You don’t know where it’s been
Nothing good is good enough. Nothing Democrats accomplish is worthy of praise. It’s an old story. Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act may make Joe Biden “one of the most legislatively successful presidents of the modern era,” but what we know for sure is it’s bad news for Democrats. If past is prologue, it won’t be just Republicans saying so.
Some on the left revel in being the turd in the punchbowl, in finding the cloud in every silver lining. So, despite what Senate Democrats just passed for improving people’s lives, we will hear more from certain quarters more about the bill’s deficiencies, compromises and sellouts. Opponents tuned into that twitchiness mean to exploit it.
Judd Legum cautions at Popular Information this morning to be careful where you heard it before sharing:
For more than a week, a group called United for Clean Power has run an extensive online advertising campaign arguing the reconciliation package negotiated by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), which contains historic investments in clean energy, doesn’t go far enough. The ads, which have run on social networks like Facebook and at the top of prominent publications like Politico, urge progressive Democrats in Congress to “demand environmental justice or kill the reconciliation bill.”
While the legislation could go further, it provides $369 billion in funding to decarbonize the economy, making it “the single biggest climate investment in U.S. history, by far.” With Republicans favored to retake the House of Representatives in 2023, it may represent the last chance for significant legislative action to combat climate change for years. That is why the most aggressive climate advocacy groups, including the Sunrise Movement and EarthJustice, are urging Congress to approve it immediately.
Why would a group that purports to be dedicated to clean power oppose the largest investment the United States has ever made in clean power? A closer look at the group’s advertising campaign raises more questions. For example, this is an excerpt from the sponsor’s message that United for Clean Power included in numerous Politico newsletters: “The time to take action on planet-saving climate legislation is NOW. Demand true environmental justice from your Democrat colleagues or block the Reconciliation bill.” Saying “Democrat colleagues” rather than “Democratic colleagues” is an affectation of Republican political operatives, not climate activists.
Reader beware, says Legum, after digging into the origins of United for Clean Power.
Actual climate and clean energy advocates, including several from the Environmental Defense Fund, Climate Nexus, and Climate Power, have never heard of United for Clean Power. And the actual clean energy lobby, American Clean Power, denied any involvement with the group.
Caveat emptor never goes out of fashion.
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