He wasn't my first choice - the VP was. He has experience in politics and knows the people who can do the best job. I note his cabinet remains essentially unchanged from the start. Good advisors and good politicking got the country where we are today.
Biden's foreign policy has generated a titanic amount of fossil fuel emissions - the methane from blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline (yes, he obviously did it, said he would in advance and praised it afterwards), the emissions from Ukraine and Gaza warfare. Both wars could have been dramatically reduced, possibly even avoided if Biden wasn't such a war monger. Biden let the fossil fuel industry hide behind the Ukraine war to gouge consumers, realize their highest profits ever and go a long way toward building LNG export terminals. The US is now the world leader in fossil fuel production. I am so appreciative that the Sunrise youth stands strong in opposition to Biden's warmongering and foreign policy based climate destruction.
We live in an oligarchy/plutocracy. I know of no other country that chose a 2 party duopoly as their political system. Trump is an existential threat, but we have to lay the groundwork after this election from day 1 after to establish a strong progressive third or even 4th party. Being trapped into choosing among two corporate owned parties alienates voters terribly - no wonder we have historically had one of the lowest turnouts. People HATE voting for the lesser of two evils!
Bill, ranked choice voting is good if one needs to elect someone in a unique position, like President or Leader of a Party. Ranked voting to elect a representative assembly favours middle-of-the-road candidates. A fair voting system that results in a representative assembly needs to have multiple-member constituencies and a proportional system.
Bill - The contortions you must go thru to address Sunrise positions is a measure of the trouble we are in. I can't imagine voting again for Biden; your blog endorsement of the man several months ago helped me get to this position. Your argument (another set of those same contortions) got read by me as a preference for the man driving 90 or 95 mph toward climate disaster as opposed to the jackass who aims to return to the throne at 120 mph or so. Young people have an opportunity to shove Biden aside, and they ought to. Any other Democrat would be a breath of fresh air, . . . and increasingly also more likely to win the presidency, especially if they were to demonstrate more commitment to downscale problems. Of course, getting money out of politics would alos be a whole new ballgame. Peace, John Vail
You can't support a genocide with money and weapons and expect people to vote for you. If Biden wants these people's votes, he needs to stop supporting Israel.
Also, many have remarked that it looks like Biden has ushered in a new McCarthy era. Take, for example, Scott Ritter being removed from a plane going to Russia, FBI agents taking his passport.
What would Americans see in another term for Biden? More genocide, endless wars, more intense authoritarianism?
Sorry, but I don't want to see that. Nor do I want to see Trump get in again.
That’s not what the youth are talking about. All the folks at sunrise I think understand that a vote for jill stein is effectively a vote for Trump . Sadly, that’s how our politics work. But a great idea to work for ranked choice voting like many countries have do we’re not perpetually in this bind
Like Bill, I am very sympathetic to the misgivings of young voters who find the continued US military aid to Israel to be unconscionable under the present circumstances. But I would ask those young voters to consider how a President Trump would respond to Netanyahu's policies. If the past is any indicator of the future, we can be certain that a Trump administration would support the continued murder of innocents in Gaza and the West Bank, and would abandon the current albeit feeble attempts to encourage a two state solution.
