The Green New Deal Announced

For John, BLUF:  I am not sure this is needed and I am not sure it will help the Democrats in 2020.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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OCASIO-CORTEZ: FIXING GLOBAL WARMING REQUIRES ‘MASSIVE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION’

Here is the sub-headline:

‘We have tried their approach for 40 years — to let the private sector take care of it’

From Grabien News, by Reporter Tom Elliott, 7 February 2019.

Here is the lede plus five:

Democrats’ plans to counteract climate change will involve “massive government intervention” into Americans’ lives, one of the chief proponents admitted in an interview Thursday morning.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she has no qualms about acknowledging a so-called “Green New Deal” will mean unprecedented governmental intrusion into the private sector.  Appearing on NPR, she was asked if she’s prepared to tell Americans outright that her plans involve “massive government intervention.”

“As you know, congresswoman, one reason that people are politically conservative are skeptical of efforts to combat climate change is that it sounds to them like it requires massive government intervention, which they just don’t like,” Steve Inskeep asked.  “Are you prepared to put on that table that, ‘Yes actually they’re right, what this requires is massive government intervention’?”

“It does, it does, yeah, I have no problem saying that,” Ocasio-Cortez quickly replied.  “Why?  Because we have tried their approach for 40 years.  For 40 years we have tried to let the private sector take care of this.  They said, ‘We got this, we can do this, the forces of the market are going to force us to innovate.’”

“Except,” she continued, “for the fact that there’s a little thing in economics called externalities.  And what that means is that a corporation can dump pollution in the river and they don’t have to pay, but taxpayers have to pay.”

Despite her Green New Deal including plans to remake “every” building in the United States, impose Medicare-for-All, as well as a universal basic income, Ocasio-Cortez said her proposals are small compared to the crisis the world faces.  [Her office posted an updated outline of the plan today.]

I don't see this program making it past this US Senate this term, but if it does, I expect it will face a veto.

For 2021 all bets are off.  Maybe in the 2020 election Senator Ed Markey will run for President and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will convince the electorate to go full Bolivarian Socialist.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff