Now, Democrats keep telling us that ‘climate change’ is the most important issue of the century. That we are doomed if we don’t Do Something. They run apocalyptic story after story at media sites like the NY Times and CNN. Straight articles and opinions. Democrats make Pronouncements. Yet
CNN and the New York Times skip climate change in the fourth Democratic debate
Moderators of the three previous Democratic primary debates caught a lot of flak from environmental advocates for not spending enough time on climate change. On Tuesday night, moderators of the fourth debate paved the way for a new era of climate politics by featuring warming front and center. Just kidding. In actuality not a single question about the biggest threat facing residents of the United States, and the world, was asked of the 12 candidates who qualified for the debate.
That’s despite the fact that CNN, one of the night’s two host media organizations, recently held a climate change-themed town hall during which moderators grilled candidates on all angles of the issue. The New York Times, the other host, has a team of journalists specifically assigned to climate stories. (CNN even ran a Times ad touting its climate coverage during one of the debate’s commercial breaks). And yet, somehow, CNN and the Times were unable to muster even a yes/no question about a crisis that is projected to claim millions of lives and alter the world as we know it.
Instead, the candidates were asked about hot topics in recent news cycles, like about whether President Trump should be impeached and the commander-in-chief’s recent decision to pull troops out of Syria — as well as topics that have come up previously, like gun control, a wealth tax, and the minutiae of single-payer health care versus Medicare for all versus “Medicare for all who want it.†That’s all well and good: It’s certainly important that voters hear from the candidates on those issues. But at the 11th hour, when it seemed the moderators might finally ask the candidates a question about climate change, they delivered a disappointment of epic proportions.
And, at the end, when they still had a chance, the candidates were asked about…..the minor kerfuffle of Ellen Degeneres sitting with George W Bush at a football game.
An entire debate without a single question on climate change––the existential issue facing not just our country, but our entire planet. I am prepared to use the emergency powers of the presidency to take on the climate crisis and protect the American people.
— Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) October 16, 2019
Not one single question about the climate crisis.
Not one single question about the climate crisis.
Not one single question about the climate crisis.This is the existential crisis of our time. Not one single question, and that’s completely inexcusable. #DemDebate
— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) October 16, 2019
Julian Castro also yammered on Twitter about climate change being an existential threat. He’s polling at 1% nationally. Steyer is at 1.6. Inslee, who made his whole campaign about ‘climate change’, isn’t polling, because he dropped out months ago. At the end of the day, as I’ve written many times, people may Care about ‘climate change’ in theory, but, in practice, most aren’t interested in Doing Something. They certainly aren’t interested in spending their own money or having their lives changed.
Climate change may poll high with Democrats, but, not with the general public.
Despite being the leading issue among all American voters, according to Harvard/Harris polling, CNN anchors and a New York Times reporter ignored the immigration issue that motivated millions of voters in the 2016 presidential election.
Instead, debate moderators focused largely on impeachment, gun control, health care, and abortion.
Of course they did.