I love you. I've supported you and the 350.org for many years. And while I understand your surprise and disappointment at Kathy Hochul's pulling the plug on congestion pricing, I think you're misrepresenting what that policy would do. First of all, let me just say that Manhattan is not the almost-sweet place any longer at Jimmy Breslin imagined with fewer cars. Was that the last time you were in Manhattan, when Breslin was still alive? I wish it was still that place but that place, full of great diversity and color and culture, is long gone. The city is much changed, mostly for the worse. Super-talls are clogging up the airways and hideous new apartment blocs allowed in by DeBlasio's "affordable housing" program are changing the character of neighborhoods at a breakneck speed. But these are minor points. Congestion pricing set up a battle not between drivers and non-drivers, it set up a great conflict between the people of Manhattan and the people, collectively, of the outer boroughs. (I belong to the latter category, though I lived in Manhattan for 20 years). A high percentage of households in the outer boroughs own cars; a minimal percentage of households in Manhattan do. People in the outer boroughs brings their cars into Manhattan for various reasons, and believe me, we have to have a good reason to do it, because it is not easy: it's always full of traffic, the parking is impossible (and/or very costly), and getting over or through whichever bridge or tunnel you use to do it is also a pain. HOWEVER, we do sometimes need to bring our cars into Manhattan! Why on earth would we need to do this? Why can't we just take public transit? Well why don't you ask my 82 year old friend Florence, who has had knee and hip replacements, has heart disease and bevy of other health conditions. Florence would not be alive if it were not for her very fine doctors, most of which conduct their practices in Manhattan. Florence's son-in-law drives her to 2 or 3 medical visits a week, and once or twice a month that calls for taking her to Manhattan. There are many older New Yorkers for whom public transit is simply too hard or too unreliable to be feasible for a certain portion of their transportation needs. I am so sick of the arrogance people who insist that everybody should be using public transit 100% of the time. I'm sure they are between 20 and 50 and in perfect health. Maybe you should just restrict all of New York to people who are between 20 and 50 and in perfect health? But seriously, the goal should not be to eliminate one of the available methods of transportation. The goal should be to rebalance the various methods that we have. I happen to sympathize with the goal of having fewer cars in New York City, but I am offended and appalled by this cultural war that's going on over cars which seems to make younger, healthier people feel entitled to tell me I am a selfish elderly miscreant. I was protesting fossil fuels before these idiots were born! Also, please point out that the real carbon polluters in New York City are our buildings, not our cars. Yes, reducing cars on the road would limit carbon output some, but if you want to make meaningful change you have to address how all these big buildings are using up resources! But of course nobody wants to take on the real estate lobby, because they are high and mighty, forget whether or not they are the most culpable. So why not go after the old ladies instead, the ones who just want to get to their doctors offices when they need to? It's pretty disgusting. The more the environmental crowd goes after these blanket regressive policies that are hit particular demographic groups the hardest, the more enemies you are going to make, not friends. I would support some kind of plan to gradually and thoughtfully reduce the number of cars in the city but I DO NOT SUPPORT REGRESSIVE TAX POLICIES like congestion pricing. I'm glad Kathy Hochul pulled it although I admit it was breathtakingly self-serving, even for a politician.
And many of us have worked very hard on buildings in New York—it has a nation leading retrofit law, thanks to the same people who worked on congestion pricing
As it happens I was in New York last week, and am back next month (for a sit in at Citibank— see you there!)
Hasn't that retrofit law been defanged by the real estate lobby? That was my understanding. Disclosures no longer have to be made public, and the whole thing has been delayed for some ungodly amount of time. My impression is that no meaningful reduction of carbon was coming from that law. It didn't work. I appreciate your work on it but I don't think it was a success. And that doesn't change the fact that people like to scream at me for owning a car in the city because they consider themselves to be more environmentally virtuous. The truth is powerful corporate interests play the left just as much as they play the right. They egg on these culture wars because they benefit from dividing and conquering. We could stop that from happening but only if we are smart enough to not let ourselves be divided in the first place. Be well.
I hear you regarding your support for Biden. I was an enthusiastic supporter of Biden because of his efforts to confront climate breakdown - not enough to turn the tide, but a huge step forward. But this lifetime 73-year-old Democrat will not vote for Biden or any Congressional candidates that are enabling the unfolding genocide in Gaza, killed 1,000s of children, women, doctors, univeristy professors, and aid workers with U.S. weapons. Vetoing cease fire resolutions. Delegitimating the ICJ & and ICC. Failing to prevent Israel from its blocking of humanitarian aid. No, Biden and his pro-genocide allies will have to find his votes elsewhere, which he and his campaign certainly have realized by now. I so greatly admire the youth who have publicly protested only to be beaten by police and arrested on instruction of feckless university presidents who cave to pressure from war making donors and members of Congress. Hats off to the young Green New Deal peace advocates.
