Global Warming ‘Non-Negotiable' to Youth as Hillary, Edwards, Kucinich, Add GRIST to the Mill

Picture of Dennis Kucinich by Rodger Caldwell

Global Warming and America’s Energy Future – A Presidential Forum, Sponsored by GRIST and others

Wadsworth Theatre, Westwood, California

Nov. 17, 2007

Reporting by Rodger and June Caldwell

Global Warming ‘non-negotiable’ to Youth

A huge enthusiastic crowd of ALL ages came to this filled-over-capacity event. While waiting in the circling Disneyland style line to get in, I spoke to UCLA Bruin writer, who said Global Warming is a big issue to young adults, the ‘non-negotiable’ issue. Laurie David the producer of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ gave an introduction, kicking things off to enthusiastic cheers.

Which brought up of course my reiterating to my husband for the thousanth time, "We were invited to the shooting of 'An Inconvenient Truth' in LA and it won an Oscar!...we should have gone, why didn't we go to that?", and us both saying in unison chortling uncontrollably at our amazing wit (much to the annoyance of everyone around us), "it was too inconvenient! ha, ha!" Now that was out of the way, so the presentation could move on...

Three Candidates Came to the Table - Kucinich the ‘soul’, Edwards the ‘heart’ and Hillary the ‘brain’.

All candidates from both parties were invited, only three showed up: Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Dennis Kucinich. We hope this isn’t due to the relative importance the others place on the growing urgency of global warming and the very immediate need for energy independence. As it turned out, the three candidates that showed up represented a good cross-section of the Democratic Party. Kucinich the ‘soul’, Edwards the ‘heart’ and Hillary the ‘brain’. While the other candidates of both parties couldn’t pull themselves out of Iowa for a few hours to discuss this crucial issue, all three that came to this table can be given credit for showing up.

Refreshing Format

The format was different from past forums where candidates were encouraged to cat-fight. Each had a half an hour to express their stand and answer questions. Which meant uniquely we got to hear Kucinich speak for more than 5 minutes! They each then answered questions by the hard hitting moderator,Steve Curwood, and fellow Panelists: Mary Nichols (CA Air Resources Board), and David Roberts (GRIST).

The candidates represent three different approaches that are all right, summarized below in the order they spoke. Each direction will play a role in reducing green house gases and moving towards energy independence.

Dennis Kucinich was the most spiritual. He got cheers for such comments as “Clean coal is an oxymoron”. In fact, Kucinich received the most cheers and applause. He speaks for what the people want and long for. When asked how will coal miners be compensated if we end coal usage, he said we can provide a guaranteed wage for everyone in the country. Crazy? Not at all! What is crazy is this war without end in the mid-East. Without the Iraq war there would be more than enough money for that. We are just in denial about the fact that the war over oil in the Mideast costs more than it would cost to end poverty and hunger and provide truly universal healthcare. He reminded us of that while strongly asserting that we have scarcely tapped into our enormous potential to make big changes for the greater good of the entire planet.

Hillary Clinton who was once described as "always the smartest one in the room” certainly laid out the most detail on how she would do the job. Hillary has ‘Sales 101’ down in that she always takes care to target her presentation to her audience. Hillary is known for taking the care to direct each speech to her audience and it always pays off. She took the time to remind us that she always talks about California as she travels the country, which warmed the crowd of progressives to her like an icecap melting in the snow. Since we are in California, she spoke of California who is already Kyoto compliant and has not raised electrical demand in 30 years. She explained that the road to healing Global Warming will be hard, each incremental change will be a battle, and we must be patient and steadfast. She discussed the bills that she has co-sponsored with Barbara Boxer that is being worked on right now, Senate Bills 1297 and 1523. She said ‘I guarantee, there will be no bill on Global Warming - or anything else - that you all will be satisfied with’, but that we can’t let that tie us up from taking each necessary step to change.

John Edwards stuck with his consistent theme of an anti-corporation direction. He said we must be a world leader for good in all areas to be a leader in the Environment, instead of where we are in the current administration as a leader for bad. He said new green jobs should be in the areas where coal jobs are closed down. He reminded us that it is safe to estimate that there will be one million new green jobs as we move to energy independence, maybe up to two million.

Energy Goals Similar, Cap and Trade a Difference

Surprisingly, the energy goals for carbon caps and targets for all three are similar, it is their approaches that are different. Dennis, Edwards, Hillary all support a cap and 80% reduction by 2050. Hillary supports 20% reduction by 2010, Kucinich 10% reduction by 2010, Edwards 15% by 2018.

How Will Each Get Congressional and Senate Support?

They were all asked, how will they get their green ‘campaign promises’ passed once they are in office?

Kucinich: Take it over their heads to the people. Meaning engage the people to believe in these goals and pressure Congress and vote for Reps that support them.

Hillary: Know how to negotiate, step by step on a hard road of incremental change like the bill she is working on right now with Barbara Boxer. Know how to negotiate with the corporations.

Edwards: Get a Congress and President who is not so tied to the big corporations.

Who Won?

Answer? They all are right. We will have to pull in each of their approaches and more to win the war on Global Warming.

It is true as Kucinich says, we need to open our minds that something new is possible. Bringing to mind the adage “to do the same thing over and over and expect different results is insanity”.

It is true as Edwards says, that we need to stop cow-towing to the big corporations in order to have real change.

And it is equally true as Hillary says, that change will be slow and incremental, and we will have to compromise and be patient. She reminded us, ‘I guarantee, there will be no bill on Global Warming or anything that else you all will be satisfied with’.

An Afternoon of Hope

Hillary, Dennis and Edwards, the mind, soul and heart of one being, the Democratic Party. One Earth - speaking for us all.

It was an afternoon, a few hours, when the candidates brought together for this issue, stopped arguing and discussed solutions. A reminder of hope for – and indeed the urgent need for – us all to stop fighting long enough to work together for solutions. To work together to preserve this miraculously beautiful…this delicately balanced blue and green jewel we all call home, whose very existence depends on it.

For More Information:

Sponsors: GRIST, NRDC Action Fund, Living on Earth, League of Conservative Voters and others.

Grist, the online Environment News and Commentary, was one of the sponsors. I never heard of them until now either, but after a brief once over of their website I’m now a big fan and urge you to check it out for a comprehensive look at the many faceted dilemmas we face due to global warming. Grist was well represented by the affable David Roberts as one of the panelists. You can find his often humorous comments about the event here: http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/11/19/02938/435