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"Scam" ads the norm Trail Mix: Hillary haters spam cyberspace Gunning for the center Democrats make Hillary legit The blundering pundit Don Giuliani Campaign video: |
Green-eyed monster
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Jan. 21, 2000 | WASHINGTON --
As a presidential candidate, however, Gore has displayed little of the fervor found in "Earth." The vice president has pounded issues like health care and education on the hustings; the environment, in contrast, has received short shrift. Instead of warning about the perils of global warming, the vice president's green pronouncements have essentially focused on "livability" issues like urban sprawl. The idea is to reach out to suburban swing voters who are sick of brutal traffic congestion and the eyesore of strip malls. Implicit in Gore's strategy is that he doesn't have to talk about environmental issues to be the environmental candidate. In fact, there is a potential downside to highlighting a green agenda. As Arlie Shardt, head of the nonprofit Environmental Media Services and a former Gore press secretary, puts it, "[Gore's advisors] don't want him to be tagged as a one-issue politician." Memories of Gore's 1988 presidential run surely loom large over the 2000 campaign's strategy. In that race, the Tennessee senator beat the drum on environmental issues -- and reaped little political payoff. Columnist George Will sneered at Gore's "consuming interest in issues that are, in the eyes of the electorate, not even peripheral." And after Gore gave an address on ozone depletion in a presidential primary debate, Jesse Jackson turned to the audience and observed, "Sen. Gore has just explained to us why he should be our national chemist." Why go green and risk that kind of ridicule?
But while environmentalists don't oppose putting lighter, yuppie-centric issues like growth management on the campaign agenda, they don't appreciate the campaign's instinct to address green issues through the back door. Ultimately, they feel taken for granted. "We need a stronger articulation of the top line goal," says Deb Callahan of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV). "Gore is defined by global warming and he wrote an impressive book on it. He should step forward and be a strong public proponent." So activists are trying their best to keep the vice president's feet to the fire. Bill Bradley's presence in the primaries puts the green lobby in an enviable position, because he has solid environmental bona fides, too. The League of Conservation Voters gave the former New Jersey legislator an 84 percent approval rating on his voting on environmental issues while in the Senate, compared to 64 percent for Gore. (If you factor in Gore's absences during 1988 and 1992, however, the margin narrows considerably.) Others simply refuse to pick a favorite. "I compare Gore and Bradley to Joe Montana and John Elway," says Dan Weiss of the Sierra Club. "You'd want either on your team." Friends of the Earth (FOE) went a step further -- they endorsed Bradley over Gore this fall. "Bradley had the better legislative record," explains FOE president Brett Blackwelder. "We were also disillusioned with Gore's failure as the environmental spokesperson of this administration." Most green groups say FOE's endorsement was premature, but also they see the political benefits in playing hard to get. "What the Friends of the Earth endorsement said is, 'You cannot take this constituency for granted,'" says Deb Callahan of the LCV. "Environmentalists are notorious for not accepting half a loaf."
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