As my friend Rebecca Solnit says, a vote is not a valentine, it’s a chess move. And this does not strike me as a useful one. Think a few moves ahead and imagine the vulnerable people on earth and what four years of Trump will mean to them
Simply a chess move? Maybe. Voting for Trump is out of the question. But Joe Biden fundamentally lost his way as a global and national leader last year, making himself a war criminal by willfully enabling of genocide in Gaza. He has done nothing to stop the killing and wanton annihilation of a people and its culture. I have worked all my life in human rights. I cannot now vote for the war criminal Biden has made of himself. I still remain amazed that Biden would risk his reelection and the return of Trump to support a genocidal regime in Israel.
I don’t like that our political system forces us into a binary choice for president anymore than you do, Gary. I have supported 3 party candidates over many decades in the hope that doing so would move the needle towards sensible policies. Sadly I have come to the conclusion that this tactic is fruitless in this country. Joe Biden has been a great president in the context of what is possible in this country. This year it is really a stark choice: do you want to put trump back in the drivers seat to wreak everything you stand for including what will happen in the Middle East? Because that is the only choice you have, brother.
Speaking of youth voters, please support Gen Z activists who are going on a Tour To Save Democracy this summer. Starting in Texas on July 12th, the tour will visit over 20 “red-to-blue” flippable swing districts to get out the vote and inspire youth action to secure a Democratic trifecta in Congress in November! Completely led by young people, the Tour To Save Democracy is a summer bus trip across the nation with one goal: Flip. Seats. Blue!
You can learn more Thursday, June 20 at 8PM ET on a Zoom with Robert Hubbell, Jessica Craven, Tour Founder and Exec Dir 20 year old Sam Schwartz and others
Third Act is one of the Tour's partners!
You can sign up to hear more from Sam and the others here:
Thank you Bill, for your clear reporting on a wide range of climate topics. Two are of particular note.
1. The Third wave is a brilliant repurposing of collective wisdom, values, energy and righteous anger that may otherwise been wasted watching daytime TV. I am 80+ and have taken a slightly different approach that I believe you might find useful in the climate fight - https://jackzimmanck.substack.com/
2. The concept of bringing legal action against the fossil fuel industry has the makings of a heavyweight "stick" to help drive businesses to embrace the "carrot" of the sustainable marketplace. I look forward to further developing this powerful idea.
Now there are many influencers, experts, scientists, politicians, et all speaking out about the danger of fossil fuel emissions and climate change. What's missing for me is their personal stories. What are they doing personally to change their life, live lighter on the planet, and reduce their carbon emissions? I believe it would be beneficial if more people knew what actions were being taken by these people who understand the threat and speak out about it. These are positive stories that can influence others to a great degree, creating a parade that politicians will want to walk in front of. I increasingly see direct personal action as the only viable choice, since politics, persuasion, and scientific facts don't seem to be doing the job. Thoughts?
If Hakeem Jeffries is right, Hochul made the right decision. Democrats need as many branches of government as possible to stem the tide of authoritarianism and maintain as many climate-friendly policies and subsidies as the public will tolerate.
That said, Albany can reintroduce congestion pricing next year.
Sadiq Khan gets a lot of grief from British conservatives about congestion pricing (which started twenty years ago, long before he was London’s mayor), but he just won a third term.
Why can’t all those who are furious with Biden over Israel’s war understand that withholding your vote for him is a vote for Trump? As serious as your (and my) concerns are, now is not the time for a protest (non-) vote.
I'm not a fan of Biden, but if people don't vote for him then Trump will win and destroy everything -- not just the environment.
He wasn't my first choice - the VP was. He has experience in politics and knows the people who can do the best job. I note his cabinet remains essentially unchanged from the start. Good advisors and good politicking got the country where we are today.
You tell it best, Bill McKibben. That is an excellent use of the anger emotion: say it plain.
Thank you.
Biden's foreign policy has generated a titanic amount of fossil fuel emissions - the methane from blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline (yes, he obviously did it, said he would in advance and praised it afterwards), the emissions from Ukraine and Gaza warfare. Both wars could have been dramatically reduced, possibly even avoided if Biden wasn't such a war monger. Biden let the fossil fuel industry hide behind the Ukraine war to gouge consumers, realize their highest profits ever and go a long way toward building LNG export terminals. The US is now the world leader in fossil fuel production. I am so appreciative that the Sunrise youth stands strong in opposition to Biden's warmongering and foreign policy based climate destruction.
