If you needed more verification that we live in hell , seem no further than Tuesday ’s Green New Deal vote in the Senate . Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced the first comprehensive climate legislation for a floor vote in the Senate in more than a decade . The move was as a cynical stratagem to ensure mood policy continue to go nowhere .
And go nowhere it did . Republicans voted as a bloc against the measure introduced by their leader while Democrats — with a few exceptions like Joe Manchin , Doug Jones , Kyrsten Sinema , and autonomous Angus King who voted “ no”—voted “ present ” as a figure of protest against fill part in a best up vote . The Green New Deal is n’t dead by any means , but Republicans ’ voter turnout on Tuesday have made it pretty clear they ’re not going to seriously treat mood change anytime before long .
And with fossil fuel money pour out into Congress — the senators who vote against McConnell ’s bill have taken $ 55 million in donationsaccording to an Oil Change depth psychology — gridlock will continue as the timeframe to speak the worst impact of clime changecontinues to shrivel up .
“ The Green New Deal is not just a resoluteness , it is a revolution that has start in our country , ” Senator Ed Markey , who has introduced the original bill in the Senate , said at a press conference ahead of the vote .
But amidst this revolution of imagining what was possible , rank and file conservatives dug their heels in , piercingly yelling aboutcheeseburgers and socialismandusing prepare up numbers to fear trader . All that culminated with Senator Mike Leebasically shitposting in real lifeon the Senate trading floor by showing a painting of Ronald Reagan scoot a machine gun and riding a raptor holding an American flag , the perfect encapsulation of decades of Republican mood posturing .
Then we had Tuesday ’s voting . McConnell introduced a version of the Green New Deal that differed from Markey ’s in one key regard . It was introduced as a bind resolution , a move that allowed McConnell to bypass holding hearings . That means no scientist saying that the Green New Deal ’s goals are in line with the best available science or discussions of theeconomic toll of mood change , thefalling cost of renewables , or anyotherhelpfulfactsfor localize climate policy will be on the Congressional track record .
Republicans , predictably , vote against the resolution en masse shot . By vote present , most Democrats made the case that they would n’t be part of the mockery of climate change ( though it alsoopens them up to criticismthey’re not serious about a climate insurance ideathat ’s popular ) .
“ We ’re not going to stand for sham broadsheet the other side is voting no on , ” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer order during debate on the Senate trading floor before call for a two-way select committee on climate change . “ We might actually get something done besides impostor votes . ”
What “ something ” reckon like is really tough to figure at this full stop because the Republican climate insurance policy cupboard is reasonably stripped . On Monday , Senator Lamar Alexander proposed a New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy , which does n’t offer tons of specifics outside a five year timeframe during which the U.S. would double federal financial support for energy research ( include innate natural gas , a source of carbon befoulment ) . It ’s a nice idea that would ’ve been staggeringly helpful a decade ago . Ditto for Representative Matt Gaetz ’s Green Real Deal , a opus of legislating reportedly being craft that handwriting waves at instauration and deregulation but sets no strong timeframe or goals to decarburize the saving .
Meanwhile , Democrats could still hold hearings on the Green New Deal in the House — where they assure the order of business — and Markey ’s non - binding resolution is still out there in the Senate . But Tuesday ’s right to vote makes it clear it is n’t sound anywhere anytime shortly , and it ’s unreadable when or in what form Senate Democrats would take up the resolution again .
“ McConnell is playing games instead of roll up his sleeves to lick with members on both sides of the aisle on a answer , ” Democratic Senator Ron Wyden said in a statement to Earther .
While baldfaced climate self-abnegation may be more or less dead in the Republican party , today ’s suffrage and discourse indicate that there just is n’t much of an appetite for comprehensive climate policy from Republicans . Whether you read that as a failure of resource , the fact that climate resolution do n’t fit with Republican political orientation , or a recreant consignment to propping up the fogey fuel diligence , it lead to thesame canonical outcomeof spiraling carbon emissions . The mood does n’t give a tinker’s damn , though untried voters for sure do . And if what we ’ve visualise over thepastfewmonths , they ’re unlikely to forget Tuesday ’s voting next November .
Daily Newsletter
Get the proficient tech , scientific discipline , and culture news in your inbox daily .
news program from the time to come , give birth to your present .
