Youth climate activists didn’t put their passion away last Tuesday evening at the end of balloting. The likely next Speaker of the House, who has indicated that (a) there will be recreation of a Climate-focused committee but (b) climate won’t be top of the agenda, has a few hundred passionate, knowledgable Sunrise Movement activists pounding on her door.
Video of the action here.
This morning, hundreds of young people are taking action in DC to deliver our climate demands to the newly elected Congress. The newest science tells us we have just 12 years to transform society and our economy to stop climate change. But recent comments have surfaced showing that Dem leaders have no intention of fighting for a real climate plan anytime soon.
We’re on Capitol Hill taking action this morning because the only thing standing in the way of a just future is the failure of political leadership. Our demand is simple:
Champion a Green Jobs for All platform
to guarantee a job to anyone who wants one transforming our society over the next decade to stop climate change and protect the lives of all working people – black, brown, and white – from the ravages of disaster and pollution.
Young people just helped flip the House with a record turnout. We can no longer tolerate empty promises and words without action. We’re not expecting miracles; we understand that the GOP is corrupted by dirty oil money and will stall us at every turn. Sweeping change might not be possible until Trump is gone – but we need to start laying the groundwork now. Thanks for your help – we’ll be back in touch with more to share soon.
Climate Hawk, Representative Elect Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has joined Sunrise Movement‘s call for Pelosi and House Dems to lead and act, aggressively, on climate-related issues. x
x
“Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party leadership must get serious about the climate and our economy. Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party leadership must get serious about the climate and our economy,
“Anything less is tantamount to denying the reality of climate change. The hopeful part is that we’re ushering in a new generation of leaders into the Democratic Party who understand the urgency and will help build a movement to create the political will for bold action.”
Waleed Shahid
Justice Democrats Communications Director
A Green New Deal — to create new economic opportunities, address economic inequalities, and deal with environmental injustice through aggressive climate action — is central to Representative Elect Ocasio2018’s vision for a better nation and her role in the House Democratic caucus.
That the Climate Hawk youngest woman ever elected to Congress would join youth climate activists in pressuring the most powerful members in the Democratic Party to act more forcefully shouldn’t surprise us but should be welcomed and appreciated.
Let’s be clear, even if (when) Pelosi agrees that climate should be on top of the Agenda, the Senate GOP won’t go along nor will climate-science denier Trump. This is about setting the agenda … setting the agenda for strong policy action when sanity and decency and competence return to the Oval Office. It is also about setting the agenda, for decades to come, in terms of American politics.
Since compromise and cooperation are off the table for the time being, the only way forward, they say, is for Democrats to go for broke. That means: fully champion decarbonization, make it a winning political issue, cobble together coalitions at the state and city level, and eventually force Republicans who want to compete for young or POC voters (should they ever again want to do so) to come to the table. Make them scared not to. That might work; persuasion hasn’t, and won’t.
….
elections also put Dems in a better position to pursue the go-for-broke strategy, to abandon the project of persuading Republicans, take full ownership of the issue, and simply grind out victories on climate and clean-energy policy wherever power aligns makes them possible.
Climate change will define politics for generations to come … the Democratic Party is, writ large, on the right side of the issue. It is well past time to make this truly central — it is the right thing to do, it is the right political thing to do.
Tuesday, Nov 13, 2018 · 5:22:51 PM +00:00 · A Siegel
Pelosi’s release re Sunrise Movementx
Tuesday, Nov 13, 2018 · 5:31:27 PM +00:00 · A Siegel
And, Sunrise Movement responds to (likely next) Speaker Pelosi:x
Wednesday, Nov 14, 2018 · 7:56:48 AM +00:00 · A Siegel
Thoughtful Dave Roberts thread starts w/”I don’t understand …” x
Long but useful.
And, x
Roberts’ reaction to that:x
Thursday, Nov 15, 2018 · 11:07:36 AM +00:00 · A Siegel
This (long) twitter thread provides a very useful window on the Sunrise Movement and AOC’s joining of it outside Pelosi. This was activism to push Pelosi/Democratic Party to rise to urgency of situation, not “protest” attacking Pelosi.x
Key point, the framing that this was “protest” came from a GOP staffer and, well, too many fell into it:x
