Edward Baisley
Prof. Matthew Hitt
POLS 3o4
18 Sep. 2019
H. Resolution 109 effectively
known as the Green New Deal was introduced on February 2nd of 2019, by
New York Democratic House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Since its
introduction into the House, this resolution has been a focal point of debate
for Democrats and Republicans alike. On one hand, Republicans have united in opposition
against this Green New Deal and have effectively questioned Representative
Ocasio-Cortez’s legitimacy as a lawmaker while at the same time defaming her in
almost any way possible. On the other hand, Democrats have been somewhat divided
on this issue, with more far left leaning Democrats in full support and more moderate
Democrats either on the fence or in opposition.
This resolution is an attempt
at, “Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal,”
which has a wide range of implications including everything from environmental sustainability/justice,
economic prosperity/justice, and social reform/justice.[i]
Presented in the resolution are a series of reforms that are aimed accomplishing
the goals stated above, which come with some insinuations of fairly heavy
governmental oversight and regulation into certain industries.
Thus, this resolution has
seen some pretty heavy opposition on the basis that it would put the national
government of the United States of America on a path towards “socialism,” or at
least that’s what some right-winger politicians would argue. Author of the NYT
article, “What Is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal Explained,” Lisa Friedman
details the immense distaste for this resolution by Republicans, “Senator Tom
Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, told Hugh Hewitt, the conservative radio host,
that the proposal would confiscate cars and require Americans to ride around on
high-speed light rail, supposedly powered by unicorn tears.”[ii] As
we can see from this comment by Senator Cotton, there has been some pretty heavy
rhetorical bias in opposition to the Green New Deal that has served to
undermine the actual content within the resolution. Nonetheless, Republican politicians
will likely stay united against this resolution on the premises that the Green
New Deal allows for too much governmental intrusion into market.
However, on the other side of
the argument more left leaning Democrats have taken a stand on this issue. Rep.
Ocasio-Cortez as well as others Claim that the Green New Deal isn’t just abstractly
desirable from a utopian perspective, but is actually economically feasible and
will in fact work to benefit the economy in the long run. So, in their minds not
only is this resolution an ideal to strive for, it is an absolute necessity for
the economic, environmental, and social prosperity of the United States. The left-leaning
Democrats and the resolution itself back up their argument by drawing upon the
highly prestigious reports from the United Nations and federal scientists that
basically provided information showing that if we as a globe and a nation do
not take significant measures to reduce the causes of climate change in the
next 12 years, then we as a species will have passed a point of irreversible environmental
damage. It is important to note that these reports predict that the detrimental
impacts of climate change will likely cause the United States’ government
billions of dollars in mitigation costs, thus this resolution, “calls on the
federal government to wean the United States from fossil fuels and curb
planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions across the economy. It also aims to
guarantee new high-paying jobs in clean energy industries,” (NYT, Friedman).[iii]
As can be seen by the polarizing
viewpoints between Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Cotton, this idea of a Green New
Deal is very contested. Even within the Democratic Party there is a stigma that
comes with attaching one’s self to this resolution, which was demonstrated when
Republican Senate President Mitch McConnell put the resolution up for vote within
the Senate. The results were summed up by Author Sean McElwee in his New York
Times article, “People Actually Like the Green New Deal,” he explains, “McConnell
… defeated consideration of the plan 57-0, winning over three Democratic
senators and one independent … The rest of the Democratic caucus voted present,
in an attempt to confound Mr. McConnell’s strategy, which was to tie down the
Democratic Party to an ambitious proposal from its progressive wing.”[iv]
In light of what we have seen
from all the varying viewpoints, rhetorical jargon, and political strategies
within the national legislator there is actually some uniformity within public
opinion. As shown in the figure below, registered voters from both sides of
debate are at least somewhat more agreeable with each other on at least some of
the contents within the Green New Deal.
Author of the article “The
Green New Deal has Strong Bipartisan Support,” and the graph above Abel
Gustafson, shows that, “the survey results show overwhelming support for the
Green New Deal, with 81% of registered voters saying they either “strongly
support” (40%) or “somewhat support” (41%) this plan.”[v]
From the information provided
above, it seems as if there is a discrepancy between the difference of opinions
in the general public and the difference of opinions in the national legislator.
This looks like one of those situations in which the policy positions are more polarized
in our congress than they actually are in the general public. With that being said,
we can see that our legislators are enacting the “trustee” model of
representation and the not delegate model. I assume that our national
legislators believe they are indeed more qualified and educated than the public is on this issue, which is why we see that difference.
Works
Cited
[i] Ocasio-Cortez,
Alexandria. “Text - H.Res.109 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Recognizing the
Duty of the Federal Government to Create a Green New Deal.” Congress.gov.
Library of Congress, February 12, 2019. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/109/text.
[ii] Friedman,
Lisa. “What Is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal, Explained.” The New York
Times. The New York Times, February 21, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/climate/green-new-deal-questions-answers.html.
[iii]
Ibid.
[iv] Mcelwee,
Sean, and Ash Ngu. “People Actually Like the Green New Deal.” The New York
Times. The New York Times, March 27, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/opinion/sunday/green-new-deal-mcconnell.html.
[v] Gustafson,
Abel. “The Green New Deal Has Strong Bipartisan Support.” Yale Program on
Climate Change Communication. University of Yale, December 14, 2018. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/the-green-new-deal-has-strong-bipartisan-support/.
I think you do a really nice job not only unpacking the partisan divide revolving around the GND, but also analyzing the controversy within the Democratic Party itself. It’s interesting to think about how differently this resolution would be perceived if it hadn’t been introduced by the youngest member of congress who is a new representative and a woman. Along those lines, the GND was written by the New Consensus, a non-profit policy group led by a 29-year-old female Yale graduate and Rhodes scholar. I’m guessing that many career politicians, especially educated and wealthy white older men, might feel less threatened about this resolution had it been written and introduced by someone who was slightly more moderate and “looks” like them.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the issue of climate change, one of my political science professors argues that climate change is not an existential threat and is not an issue that should be heightened to an international security level. While I disagree with him in many ways, it’s an interesting point he makes that we should leave climate change in the hands of politicians at the national and subnational levels. However, as you point out, due to the many interests involved, we as a country and world may not have time to wait on the U.S. Congress working their way (or not) slowly through this problem. I really like how you broke down the congressional attitudes towards the GND and evaluated the institutional challenges surrounding it.
Eddy, I enjoyed your brief description of what The Green New Deal actually consists of. I have read many descriptions of the policy that clearly demonstrate a partisan perception.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciated your emphasis of just how controversial this policy is in both parties. As someone who acknowledges climate change and wants members of congress to address it head on, I do not understand why consideration of this policy has to be so controversial. Even if this is not the right approach, I believe congress needs to unite and actively address this very serious issue.
This is a great post! I really like the idea of tackling the issue of the Green New Deal, as I believe it is an important narrative when discussing climate change. I really like how you highlighted the differences between Senator Cotton and AOC, and the specifics on the divide when discussing the Green New Deal. In my personal opinion, the United States could be doing far better in relation to addressing the issue of climate change, and I feel as if the Green New Deal, or at least something like it, is the only realistic solution for the future of humanity.
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