The Republican base made a grave error by not holding George Bush accountable for spending increases. By doing so, Bush just kept spending more. Democrats today are making the same grave error when it comes to environmental concerns.
Passionate party loyalty can work against the cause people fight for. An example is the budget cut to the EPA. The assumption that Democrats are pro-environment and Republicans are anti-environment has proven false under the Obama administration through anti-environment actions and has always been false when it comes to everyday Americans. The Democrat party base must not let party loyalty blind them to Democrat anti-environment actions. In doing so, the cause is hurt. On eco matters, party leaders are just two flavors of the same poison. One is just more toxic than the other.
Democrats can win the EPA and eco battles. The reason is there are many conservatives on the same side of the battlefront with liberals in eco matters. From sportsmen to hikers, fisherman to photographers, biologists and family vacationers, democrats have an army of republicans to fight with them.
In President Obama's State of the Union message this year, his only eco reference was negative: "to reduce barriers to growth and investment, I've ordered a review of government regulations. When we find rules that put an unnecessary burden on businesses, we will fix them. (Applause.)" This is anti-environment regulation busting. This is like saying "put up more condos and golf courses in the Everglades." He said nothing positive about eco protection, only this anti-eco quote.
A few days later, President Obama talked about cutting the $191 million from his own Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, yet another anti-environment Obama flip. This represents a microscopic .005% of the budget yet the EPA and the environment is one of the Dems top causes. What will happen to the environment when $6 trillion is cut?
However, if the Democrat base were to channel their energy into being activists for ecosystem protection and spend less time bashing Republicans, they would have far greater traction fighting for their cause because party leaders get stunned when their base rumbles.
The Tea Party could teach a valuable lesson to Democrat party loyalists, as distasteful as that may seem to them. The Tea Party was formed by conservatives who were outraged by liberal Republicans. Result? Democrats lost 63 House seats, lost seats in the Senate and suffered painful losses in state elections. Again, when the party base rumbles, party leaders take notice and change occurs. In the EPA example, if party faithful Democrats turn away and fail to show their outrage on their leaders' anti-environment actions, or they pretend that Democrat leaders are pro-environment when they are not, their leaders will feel vindicated and believe the base doesn't care about the destruction of the environment.
It is inconceivable that grassroots activists of both parties want to see more destruction of wetlands, less restrictions on the poisons killing the birds of prey and other species, national parks closed and less regulations that would accelerate the ongoing destruction of habitats and ecosystems. This is one cause both party faithful can rally around, especially since so very little of our budget is spent on the Department of Interior and the EPA.
By being party neutral and criticizing your own, you will see greater success for your eco agenda or any cause. Both parties deserve your wrath regarding eco protection and restoration. If you crawl in a hole and pretend the Dems are not equal blame, you are also the enemy of the very cause you fight for in environmental protection. If Democrats want to see their leaders stop their anti-environment actions, then that outrage needs to be heard by President Obama and the Democrats in Congress as well as by Republicans.
Stop party loyalty. Start eco activism.
Passionate party loyalty can work against the cause people fight for. An example is the budget cut to the EPA. The assumption that Democrats are pro-environment and Republicans are anti-environment has proven false under the Obama administration through anti-environment actions and has always been false when it comes to everyday Americans. The Democrat party base must not let party loyalty blind them to Democrat anti-environment actions. In doing so, the cause is hurt. On eco matters, party leaders are just two flavors of the same poison. One is just more toxic than the other.
Democrats can win the EPA and eco battles. The reason is there are many conservatives on the same side of the battlefront with liberals in eco matters. From sportsmen to hikers, fisherman to photographers, biologists and family vacationers, democrats have an army of republicans to fight with them.
In President Obama's State of the Union message this year, his only eco reference was negative: "to reduce barriers to growth and investment, I've ordered a review of government regulations. When we find rules that put an unnecessary burden on businesses, we will fix them. (Applause.)" This is anti-environment regulation busting. This is like saying "put up more condos and golf courses in the Everglades." He said nothing positive about eco protection, only this anti-eco quote.
A few days later, President Obama talked about cutting the $191 million from his own Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, yet another anti-environment Obama flip. This represents a microscopic .005% of the budget yet the EPA and the environment is one of the Dems top causes. What will happen to the environment when $6 trillion is cut?
However, if the Democrat base were to channel their energy into being activists for ecosystem protection and spend less time bashing Republicans, they would have far greater traction fighting for their cause because party leaders get stunned when their base rumbles.
The Tea Party could teach a valuable lesson to Democrat party loyalists, as distasteful as that may seem to them. The Tea Party was formed by conservatives who were outraged by liberal Republicans. Result? Democrats lost 63 House seats, lost seats in the Senate and suffered painful losses in state elections. Again, when the party base rumbles, party leaders take notice and change occurs. In the EPA example, if party faithful Democrats turn away and fail to show their outrage on their leaders' anti-environment actions, or they pretend that Democrat leaders are pro-environment when they are not, their leaders will feel vindicated and believe the base doesn't care about the destruction of the environment.
It is inconceivable that grassroots activists of both parties want to see more destruction of wetlands, less restrictions on the poisons killing the birds of prey and other species, national parks closed and less regulations that would accelerate the ongoing destruction of habitats and ecosystems. This is one cause both party faithful can rally around, especially since so very little of our budget is spent on the Department of Interior and the EPA.
By being party neutral and criticizing your own, you will see greater success for your eco agenda or any cause. Both parties deserve your wrath regarding eco protection and restoration. If you crawl in a hole and pretend the Dems are not equal blame, you are also the enemy of the very cause you fight for in environmental protection. If Democrats want to see their leaders stop their anti-environment actions, then that outrage needs to be heard by President Obama and the Democrats in Congress as well as by Republicans.
Stop party loyalty. Start eco activism.
