Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund today joined the growing list of environmental groups endorsing Barack Obama for president, citing John McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate as a major reason they will not endorse the GOP ticket.
“John McCain’s choice of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate confirmed that the only candidates we can truly count on to protect our air, land and water are Senators Obama and Biden, and we are proud to today offer our endorsement of the Obama-Biden ticket,” said the organization’s president, Rodger Schlickeisen, in a statement today.
Schlickeisen called Republican candidate John McCain’s record on environmental issues “mediocre at best,” but emphasized that it was the Palin pick that drove their endorsement.
“When McCain picked the notoriously anti-environmental Palin, he surrendered any reasonable argument that his administration would make finding real solutions to our nation’s serious energy, conservation and environmental problems a priority,” said Schlickeisen. “The McCain-Palin ticket is now the overwhelming preference of big oil companies that have made billions in profits, while average Americans struggle to fill their tanks. That should tell voters who care about the environment and our children’s future all they need to know.”
Palin’s support of aerial wolf hunting was also a sore spot for Defenders. The group also released an advertisement today highlighting her promotion of the program, which Schlickeisen called “ghastly and unscientific.” This follows a similar ad that the group released last week. The title of the new ad — “Brutal” — pretty much sums up what the group thinks about the practice. Watch it after the jump:
Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth Action, the League of Conservation Voters, and Environment America have also endorsed the Obama-Biden ticket.
