Environmentalists Turn On Obama As Compromiser

New York Times:

For environmental activists like Jessica Miller, 31, the passage of a major climate bill by the House last month should have been cause for euphoria. Instead she felt cheated.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[RJII]

just like the LGBT community's fight for gay marriage, most change is going to have to come from grassroots efforts through their state leaders in Congress to be truly permanent and forward moving. Do the necessary leg work for change, don't put major national efforts all on the president and expect everyone to sign on because he does. Heck, its still Washington, DC. I can't wait till the last eight years are far from my memory.

[JackND]

very well put

[JamesA1102]

Yes let's make the perfect the enemy of the good. That has worked so well in the past.

[JackND]

Exaclty.

Let's keep in mind that even though we have a new president, we are still working with mostly the same Congress that Bush had. and most of the Congressional leadership have held their current posts longer than Obama has held his.

In fact, there are some people in Congress whose first State of the Union as Congressmen was delivered by Eisenhower.

Obama was sent to the White House by a comfortable margin because of the economy and because of horrible personnel choices by his opponent. He has no mandate for radical change.

[starkcr31]

So what? It's a democratically controlled congress and they despised Bush. As usual, you are finding a way to blame Bush.

[NilesCrane]

So now we can count the environmentalists to the list of groups obama has dissapointed...

as for the running count...its

gays, environmentalists, jews, antiwar groups, blue collar workers, californians, fashionistas, and cookie monster...

[Tericruz]

For all of those complaining...
When are "We the People" going to put the kind of pressure on our local representatives to pay more attention to us than the lobbyist. Mr Obama has long said, if we want certain things done, we will need to pressure our representatives and senators. Look at all the infighting just amongst the demorcats. Every time you hear of an issue that goes against what you want, email your representative or congressman. People spend alot of time on these sites writing their opinions, write your representatives, newspapers and news shows.
STOP COMPLAINING AND DO SOMETHING!

[Luvial]

Members of congress are corrupt or haven't you noticed?. Write a letter to Santa Claus or go pray at your church instead.

[MacTheBlogger]

Bingo.

Which is precisely why I wonder -- why do so many people look to a bunch of professional politicians and the federal bureaucracy to make life "fair', to make everyone "equal", and to make their lives "better"?

Dependence on professional politicians and the federal bureaucracy will lead nowhere, and we still haven't learned that.

[Peter007]

You must be new to this country. Laws are written by lobbyists that give campaign contributions to our politicians. Its not new. Its being going on for ages.
Deal with it.

[Melissa]

When China and India do something about it maybe we will.

[elisadora]

Those who understand first, lead the way. It's the burden and responsibility that comes with wisdom. Would you rather wait for the last idiot to get the message, even if that meant we lose our civilization, our forests, our water supplies, our livelihoods and the beauty of this planet?

China and India's position will look a whole lot more backward if the developed countries do what needs to be done. Besides it is still our insatiable thirst for more stuff that keeps China's industry so busy, so there's another angle where responsibility could be employed wisely.

[TheHuffingtonEnquirer]

"When china develops the horseless carriage, we will!" Dumb@ss.

[JackND]

Yep. And both countries have basically cited the century and a half headstart that the west has had as justification for a 150 year free pass.

Throw in the huge population growth that is likely to occur this century, and the fact that developing countries are going to strive to crossover into developed countries (a process that only the most arrogant Westerner would presume to inhibit), and the best bet is a strategy centered on adaptation.

[research]

It's a Banker paradise bill, not a climate bill!

read it, it's all investment, credit default swaps, derivatives bankster gambler stuff.

A simple 1$ per ton carbon equivalent tax for polluters is simple and transparent.

ACES would create the largest dollar value leveraged derivative market ever.

Obama and the DLC DONO's are corporatist, bankers best friends.

[Ramirez]

Global warming is a load of hooey and there is absolutely nothing our country is going to do about it. The treehuggers will eventually come to accept this.

[AmandaBC]

Hmm, who should we believe, one of huffp0's fa.scist tr0lls or each and every climate scientist in the world, except for a handful whose ties to big oil have been exposed?


http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0724-28.htm

Tough choice...

