Dennis Kucinich votes against climate change bill
Published: June 26, 2009
Updated 4 months ago
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who is widely known as an advocate for the environment and for clean energy, announced on Friday that he had voted against the climate change legislation passed earlier that day by the House of Representatives.
“I oppose H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009,” Kucinich stated in a press release. “The reason is simple. It won’t address the problem. In fact, it might make the problem worse.”
“It sets targets that are too weak, especially in the short term, and sets about meeting those targets through Enron-style accounting methods,” he continued. “It gives new life to one of the primary sources of the problem that should be on its way out — coal — by giving it record subsidies.”
Kucinich was especially scathing in his criticism of the bill’s extensive compromises with the coal industry — compromises that were largely negotiated by Representative Rick Boucher (D-VA), who hails from a coal-mining district in Virginia and has been the recipient of generous coal company donations.
Last month, Boucher announced on his website, “I am pleased to report that following six weeks of continuous and intensive negotiations with Chairman Waxman and Chairman Markey, I have now reached an agreement with them on the principles for greenhouse gas control legislation. … I have been working with Chairmen Waxman and Markey to advance the goals which I think are important to achieve in control legislation. These goals are the preservation of coal related jobs, the facilitation of growing coal production, and keeping electricity rates affordable in regions like Southwest Virginia where most of the electricity is coal fired.”
In addition to his complaints about the favoritism shown to the coal industry, Kuchinich objected that the legislation is fatally flawed because of its built-in delay before any real change is mandated. “The bill locks us into a framework that will fail,” he explained. “Science tells us that immediately is not soon enough to begin repairing the planet. Waiting another decade or more will virtually guarantee catastrophic levels of warming.”
With Republicans bitterly opposed to even the modest and industry-favoring provisions of the legislation, and the Senate seemingly in no hurry to take action of its own, Kucinich’s desire to see the bill fail may be fulfilled.
“I respectfully submit that not only can we do better; we have no choice but to do better,” Kucinich insists. “Indeed, if we pass a bill that only creates the illusion of addressing the problem, we walk away with only an illusion. The price for that illusion is the opportunity to take substantive action.”
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Waiting for: “Kucinich is a Republican Traitor!”
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This is to all rocket surgeons in the U.S. Government.
End Junk Mail. You cut down trees which convert the DEADLY CO2 and jam my mailbox with Burger King and Dominoes ads which are poisonous food franchises I will never eat at.
Junk Mail goes or global warming is abject hypocrisy.
F U Gore
Change to: “Most Democrats are simply Republicans” and you’ll probably get a blast off.
“I respectfully submit that not only can we do better; we have no choice but to do better,” Kucinich insists. “Indeed, if we pass a bill that only creates the illusion of addressing the problem, we walk away with only an illusion. The price for that illusion is the opportunity to take substantive action.”
Kucinich is, as usual, spot on here — and speaking of illusions, our two party make pretend system of representative democracy has become embarrassingly transparent. It’s a PUPPET SHOW, nothing more.
Kurt
i could not agree more
both sides are bought and paid for
by the same people
the leadership may change, but the agenda continues
and it is so glaringly obvious
“Indeed, if we pass a bill that only creates the illusion of addressing the problem, we walk away with only an illusion. ”
Walking away with only an illusion is the objective of the new, Orwellian regime.
Kucinich is the only true/real Democrat remaining in the congress. All of the others are parasite Repug war criminals with either a D or R behind their name. It certainly looks like Bush and Cheney are still running the show, as some of us Nader and McKinney voters suspected would be the case under savior Obama. How long before Kucinich has an “accident” of some sort?
As far as savior Obama’s “climate change” BS is concerned, it is worthless. It is essentially a Republican bill. And this War Criminal Obushma has a super-majority in congress and they should know that there is no such thing as “clean coal.” But nevertheless, when it comes to voting time the sheep (also known as clueless Obamabots) will return all of these goddamned parasite war criminals right back to where they are now. The sheep will even send in their $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to these millionaires. Imagine that. Giving $$$$$$$$$$$$ to millionaires. DUH.
How goddamned stupid is that!
Kucinich in 2012 or we may as well throw in the large, smelly towel for good. The media got him last time; we CANNOT allow that to happen again!
Kucinich, again, kicks against the “pricks.”
“PUPPET SHOW” is also spot on. If it caught on in the political vernacular– a commonly used and identified descriptive term of contempt, wonder if it might tar the Congressional shill-show with a little shame for all their corrupted conivances with their corporate masters.
Oh yeah, what was I thinkin…
Sort of covers the MSM too, btw.
Burn baby burn!
I totally agree with Dennis on this one. Anyone who has read or glimpsed over the bill knows what it’s really for. It’s not for helping the world be a better place. It’s for giving the government complete control over the energy sector. Those control freaks are at it again. This time… they’re using the progressive movement as an ideological cover to control the masses under the guise of climate change. It’s just about control to them. And to them we’re cowards. We must stop this bill!!!
