Unduly influenced by some prominent green groups, deceived by their own ideology, and perhaps also a bit bewildered by the unlikely fame of Al Gore, the failed politician turned climate hero, Democrats on Capitol Hill seem set on self-destruction when climate change occurs.
At issue is acceptable opposition to continuing plans for costly and job-killing cap-and-trade legislation among members of the Democratic Party’s most devoted core constituency: African Americans.
AND nationwide survey Data exclusively for African Americans nationwide just released by the National Center for Public Policy Research found that 76 percent of African Americans want action on climate change delayed until the economy recovers.
Among the 800 African Americans surveyed, they were overwhelmingly Democrats: 80 percent identified as Democrats and 67 percent self-identified as “strong” Democrats. Only 4 percent identified as Republicans.
However, despite the link between the issue of climate change and the Democratic Party and President Barack Obama, who, according to a CNN/Essence Magazine/Opinion Research Corp. poll. published on June 25, still has support from 96% of the African American community – Black Americans are leaving the pack in droves when it comes to climate change.
Among the survey findings:
– 76% of African Americans want Congress to make economic recovery its top priority, even if it delays action on climate change;
– 38% believe job losses from climate change legislation will hit the African-American community the most. Only 7% believe job losses will hit Latinos the hardest, and only 2% think it will hit whites the hardest;
– 56% believe that policymakers in Washington have not adequately considered the African American community’s concerns about the economy and quality of life when formulating climate change policy;
– 52% of respondents are not willing to pay more for either gasoline or electricity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 73% do not want to pay more than 50 cents more per gallon of gas and 76% do not want to pay more than $50 per year for electricity to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions;
– African Americans are virtually at an impasse when it comes to continuing plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if it causes consumer prices and unemployment to rise. 44% of respondents said that emissions reductions should not be continued in such circumstances, and 45% said that they should be continued. Importantly, the huge majority (59–33%) of respondents in the Midwest region (Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska) and a enormous number (43–42%) of respondents in the Midwest region (Illinois), Indiana, Michigan, Ohio , Wisconsin) opposed emissions reductions if they raise costs or unemployment.
Given concerns that a Waxman-Markey-style climate bill would reach such a high among a largely Obama group of voters, it will surely be much higher among the general public, despite what leading Democrats have chosen to believe.
For most Americans, James Carville’s elderly slogan about Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential race, “It’s the economy, stupid,” still rings true.
Yet Democratic leaders remain steadfast and vigorous in their support of the Waxman-Markey climate bill, which the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis found would reduce aggregate GDP by $7.4 trillion, eliminate 844,000 jobs and raise the typical family’s energy bills by about $1,500 a year.
Climate legislation is not just semi-suicidal for the economy; it could also apply to Democratic leadership in Congress.
African Americans have expressed frustration for years that the Democratic Party takes them for granted. When the polls among a group of overwhelmingly pro-Democratic voters are 76 percent in favor of putting the economy first on a very high-profile issue, and Democratic leaders choose to ignore them, who will ultimately suffer the most?
Barack Obama himself can avoid much of the blame; after all, he is the first African-American president, and he (no doubt deliberately) paid no attention to this bill. But will Nancy Pelosi and the mostly white Democratic leadership be so lucky?
