Barack Obama
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A columnist thinks so
Over at Politico, Glenn Hurowitz argues that at key moments, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have sold out the public interest in favor of polluting industries in their states. He says they could stand to learn something from Bill Richardson and John Edwards, whose energy/climate plans are ambitious and powerful. I suspect that if you […]
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That’s what his support for CTL shows
The LA Times has a long story about the growing conflict over coal-to-liquid (CTL) fuel. This is the most important paragraph in the piece, though it is inexplicably buried at the bottom: A new study has concluded that turning coal into liquid fuel yields 125% more carbon dioxide than producing diesel fuel and 66% more […]
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Obama speech indicates new day is here
Dave gives Obama's speech short shrift. I would argue that this speech -- taking it to the automakers on their home turf, apparently to some applause -- is a big-time deal. The same could be said of the speech what Dave wrote in starry-eyed fashion when the outlines of the TXU deal became public: "The 'tipping point' concept is cheap from overuse these days, but to me this is the clearest sign yet that we have entered a fundamentally new stage in the fight against global warming."
Sure, the policy recommendations behind the speech may not be the boldest out there, but can you imagine a presidential candidate giving this speech even a year ago, let alone at this point in 2003? In 1999, Gore was running as hard as he could from Earth-in-the-Balance-like proclamations like this one by Obama today: "The auto industry's refusal to act for so long has left it mired in a predicament for which there is no easy way out."
I'm interested in others' thoughts. And keep your eyes on Grist -- as the race heats up, we will be conducting the definitive green interviews with presidential contenders.
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The logjam is breaking
It appears that after a long period of haggling — involving the bizarre tableau of Republican Ted Stevens pushing for tougher regulations — the Senate Commerce Committee is ready to cough up a bill that would raise CAFE standards to 35mpg by 2019 (35mpg across the fleet, including light trucks). The committee is expected to […]
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Dispatch from San Francisco
I saw Barack Obama speak in San Francisco this weekend.
In his standard stump speech (I assume, anyway), he spoke for 45 minutes, without notes, with passion. As he wryly noted, he's very articulate.
Healthcare and education were the themes he stressed the most. He spoke starkly of the need to confront climate change, and referenced briefly the opportunities and benefits of investing in "alternative technologies." That said, I didn't get the sense that it is an animating passion of his.
This election cycle, people want to fall in love. And on that front at least, he's got the goods. A personable, warm, and impressive man.
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A candidate for president of France is quite Obamish
As you may or may not know, France is holding presidential elections this year. The two frontrunners are Nicolas Sarkozy (Chirac’s heir, from the right-wing UMP party) and Ségolène Royal, a rising star in the Socialist Party who surprised everyone by elbowing ahead of several more senior party members in the polls. She’s held a […]
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Watch Obama’s video
Tomorrow morning, Barack Obama will officially kick off his presidential run. Here’s a preview video:
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The high school yearbook photo!
This, via Kos via Pushing String, is the greatest thing ever: See the Pushing String post for an explanation of what the “choom gang” is. Effing sweet.
