How About A Pickens/Gore/MoveOn Alliance?

I've posted this elsewhere, too. But I think it's worth repeating. Earlier today, I received an email from the folks at MoveOn.org calling attention to Al Gore's vision for America to produce "100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years."

Gore, like T. Boone Pickens, points to our disproportionate dependence on carbon-based fuels as the common thread linking our economic, environmental and national security crises. He notes that "enough wind power blows through the Midwest corridor every day to...meet 100 percent of US electricity demand," and also emphasizes the value of harnessing energy in our solar corridor.

It would seem that Pickens and Gore have a common position on energy. And it's a position that isn't gaining enough traction in the media. MoveOn lamented that Gore's speech was mostly ignored and pleaded with members to help spread the word.

I cannot help but think: Why not work together?

Both camps have interests that are fundamentally the same. Pickens and Gore want an energy policy that achieves a significant reduction in our reliance on foreign oil while moving us solidly in the direction of clean and renewable power. If this is to become something of a national mission, it would certainly help for the Pickens Plan to have wide-ranging bipartisan support. What better way to establish this than an alliance with Al Gore and MoveOn?

Moreover, there's the additional benefit of gaining access to MoveOn's substantial mailing list.

Just a thought.

Tags: activism, alliances, bipartisan, pickens, plan

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by patrick on July 21, 2008 at 1:40pm: In interviews, Mr Pickens has already advocated this meeting with all three (Obama, McCain and Pickens) sitting down in front of cameras discussing each of their plans. Allowing each to question each other and present cases to the American People. This would be none scripted. No staff or newspeople either.

So Far I don't know if either McCain or Obama has accepted the challenge.
We can push the candidates to accept the challenge via email, phone calls, etc.
Good luck. I will be off line for the next week.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by April on July 20, 2008 at 11:28am: That makes it too political. I can't stand Gore personally. I think we need to keep this as unpolitical as possible.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Leon D'Souza on July 20, 2008 at 12:32pm: Jeepers! Why is this such an intractable position? To quote Bob Dylan, "We live in a political world." Is it so difficult to appreciate that? And Larry, no political influence? In the energy sector? In the United States? Who are you kidding, old chap?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mike Johnston on July 20, 2008 at 11:31am: If the fundamental goals are the same I would agree that an alliance is warranted.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Chris Kane on July 20, 2008 at 12:01pm: Algore would be the perfect Energy Ambassador to Pluto. I wouldn't create any association with George Soros and the Move On.Org crowd. These are the tree hugging, turtle protecting,French speaking, wackos that have put us in this mess. They love gas over $4 a gallon and America suffering.

Make no mistake about it, the Move On crowd and the Dem's want us to fail. They look for a day when a new Muslum or Isalmic government will replace our current government and because of their loyalty to anti America causes have probably been promised a place in the new order.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bruce Hubbell on July 20, 2008 at 2:11pm: I can't imagine why Mr. Pickens would want to be associated with liberal wackos like Al Gore and moveon.org. He would lose a lot of credibility with a lot of people. Al Gore has shown by the house he lives in and the energy it wastes to be a complete hypocrite.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Leon D'Souza on July 20, 2008 at 2:58pm: All right, this pernicious misinformation has to end. Not that it's necessarily germane to the discussion, but Gore, last year, completed a series of improvements to his home to make it more energy efficient. You can read about them here.

Personally, I will concede a small amount of duplicity on Gore's part – the size of his home makes meaningful conservation tough, to say the least. But he's still, as Tom Brokaw noted this week, one of the most knowledgeable voices on the subject of climate change. He also has been critical of America's dependence on foreign oil, and does not differ markedly from Pickens on our need to end the addiction.

The only real point of difference is that Gore frames the issue as a climate change problem – something hotly contested on the Right. And Pickens frames it as a political and economic problem that warrants a private enterprise solution – something the Left is less willing to discuss due to a lingering distrust of the free market.

Both sides must compromise. That's the only way to build a national consensus.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bill on July 20, 2008 at 3:43pm: >>...a private enterprise solution – something the Left is less willing to discuss due to a lingering distrust of the free market.<<

I guess I'm on the Left on this issue because I believe in the science supporting global warming. Not to mention TV news videos documenting glacial meltoff.

That said, maybe environmentalists' goals might best be achieved by toning down their message. Remember what Jimmy Carter's "malaise" speech and advice to turn down thermostats in winter (and up in summer) got him-- voted out of office. Reagan's message of optimism won the day. Gore could learn a lesson from that and radically ramp up the optimism about what a wonderful new technology wind turbine power is- and what wonderful new things it can do for us- reduce dependence on the Arabs, new good paying jobs in the Great Plains, etc.

The problem with the current GWB version of the free market is that is privatizes the profits and socializes the risks. The purpose of govt. regulations is to keep the risks privatized where they belong. Pickens has yet to detail what he wants from Congress. If he wants the government to streamline the process for getting the transmission grid built by securing the right-of-ways quickly, great. If he wants the taxpayers to build the grid and then turn it over to private enterprise, I have a problem with that- but that isn't what I think he wants. (Good thing that McCain dumped Gramm- he was the guy that got the regs. loosened up to allow the housing bubble to form).; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Valmore R. Buckland on July 20, 2008 at 5:10pm: “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”

John F. Kennedy (1958); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dave Hoffman on July 20, 2008 at 5:23pm: I like Mr. Pickens ideas but Mr. Gore has proven to be a hypocrite and a liar, why would you want to bring this knuckle head in on this?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Richard LoPrete on July 20, 2008 at 6:30pm: Why not just get to work! There is enough information on the web to build your own power supply from parts that are scrap. Yes they really do work! Learn to do somthing new!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ed on July 20, 2008 at 8:02pm: A partnership between Al Gore and Mr. Pickens would be nice however Mr Pickens wants to drill for more natural gas, Mr. Gore does not. We need all. Wind, solar, hydro electric, natural gas, oil and coal.
When we become totally independent, we can start eliminating fossil fuels from the mix, starting with oil.; ▶ Reply to This