Markey leery of McConnell move on Green New Deal
Mass. Democrat calls voting on the proposal an act of ‘sabotage’
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SENATE MAJORITY LEADER Mitch McConnell wants to turn the Green New Deal into a new green wedge, and that has rankled US Sen. Ed Markey, a co-sponsor of the policy idea.
The so-called GND has become a plank in the platform of several Democrats, including presidential contenders, but Republicans see an opening to create divisions between elected members of the party and the voters.
McConnell promised a vote in the Senate, but, as outlined by the Boston Globe, Markey sees that as a ploy to circumvent the usual committee process and put senators on record without giving the bill a public airing that could garner more support.
“I’ll give everybody an opportunity to go on record and see how they feel about the Green New Deal,” McConnell said Tuesday about the legislative package that has significant but not overwhelming support in Congress.
McConnell spokesman Scott Sloofman had a ready rejoinder for Markey’s objections.
“The leader is giving his far-left, pie-in-the-sky proposal a vote in the United States Senate. If that qualifies as ‘sabotage’ to him, perhaps that speaks more to the ridiculousness of his resolution than to any action by the leader,” Sloofman said.
Joe Battenfeld ridiculed Markey for favoring the GND “except when it comes to voting for it.” He already looked like a potential sleeper in the Democratic race, but Sen. Sherrod Brown’s stock may rise even more over the Green New Deal tempest, as he’s the only declared or would-be candidate in the Democratic presidential field from the Senate who did not cosponsor the measure.
As it stands now, the Green New Deal is “more a list of ideas and ideals than an actual proposal,” according to CNN. There are several ambitious goals that could be disruptive to entrenched industries and consumers alike. For instance, it calls for switching all of the nation’s power supply to “clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources,” upgrading “all existing buildings” in the country for maximum energy efficiency, and eliminating pollution from the transportation sector as much “as is technologically feasible.”
The Green New Deal also veers out of the environmental terrain, “guaranteeing a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all people of the United States,” which would be an expensive endeavor and a novel responsibility for the federal government.
Bill Scher at Real Clear Politics found the rollout of the package lacking, noted that it could divide the Democratic caucus, and said it is not surprising that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has given it a lukewarm reception.
To supporters of the idea, an incredible effort is required to staunch the death and destruction wrought by global warming. Only last October, climate scientists at the United Nations predicted calamity and said the looming disaster requires a transformation that has “no documented historic precedent.”
The political forces buttressing Markey, who is also up for re-election next year, and others in Congress could have a profound effect on to what extent the US government mobilizes to take on the existential threats posed by climate change.