Like Nader and McKinney, Kucinich is a traitor to the democratic Party and the American people in the pay of Karl Rove! It’s true! I read it on DailyKos!
I love posting on Daily Kos that I voted for Nader in 2008. The responses are very, very special. They still believe there are two-major political parties…how quaint.
alansmithee:
At this point in time, it appears that only one out of eight Raw Commenters commenters recognize sarcasm, or the seven just came here from CIA Markos’ precious website.
Thanks, Dennis!
Like always, he’s the only one in the room that is paying attention.
This was a green wash failed bill placating to the lowest common denominator.
We are so deep down the hole, this bill would do nothing.
fu2k the daily CIA KOS
I HOPE dennis kucinich run for president again
Kucinich and Ron Paul are seemingly the only two individuals from each (supposed) respective party that at least try to work for the people.
If anyone that read (and comprehended) George Washington’s farewell address you would know that he was totally AGAINST the formation of parties. If anyone was a spokesperson for our Constitutional “republic” (that’s right I said “republic”) George Washington was. All one need do is read that speech to get a feel of what our country was supposed to represent. Of course I don’t expect dimwits like dennycrane to comprehend this, but overall I have seen a few intelligent posters on this site that actually get it.
The so called Democrats and Republicans, or “duo-politic” as I call them have been so infiltrated by one another that they have morphed into a single entity with two names.
The Congress that was supposed to meet twice yearly have, however, over the years under their Republican/Democrat banners, voted themselves cushy jobs with full benefits paid by YOU! They have monopolized the political arena so that it is virtually impossible for an Independent candidate to run and even if an Indy wins he still is only a “President” NOT the CEO of corporate America which honor falls on the Bankster run Federal Reserve through it’s equally illegal and UNCONSTITUTIONAL CFR.
People need to get their heads up out of their asses and wake up!
It’s time to wake up. The UNCONSTITUTIONAL Federal Reserve through the International Banksters is running America. For further proof of this Isreal was created via the Balfour Declaration which originated in Great Britain by the Rothschild family.
Look it up.
I wanted to support Dennis Kucinich but voted for Obama instead. Reason? Then as now, his fellow Democrats in congress failed to support him. A winning majority of Democratic voters were not supportting him. After eight miserable years, the republicans had to go. We had to fight them with what we had, not with what we wished we had.
Dennis Kucinich in 2012? There is always hope but not at the expense of giving it back to the neo-cons. A true Progressive Democrat will do more than get off his or her lazy ass and turn out to vote every four years. The pressure has to remain constant. You can’t just vote for your favorite and leave it go at that. They have to hear from you every day they remain in office. You can believe that they will hear from the corporate lobbyists every single day. Even Obama has said that “you must make me do my job”, meaning…give him a reason to do as you wanted. He’s a politician, give him an excuse to decline powerful corporate support against progressive idealogy i.e., “Your generous offer of wealth and power in exchange for my favoring your policy proposals is tempting but my people say no”.
Don’t just piss and moan. Get involved and stay involved. Americans can learn a great deal from the situation in Iran. That’s right, Iran not celebrity obituaries.
To RAW STORY…Michael Jackson is Dead, get over it!
Watch this and understand it won’t matter unless there is another Revolution and we really succeed:
In case you aren’t paying attention al457, voting for Obama WAS a voter to continue Neocon Amerika. You’ve seen ANY policy changes…where?
Please, continue to bang your head against wall, and question why your noggin hurts.
“Cap and trade” worked for the much simpler case of limiting sulfur dioxide emissions (acid rain), but it is a poor mechanism for transforming an economy into generating much less CO2 in an orderly, cost effective manner. A more appropriate market mechanism is carbon fees with 100% rebates. This is similar to the model used to meet U.S. commitments to the Montreal Protocol in limiting ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s). It worked, even faster than expected.
http://www.carbonfees.org/home/EnvirFinance03_09.pdf
‘Cap and trade’ is the corporate-preferred approach, since it is easy to game the system, put off meaningful change, then complain that the system ‘is not working’.
I am looking at Iran, al457: I see the $400 million Bush asked for, and congress passed in September of 2008 to foment unrest in Iran is working as planned, with the usual msm support.
Wow natty, so the US government is cutting down trees and stuffing your mailbox with Burger King and Dominoes junk mail? Well, next time you disagree with some legislation, call the manager of your local B.K. and raise hell, ‘kay?
My My My, What would “The King” say???
Kucinich, 2012
This climate change bill is the new “tax” on the middle class and kudos to Kurt for his Kucinich quote and insight that this whole two party crap is nothing but a “puppet show”.
I could not agree with you and Kurt more. You can also describe as a vaudeville act with parasites and pimps of bondage as the performers!
The question should be; Why did the 220 morons who voted for a bill they had never read do so?