Energy

Former Obama Aide Says GND Roll Out Blunder Puts Climate Fight At Risk

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The bungled release of the much-touted Green New Deal (GND) could potentially torpedo a great opportunity to completely refashion how Democrats approach climate policy, according to one Obama-era official.

“[The FAQ release] was a monumental screw up. It is putting the potential for a robust climate action at risk,” one anonymous source within the Obama administration told Axios Wednesday morning.

The source noted how a botched document about the GND posted on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s website on Feb. 7 helped Republicans change the narrative. The resolution, which several potential presidential candidates supported at the time, effectively avoided hiccups, the person said.

“The resolution itself did a great job of avoiding these controversies and finding a way to appeal to a broad spectrum of Democrats,” the person added. “But because the FAQs drove the narrative, McConnell sees it as a way to hurt vulnerable Democrats and embarrass the 2020 field.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s resolution calls for “10-year national mobilizations” toward a series of goals aimed at fighting global warming, NPR reported. A separate fact sheet claims the plan would “mobilize every aspect of American society on a scale not seen since World War 2.”

But the FAQ document muddled the narrative considerably. It included sections suggesting that the GND would guarantee pay to people who are “unwilling to work,” and also a promise to eventually make airplane travel unnecessary.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, immediately seized on the miscue, telling reporters at a press conference Tuesday that he intends to call a vote on the House proposal, which removed a previous iteration calling on the banning of fossil fuels.