Is Willingness To Fight For The Green New Deal All About Age?

Rachel Ventura with polar bear

-by Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy

Last Friday, the day of the climate strike, one of my Facebook friends posted that he was tired of boomer politicians, and wished they would go away. As a boomer myself, I pointed out to him that not all boomers are the same, and that there is a world of difference between baby boomers like George W. Bush and Elizabeth Warren (Bernie is too old to be a boomer), and between Gen X-ers like Republican Paul Ryan, who might like the Coen Brothers and grunge music but clearly he is no Beto O'Rourke. And technically, Barack Obama is a boomer. Enough of the ageism I said! Judge individuals in each generation by what they stand for and accomplish and not by the decade of their birth.

That being said, I have been very impressed by young activists and candidates who are making their mark and speaking directly to the concerns of their compatriots. As I attended the Climate Rally in my city of Columbus, Ohio, I commented that the two largest recent protests here in Central Ohio have been youth led-- perhaps with some support from elders)-- the March for Our Lives and the Climate Strike Rally. I am happy to see this development and the new generation of leadership tackling these big issue on which there has been so little legislative action.

According to various polls, climate is the number one concern of young voters, and they could weigh in with force. In the midterms, according to the Pew Research Center, voters under the age of 53 cast more votes than the 60 million votes of those over 53. (New York Times, August 2, 2019, Climate Could be an Electoral Time Bomb).

Climate is a dividing issue in some Democratic primaries featuring youthful challengers, and if they are able to harness the energy of the climate strike and turn that into votes it could have an impact on the outcomes, carrying that energy and concern into the House Democratic caucus. These younger candidates can speak to the fears of 18-34 year-olds polled by Gallup earlier this year. Over 60 percent of younger voters, regardless of party, expressed alarm over the impact climate change will have over the course of their lives, and 84% of Democrats overall regardless of age, believed that climate change is an emergency that required action. 79% of those 18-34 believed it to be an emergency that needed action. 84% of Democrats in a Quinnipiac poll in August viewed climate change as an emergency, with 67% of respondents saying more needed to be done, jumping to 82% when looking at younger voters 18-34. Similar concerns among young voters were found in a poll by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics.

One of the most watched is the primary battle between incumbent Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX)--a boomer-- and the 26 year old progressive human rights lawyer Jessica Cisneros. Cuellar, who represents a very, very blue district, has been called Trump's favorite Democrat based on his voting record. He is a founder of the Congressional gas and oil caucus, and received $60,350 dollars in contributions from that industry so far in this cycle. Not only is he not a co-sponsor of a Green New Deal, he terms it a "job killer" and actively opposes it. A quick look at Jessica Cisneros social media shows that she would represent a complete departure from that view point and sees the impact that climate change has had on her state. She has been endorsed by Elizabeth Warren.

In the rematch between Dan Lipinksi, (Blue Dog-IL) a conservative Democrat in a deep blue seat and Marie Newman, (both on the cusp between the boomer and post-boomer generations) there is again a stark contrast on climate issues. Lipinski voted with the Republicans in 2009 on the House climate change bill, ACES, the American Clean Energy and Security Act and does not support the Green New Deal (GND). Newman does, and her understanding of the perils of climate change and support for the GND has earned her the endorsement of AOC, which in turn caused Lipinski to label Newman an extremist. However in terms of mainstream Democratic voting records, it is Lipinski who deserves the extremist label for not only is he on the wrong side of the environment, but also voted against the Affordable Care Act, has been bad on LGBT rights and opposed women's reproductive rights.

In my search for congressional members who attended or spoke at a climate rally, I only found Reps. Jim McGovern, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar. Congress was in session on Friday, but these 5 made it to the D.C. rally. Of challengers who spoke at a climate strike rally, I found three (although it is possible that there are others).

One is 28 year old African American McKayla Wilkes running against too-old-to-be-a-boomer Steny Hoyer. Wilkes said she is fighting for climate justice and the people who are and will be climate refugees are a concern of hers. She makes the argument that "I grasp the immense need to tackle climate change and realize that we are the last generation who has a chance to do it." She has pledged not to take campaign contributions from the gas and oil industry. Hoyer has not backed the Green New Deal but his web page states that he "believes in the national security benefits of reducing America's dependence on foreign oil and bolstering our clean energy economy." (Note that America has been using less and less foreign oil over the last decade and last year America became a net exporter of oil,and is no longer dependent). If you believe we should keep it in the ground, his statements are not reassuring.

Rachel Ventura at Climate Strike

Thirty-seven year old Rachel Ventura's motivation to run for Congress in Illinois' 11th CD is climate change. She not only spoke at a Climate Crisis rally, she helped to organize it. Her opponent, 63 year old Bill Foster, also voted with the Republicans and against ACES in 2009, and has said he will not support a Green New Deal. His challenger, Ventura, said that "In the same way that Americans pulled together to address the crisis of the great depression and second world war, I believe that we will pull together once again" to address climate, offering hope and a plan." She tweeted that “And it’s really important, especially for our generation because we’re not only seeing how climate change was caused, but then how it can be changed in the future and the drastic effects it’s causing now.”

Joyce Beatty, (69 years), currently represents OH-3, a district with a median age in the mid-30s, and one which will not change parties. The primary will be the biggest choice voters in that district will make. Like Foster, Hoyer, Cuellar and Lipinksi, Beatty has not signed on to the Green New Deal. Her web page does not address climate change, but does state that "Our nation’s energy challenges require new and innovative solutions. These issues affect every American, our economic future, and of course, our planet. I believe it is imperative that we invest in alternative energy sources to move our nation towards a more sustainable and secure energy future that will stimulate our economy, as well as pave the way towards energy independence."

Her primary challenge is a 36-year old progressive lawyer, who was the only candidate or elected official to speak at the Columbus Climate Strike Rally and whose speech was enthusiastically received. She pledged her support for the Green New Deal, and bold new policies to address the climate crisis. She promised to refuse money from the fossil fuel industry, talked about how climate affects low income Americans, very appropriately for a candidate in a district that has a high percentage of people living in poverty, and told the large crowd to "hold her accountable."

Morgan Harper speaking at Climate Strike rally

That of course is what voters can do in primaries, regarding climate or other issue they deem important. Tom Steyer has said that primaries are about intensity. Climate could be the issue that drives young citizens to vote for candidates who are as passionate and concerned about the issue as they are. They see the Amazon rainforest on fire, and they themselves appear to be "fired up, ready to go."