How George Bush Can Salvage His Presidency. Today.
Yup. George Bush can re-write his place in history, restore American prestige worldwide, and be remembered as a great president. All he has to do is give this little speech I've written for him.
The speech does not contain the word "Iraq." I'm not a (total) egomaniac, and I'm not holding my breath. But I do mean it. The president who gives this speech can save America.
Imagine...
My fellow Americans: I'm using this Saturday's radio broadcast to begin a "How To" for the purpose of saving energy and cutting our nation's use of oil by 25 percent -- not in 20 years, 10 years, or five years -- but in the next three months. That's right. Every Saturday on this broadcast, I will try to teach the things I've been learning. If every American pulls with me, we'll literally cut our oil use by 25 percent -- three months from today.
I've come to see that the most patriotic act we can commit as Americans is to save energy in our day-to-day lives. I haven't asked the American people to sacrifice in this war on terror. But today I am. Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your co-workers: we're in this together.
The first way to fight terrorism is to deny terrorist-sponsoring nations their most powerful weapon: the high price of oil. The best way we can do this in the short run? Conservation. If every American stops using just the energy that we truly don't need, we will send a message to our enemies -- and friends -- in the Middle East: We don't want to fight; we don't need your oil; we will no longer empower you by being a slave to our own energy consumption.
Sure, we already have alternative technologies that will help: solar, wind, fuel cell cars. But these take time to come into everyday use. We don't have time. So I'm asking you to join this new crusade to change our everyday habits. You don't have to buy a hybrid car or convert your house to solar heating to join us.
See, we're at war with our own habits: habits formed 50 years ago, when oil was cheap and there seemed to be an endless supply.
If every American woman, man, and child joins me, we will not only thwart terrorism at its source, but we'll dramatically lower our carbon emissions. In three months -- and without asking businesses to carry an undue burden -- we'll be in virtual voluntary compliance with the Kyoto Accord. (Now that I see how possible it is, I might even sign it. It'd probably send a good message to the folks in China.)
The things I'll be talking about each week are simple. I won't ask you to buy a new car, I'll teach you how to drive your current one and save 20 percent of your fuel. We can do this today, just by being mindful of little things.
So here's Lesson Number 1: turn off lights you don't need.
Don't worry, we're not going to plunge American homes into darkness. But when you leave a room, ask yourself: "How long will it be before I come back to this part of the house? Can I turn off a couple of lights? Do I need more than one light in the bathroom while I brush my teeth?"
Throughout your day, ask yourself: can I manage without this light? If the answer's yes, get in the habit of turning it off. If you run an office, you have a bigger chance to help. For a while at least, we need to turn off lights in our skyscrapers -- not all of them, but a lot of them. Unnecessary lights waste oil, so they're ultimately a danger to our security.
That's it for this week.
If every American joins me in this crusade -- if today we start to accept conservation as our patriotic duty, experts tell me that we'll save up to 3 percent of our energy consumption, immediately. Tomorrow.
Next week, I'll add a new tool. Over the next three months, if we fight this New Crusade together, we will reinvigorate America with a shared sense of purpose that we haven't experienced since the challenges of World War II.
Americans have always been willing to sacrifice. I now understand the need to ask you to do that. Sorry I come so late to it, but I pray that it's better late than never.
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Rallying a people to fight an external threat, even one that doesn't exist, is easier than showing them that the real enemy is ourselves in the way we consume and waste. But our economy is dependent on consumption, waste, obsolescence, and disposable products. How can those be changed without a painful change in our economy?
And change requires an expenditure of energy greater than the energy required to simply accept current energy use. An example would be the idea of disposing of pre-1985 cars because they are wasteful of petroleum-based products. The diesel fuel required to run the machines that would grind the cars up, crush them,transport them, and bury them would surely negate any benefit that would come from their disposal?
Still, in the long run, consumption has to decrease. I think no one will listen to Mr. Bush, but maybe he could salvage his presidency by creating a group who would rally us all to fight the enemy within, a group who understands history and could use FDR techniques to make us understand the threat and be proud to consume less. Victory gardens!
Thanks, Stephen for a simple action that all should take to heart! (an action I heard from my father throughout my childhood.
