by Tim Pearce
Democratic messaging on climate change has been stunted throughout the midterm election cycle, and most candidates are turning to other issues to connect with voters, the New York Times reports.
Health care and the economy consistently top polls of key issues and social security, immigration and guns usually perform well too.
Climate change, energy, and the environment are almost always counted among the least important issues to voters deciding who to support.
Of 161 potentially competitive congressional races, just a “handful” of Democrats have released campaign ads, either on television or the internet, that talk prominently of climate change and energy issues, Climate Nexus’s in-house database shows, according to the NYT.
“Until voters in the U.S. perceive this as a quite imminent threat, it’s liable to remain mired in the middle of all the other issues,” Climate Nexus executive director Jeff Nesbit, whose group is dedicated to communicating climate change threat, told the NYT.
Influential Democrats such as mega-donor Tom Steyer and former Vice President Al Gore have raised and donated millions of dollars to environmental initiatives.
Environmental issues have gained support from an active minority in the Democratic Party base. The Sierra Club, Earthjustice, and other green organizations have filed dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration over environmental regulations.
Activists travel across the country to protest prominent oil and gas projects such as the Keystone XL and Bayou Bridge pipelines.
The average Democrat running for a congressional seat in 2018 hardly mentions climate change and the environment because most voters would rather hear about other issues.
In close races, speaking on climate change might motivate conservative voters to turn out against Democratic candidates rather than encouraging Democratic voters to cast their ballots, according to The New York Times.
Highly publicized environmental activism and data have not translated into a widespread concern for broader issues of climate change, energy or the environment as far as elections go.
The top issues of registered voters are immigration and health care, according to a June poll by The Pew Research Center. Immigration most interested 19 percent of registered voters and health care is the key issue for 13 percent.
In a survey in which one of seven broad topics voters were most interested in for the 2018 midterms, energy issues never performed better than 5 percent by any metric and was often the least supported key issue, other than issues that fall into the obscure eighth category of “other,” according to an April survey by Morning Consult.
Read more at Daily Caller
Hi,
Interesting article –
Wolf Street – The Return of “Beyond Petroleum”: All Talk And No Strategy.
The comments on this website are well worth reading & including my comment –
Interesting promotional video to watch
Introducing The Holden Volt – How It Works – Youtube.
This merely carries on with the trend seen across the world over the last few years of elections . climate ‘doom’ being an none or toxic issue when to comes to the voters.
It is part of the ‘slow death ‘ the whole AGW BS will go through , for it was always a question of political will or interest rather than science , ‘settled ‘ or not , keeping it going.
Fortunately for us up here in Canada, Prime Minister Zoolander hasn’t caught on yet: his supporters are complaining that the new trade deal doesn’t mention climate change enough…
In related news:
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/10/03/three-arctic-communities-fear-theyve-been-cut-off-from-winter-supplies.html
Amazing what heavy doses of brainwashing will do to the masses.
That’s about as important as saying tax increases and revenue enhancement efforts will be shelved as election talking points. That is not the same thing as real agenda or the mechanisms to pay for real agendas.
Well, not by a candidate, but the Climate Change nonsense is on the ballot here in Arizona in the form of Tom Steyer’s paid-for campaign to push renewable electricity mandate into the Arizona constitution.
This is not just hyperbole or boogeyman theatrics by me. Tom Steyer is the directly the major donor and creator of “Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona committee.” That committee of NRDC and AFL-CIO and other liberal groups were the organizers to get the signatures necessary to put this on the state wide ballot next month. All of the cash that organized and built that state-level committee has directly come from Tom Steyer’s PAC called NexGen Climate Action.
AZ Prop 127 would amend the AZ state constitution to order state regulatory authorities to implement directives to the public utility (electric) providers to source 50% of their generation from renewable sources by 2030.
The Left of course is championing this as “clean” energy, climate-virtuous, and saving the planet. Any sane person who has studied the issues objectively knows this is all hogwash. Pure unadulterated hog wash. And the Left doesn’t care. But then the Left has completely left sanity and reason behind.
And they are hoping for a brainwashed, ignorant Arizona voting public to buy their hogwash, which will raise home electric prices by at least 50%, and business electric costs by 100% (double) over 12 years, with zero measurable impact on global CO2 emissions and thus temperatures to 2100 in any pseudoscience IPCC emissions scenario.
