about $37 million a year from the CIA
$37 Million, and it's delievered most publicaly Google Earth. It's equiped the CIA with leading edge Tech Innovation from start ups and genius' among us. Many would agree, we can't solve global warming only on the backs of GE... I think Obama's Venture Fund, at $10B per year, will advance technolocal development at lightspeed compared to the current Administration and I believe this plan is indicative of the innovative Leadership Obama brings to the table. Honestly, whoever the nominee is, I will write and call their campaign to mimick or create a similar agency to In-Q-Tel, as Obama is proposing, to get Tech Dollars to those brightest among us who will user in tomorrows Green Revolution.
Thanks for reading a bit on the issues. I hope this diary is instructive. Please, no flames below, lets talk issues if at all possible.
UPDATE: There is discussion of Nuclear and it's Goods and Bads... Please read my comment on that matter here.