Obama's attempt to [your metaphor here] on liquid coal

It ain't working

Posted by David Roberts at 2:40 PM on 25 Jun 2007

Read more about: Barack Obama | energy | coal-to-liquid fuel

The Washington Post has a piece about Obama's attempts to split the difference (thread the needle? straddle the fence?) on the subject of liquid coal. Y'all are probably sick of hearing me talk about this (watch for an op-ed soon!), so I'll outsource the making of the basic point to Brian Beutler and Brad Plumer, namely: this is a difference that cannot be split / needle that cannot be threaded / fence that cannot be straddled.

Time to pick a side: coal industry or planet.

For story: Obama's attempt to [your metaphor here] on liquid coal
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How many PACs

does the planet have? Coal's got plenty.

The 5% Project

by JMG at 2:44 PM on 25 Jun 2007

A Predictable Condition

Hey, all:

Sadly, Obama has now begun the dance that they all do in order to get elected at any cost, clearly appealing to no one on substance but to all purely on style.

I had hope for him, thinking maybe he might be willing to have principles, but I find I was wrong. He is no better candidate for improvement in the system than any of the rest.

They all seem to wish to offer nothing while offering everything, parsing and shading every last thing until it has no substance at all.

An interesting comparison is the article elsewhere here that severely questions U.S. coal reserves, while at the same the Illinois lobbyists claim 200 years reserve. Lies are the coin of the realm. And politicians and lobbyists have all the money.

JMG: I would bet that worldwide the planet has many 'PACs' of a sort but all have their own specific purpose. WiserEarth has over 100,000 organizations worldwide, but getting a consensus on action is harder than herding hyper cats.

David
Sustainability For Life

Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!

by SustainableGreen at 3:30 PM on 25 Jun 2007

So which is worse?

Grain Ethanol or Coal-to-Liquids.

And before you answer, consider this.

Which is worse?

-David Ahlport

by GreyFlcn at 3:31 PM on 25 Jun 2007
[ Parent ]

Alternative

You forgot

I choose COAL and PLANET

but I will trade you OIL

If you choose OIL, then you reject PLANET

Already with almost 100,000 fires raging in the USA, drought ever widening, y'all still aren't serious.

by JohnCaley at 2:57 AM on 26 Jun 2007

"zero-sum"?

Brian Beutler writes:
<<
One problem Obama's going to find in his quest to bring all elements together to change the politics of our country is that, in many cases, the desires of one interest are directly oppositional to the desires of another and a side must be chosen. In a zero sum situation like liquid coal--where if environmentalists win, the coal industry loses, and vice versa--the idea of a unified politics isn't really possible, nor does it actually make any sense.
>>

Well, that is true enough, if the future of CTL is indeed a zero-sum situation. But as I see it, it is not. The truth is, if the environmentalists win, everybody wins, including everybody in the coal industry, though they may not see it at first. And vice versa, if the coal industry seems to win at first, everybody loses really, including everybody in the coal industry.

The most generous interpretation of Obama's "rookie politician's blunder," as it was called in the WashPo article, is that out of a sense of responsibility to all his constituency, he disliked appearing to be representing only Chicago, so ran down to the southern end of Illinois to listen with sympathetic ear to coal companies. But in fact, he does not really care about the CTL subsidy.

Maybe. But it was not a good sign that he is using the language of "energy independence," and commenting that we will be so happy if only we do not have to depend on petroleum from Saudi Arabia.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 9:05 AM on 26 Jun 2007

Threading the Needle

Obama cannot take the big machine through the needle's eye by trying to finesse some BS to sooth both sides of the debate. I don't think any of the candidates have the vision thing to do anything more than feed the machine with technocratic spiel. Obama needs a trip to the mountain top.

by justlou at 10:38 AM on 26 Jun 2007

ADVERTISING POLICY

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