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Dear John,
When California was on fire last summer & fall, it was hard for anyone on the west coast to ignore it. Beyond the blood red skies at high noon in the bay area, smoke from our wildfires reached as far as Europe.
Today, the Midwest is experiencing a different kind of climate chaos. Driven by a polar vortex and factors that have displaced the jetstream, the entire middle of the country has been forced to grapple with temperatures lower than many areas have ever seen before.
One state hit especially hard is Texas, where the state has long maintained its own electricity grid because Republicans favor less regulation, and a policy environment that encourages cheap energy, without prioritizing reliability.
As power, then heat, then running water went out across the state, the Governor of Texas blamed massive power outages on the Green New Deal, while Senator Ted Cruz reportedly took a vacation to Cancun.
These are absurd deflections of responsibility. Despite public discussion, the Green New Deal has not been enacted (or even debated) by Congress. Why is the GOP Governor of the nation’s largest red state telling lies on television?
Because it’s always easier to shoot the messenger, and blame an intended solution for a problem caused by industrial interests that continue to effectively dictate the outcomes of bipartisan policy debates.
As Rep. Ocasio-Cortez made clear, however, “The infrastructure failures in Texas are quite literally what happens when you *don’t* pursue a Green New Deal.”
If this were just a fight between the Governor of Texas and one of our nation’s leading progressive lights in Congress, that might be the end of it. But, sadly, it’s not—because this is yet another area where the GOP position finds tragic support from the Democratic Speaker of the House.
Nearly exactly two years ago, Nancy Pelosi was asked about the Green New Deal. Her response is worth remembering:
“It will be one of several or maybe many suggestions that we receive. The green dream or whatever they call it, nobody knows what it is, but they’re for it right?”
- Nancy Pelosi, 2/7/2019
Texans aren’t dreaming right now. Their nightmare is entirely too real. Without electricity, homes across the state lack access to heat, in sub-freezing temperatures that have killed dozens across the Midwest.
Californians weren’t dreaming when we woke up to blood red skies last fall. Our nightmare sadly recurs every year, when wildfire season forces millions to grapple with evacuation, poor air quality, and destroyed homes—and entire communities.
Career politicians who claim to stand for progress while doing the bidding of fossil fuel industries do no favors for the public, or the future. History will recall how Nancy Pelosi stood with Republicans against calls for increasingly urgent climate justice. We must continue to hold true to our progressive values and hold our leaders responsible.
As we brace for a year of extreme weather and empty promises from corporate politicians, I need your support to keep our voice bold and active - I hope I can count of you for a gift of $100, $50, $27 or what you can afford to invest in our continued charge.
Our dream is that our nation might yet realize its power, shrug off the yoke of bipartisan corporate rule, and at least support efforts to address the global climate catastrophe.
The future isn’t here to fight for itself. That’s why we’ve been committed to climate justice for decades, even when taking action requires taking on an uncomfortably challenging struggle.
If climate justice is “a dream” that you share, we look forward to representing your voice!
Your fellow traveler,
Shahid
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