It is merely an initiative that would pour more money into Tom Steyer’s pockets, that he could re-distribute a piece of the action to his Leftist charities and causes. Repeat. And then repeat again in an endless cycle to pave the path with “Green” money in Leftists’ pockets on their path to power and control.
They of course are never satisfied with just destroying California’s future, or Illinois, or Connecticut. Like a metastasizing cancer, the Left is spreading it’s pernicious tentacles across the US.
Joel … I live in Phoenix and have seen and heard these ads. It all sounds great, blaming APS as a utility for fighting the initiative, but too many voters are going to be ignorant about what’s being asked of them and will vote yes. If they knew that the price for compliance is going to make our utility bills double, they’d change their vote immediately.
Prop 127 is very bad. Vote No. I can’t believe people believe this stuff – clean, affordable energy? It’s neither one.
“If they knew that the price for compliance is going to make our utility bills double, they’d change their vote immediately.”
Is any organized group going on tv and telling the people of Arizona this?
Is Tom Steyer from Arizona?
just wait for the rolling brown outs in mid-summer. There could be mass riots and the resurrection of tarring with feathers for politicians and bureaucrats who visit this horror story upon the ignorant in Arizona. They might even bring back hand rail cars to run them out of town on.
same here in Colorado… same zebra different stripes… How did these things get on the ballot anyway. The democratic candidate for governor, green energy is, in my opinion, his only agenda.
Somebody is paying for all those windmills out there on the eastern plains of Colorado…. oh it’s me.
AZ Prop 127 is not the only one on the state ballot that should concern the people of Arizona. The recall election referendum of two AZ Supreme Court Judges Bollick and Pellander strikes at the heart of judicial independence as a third branch of government. The recall is orchestrated by the Education Dept-Public Labor Unions-Democratic Party complex in response to the AZ SC decision to delete or throw off a petition to increase taxes and raise teachers’ salaries greater than the proposed 20% settlement reached by Governor Duchie earlier in the year. The AZ SC decided to throw the petition off the Nov ballot by a still anonymous 5-2 vote because its wording was confusing and rather deceptive as to the ultimate impact on State income tax rates. Currently AZ top income tax rate is 4.54% on incomes starting at $154,000 for individuals. The petition would have increased state income taxes to 8% on incomes starting at $250,000 and a new 9% rate on incomes greater than $500,000, the second highest state rates in the nation. It would have also the eliminated inflation index adjustments of income brackets of $50,000-150,000 put in place in 2015, a stealthy tax increase on nearly everyone. The wording of petition summary increased rates not by 4.46% as stated but by 4.46 percentage points, sloppy wording, that Chamber of Commerce contested in state court and won.
Make no mistake, though – it’s on their agenda.
We do have the IPCC “October Surprise” to look forward to:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/09/24/ipcc-to-release-october-surprise-on-climate-change/
This is exactly what they did in 2016. They don’t want to go there when the public opinion matters. Their climate-cloaked socialist issues are exercised on America after each election by either dictating or stifling energy policy, depending on the outcome of the election.
Yours is An excellent comment that reveals the campaign methodology of Leftist Democrats to impose a Socialist Democracy agenda on America. Leftists running for HR and Senate seats disguise their true political Marxist Socialist agenda while campaigning as moderates to win elections assured of Leftist embedded control of the Deep State Bureaucracy in Washington, DC to implement policies that would have been rejected by the electorate in most states if openly debated and explicitly presented. Obama’s Clean Power Plan was never voted on nor approved in the US Congress nor in State Legislatures but was mandated as EPA regulations based on the Clean Air Act that never empowered the Federal Govt to regulate CO2 emissions as a pollutant. The Federal bureaucracy is really an unelected unconstitutional fourth branch of government now populated by Leftists employees protected by civil service employment laws, Congressional Budgets, and regulations that make their jobs relatively immune from Executive Branch efforts to slash wasteful, ineffective, or redundant government spending. Notice how even though Obama is no longer in office, the Repubkicans formally control both houses of Congress and the majority of State Legislatures, and the EPA CPP was slowed in the State and Federal Courts, those regulations still had an impact on jobs in corporations and communities that mined coal or used coal as a fossil fuel for electric power plants now closed.
“They of course are never satisfied with just destroying California’s future, or Illinois, or Connecticut. Like a metastasizing cancer, the Left is spreading it’s pernicious tentacles across the US.”
The above may be a bit cynical. It’s easy to characterize your political opponents as a spreading cancer, but I take a little more benign view.
