Obama pledges cooperation with McCain on climate change
An intriguing story from Greenwire (subs. req’d):
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said yesterday on a late-night comedy show that global warming cannot be solved without participation from Republicans, and he pledged to work with his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, on the issue no matter who wins the White House on Tuesday.
Appearing on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, Obama cited climate change as an issue on which he and McCain could find common ground after this year’s bitter presidential campaign concludes.
“I hope that after the election, however way it turns out, that we can work together, because some of the problems are ones that we’re not going to be able to solve with one party just trying to dictate a solution to the problems,” Obama said via satellite from Sunrise, Fla., where his campaign held one in a series of rallies in the battleground state.
The Illinois senator then brought up climate change.
“You look at a something like global warming, that’s really an all-hands-on-deck kind of situation,” Obama said. “If we don’t get everybody on board, conservative hawks who are worried about us buying oil from the Middle East, tree huggers and environmentalists who are worried about, you know, the polar bears. Bringing all those folks together and saying everybody’s got a legitimate point of view, let’s figure out how to solve the problem. I think that’s the kind of attitude that we’re going to need going forward.”
After the election, I will blog more on the possibility of this political very odd couple working together . But before anybody gets too warm and fuzzy, consider the McCain campaign’s response:
In a telephone interview yesterday, however, Doug Holtz-Eakin, McCain’s domestic economic adviser, was far from interested in teaming up with the Illinois Democrat. “Barack Obama has never done anything on climate change except vote for John McCain’s bill and talk a lot,” he said.
As Jon Stewart might say, “Oh, snap!”
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October 30th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
True, BHO is fairly new to the climate change issue, but he is certainly an astute politician.
October 30th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
After the election, all of us who support Barack Obama and are looking to positively and progressively change this country are going to extend the hand of partnership to the McCain supporters. We will be willing to forgive and forget in the interests of the greater good and the urgency of the challenge facing us. We will be ready to get to work together.
But if, as I suspect, the toxic nature of the “drill, baby, drill!” crowd cannot be overcome then we’re going to have to move on without them. It will be a lot harder to get the job done without them, but it won’t be impossible - and we’ve achieved other paradigm-shifting necessary change while having to fight them every step along the way.
McCain himself clearly has no core values or beliefs that he hasn’t been willing to sell out when it comes to the issue of the environment. He has no credibility on the subject and he has zero record of accomplishment. There is no there there. He won’t be missed because he’s never been with us.
He obviously also holds no respect for Barack Obama, so it’s hard to visualize him suddenly doing a 180 and trying to help reduce carbon output instead of promoting it.
Maybe he and the Mrs can sell 11 of their 13 cars and give up their private jet use.
October 30th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Slightly off-topic, but
“Acid rain loves a good recession”
http://www.salon.com/ tech/ htww/ 2008/ 10/ 30/ desulphurization_blues/ index.html
October 30th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
I was pleasantly surprised by his Daily Show appearance. Not only did he use the opportunity to bring up climate change (on its own, too, rather than masked as the more politically-acceptable ‘energy policy’) as a critical point, but he also managed to out-deadpan Jon Stewart himself (see his remarks on the Bradley Effect).
Here’s to Nov. 4.
October 31st, 2008 at 1:16 am
“Doug Holtz-Eakin, McCain’s domestic economic adviser: “Barack Obama has never done anything on climate change except vote for John McCain’s bill and talk a lot,” he said.”
Obama voted each time (5) for the renewable portfolio standard.
States that have enacted it at the state level have lower carbon emissions: CA 10 tons per capita versus non rps states like Oklahoma, Wyoming 30 tons per capita.
Thats one thing Obama has done for climate change. Obamas other 24 votes in the Senate promote a safe climate also. (McCain voted against the rps 5 times, as part of his 50 votes against clean energy)
So maybe it IS just talk:
YEA, YEA, YEA, YEA, YEA
But talk like that can change climate.
October 31st, 2008 at 4:23 am
There was a piece on Sky this morning which took the view that climate change was simply not on the agenda any more (was it ever?) for the average American. One interviewee said “climate goes up, climate goes down, its a God thing…).
They took the view that the real issue was a mix of economic and energy security, and with oil prices falling fast this will prove the point.
Meanwhile over here in the UK we have just signed up to a legally binding 80% reduction in emissions by 2050, INCLUDING air and sea transport emissions. It will be interesting to see how we wriggle out of that one - perhaps wait until 2049 and do it all in the final year!
October 31st, 2008 at 7:44 pm
It appears that neither candidate is willing to committ to going to Copenhagen in December.