Voting for 3rd parties or not voting is a choice to abandon democracy.
I despise many of the positions that Biden has taken, but I refuse to allow a theocratic regime to gain power because of my positions.
Perhaps people are in denial or actually believe that refusing to do everything to stop Trumpism is somehow noble.
It's not.
It's surrender to an unspeakable fate.
We live in an oligarchy/plutocracy. I know of no other country that chose a 2 party duopoly as their political system. Trump is an existential threat, but we have to lay the groundwork after this election from day 1 after to establish a strong progressive third or even 4th party. Being trapped into choosing among two corporate owned parties alienates voters terribly - no wonder we have historically had one of the lowest turnouts. People HATE voting for the lesser of two evils!
Please join the fight for ranked choice voting. Rank The Vote is the place. Maine is leading the nation on this
Bill, ranked choice voting is good if one needs to elect someone in a unique position, like President or Leader of a Party. Ranked voting to elect a representative assembly favours middle-of-the-road candidates. A fair voting system that results in a representative assembly needs to have multiple-member constituencies and a proportional system.
"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote." [Attributed to George Jean Nathan]
Bill - The contortions you must go thru to address Sunrise positions is a measure of the trouble we are in. I can't imagine voting again for Biden; your blog endorsement of the man several months ago helped me get to this position. Your argument (another set of those same contortions) got read by me as a preference for the man driving 90 or 95 mph toward climate disaster as opposed to the jackass who aims to return to the throne at 120 mph or so. Young people have an opportunity to shove Biden aside, and they ought to. Any other Democrat would be a breath of fresh air, . . . and increasingly also more likely to win the presidency, especially if they were to demonstrate more commitment to downscale problems. Of course, getting money out of politics would alos be a whole new ballgame. Peace, John Vail
I'm with the youth.
You can't support a genocide with money and weapons and expect people to vote for you. If Biden wants these people's votes, he needs to stop supporting Israel.
Also, many have remarked that it looks like Biden has ushered in a new McCarthy era. Take, for example, Scott Ritter being removed from a plane going to Russia, FBI agents taking his passport.
What would Americans see in another term for Biden? More genocide, endless wars, more intense authoritarianism?
Sorry, but I don't want to see that. Nor do I want to see Trump get in again.
If I was American, I'd be voting for Jill Stein.
That’s not what the youth are talking about. All the folks at sunrise I think understand that a vote for jill stein is effectively a vote for Trump . Sadly, that’s how our politics work. But a great idea to work for ranked choice voting like many countries have do we’re not perpetually in this bind
Proportional representation or ranked ballots would be wonderful.
Like Bill, I am very sympathetic to the misgivings of young voters who find the continued US military aid to Israel to be unconscionable under the present circumstances. But I would ask those young voters to consider how a President Trump would respond to Netanyahu's policies. If the past is any indicator of the future, we can be certain that a Trump administration would support the continued murder of innocents in Gaza and the West Bank, and would abandon the current albeit feeble attempts to encourage a two state solution.
