According to a January survey, only 12% of Republicans say dealing with climate change should be a top priority for the president and Congress, ranking the issue last among the 20 included in the survey. By contrast, 59% of Democrats say climate change should be a top priority for the president and Congress. While Democrats may be eager to make climate change a larger part of their agenda, Republicans are clearly less inclined to do so.
Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Tim Carney argues that Democrats use climate change as a political excuse to enact a broader liberal agenda. Carney asserts that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s about-face on congestion pricing is one example proving his point.
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The following is an excerpt from the above video:
In May, Hochul announced massive pork barrel spending, $300 million, in order to combat the effects of climate change. Governors love nothing more than massive pots of money that they can use for local pet projects, where they can then hang their name as taxpayer-funded reelection signs.
But a couple of weeks later, when Hochul was presented with an idea to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, she put the kibosh on it. Democrats had approved a plan for congestion pricing — basically, charging drivers a hefty toll for bringing their cars into Lower Manhattan. This would push commuters towards public transit and carpooling, obviously a win in the fight for the climate. But congestion pricing would also upset some voters in Long Island where Democrats are defending a tough congressional seat. So the climate is important, but not important enough to endanger the reelection of a Democratic incumbent.
Likewise, Joe Biden touts himself as the greatest climate president ever, yet he’s slapping tariffs on Chinese solar panels. Making solar energy more expensive will drive more electric generation to fossil fuels. Why would he do that? Because the domestic solar companies are his political allies, and Biden wants to campaign on protecting American jobs from foreign manufacturers.
Democrats, it turns out, want to battle climate change, as long as it doesn’t cost them anything.