Jay Inslee would be disappointed. It seems just as soon as the Washington governor abandoned the 2020 election, the Democratic Party abandoned his climate change agenda. At a Democratic National Committee meeting in San Francisco over the weekend, party leadership voted down a plan to hold a climate-centered presidential debate. As you can see, climate activists were bitter - and vocal - about it.
Party delegates voted 222 to 137 against allowing candidates to participate in a debate dedicated to the topic, after a heated floor fight interrupted by protesters chanting “We can’t wait!” and “Failure of leadership!”
The bitter dispute at the party’s annual summer meeting in San Francisco threatened to reignite criticism on the left that Democratic leaders are squelching debate on one of the most important issues to young voters. And the delegates opposed a climate debate even though many of the presidential contenders have come out in favor of one. (Mercury News)
Some other 2020 candidates fumed at DNC Chair Tom Perez and the delegation.
“This decision is as baffling as it is alarming,” former Texas lawmaker Beto O’Rourke tweeted. “Our planet is burning— the least we can do as a party is debate what to do about it.”
Protesters noted how ill-timed the vote was, considering the weeks long inferno in the Amazon rainforest, which some have described as a "cemetery." Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has been criticized for his handling of the situation and was defensive in disputing how the fires got started. But he recently pledged to send thousands of troops to the area to try and contain the flames.
DNC members agreed the environment was important, but more pressing matters like gun control and white nationalism deserved their own debates first, while Perez says it would be unfair to single out any issue above the rest.
Inslee thanked his climate warriors for trying.
Thank you to all the activists who have fought for a #ClimateDebate. You’re on the right side of history.
— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) August 25, 2019
Together, we’ll make sure the Democratic nominee is ready to confront Trump on his disastrous climate failures and defeat this crisis.
Nothing is more important.