I love you. I've supported you and the 350.org for many years. And while I understand your surprise and disappointment at Kathy Hochul's pulling the plug on congestion pricing, I think you're misrepresenting what that policy would do. First of all, let me just say that Manhattan is not the almost-sweet place any longer at Jimmy Breslin imagined with fewer cars. Was that the last time you were in Manhattan, when Breslin was still alive? I wish it was still that place but that place, full of great diversity and color and culture, is long gone. The city is much changed, mostly for the worse. Super-talls are clogging up the airways and hideous new apartment blocs allowed in by DeBlasio's "affordable housing" program are changing the character of neighborhoods at a breakneck speed. But these are minor points. Congestion pricing set up a battle not between drivers and non-drivers, it set up a great conflict between the people of Manhattan and the people, collectively, of the outer boroughs. (I belong to the latter category, though I lived in Manhattan for 20 years). A high percentage of households in the outer boroughs own cars; a minimal percentage of households in Manhattan do. People in the outer boroughs brings their cars into Manhattan for various reasons, and believe me, we have to have a good reason to do it, because it is not easy: it's always full of traffic, the parking is impossible (and/or very costly), and getting over or through whichever bridge or tunnel you use to do it is also a pain. HOWEVER, we do sometimes need to bring our cars into Manhattan! Why on earth would we need to do this? Why can't we just take public transit? Well why don't you ask my 82 year old friend Florence, who has had knee and hip replacements, has heart disease and bevy of other health conditions. Florence would not be alive if it were not for her very fine doctors, most of which conduct their practices in Manhattan. Florence's son-in-law drives her to 2 or 3 medical visits a week, and once or twice a month that calls for taking her to Manhattan. There are many older New Yorkers for whom public transit is simply too hard or too unreliable to be feasible for a certain portion of their transportation needs. I am so sick of the arrogance people who insist that everybody should be using public transit 100% of the time. I'm sure they are between 20 and 50 and in perfect health. Maybe you should just restrict all of New York to people who are between 20 and 50 and in perfect health? But seriously, the goal should not be to eliminate one of the available methods of transportation. The goal should be to rebalance the various methods that we have. I happen to sympathize with the goal of having fewer cars in New York City, but I am offended and appalled by this cultural war that's going on over cars which seems to make younger, healthier people feel entitled to tell me I am a selfish elderly miscreant. I was protesting fossil fuels before these idiots were born! Also, please point out that the real carbon polluters in New York City are our buildings, not our cars. Yes, reducing cars on the road would limit carbon output some, but if you want to make meaningful change you have to address how all these big buildings are using up resources! But of course nobody wants to take on the real estate lobby, because they are high and mighty, forget whether or not they are the most culpable. So why not go after the old ladies instead, the ones who just want to get to their doctors offices when they need to? It's pretty disgusting. The more the environmental crowd goes after these blanket regressive policies that are hit particular demographic groups the hardest, the more enemies you are going to make, not friends. I would support some kind of plan to gradually and thoughtfully reduce the number of cars in the city but I DO NOT SUPPORT REGRESSIVE TAX POLICIES like congestion pricing. I'm glad Kathy Hochul pulled it although I admit it was breathtakingly self-serving, even for a politician.
Thanks
The law has a clear waiver for disabled people
And many of us have worked very hard on buildings in New York—it has a nation leading retrofit law, thanks to the same people who worked on congestion pricing
As it happens I was in New York last week, and am back next month (for a sit in at Citibank— see you there!)
Hasn't that retrofit law been defanged by the real estate lobby? That was my understanding. Disclosures no longer have to be made public, and the whole thing has been delayed for some ungodly amount of time. My impression is that no meaningful reduction of carbon was coming from that law. It didn't work. I appreciate your work on it but I don't think it was a success. And that doesn't change the fact that people like to scream at me for owning a car in the city because they consider themselves to be more environmentally virtuous. The truth is powerful corporate interests play the left just as much as they play the right. They egg on these culture wars because they benefit from dividing and conquering. We could stop that from happening but only if we are smart enough to not let ourselves be divided in the first place. Be well.
The buildings fight is very much still on. Follow New York Communities for Change, and I’ll try to write more on it
I hear you regarding your support for Biden. I was an enthusiastic supporter of Biden because of his efforts to confront climate breakdown - not enough to turn the tide, but a huge step forward. But this lifetime 73-year-old Democrat will not vote for Biden or any Congressional candidates that are enabling the unfolding genocide in Gaza, killed 1,000s of children, women, doctors, univeristy professors, and aid workers with U.S. weapons. Vetoing cease fire resolutions. Delegitimating the ICJ & and ICC. Failing to prevent Israel from its blocking of humanitarian aid. No, Biden and his pro-genocide allies will have to find his votes elsewhere, which he and his campaign certainly have realized by now. I so greatly admire the youth who have publicly protested only to be beaten by police and arrested on instruction of feckless university presidents who cave to pressure from war making donors and members of Congress. Hats off to the young Green New Deal peace advocates.
