It’s that time again! Where does Mrs. Clinton stand on the issue of the Keystone XL pipeline? That’s what one voter wanted to know at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire, where the former first lady said she did lay the groundwork for “that process,” and added that she doesn’t want to “second guess” President Obama since this is his decision. She ended her non-answer by telling the voter, “if it’s undecided when I become president, I will answer your question.”
I guess I can understand why Hillary is prevaricating on this issue. She doesn't want to rock the boat, especially since her numbers with the Obama coalition aren't that good. First, her base isn’t too thrilled by the pipeline, and the environmental left want a definite answer sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, Politico reported in April, that major environmental groups were prepared to go soft on her on Keystone since they’re looking at the totality of her environmental record. That’s not really flying with the tree huggers in the grassroots, which is something Team Hillary should keep in mind since there’s some history here.
The article also mentioned how Al Gore refused to comment on an airport project in the Everglades back in 2000 until the Clinton administration finished its review. They eventually rejected the idea, but the refusal to give a “yes” or “no” answer infuriated foot soldiers of mother Earth, who flocked to Ralph Nader. Nader got 90,000 of their votes, and Bush won Florida*.
Yet, for now, Clinton continues to play to dodge, dip, duck, dive, and … dodge with Keystone.
*If Gore didn't go so heavy on gun control in 2000, he could have won Arkansas, Tennessee, and West Virginia and the presidency. Even with bush winning Florida, Gore would have won. Oh, and Hillary is (shocker) also on the wrong side of gun control, but you already knew that.
