Climate Politics

Grist talks to Jim DiPeso of Republicans for Environmental Protection

David and I talked to Jim DiPeso, policy director of Republicans for Environmental Protection, while we were covering the Republican National Convention this week. The group endorsed John McCain way back in October, and despite the addition of the less-than-green Sarah Palin to the GOP ticket, DiPeso said his group stands by McCain. We caught […]

McCain’s 10 energy lies top Palin’s four

From McCain’s prepared text we see the Arizona senator easily tops Palin’s lies: My fellow Americans, when I’m president, we’re going to embark on the most ambitious national project in decades. We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don’t like us very much. Lie No. 1: McCain has no […]

‘Drill now’ Newt on The Daily Show

Palin’s ‘energy expertise’

Alaska is basically a petrostate — to the extent oil prices rise, it benefits. Thus politicians in Alaska develop a very sophisticated ability to encourage Alaskan energy exploration and to use the resulting revenue to garner support among their constituents. It’s difficult to see how that sort of “expertise” is going to translate to the […]

The dynamic behind the GOP’s mockery of community organizing

Lots of folks have been talking (angrily) about Wednesday night’s GOP effort to make “community organizer” an object of mockery — see, for instance, Joe Klein, Chris Hayes, Sally Kohn, and the excellent Jay Smooth: This is all right on, but I think one aspect is being overlooked, one contrast between community organizers and mayors […]

McCain talks energy in his big acceptance speech, but eschews talk of environmental concern

John McCain. Photo: johnmccain.com Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s acceptance speech in St. Paul this evening had plenty of references to the nation’s energy concerns, calling for drilling here and now, as well as nuclear, “clean coal,” and renewables. There was not, however, a single mention of climate change, an issue he has in the […]

Energy and moose are hot topics on the last night of the RNC

OK, Joe Lieberman is still the only person to mention either “global warming” or “climate change” in an official speech. But the energy issue is hot tonight, as is bashing Barack Obama and other Democrats for opposing expanded domestic drilling. The key excerpts: Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.): “The choice in this election is clear … […]

Police and protesters clash outside as bored crowd hears about Palin’s love of mooseburgers

I’m inside the Xcel Center for tonight’s official proceedings, the final of the Republican National Convention. Outside, anti-war protesters are attempting to march on the convention. On my way in, the police had surrounded them on a bridge near the capitol building, and apparently they’ve arrested at least dozen of them. The police are in […]

House GOP leaders call for their energy bill, or no energy bill at all

House Democrats are planning to co-opt the idea of an “all of the above” energy policy that the Republican congressional leadership has been pushing, offering them a bill that includes an expansion of offshore drilling, coupled with a renewable electricity mandate, energy-efficiency standards for buildings, and provisions to raise taxes on the oil industry. This […]

Most revealing Palin energy whopper: Iran could cut off a fifth of the world’s energy supplies

Palin’s full speech contained yet another energy lie, one that is very revealing: To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of the world’s energy supplies … Not even close. Yes, if you live in a world where the only energy source is oil, then the Persian Gulf countries […]