I wrote to Sen. Brown because I don’t want him to miss Tom Friedman’s column in today’s NYT concerning the importance of passing clean energy legislation and doing so now, for both political and practical reasons. What could be a bigger incentive to reduce our dependence on oil than millions of gallons of the stuff washing ashore in five states?
In his piece, Friedman offers the GOP a framework for compromise, so I sent it to SB, in hopes he’ll run with it. If he wants to be a hero to the millions of Democrats and independents in his home state, he better listen up. Massachusetts is poised to take a lead in the clean tech industry, and he should be backing that potential for new jobs and revenue every chance he gets. Let’s see what he does on this one.
I’m tired of waiting for House and Senate Democrats to lean on the GOP for support on important bills, and equally tired of waiting for Obama to do it. Obama’s got a full plate, and those in Congress must call in their chits carefully. You can’t expect those chits to always fall where you want them.
I urge everyone to clip and send this paragraph to their Republican senator or senators. It can’t hurt.
Can you imagine how high the stock market would soar and how easy a compromise with Democrats would become if Republicans offered an energy policy consistent with their values and our interests? What if the G.O.P. said: We will support a carbon tax provided one-third of the revenue goes toward cutting corporate taxes, one-third toward cutting payroll taxes for every working American and one-third toward paying down the deficit. The G.O.P. would actually help us get a better energy policy.
Surely there are seven Republican senators who can see this. Aren’t there?
For the full column, see What 7 Republicans Could Do
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/opinion/21friedman.html?hp