What we’re describing here is the perennial tug of war between left and right. Or self-interest and altruism – or something like that. On a personal level, most of my more liberal friends are quite sincere – they really have no particular agenda beyond spreading a bit of charity close to home. A small minority of the politically minded, regardless of political persuasion, will use liberalism or conservatism to aquire power, and these are the ones we all need to look out for.
And another small minority will involve themselves in causes, which is healthy until a lot of money creeps into the picture. And before long we’re talking about elections, where everyone’s motives are, or should be, closely examined. What’s in it for these people, other than feeding a healthy ego?
That’s where the Tom Steyers and the Koch Brothers of the world enter the scene. I see these people as the principal corrupting force in our democracy. The extent that we have allowed big money to dominate political speech is beyond stunning. One guy has set the political agenda in Colorado. This a serious corruption of American democracy.
“That’s where the Tom Steyers and the Koch Brothers of the world enter the scene. I see these people as the principal corrupting force in our democracy.”
I agree.
The activist who confronted Senator Flake over the Kavanaugh issue the other day in the elevator with CNN recording it all, was apparently funded by socialist Billionaire George Soros.
These overly influential people are actively undermining numerous governments around the world including the United Stats.
It’s time to reign these billionaires in. One way to reign them in is to publicize the skulldugery in which they are engaged.
“…energy issues never performed better than 5 percent by any metric and was often the least supported key issue..,”
It’s a FAIL when it comes to the voters’ opinions, but does anyone you really think they matter, or that they still live in a Democracy? Globalism is far too important. The juggernaut will roll on regardless of votes or opinions, or facts … or deaths by “eat or heat” choices.
Spalding, the problem with the liberals concept of charity is that is based on taking money, by force, through taxation, to give to their favorite pet projects. This is not charity.
While it’s true that money can corrupt politics, it’s even more true that laws that attempt to keep money out of politics corrupt it a whole lot more.
As long as government controls buying and selling, the first thing bought and sold will be politicians.
If you want to get corruption out of politics, the only way to do it is to reduce the power of government to the point where it isn’t worth buying.
Whilst I can understand a lack of interest in the dire predictions over the climate, I would have thought that the higher cost of electricity in those States with renewables would still be a issue.
MJE
But that’s just a local/regional issue, so it won’t register highly on a national poll. Also, while it might still be an issue in those places, it might not be #1.
Voter complacency increases in proportion to the urgency of the alarmists rants. So, don;t stop whatever you’re doing, alarmists. Keep screaming more loudly.
I suppose most people would rather have “free” health care than $10 / gallon gas.
What’s not to like?
The demoncrats are promising “free” health care, “free” indoctrination (er, college) classes, no jobs, illegal immigration (and all of their votes!) and “free” dollars for anybody living in their towns. You can urinate in the streets, defecate in the streets, pray in the streets (if you are the right religion), and can even protest in the streets (as long as you are protesting the things the democrats want you to protest.) Don’t protest the wrong things! (You will get shot by their FBI.) Don’t complain about the wrong things! (You will get audited by their IRS.)
Oh they are also promising that 10.00 dollar gas, higher electrical rates with less power when you need it, less natural gas, fewer jobs, and more taxes (from those left working) to pay for half of their promises. More inflation, less security. But that’s OK – Your kids and your grandkids and their kids will still be paying for it all of their lives. (On the other hand, so few of the democrats in power HAVE children that the ruling class doesn’t have to care about the future! )
The Democrats must have consulted Cory Booker (Spartacus ) or just ASS for short in their downplay their carbon tax agenda .
Booker displayed the political instincts of someone who has fallen out of their chariot a few too many times .
A perfect candidate for the Democrats in 2020 . The question is do the Steyer/ Soros superpac bagmen
really want to waste $500,000,000 on a guy that comes across as a raging loon ?
The earth has a fever conmen really shouldn’t threaten the coal workers again . They already have the Hollywood vote .
“The Democrats must have consulted Cory Booker (Spartacus ) or just ASS for short in their downplay their carbon tax agenda Booker displayed the political instincts of someone who has fallen out of their chariot a few too many times ”
Cory Booker was probably depending on his imaginary friend, T-Bone, for political advice. T-Bone may get involved in Booker’s presidential run,too. In fact, if Booker runs, I’m sure T-Bone will figure prominently. Trump would have a field day with T-Bone! 🙂
With nothing but extreme socialist to common communist front runners, the DNC isn’t coming close to the executive branch any time soon.
