From THE DAILY CALLER
Nick Pope
Contributor
Vice President Kamala Harris has been tight-lipped about her record on climate change while major green groups continue to support her — a dynamic that political pundits and energy experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation is no accident.
Harris – who called climate change an “existential threat” in 2019 – previously investigated major oil companies as California attorney general and championed the Green New Deal as a senator, but he has mostly avoided climate change and green energy on the campaign trail, completing problems in terms of economy, projects and investments when he deals with these topics. That many of the main eco-activist groups still support him shows that Harris is trying to expand his appeal to more moderate voters in order to win the election and then govern as a climate hardliner while serving as an official, energy expert and political strategist to the DCNF.
“The Democrats have figured out that the apocalyptic vibe is not really likely to bring people together for a certain ride,” Mike McKenna, a GOP strategist with extensive experience in the energy sector, told DCNF. “So they’ve made a commanding decision to just focus on the carrot and ignore anything that looks like a stick.” (RELATED: Harris Campaign Says Kamala Has Changed, But Will She Bring California’s Climate Agenda to the White House?)
Harris and his running mate, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz, have campaigned on climate issues, but eco-activist leaders have largely been indifferent to the lack of focus on the issue, according to The New York Times. Walz did not address climate change during his speech Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention, largely because of his background as a rural American.
Even after Harris’ campaign withdrew its previous support for a fracking ban, many environmental organizations opposed to fracking endorsed his candidacy. A campaign strategy that appears to lack a focus on climate change “suggests that Democrats see the environment as a losing proposition” in this election cycle, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
“They know what they’re going to do. There’s no value in talking about climate,” Steve Milloy, senior legal fellow at the Energy and Environmental Legal Institute, told DCNF. “Remember, I believe that in July 2022, The New York Times conducted a poll that reported that only 1% of voters prioritize the climate. So it’s a losing issue… And they can’t afford to lose Pennsylvania. So, they don’t want to talk about the climate, because if you talk about the climate, you have to talk about fracking, then they have to talk about how they want to stop fracking, regardless of what they say.”
Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who pursued one of the most aggressive state-level climate agendas in the US during his tenure as governor, recently told the NYT that he doesn’t think Harris should use his climate record on the campaign trail. .
“I’m not concerned,” Inslee told the NYT. “I strongly believe that if he is in a position to make positive changes, he will.”
In addition, the political wing of three green groups – the League of Conservation Voters, Climate Power and the Environmental Defense Fund – spent $55 million in swing state ads to boost Harris, but the first three ads released did not actually address climate change. The ad returns to the subject of green energy and Harris’ record on the issue as it centers around protecting ordinary Americans from corporate greed and promoting “advanced manufacturing and clean energy” as a means to help the middle class.
This approach is different from the one Harris used during his first term as president in the 2020 cycle, where Harris tried to defeat many of his Democratic opponents from the left by endorsing policies like a carbon tax, changes in dietary guidelines to reduce red meat. consumption and a ban on plastic straw to complement the ban on fracking.
Eco-activists and climate-focused voters “definitely believe they’re going left, left, left on climate and energy,” Scott Jennings, political strategist and on-air pundit for CNN, told DCNF. “Of course. His 2020 campaign agenda is a bank. And I assume they will send it to him if he wins. (RELATED: ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris After Blaming ‘Lack of Climate Adaptation’ For Massive Immigration Surge)
President Joe Biden also made climate a key aspect of his successful 2020 campaign, promising he would end fossil fuels and calling former President Donald Trump a “climate burner” who failed to protect America from the “destruction of climate change,” according to In Climate News. However, Biden and his top officials still frequently pull hardline climate activists even as the administration pursues what it describes as “the most ambitious climate agenda in history.”
Harris cast a vote in the Senate to secure the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Biden’s signature climate bill. While the price tag has ballooned from initial estimates and some contend that the bill actually increases inflation, the IRA frees up hundreds of billions of dollars from private and public spending for green energy and manufacturing projects.
The Biden-Harris administration cites the investment as proof that its domestic agenda is working.
“Climate activists in the Democratic Party have finally realized that no one is buying the ‘climate emergency’ claptrap anymore or the claims of 5, 10, or 20 years left to ‘save the planet.’ Instead, they launch ridiculous economic claims that they can throw hundreds of billions and now trillions of dollars into centrally planned projects,” Marc Morano, publisher of Climate Depot, told DCNF. “This new Democratic climate message, which does not mention climate, is part of the legacy of the Inflation Reduction Act, in which local communities and certain states received unlimited federal funds poured through taxpayers to create a ‘green economy.’ (RELATED: Famous Pollster Says Donald Trump Could End Kamala’s Campaign With One ‘Ten Word Question’)
Len Foxwell, a Democratic strategist based in Maryland, said the Harris campaign’s lack of attention to climate change and green energy issues is intentional because he needs the support of a broad coalition if he is to win in November.
“First of all, Kamala Harris’s responsibility in this race is to win. And to do that, she needs to prioritize in a way that resonates with people who are concerned about the economy and frustrated with their own financial situation. In particular, she needs to emphasize the opportunities that exist for better jobs, higher wages and long-term cost savings for ratepayers,” Foxwell told DCNF. “This is very important when discussing renewable energy investments, as the up-front costs tend to be high and the financial benefits for the middle class are largely speculative.”
As the Democratic presidential candidate, Harris “must communicate his vision and values in a way that attracts the broadest coalition,” although it remains to be seen how he will govern if elected given the uncertainty about the future balance of power. Congress, according to Foxwell. Harris and his team should be careful not to propose policies that will increase the cost of living for the American middle class, which would be “third rail” politics because of concerns about the economy, he added.
Harris’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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