Green New Deal Voted Down by Senate, but Activists Aren’t Deterred

1. The Senate vote on Markey's Green New Deal was a bipartisan sham.

   Note that there are only 12 cosponsors (congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-resolution/59); that should tell you just how seriously the Democrats take global warming. What their PRESENT vote did was give cover to the many Democrats who are in bed with the fossil fuel industries.

   More importantly, the vote (senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=116&session=1&vote=00052) was a vote for cloture – that is, ending debate and bringing the issue to a vote. So, if Markey wants debate and hearings, wouldn't the correct vote have been NO? Why call for cloture on a bill which has not been debated?

   The upshot of this slimy stunt is that, while the bill is still officially open for debate, I doubt there will be any. McConnell and the Republicans certainly won't schedule any hearings. And no Democrat has been called out for their complicity with the fossil fuel industries. The American people have been duped into thinking this is a partisan issue which has been voted on, when both wings of the duopoly clearly favor doing nothing.

   Worst of all no Senator has had the integrity to tell the above to the American people. Nor has any commentator that I'm aware of – mainstream or alternative – mentioned any of this.

2. The Fake News

3. Dems voted present because the Green New Deal is not finished. There need to be hearings, the new regulations need teeth, etc. As it is, it's just a non binding resolution that polluters can ignore.

4. NEVER leave the details to the FEDs. Only allows loopholes and other corrupting money grabbing schemes. Sad.

5. Excellent journalism. Thank you Jerry Ornstein and Dharna Noor.

6. According to Republicans, Dinosaurs were around at the same time Jesus walked the earth!

7. Because EVERYONE'S Health in one way or another. is going to be effected by Climate Change? Many already are. The rise in childhood asthma is related to pollution from burning fossil fuels. Elevated pollution levels CAUSED by burning them. Air, water & ground pollution from extracting them & refining them.

8. Targeted Proposals are yet another way to STALL Action, a 2nd form of Incremental Change. It's the same SHIT with a new name. Smoke & Mirrors is what it's called. A Feel Good but not DO Good policy strategy.

9. A New Capitol Building ( refurbished any way ) requires a new Congress. Time to remove all the Dinosaurs from both parties. Who don't care if we live or die. Profits are the ONLY thing that matters to these Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are extinct because they thought the same ways these Dinosaurs in congress think.

10. there are a lot of wealthy racists and they don't want to help the others ( black and brown people ) even if it hurts poor white folks. I'm sure if the slaves would have been white things would be a lot different

11. Those younsters are the future at least they can see whats coming,Way to go!

12. Republicans are so funny. Pie in the sky ideas. Why, human beings can't fly in the sky or go underwater in boats. Or even run a 4 minute mile. What a bunch of losers. We'd still be riding in horses and buggies if they had their way.

13. A jobs program is not inherently good for the economy, but infrastructure that reduces the cost of living is good for people and reducing the cost of business is good for business. Infrastructure that does those things can make the economy more productive. Reducing energy costs is good for everyone except the energy sector, but energy is the second most politically powerful sector of the economy after banking.
    Regardless of any other aspect of the Green New Deal, the public banking proposal is a great idea for reducing the cost of public debt. Philadelphia is considering a municipal bank to end decades of being scammed by banks on municipal bonds. Every state could create a public bank to reduce financing costs like North Dakota has.

14. GOP are afraid of the green new deal, because no more wars for oil or spreading democracy by invading other countries and stealing their natural resources, but I am sure they will find other excuses.

15. Remember, 4 “democrats “ voted no. Not present

16. Democrats really are lacking balls. Need to grow a pair and vote yes.

17. In the beginning of this interview i wasn't watching it but listening intently with enjoyment. Then i looked at the screen and realized the person speaking was a child. Wow, impressive….

