tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post3974780509853579613..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: More on Talk and Action and Agenda Setting and ClimateJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-10949368485910107342013-06-20T00:41:23.812-05:002013-06-20T00:41:23.812-05:00Thanks for the comment.
As I think I said above,...Thanks for the comment. <br /><br />As I think I said above, the first-order thing to do is to knock down overly simplistic claims that if only a president would talk about X, then he could get people to agree, or that then he could get Congress or other political players to act. <br /><br />All true, but that doesn't exhaust the potential reasons for presidents to speak up, and at that point it starts getting complex and most likely beyond what we know for sure.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-56166711161793062622013-06-20T00:26:56.044-05:002013-06-20T00:26:56.044-05:00Jonathan, just saw Greg's post about Obama'...Jonathan, just saw Greg's post about Obama's upcoming climate push, and I felt skeptical of his commentary about it being a good thing that Obama will be at least talking about the issue more because of all the discussion over the past few years about how President's polarize by advocating on issues. Glad to have found this post taking a deeper dive into the subject, and it makes me feel more at ease about this summer's push. Although, I see this as far more beneficial from a policy perspective than a political perspective. I think one of the better things we can do is bring down emissions and show that it does not hurt economic growth (thus, removing the economy versus environment trope that even Obama mentions). Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-70011954973580235312013-06-20T00:25:06.000-05:002013-06-20T00:25:06.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.James Hawkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03497881947925387680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-91466739193428362652013-04-05T02:22:00.955-05:002013-04-05T02:22:00.955-05:00What constitutes "didn't work?" By ...What constitutes "didn't work?" By my perhaps overly generous definition, it did work for FDR, and I believe it worked for JFK on the nuclear test ban treaty, which the Senate seemed disinclined to ratify until he spoke about it around the country.<br /><br />It even worked for Jimmy Carter on energy conservation. Though that's not the popular impression, the numbers I've heard cited bear this out.<br /><br />And what about support for Gulf wars I and 2?<br />But again, I may be missing the definition of what "bully pulpit" and "works" mean in this analysis. Captain Futurehttp://dreamingup.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-39747074068458759712013-04-04T23:21:28.160-05:002013-04-04T23:21:28.160-05:00What's your evidence that the bully pulpit use...What's your evidence that the bully pulpit used to work? I don't think it's changed over time. Didn't work for Wilson, didn't work (at least outside of emergencies, and maybe then too) for FDR, didn't work for Reagan. Doesn't work.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-4135205156458188092013-04-04T11:21:18.580-05:002013-04-04T11:21:18.580-05:001. "In that case, the best hope is for climat...1. "In that case, the best hope is for climate to be at the top of the Democratic agenda the next time they win a landslide and hold Congress and the presidency."<br /><br />Behold the Senate election of 2016: 24 Republican senators up for election but only 10 Democrats in the same position. I've been talking it up for a while as the crucial time period for legislation:<br /><br />http://rabett.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-time-window-for-revenue-neutral.html<br /><br />In 2018 it will be 8 Republican incumbents and 25 Democrats. There's a two year time frame then that will quickly close as a chance for national action.<br /><br /><br />2. Before the 2017 Senate session, or even during it, there isn't a single Holy Grail but 50 of them. State action on climate is a lot easier than getting a federal supermajority, and can pave the way. Republicans in Texas and Kansas now support wind energy tax credits for good domestic political reasons. Realigning economic incentives can help politics tremendously, and other states can follow California and the Northeastern states on climate.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09301230860904555513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-82133523733866532832013-04-04T05:36:37.812-05:002013-04-04T05:36:37.812-05:00Let me add one thing on the specific question of o...Let me add one thing on the specific question of organizing to get the media to cover climate. It needs to be done because there's too much cowardice, too much giving into both the opposition and the fact that alot of climate news is scary and unpleasant and people would rather avoid it.<br /><br />The New York Times has cut back its environmental coverage and killed its one climate blog, leaving something like 8 blogs on fashion and 8 on sports. That's what's happening right now. The media has to know that people want this information, that they believe it's important to their future. Captain Futurehttp://dreamingup.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-34098193123212909162013-04-04T05:31:46.375-05:002013-04-04T05:31:46.375-05:00The bully pulpit used to work because a large segm...The bully pulpit used to work because a large segment of the American public respected whoever was President because he was President, and if an even larger segment of the public basically liked him, they were persuadable. If the President said something, it was okay to agree, or at least think about it.<br /><br />Now there's less general respect, and there seem to be fewer who like but don't politically agree with the president. Yet the general proposition may still operate, except for the political power (and political influence over the media because of it) of specifically the Republican party even when it is a minority. Right now it is composed of zealots and monied interests. The media is always going to listen to money, and zealots are good copy. <br /><br />Climate is a special issue. It's the most important and the most frightening, and we all spend a lot of time avoiding both truths.<br /><br />What's going to move it? There's a majority in favor of meaningful action. That doesn't mean much in the short run. What's going to move it now is activism--much bigger than ever before--and administrative action. Rules on carbon. Most dramatically, kill the pipeline. It's beyond trying to win over conservatives. A lot of them have changed their minds on the issue once already. They will have to be defeated. Captain Futurehttp://dreamingup.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-87582086432235732092013-04-03T23:57:36.768-05:002013-04-03T23:57:36.768-05:00I forgot this, too. It doesn't actually have t...I forgot this, too. It doesn't actually have to have any political effect or electoral effect at all as long as you convince the elite media/politicians that it does. Right to Life organizations figured this out years ago.phathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07711722602776883761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-76545736570840126342013-04-03T23:54:03.391-05:002013-04-03T23:54:03.391-05:00Convincing the media that politicians will pay a p...Convincing the media that politicians will pay a political price for not backing climate change legislation is probably as effective as anything. Getting politicians of any stripe to think they lose votes (large numbers of them) would work. Getting the media to talk about climate change as an issue, all by itelf? I doubt, really, that it could have much policy effect without much political effect.phathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07711722602776883761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-34209855446095855122013-04-03T17:46:28.695-05:002013-04-03T17:46:28.695-05:00I think of the bully pulpit as an organism that ha...I think of the bully pulpit as an organism that has the president as it's head, maybe, but also includes other PR pushes from congress (that's a pipe dream, isn't it?) and party operatives. Obama's OFA might be included in it, Howard Dean's DFA, the moguls who are pressuring congress on LGBT marriage; labor and other special interest organizations. They all have a roll in getting things going.CDWnoreply@blogger.com