Comments on: Seizing The Environmental High Ground

By: lennykohm

lennykohm — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:41:00 +0000

David, sadly Senator McCain has backpedaled on his pledge to end mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia. The Senator has repeatedly been invited to become a cosponsor of the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696), and so far has refused.

By: Michael T

Michael T — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:55:26 +0000

I registered at NewMajority.com to respond to this post. Republicans’ awful environmental policies over the last twenty years have made this Appalachian vote Democrat recently. Please — PLEASE — urge your fellow conservatives to end MTR. It is destroying the land where my ancestors have lived for over two hundred years.

By: ottovbvs

ottovbvs — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 11:14:38 +0000

“Over the past two decades, however, the party has failed to embrace this history”

…….Are you kidding…..The GOP is perceived as the anti environmental party. On everything from protecting wetlands and depleting the ozone layer to arsenic in the ground water the GOP has either denied there’s a problem or campaigned against solutions. It’s one of the core areas where we’ve lost our way. And good luck with trying to turn the Republican party against mountain top removal….The Bush admin blocked two efforts to restrict this practice over the last eight years.

By: Bruno

Bruno — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:30:04 +0000

I’ve been a Republican since 1981 when I turned 18, voted for Reagan in 1984, and served in the Air Force until 1992. I never thought I’d have to fight in my own back yard to keep it from being blown up or my home flooded by MTR, but if I speak out here in WV I’m labeled as a bleeding heart liberal. Rahall and Byrd (and Governor Joe Manchin, also a D) promote the destruction of our mountains and the poisoning of our water so they can sell coal overseas, and the supply of coal is depleting rapidly (less than 20 years left in WV). Truly renewable energy (wind and solar) would make us more energy independent and put people to work, but the D’s in power in WV oppose it.
There’s certainly nothing conservative or Godly about poisoning babies and veterans.

By: green girl

green girl — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:41:23 +0000

I have long thought that if the Republicans would embrace Teddy Roosevelt’s stance of “I hate a man that skins the land” policy that could be the tie that binds them to the center. The green movement grows and those of us in the know –know that it was the young “greens” that put Obama over the top. They volunteered long hours because Obama promised renewable energy and stewardship for their future. Never doubt that. Mountaintop removal is definitely that black/white issue that is winnnable as more movies will be out this year about the practice of mountaintop removal. AS I said the Republicans should realize that “Green” will only grow bigger and bigger, the youth are becoming more and more Green–their numbers grow by the day and they will be voting for many many years to come. Jump on the wagon now. I think you realize that change is the only thing that will help the party survive. The party must change. McCain opposed MTR and carried WV and KY.

By: Stewardship

Stewardship — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:23:48 +0000

sinz54- The platform also recognized, for the first time, man’s role in climate change and that efforts must be taken to arrest it (sorry-don’t have it front of me to quote verbatim). It would not have been in the platform without support from Sen. McCain. While I just as soon we build nuclear plants and stop burning coal, others in both parties might disagree with me. The distinction is that Sen. McCain opposed MTR–which is not the same thing as opposing coal altogether. I appreciate your level-headed tone and our exchange. Thanks.

By: sinz54

sinz54 — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:15:56 +0000

Stewardship: McCain has long been known as a maverick on environmental and many other issues; he has disagreed with GOP orthodoxy many times. The 2008 GOP Platform said, “We firmly oppose efforts by Democrats to block the construction of new coal-fired power plants. No strategy for reducing energy costs will be viable without a commitment to continued coal production and utilization.” No caveats or qualifications there.

By: Go Dog Go!

Go Dog Go! — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:32:22 +0000

I find it interesting that my comment disputing this tack in challenging the Dems was deleted. The notion that the GOP can take on its rivals with the MTR issue is simply impossible given the last 40 years of vocal opposition to any environmental measures. It will require a fundamental change within the party to overcome the only heritage anyone alive remembers. If that’s too much to bear, don’t even think of using this idea to challenge Dems. Or just go ahead and delete me again.

By: Stewardship

Stewardship — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:56:36 +0000

sinz54. Remember that those words were barely out of then- Sen. Biden’s mouth when the Obama team vociferously retracted them. It was Sen. McCain who staked out a position against mountain top removal, not the other side.

There is nothing liberal or moderate about Mr. Jenkins’ words. Russell Kirk, Ronald Reagan’s conservative conscious, said, ” Nothing is more conservative than conservation.”

By: sinz54

sinz54 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:11:14 +0000

Good luck trying to get the Republican Party to take a stand against any form of coal mining. I can hear the slurs now: “RINO!” “Sellout!” “Democrat Lite!” Perhaps you’ve forgotten that during the 2008 campaign, Joe Biden had hinted that coal mining might be restricted in favor of cleaner air and fighting global warming–and conservatives instantly pounced on it.