This bicycle-riding, mass-transit using, corkscrew light-bulb lit, a-c eschewing, locally-buying, vegetarian (HUGE oil-based production
I understand that many may not be able to make these same changes, but appreciate this optimistic challenge you issue to the president, and in doing so, issue that same challenge to everyone who reads this! Please continue by adding new challenges and tools each week.
"A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead
If Al Gore had become President, he might have made such a series of speeches about energy conservation (even though he has a 10,000 plus square foot mansion and a monthly electric bill which rivals the annual bills of most other Americans). But George Bush? Don't hold your breath. Obviously, most Americans didn't change their energy habits after Jimmy Carter gave his conservation speech in the White House 30 years ago (April 1977, as I recall). But moral suasion from the President can't hurt. It might even create a few converts. Quite frankly, there is nothing President Bush can do now to rehabilitate his stature. I think he will go down in history as being one of the least competent, least qualified presidents in the nation's history. If he had not been George Herbert Walker Bush's son, he never would have made it as far as he did. His is an extreme case of affirmative action for white people gone extremely wrong. We will all pay the price.
There were loooooong lines and high prices at the pump during the Carter Administration caused by an embargo on oil shipments from the Arab countries. And our economy went into a tailspin. Conservation became popular because people could see a direct effect to their own bottom lines by turning off lights, driving more fuel efficient cars and a lot of the other suggestions made during this debate.
Then the "Me generation" came along and we forgot the lessons we learned during that time.
I hope, but I've been accused of being a bit of a dreamer, that we can wake up and make the necessary changes to our daily lives without all the pain and drama we experienced in the 70's.
I have the same dream. Reagan's people started to dismantle the good work on conservation and gas mileage requirements begun under Carter. We are such short term thinkers. We have to learn new habits. If we do it together, as a nation, it need not be painful; in fact, it would create a much-needed sense of community and shared purpose. All that's lacking is leadership. Only a president can really get EVERYONE's attention anymore. (Oh, and I guess maybe if Ryan Seacret repeated it all on American Idol, conservation could get some real traction..
You're right, you're absolutely right. That speech would change everything.
Republicans were not always against protecting the environment, not always against preserving the planet. They used to be for it!
And some still are. The more I think about it, the more I think you've got something really powerful here. It would distract everyone from the Republican Iraq failure. It would catch the fundies by surprise, true enough, but then, he's not running in 08 so he doesn't have to worry about them!
And it would give moderate Republicans something to run with. Mitt Romney would pick it up, I'm sure. Heck, he might even get Al Gore's endorsement!
I like it!
Speaking of President Carter, when he was in the White House, he had solar panels installed, because even back then, we were having an energy crisis. Mr. Reagan, had them dismantled when he became president in 1981. I guess he didn't believe in the energy crisis.
Our capitalist system runs on consumption, and waste. Must be something new, because back in our early years as a country, when we made things, they lasted forever. Why, we still have houses still standing, and many antquities lasting from our early century. Maybe we need to have government controls on energy prices, so it become a neutral factor in life. It might ease pricing and affordability, so folks don't have to figure out which bill to pay this month. But with that said, redesign our our delivery systems, making them renewable and clean. There needs to be real serious, certifiable R&D by our energy producers. Energy solutions should take president over profits.
Yes, and and there were loooooong lines and high prices at gas stations in the 1970's during former President Carter's administration.
We do not need any more government interference. No price controls. We need citizens to behave with responsibility and common sense. Stop buying vehicles that get 9 miles to the gallon. This is a capitalist republic and the market will correct itself IF and only IF the consumer uses it's powers to do so. Stop being selfish and immature. Grow up. That is all it takes. Also, quit railing on the President. You can blame him for a lot of things but you cannot blame him for the attitudes of consumerism that started during the tech boom of the 90's when Bill Clinton was in office. There has not been one perfect presidency. Not one. Energy solutions will only take precedent over profits when consumers force it by their behavior. Detroit will stop making monster vehicles when they are not profitable. So stop buying them.
NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING,,,not if Bush single handedly refroze the ice caps, healed the ozone layer, and replanted the Rain Forest, and cured AIDS and Cancer would change his position in History.
He is now, and for all time THE WORST PRESIDENT EVER!