As my friend Rebecca Solnit says, a vote is not a valentine, it’s a chess move. And this does not strike me as a useful one. Think a few moves ahead and imagine the vulnerable people on earth and what four years of Trump will mean to them
Simply a chess move? Maybe. Voting for Trump is out of the question. But Joe Biden fundamentally lost his way as a global and national leader last year, making himself a war criminal by willfully enabling of genocide in Gaza. He has done nothing to stop the killing and wanton annihilation of a people and its culture. I have worked all my life in human rights. I cannot now vote for the war criminal Biden has made of himself. I still remain amazed that Biden would risk his reelection and the return of Trump to support a genocidal regime in Israel.
I don’t like that our political system forces us into a binary choice for president anymore than you do, Gary. I have supported 3 party candidates over many decades in the hope that doing so would move the needle towards sensible policies. Sadly I have come to the conclusion that this tactic is fruitless in this country. Joe Biden has been a great president in the context of what is possible in this country. This year it is really a stark choice: do you want to put trump back in the drivers seat to wreak everything you stand for including what will happen in the Middle East? Because that is the only choice you have, brother.
Thank you! Very well said.
Thanks for the wise and thoughtful analysis. Really helped me get clarity on both Biden and Hochel.
I think the effective date was June 30th , not Jan 30th.
Thank you
Speaking of youth voters, please support Gen Z activists who are going on a Tour To Save Democracy this summer. Starting in Texas on July 12th, the tour will visit over 20 “red-to-blue” flippable swing districts to get out the vote and inspire youth action to secure a Democratic trifecta in Congress in November! Completely led by young people, the Tour To Save Democracy is a summer bus trip across the nation with one goal: Flip. Seats. Blue!
You can learn more Thursday, June 20 at 8PM ET on a Zoom with Robert Hubbell, Jessica Craven, Tour Founder and Exec Dir 20 year old Sam Schwartz and others
Third Act is one of the Tour's partners!
You can sign up to hear more from Sam and the others here:
https://www.mobilize.us/markersfordemocracy/event/634419/?referring_vol=1838121&rname=jenny&share_context=signup-form-modal&share_medium=twitter×lot=4328239
Please watch their short launch video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHhWuhtZQig
Thank you Bill, for your clear reporting on a wide range of climate topics. Two are of particular note.
1. The Third wave is a brilliant repurposing of collective wisdom, values, energy and righteous anger that may otherwise been wasted watching daytime TV. I am 80+ and have taken a slightly different approach that I believe you might find useful in the climate fight - https://jackzimmanck.substack.com/
2. The concept of bringing legal action against the fossil fuel industry has the makings of a heavyweight "stick" to help drive businesses to embrace the "carrot" of the sustainable marketplace. I look forward to further developing this powerful idea.
Now there are many influencers, experts, scientists, politicians, et all speaking out about the danger of fossil fuel emissions and climate change. What's missing for me is their personal stories. What are they doing personally to change their life, live lighter on the planet, and reduce their carbon emissions? I believe it would be beneficial if more people knew what actions were being taken by these people who understand the threat and speak out about it. These are positive stories that can influence others to a great degree, creating a parade that politicians will want to walk in front of. I increasingly see direct personal action as the only viable choice, since politics, persuasion, and scientific facts don't seem to be doing the job. Thoughts?
If Hakeem Jeffries is right, Hochul made the right decision. Democrats need as many branches of government as possible to stem the tide of authoritarianism and maintain as many climate-friendly policies and subsidies as the public will tolerate.
That said, Albany can reintroduce congestion pricing next year.
Sadiq Khan gets a lot of grief from British conservatives about congestion pricing (which started twenty years ago, long before he was London’s mayor), but he just won a third term.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2024/05/04/labours-sadiq-khan-wins-historic-third-term-as-london-mayor-calls-top-psephologist/
So longer term, Jeffries and Hochul shouldn’t worry. We just need to make it through this fall. 🤞🏼
Why can’t all those who are furious with Biden over Israel’s war understand that withholding your vote for him is a vote for Trump? As serious as your (and my) concerns are, now is not the time for a protest (non-) vote.