John —

Overall, the Climate Town Hall was an incredible success. Were there things that could’ve been better? Sure. CNN and some questions placed too much emphasis on blaming individual people not doing things like giving up their car for climate change, as opposed to the fossil fuel companies who actively suppressed information for decades.

But it gave the climate movement a national spotlight for a critical seven hours. Candidates were pressed to offer real answers, the Green New Deal took center stage, and climate justice was given the emphasis that it deserves. This was a victory.

And it’s a victory we have to build on. Justice Democrats is working with climate champions across the country to elect progressive leaders for 2020. Will you donate $3 to help us defeat corporate incumbents and their fossil fuel benefactors?

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Not only was it a victory for the Green New Deal, but it helped display one of our fundamental ideals: living your values. Here’s why:

During Joe Biden’s segment, a questioner held him accountable by asking him about a high-dollar fundraiser he was hosting with a man who had co-founded a natural gas company. Biden replied by saying that he was technically not a fossil fuel executive.

That’s because Biden doesn’t actually care about saving the planet, or engaging in the type of powerful action that we need to avert this crisis. His plan is to do the bare minimum to appease Democratic voters and skate by.

Let’s be real — a co-founder of a natural gas company having a personal audience with a potential presidential candidate is exactly the type of thing that the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge was trying to prevent. Biden might not be violating the letter of the pledge, but he is flagrantly disrespecting the spirit.

That’s why we work to elect candidates who live their progressive values — people who aren’t just saying things to get elected, but want to implement solutions because they’ve seen the problems firsthand. Will you donate $3 to help those real progressives overcome Democrats who act like Joe Biden?

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Companies like Shell and Exxon knew about the effects of fossil fuels on our planet for decades. They spent hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying our leaders, faking studies, and blocking change. Even if Joe Biden isn’t having a fundraiser with an Exxon executive, the principle is the same.

Andrew Goldman, the man hosting Biden’s fundraiser, got rich off natural gas and destroying the planet — even if natural gas is slightly better than oil. That means they have an incentive to protect their profits. Those are exactly the people we need to keep away from the structures of power.

In solidarity,

Justice Democrats