The penny is dropping with Labor in Oz too as PM in waiting Shorten has a dig at Victoria’s gas fracking ban as well as the usual suspects wanting to lock up areas like the Great Australian Bight from drilling-
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/offshore-gas-worth-considering-shorten/ar-BBNTZJE
The doomsters are losing sway as power prices skyrocket and the deplorables wonder whatever happened to all the free power they were promised from Gaia? It was always their lunar prescriptions that would bring the doomsters undone as getting some free taxpayer CF/LED light bulbs, shower heads, draught stoppers and pink batts or solar FIT presented no cost at all to personal virtue signalling.
That’s great. And even better than that, the Democrat Party has unveiled itself in the Senate judiciary committee lately.
They are now fighting against civil rights transparently with “guilty until proven innocent”-argument.
And their leader Nancy Pelosi went even further yesterday: Nancy was demanding more respect towards Dr Blasey Ford while repeatedly pronouncing her name not only incorrectly, but disrespectfully by Dr Blasey Ford’s standards. It’s difficult to dig any deeper.
I do like to live dangerously here and have ‘clicked up’ (the new ‘signed up innit) to an upcoming health series all about cancer. They will try sell me something at some point, hence the ‘dangerous’ bit.
Will I, in a drunken stupor, click on some overpriced herbal remedy?
Watch this space. Not
BUT BUT but, they’ve sent a ‘sneak preview’ and it tells us that doctors are getting (semi legal) kickbacks via (Government lobbying) manufacturers of Chemotherapy drugs.
This money comes to doctors from Government and is legal in that it is supposed to cover doctor’s ‘expenses’
Unique in that its only allowed for chemo drugs.
Seemingly now (tell me you’re surprised) doctors are giving these poisons to people who don’t even have cancer
So much for ‘Free Healthcare’
Considering that for all the Death Certificates ever written, 11% of them list cancer as the cause of death, someone’s potentially on a Nice Little Earner there……..
One may ask: Was it actually cancer that killed some of these people – were they killed by unnecessary chemotherapy prescribed by money grubbing doctors.
Any other evidence out there… anyone?
As if handing out opium, telling folks its OK to drink alcohol and smoke cannabis weren’t bad enough already.
Is it REALLY any wonder why aliens (from another world) haven’t contacted us?
Self preservation rules, for any and all living organisms.
Except us it seems.
The opponent to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Bob Flanders, uses “climate change” against him.
http://www.golocalprov.com/articles/video-flanders-calls-out-whitehouse-as-one-issue-candidate-on-climate-chang
Excellent!
Their new platform, ending western jurisprudence in favor of a new form of law that is more about emotions and less about logic.
The U.S. Senate Democrats are Despicable. They have shown their true, ugly face to the world.
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) just gave one heck of a good speech on the Senate floor in favor of confirming Kavahaugh to the Supreme Court. It’s worth seeing and hearing.
Corey Booker was as likely as Sparticus to fall off a chariot, which is to say that neither ever did. Sparticus as a gladiator and as leader of the slave rebellion against Rome fought on foot or horse, and ended up crucified on the roadside, his slave army crushed by a Roman legions led by Pompey. Your funny comment about Booker falling off his chariot likely refers to Juda Ben-Hur, the title character of the 19th Century novel written by the Union General Lew Wallace, published in 1880 and was to become the greatest selling work of American fiction well into the 20th Century spawning numerous republications, plays and several epic movies, the last starring Charleton Heston in 1959, which won a dozen Oscars. The movie is famous for the chariot race scene won by Ben- Hur. Booker’s phony outrage and histrionics are like a Grade B movie actor of the character Gratus, the Roman Proconsul of Judea, who was struck on the head, nearly killed by a falling roof tile,loosened by an innocent Ben-Hur, while watching the Roman procession from a balcony at his family home in Jerusalem. Gratus regained his senses; Booker has not.
I knew Sparticus. Corey Booker is no Sparticus.
+10
So where is the non-talking point but key agenda list/party plank for public viewing?
We’re now just one step away from Global-Warming advocacy becoming a political liability, which will soon lead to its demise.
CAGW has always been a political phenomenon, not a physical one.
It’ll be interesting to see what the next man-made crisis the Left will concoct to steal $trillions and grab power; man-made Global Cooling perhaps?