18. Voted 0-57 😂😂😂😂 green new deal is a joke!

19. maybe actually show what is in the bill? not plaster kids on the screen. EXPLAIN THE BILL NOT JUST BULLSHAT. I could be for the bill, not going to read hundreds of pages, when i see NOTHING of substance, and the GOP, (who i hate) saying the bills does not explain, WHY should i not believe them? besides the stupidity of writing so many different issues on one bill? (not that anyone is actually saying what those things are) YOU SURE have not explained it). They could of simply cut tax breaks for carbon fuels and passed those same tax breaks to clean energy. one big thing, one thing that could be passed, but nooo, lets stand on top of our soap box and preach. Why bother actually doing anything REAL? 12k years ago, Earth started to leave its last ice age. Lets pretend this is not real, lets NEVER mention this fact. Lets pretend that we need a new tax on carbon fuels because that will put the glaciers back. You know, the coasts rose 400 feet BEFORE man was barely making camp fires? did the neanderthals have secret coal factories? IF GLOBAL WARMING IS CAUSED ONLY BY DIRTY FUELS, what caused it back then? When you catch people lying constantly, i personally quit believing them. I do believe that pollution is increasing the speed of warming up. Koch's are doing everything they can to process the most dirty feuls they can. (canadian oil sands) but where where you all when many where standing in front of the pipelines? You think pumping the Oil Sands down to TX to dump its toxic waste straight into the gulf is not a big issue? again, many BIG ISSUES that can make BIG changes. not this mindless political bullshat.

20. The Sunrise Group is doing a great job, they to help vote the crook Republicans and crook Corporate Democrats out before they destroy our country and the Planet.

21. Hi Jeremy… How much your IQ is ? If below 50 then that explains why you are Bernie / AOC supporter. Go Back to your real school Will you…

22. Sharp young man. The future's already looking better if he's any example.

23. Before the 2020 elections is a perfect time for the electorate to be speaking truth to each other, members of congress and potential candidates running for office about climate catastrophe.

24. The US military has already labelled climate change a global "threat multiplier". We are already gearing up cheaper renewables for electricity all over the country but we need to go faster and more systemic. Why do Republicans not listen or understand the threat? 'Warriors and weather: Climate change and national security in America'. Dec 9, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EectB241kmY

25. Why don’t you guys go to India or China for your protest…their pollution makes our country look like Utopia

26. World Wildlife Fund did a study that shows we've lost 50% of animals on land and in the oceans in the last 40 years. A recent entomology study (here on TRNN) showed that at the current rate of insect species loss there will not be ANY insects on Earth within 100 years. We are in right in the middle of the 6th great mass extinction. The climate is changing faster than the conservative scientific view is telling us. Another study showed that the biosphere itself has fallen below a sustainable level. Once that happens the esteemed elder biologist, Dr. David Suzuki tells us that once that happens there will be a fast, precipitous collapse of the environment. If we don't do something drastic the Earth's web of life will end.
    Our corrupt leaders are not here to help us they only answer to the donor class.

27. We need to run Justice Democrats against every single member of the Senate who voted no.

28. Schumer and Pelosi are just trying to "kick the can down the road" when action is needed NOW!

29. to see guys like Mike Lee speak makes me ashamed to be an american, that guys this dumb can have power in our country

30. Great Job! I hope this movement gains steam before it is too late. The corrupt owners of the world need to get the boot.

31. In Wakanda they implemented AOC day, Assholes on Credit. Horse teeth o Casio forever.

32. Hm, good young-folk!

33. In the end, we HAVE to win! We have no choice…

34. Keep fighting!!

35. Washington DC is bought and paid for. They are all too greedy to care for the planet let alone the people.

36. These pathetic democrats are absolutely the worst! Time for a new third party!

37. This boy is smarter than the whole GOP together.

38. I thought the interview was awkward. But let's be clear on two things: 1) Reps wanted to "expose" the Dems to their donors, i.e. if they voted in favor, they'd get donor pushback and THIS is the reason why Dems voted present (they understood the trap), it has nothing to do with Reps not being honest in discussion; worse still, despite the Dems knowing it would be voted down, they still lacked the courage to express direct support. The Dems reaction and that demonstration was a SHAM and they used the movement to manipulate impressions for not voting. Common Dem tactics, faking support to popular demands, while sucking up to the donors.
    2) Climate activists should treat this as a lesson; write programmes as if they would need to pass as legislation not as a project to express self-referencing radicalism, i.e. with explicit, attainable and financially tought-out short-term, mid-term and long-term goals. Be honest and accept it doesn't meet those standards at all. And NO, if the plan was put together properly it wouldn't need a discussion on the cost of "not acting", that's rhetorical sophistry; separate the "rallying cries" that only satisfy the identity politics of the movement from workable, common solutions…better yet, work out a pragmatic plan and make this your rallying cry and the core of the movement. All too often people in such groups operate as if they're part of a messianic heresy, rather than a political action movement.

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