From Jim Depesco at the DailyGreen site: he posts an insightful article from their Green Republican section of the site. Jim is the policy director for Republicans for Environmental Protection.
He begins talking about the Senator Kerry and Senator Graham NY Times article we have blogged about a number of times already. And he notes how both Senators are likely taking heat from their respective “all or nothing” wings of their parties.
But Jim suggests that both Kerry and Graham see something that the others miss. He starts on the Democratic side:
“Which Kerry knows. There is much else on Kerry’s mind…. Kerry also knows…that keeping the climate system out of the red zone means that no reasonable option can be left off the table….Kerry also can count to 60, the Babylonian magic number that must be achieved in the Senate to pass anything controversial in the hyper-partisan world of today’s D.C.”
And then he moves to the other side of the isle:
“Here is what Graham knows. He knows that the climate is changing, having seen the impacts for himself in the high Arctic. Graham knows that a changing climate will increase the odds of consequences that put the nation’s security at risk, as generals and admirals with distinguished resumes have pointed out. Graham also knows that cutting back oil dependence will not only cut back carbon pollution, but stanch the flow of dollars that enrich creepy petro-regimes that wish America ill. Knowing all that, Graham also can count to 60. As he told frothing critics in his home state, they won’t get the nuclear power plants that they want with 40 votes….
And we agree with his summary of where things stand at the moment:
Graham and Kerry have put partisan allegiances aside and chalked out rough outlines for a climate and energy deal that has a shot at getting to 60. Their collaboration has improved the odds that the U.S. will finally face up to climate change and the panoply of security, economic, and environmental dangers that follow in its wake.”
Godspeed, Senators.”
The editorial and Jim’s other writings are definitely worth reading in whole. See them here, and here….
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