Thanks to those who have emailed to ask our perspective on the Green New Deal. We think this Time magazine article as quoted by Bob Inglis best summarizes our thoughts at republicEn.org:
.@JustinWorland may well be right: “By shifting the conversation to the left, the Green New Deal has given conservative lawmakers an opening to present centrist policy proposals without looking like they are giving Democrats a political win.” https://t.co/gDAKWwdkZR
Bob Inglis (@bobinglis) February 19, 2019
The rest of the paragraph: ” At the same time, progressive rhetoric surrounding the issue has contributed to a sense of urgency in the public dialogue, encouraging influential corporate lobbyists, who support moderate solutions to address climate change but want to avoid policies that include heavy regulations, to act proactively. Ultimately, Congressional Republicans’ reaction to the Green New Deal may offer a glimmer of hope that a legislative climate solution will pass a divided Congress in coming years.”
“The Green New Deal gives Republicans and conservatives space so that they can maneuver and pivot, so that they can point to a solution that they can support,” says former Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a friend of the EcoRight. “When Republicans controlled Congress, this was not getting attention,” he told USA TODAY. “That’s going to change, and everyone soon will have to go on the record, not just expressing what they’re against but what they’re for.”
“If we really want to get serious about this, let’s not get caught up in the gotcha moments, or something that is so, so, just expansive and improbable or impossible,” Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said. “If you’re saying you’re going to be off of fossils in 10 yearsthat’s impossible. What I worry most about the Green New Deal as it’s been outlined is that it is going to distract us from coming up with creative solutions that will take us to where we all want to get. I want to be in the same place when it comes to energy security, and a future that is clean when it comes to our emissions. That is not pie in the sky. That’s something we should be working toward.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik was more succinct. The Green New Deal is a “pie in the sky massive tax hike and a massive government expansion.”
Stay tuned for more reactions as the debate heats up.