[TheHuffingtonEnquirer]

The pentagon disagrees. Numbskull.

http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/articles_2004/pentagon_report_global_warming.html

[CologneCitizen]

No, you will eventually have to learn. We will not tolerate your ignorance forever. Your dinosaur car industry has crashed already, what's next ?

[flossophy]

The environmentalists will never be satisfied... they resemble a fanat|cal re|igious cu|t more than anything.

[AmandaBC]

Says the guy who believes in the possibility of a "free" capitalist market (the ultimate oxymoron...) The existence of Big Foot is easier to prove...

[PhilipTaylor]

Compromises "like generous pollution allowances to coal utilities and the usurping of the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory authority over carbon emissions!"

These are not compromises they are gifts to the D!rty C0al and O1L Industries!

What is wrong with the JOB the EPA has done by cleaning up so much of our AIR?

Obama thinks small steps are good if they help the Corporations, but this EPA thing and the CAP and TRADER is totally a sell out to G0LDMAN so they can make MORE TOXIC Derivative Debts to add to the $47.8 Trillion they already have hidden OFF-the-BOOKS!

[PhilipTaylor]

"The president clearly shares the blame, he said, adding, “He is not engaged enough.”

This is also true on the Foreclosure and Credit Card Bill and even the Healthcare bill until his poll numbers started Dropping!

[flossophy]

I wonder when the bloom will come off the rose with you, Philip?

Perhaps it's already starting?

[orianna]

Health care first.

Climate next.

Job killing imports after that.

All at once is a sure death spiral for any of these tricky issues... too many big dollars out there buying up congress... so give Obama a break.. .he's showing a sensible approach so far.

[seakat]

You do reaize that health and climate are related?

If we don't clean up the planet our health will continue to decline.

[hapiday]

I think some Obama supporter are just in-sane. When white folks voted for President Obama I think people completely forgot, there was Congress and the not so friendly opposition he would like to go up against. People seem to think that Congress isn't going to try to prevent President Obama from keeping any of his promises. I am so sick and tired of hearing and reading about white folks being disappointed. You people are really making me sick of your constant complaining. The only mistake President Obama made during his campaign is to make any promises. That's always a no no.

[Sensiblebg]

What does wh ite folks have to do with any of this?

[plwats]

I'm black and I don't see what White people have to do with any of this. I think regardless of race, there are a lot of people out there who really thought that when Obama got in office that we was going to be able to perform miracles(walk on water, heal the sick, etc). I think people of ALL races need to step back and take a long hard look at reality and give the man a chance. He's only been in office a little more than 6 months! Remember he has 4 years to get his agenda accomplished.

[Sensiblebg]

Hopefully Obama is fairly smart to realize that it is the environmental zealots that are causing the prices of everything from food to housing to rise..

[freelyb]

Oh, boy....

[Daniboy]

The race is on-can Obama destroy this country in four years. Hope not! Dingy Harry and San Fran Nan will be working overtime to help bring Big Big Government to the USA! Send capitalism overseas!

[Daniboy]

Is the World cooling or warming-if cooling maybe we'll need more CO2 emissions! Nobody knows so we call it Climate Change-something that has never happened before! Back in the 1970's, Global Cooling was going to kill us-but now we have computor models-and they are never wrong. Wish Algore would tell me what the temp will be next winter-how far south do I want to go. Amazing-he knows what the temp wil be 100 years from now but not 8 days from now-AMAZING

[pennyfarthing]

I don't know whether to slap my forehead or yours. If I told you Grand Central Station had a hundred million people pass through each year, could you tell me how many would be there at 5pm tomorrow evening? Amazing -- you know how many will pass through in a year but you don't know how many will be there tomorrow night -- AMAZING.

There is a world of difference between global climate modeling, observing temperatures over DECADES, and weather forecasting a week out. Regardless of whether or not you believe humans are responsible, you should, at the very least, understand this much.

[ohiomark]

Every day that goes by that we DON'T enact "Cap and Tax", is another day that our economy will not totally collapse.