Climate Action and the Binary Choice between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump

When it comes to climate and the environment, the DNC made it abundantly clear that the Democratic ticket is a far better choice than the Republican alternative. Despite what some are saying the Democrats are the only choice. However, Trump’s lies and ignorance are being bolstered by misrepresentations from the left. At the DNC speakers praised Hilary Clinton’s support for climate action and they lauded the most progressive Democratic platform in the party’s history. This is in stark contrast to the Republican National Convention, the GOP’s platform and Donald Trump’s own words.

The Democrats not only accept science, they embrace it. While the Republican nominee flouts science and subscribes to a populist world view that tells older white men what they want to hear. The GOP are bereft of reason, and Trump’s combination of ignorance and lies have thus far been the foundation of his bid for the presidency.

At the DNC in Philadelphia, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were among a number of people who pointed to Hilary’s stance on climate action. While at the RNC fracking kingpin Harold Hamm was the only one who mentioned climate change saying that it “isn’t our biggest problem.” He went on to say we need to see more oil and gas production. This is a position that has been supported by Trump.

At the DNC Sanders said,

“This election is about climate change, the greatest environmental crisis facing our planet, and the need to leave this world in a way that is healthy and habitable for our kids and future generations. Hillary Clinton is listening to the scientists who tell us that ― unless we act boldly and transform our energy system in the very near future ― there will be more drought, more floods, more acidification of the oceans, more rising sea levels. She understands that when we do that we can create hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs. Donald Trump? Well, like most Republicans, he chooses to reject science. He believes that climate change is a “hoax,” no need to address it. Hillary Clinton understands that a president’s job is to worry about future generations, not the short-term profits of the fossil fuel industry.”

As reported by Politico, Trump was once again rebuffed by the Koch’s after he reached out to them this weekend. Very early on when he was still vying for the party’s leadership the Koch’s said that Trump was unelectable, this position persisted even after Trump reluctantly agreed to have Mike Pence serve as his Vice Presidential running mate. With this most recent rejection, it looks as though the Koch brothers money and sophisticated king-making apparatus will not be put in the service of The Donald. Trump maintains that it was the Koch’s who reached out to him, something that a Koch brothers spokesman denied.

Despite the fact that Hilary is the best choice for climate action, a dedicated group of people in the so called “Bernie or Bust” movement stubbornly refuse to back her. It would appear that they would rather remain true to their ideals than accept a compromise that may be our last best chance of saving the planet. In a powerful DNC speech President Obama refuted this approach and reminded the American people about the intentions of the founding fathers and the need for compromise to make democracy work.

Green Party leader Jill Stein said, “If you don’t want to vote for a warmonger or racist billionaire, there are more options.” While she will not come close to winning, if enough people buy into her lie, she may be a spoiler candidate who succeeds in splitting the vote just enough to allow the Republican presidential abomination to win the White House.

We have seen a few examples of how vote splitting changed the outcome in the presidential elections in recent years. This includes the elections of 1992, 1996 and 2000. Ross Perot split votes away from Republican president George H.W. Bush (1992) and senator Bob Dole (1996), causing Democratic candidate Bill Clinton to win. Similarly in 2000, Ralph Nader split votes away from Democratic candidate Al Gore, contributing to the victory of Republican candidate George W. Bush.

With runaway climate change in the balance, this election is arguably the most important in American history. If climate hawks and others on the left do not vote strategically, they will have only themselves to blame.