I too am a child of people who survived the Depression and you are right this whole topic is second nature to them. As I run around the house after my children turning off lights, I often look around for my mother. I know she's there I can hear her in my own voice.
I first became active in conservation efforts in the early 70's when I worked to help pass a law in Michigan that requires a deposit on all pop and beer cans and bottles sold in the state. (I was in junior high at the time.) Once that law passed and people had a financial incentive to recycle cans and bottles there was an immediate impact on the litter along highways and in empty fields. People would actually pick up other peoples trash because it was worth money.
Small effort - return cans and bottles to the store; big impact - much cleaner state.
Michael Chertoff made an interesting comment yesterday. Speaking of national security and borders, he said that the biggest problem is that people do not want to be "inconvenienced". They do not want to have to use passports to cross northern or southern borders. Inconvenienced. We will never win this war or any war (and there will be more of them) as long as we only worry about our individual selves. We will not win the war for our earth either. Conspicuous consumerism, materialis
I fear you're all too correct. We are children, we want to be entertained NOW with the latest gadget; we are being entertained to death.
Unfortunately, conserving electricity will not impact our dependence on middle east oil. Our electricity comes from four sources: coal, natural gas, nuclear, and hyrdo-electric; none of which we import. The only way to cut our use of imported oil is through alternative transportation energy sources.
If conservation techniques were truly practiced by the whole country, the savings would be almost incalculable. It's true that coal and natural gas supply a lot of electricity. We need to save all non-renewable sources of energy.
I came to this page with hope that people would stay on topic. Yet, once again, partisan politics has overshadowed the whole point.
I am the child of parents that survived the depression.
They would find this whole discussion ludicrous. The idea that people need to be told or have suggested to them that they should raise their thermostats, turn off their lights, conserve gas by combining trips and taking public transportation, Stephen, though your proposed speech is thoughful and sincere, it is disturbing that it is even necessary.
It is, indeed, "disturbing that it is even necessary.
Actually Bush did say this on 17MAY2001:
"Innovation helps us all make better choices. Smart electric meters can tell homeowners how they're using power and how they might reduce their monthly electric bill. Sensors can turn off lights when people leave a room. And innovation is bringing us transmission wires that waste less of the electricity they carry from plant to home or to office."
http://www
Every President since Carter has touched on this which is just common sense. Bush and Cheney aren't sneaking into our houses turning on lights. We're the ones not being diligent.
The other advantage of turning out lights, especially outdoors, is the opportunity to regain our Dark Skies.
And Stephen, if you want another suggestion. Tell people to fix dripping faucets immediately! Gallons upon gallons are wasted every year from slow leaks. That's a double whammy since it involves more energy for treatment and wastewater plants while depleting another limited resource.
Of course, in my fantasy, the president adds more suggestions every week, carefully nursing Americans into new habits, re-shaping the idea of what it means to be a patriot. (You're right about water faucets...
I brought up a similar concept several years ago in a political forum and I think it is as valid today as it was then:
It is essentially the same, but wrapped in a nice package and appropriately named so that even the most jingoist of Americans will play along.
The NEW PATRIOT Program
Petroleum
Alternative
Technology and
Research
Incentive
OpporTunity
Stephen,
I think any kind of message on a mass media scale is the only one that penetrates. There are so many messages the American people need to hear that come in forms like blogs,magazine, books and newspapers that don't reach the 'people' and therefore are diluted. If you saw Real Time with Bill Marhr, John Mellencamp was talking about the naive Americans that voted for Bush and believed the rhetoric from the Neocons and Christian right. If only we could present the truth to this large voting block. Show them how voting for this party is voting against their best interests. That would be a start. Policy for the environment wasn't really demanded by this country until An Inconvenient Truth:a mass scale message like you're suggesting. It would be great if Bush addressed the nation with these ideas for conservation. It would be great if SOMEONE presented the facts about the crimes of this administration to this country. John Edwards is our only hope.
Advocate 123, Hi Mr. Cheney, welcome to our discussion.
Dear Mr. Collins: Mr. Bush can never "rewrite his place in history, restore American prestige worldwide and be remembered as a great president.
to editor: please disregard my first post sent in, as i meant to write "Iraq," not Iran at the third sentence.
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