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The Energy Democrat(s)
It has been axiomatic, in American politics, that it’s hard to beat a southern conservative Democrat. It can be done, of course, but the combination — in recent years, anyway — of moderate conservative populism and Democratic party muscle has been pretty formidable. Southern Democrats were in many ways analogous to western Republicans: a powerful political profile.
As the Democratic party has moved farther and farther to the left, this became less true. Bill Clinton is often overheard to lament his party’s move to the anti-business left. Hillary Clinton, if she runs and if she has any credible primary challengers will have them, probably, from the left side of her party.
So where’s the center of the Democratic party?
Hard to find, but Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper seems like a guy to watch. He’s a Democrat, of course, but he’s what I’d call an Energy Democrat — he’s from an energy state, and he knows the value of natural gas reserves and the imperative to go out and get them. In other words, he’s pro-fracking. From Denver’s CBS affiliate:
A compromise on the contentious fracking debate in Colorado pulled together two opposing sides on Monday with a promise to ax four ballot measures that have divided the state on the issue.
That agreement among Gov. John Hickenlooper, Rep. Jared Polis, environmental groups and the oil and gas industry creates an 18-member task force that will study fracking in Colorado and present recommendations to the state legislature. In exchange, they’ve asked that organizers pull two pro-fracking and two anti-fracking measures and that a lawsuit against the city of Longmont be dismissed.
“We have an obligation to develop (energy) in a way that is safe for our residents, supports jobs and the economy, respects private property rights and protects our health and environment,” Hickenlooper said.
The task force will be charged to find solutions that minimize land-use conflicts near homes, schools, businesses and recreational areas. The state is seeking a balanced approach, he said, one that will represent diverse concerns from oil and gas, agriculture, environmental and health groups and local governments.
Hickenlooper made it clear to gas industry groups that he supported their ballot initiatives — one would require economic impact statements on every oil- and gas-related ballot initiative, the other would deny towns that banned fracking from receiving state funds that came from gas revenue. In other words, Hickenlooper is an Energy Democrat, which is about as close as you can get in 2014 to a Democrat who makes sense.
If — and it’s a big if — the Democratic party returns to sanity, watch Hickenlooper’s national profile. That will be a useful barometer that the Age of Elizabeth Warren is on the decline.
Published in General
Don’t be fooled. Just like it is in thrall to the abortion industry, the Democratic Party is the love slave of the radical environmentalists.
Anybody who votes for any Democrat for a national office (president, senator, representative) can expect that while they may talk like John D. Rockefeller in the district, they’ll vote like John Muir in DC at crunch time if the party tells them to.
No mention of coal. With the administration’s aggressive attack on that industry, it’s hard to imagine many Democrats getting away much longer with saying they’re sympatico with Loretta Lynn’s dad.
Boy do I hope the Dems go full-on radical by nominating Warren. American voters are dumber than sh*t, but I really doubt they’ll go for Warren. Obama was carried by the white-guilt vote. Once voters would get to know her, they’ll hate her.
I’m not sure how important it is in the Dem Party, but Hick is an anti-gun weasel. He signed a series of laws which were passed under pressure from Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Guns (he actually made that slip of the tongue). After 55 of Colorado’s 62 elected sheriffs and the National Shooting Sports Federation (the manufacturers association) sued the state, and 2 of the bills’ supporting State Senators were successfully recalled, he said he was sorry he signed the bills.
He said he only signed them because a staffer had promised he would, that he had assumed the bills would never pass, and that he had never been in contact with Bloomberg about the issue. (Nasty fact-checkers, those phone records, indicating otherwise.)
Typical smarmy politician. Which way’s the Colorado political wind blowing on fracking today?
“That will be a useful barometer that the Age of Elizabeth Warren is on the decline.”
From your lips to God’s ear…
I don’t live in Colorado, but if I did, I’d be furious that “environmental groups” had a seat at the table. Who elected them? Why do their interests matter more than consumers’ interest in cheap energy?
There may be bad Republican Politicians, but there are no good Democrats.
All Dem. politicians who claim to be moderate are lying or are such cowards or are so corrupt that they will toe the party line when it makes a difference.
The Democrats repeatedly scam the electorate by putting people forth as moderates. A few will be allowed to say moderate things or take moderate votes when it doesn’t matter.
I live in Denver and Hick is not ready for national politics. He votes present too many times. Like a convicted murder on death row was neither commuted to life or executed because Hick did not want to decide. He just left him on death row. An aide promised Hick would sign the gun laws so he had to do it. Really! Lacks leadership. He also lied to the sheriffs’ group saying he did not talk to Bloomberg when asked why he would talk to an outsider and not to the sherifs before signing the gun bills. Later, when the phone records came out he said oh I meant I did not talk to him about guns. I doubt he will be reelected.
They are going to STUDY fracking so they don’t have to DO fracking. Frack them.
If you scratch Hickenlooper you’ll find a leftist underneath. He has been a rubber stamp for the Democrat state houses since he entered office and only tacked centerwards after having a few of his senators recalled.
He also has a deeply troubled personal life – he’s had problems with booze and his marriage to Helen Thorpe was on the rocks, but she promised to stay with him if he ran for Governor.
Talk about your Clinton Clone.
And the parting on the left, is now parting on the right (but not very far one suspects).
Senator Warren will have a great appeal to those who hate work;
who want a return to pre-industrial times featuring candlesticks
and flint with strikers to fire them up;
believe that the federal government is the great equalizer,
and that it has money to burn to take care of them.
Don’t discount those considerations. There are animals that feed off the dead flesh of others. Not all of them vote Democrat, noting the rent seekers who discourage competition, but reasonably not many of them are with us.
Democratic Party officials are largely insulated from their non-radical base. Look at their leadership. They only respond to the tantrum throwers (or come from their ranks). I’m speaking of national politics, of course.
Just as a committed, pro-life democrat could not run and win the Presidential nomination (no matter how liberal they are in all other matters), I don’t believe a Hickenlooper could run and win without canting, convincingly, violently, toward the left on Energy. Environmentalism trumps economic prosperity 10 times out of 10 with Progressives.
It has been axiomatic, in American politics, that it’s hard to beat a southern conservative Democrat.
Rob what do you think our previous president was? Just because they have an R next to their name does not mean they are not a southern conservative Democrat.
As soon as the media celebrities notice this, they’ll either force him left or turn him into an “unacceptable candidate”. He doesn’t have enough name recognition to overcome an attach from the left. Hilary can take a hard line because she probably wouldn’t need the base to win the nomination. Hickenlooper does not have that luxury.