alternative hippopotamus

progressive cyberdadaism from our nation’s capital

June 22, 2007

Republican Environmentalism

by AltHippo @ 4:13 pm. Filed under Uncategorized, energy&environment

I was just reading this memo from Frank Luntz to the Bush White House on the environment. Given this was 2002, and the Rovians were pretty sure they could ride the 9.11/Iraq card for the next generation, this is really quite prophetic:

The environment is probably the single issue on which Republicans in general – and President Bush in particular – are most vulnerable. A caricature has taken hold in the public imagination: Republicans seemingly in the pockets of corporate fat cats who rub their hands together and chuckle maniacally as they plot to pollute America for fun and profit. And only the Democrats and their goodhearted friends from Washington can save America from these sinister companies drooling at the prospect of strip mining every picturesque mountain range, drilling for oil on every white sand beach, and clear cutting every green forest.

The fundamental problem for Republicans when it comes to the environment is that whatever you say is viewed through the prism of suspicion. As with education, Social Security and so many other issues, the Democrats have been expert at constructing a narrative in which Republicans and conservatives are the bad guys. And if Americans swallow that story, then whatever comes later is mere detail.

Richard Pombo, former Repub Rep from California, may have thought it was really funny when he proposed that Roosevelt Island be paved over and made into condos. Up until Nov 7 he may have thought it was funny, anyway.

It’s conventional wisdom in Democratic circles that no one changes their vote over environmental issues. But, I’m not so sure that’s true. And, it sounds like people like Luntz don’t think it’s true, or they wouldn’t have conducted the polling that led to this memo.

I’m suggesting that this may be part of the rationale of the Republicans voting for the Senate version of the Energy Bill. It sounds like Ted Stevens didn’t even bring up his usual song and dance about drillingl in the Arctic Reserve. That’s progress.

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One Response to “Republican Environmentalism”

  1. nick_alerva Says:
    August 19th, 2009 at 3:36 pm

    http://monorzelcoda.com/montrolob.html pastrocdar

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