Antediluvian Dingell Diddles Democrats' Prospects
Tags: Government Policy, john dingell, LA Times, Ralph Nader Michael Bloomberg, Richard Littlemore, US
... there's a warm spot in Greenland for leaders who play petty political games with the future lives and well-being of our children and grandchildren.
And for this retirement package, the Los Angeles Times is nominating Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a man who makes the Republican dinosaur Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe look almost like a reasonable person.
Dingell, who is deeply devoted to the U.S. auto industry, is doing everything in his power to sabotage the U.S. effort to address climate change. It's democrats like these who inspire Americans to vote for third-party candidates like Ralph A-Plague-on-Both-Your-Houses Nader - or maybe Michael Bloomberg.
a lesson to be learned
The one good thing that may come of Dingell's tactic is more grass roots effort and better campaign finance reform. My guess is he knows what the right thing to do is but can't find his backbone. He's explicit about the problem: the American people aren't willing to do what's necessary (and likely aren't aware of the size of the problem) to make the changes we are asking of them. Without their (the people's) support Dingell can't get re-elected if he opposes the wishes of the auto industry.
We need to do everything we can to help politicians find their backbones and to elect ones who know where they are.