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 20, 2008 at 11:02am: Last time I looked at a Map, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ontario have much of the Lake Superior coast. I don't want any wind mills blocking my view of lake superior until Boston Harbor (ted kennedy) agrees to one in his yard.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by George on July 20, 2008 at 6:40am: Forget it, anytime you have a politician involved in anything, does not go anywhere but downhill.
Have we not learned our lesson yet ?
Let's just leave it up to the Pickens plan.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Leon D'Souza on July 20, 2008 at 7:28am: The only lesson we must certainly learn is that partisanship is counterproductive when it comes to advancing something so consequential to our future on such a massive scale.

Frankly, I am not averse to private enterprise solutions. Any measure that shifts us away from hemorrhaging hundreds of billions of dollars every year while simultaneously compromising our economic sovereignty deserves bipartisan support.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ronald Haslam on July 20, 2008 at 9:05am: Leon,

You are the one who keeps trying to input politics with your insistance that Govt is even needed here. The plan doesn't need bipartisan support it just needs citizen support. The best thing Republicans, Democrats, and the Government can do is just get out of the way. Everything that they have been involved with in the past 60 years has been a failure. ie The War on Drugs, Welfare Reform, Social Security and the list goes on.
Ron; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Leon D'Souza on July 20, 2008 at 11:11am: How would you propose keeping the Government out of everything in a representative democracy with a legislative institution that has certain Constitutionally-mandated functions, to include stewardship of our collective resources? Explain, please.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Will Grimsley on July 20, 2008 at 7:47am: Why not work together? Because Al gore is a NUT! and MoveOn. org. is politically corrupt! We don't need to be associated with any political groups!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Larry Brown on July 20, 2008 at 8:11am: You have to be kiding. Goore is one of the causes of our problem today! Did you know, He used movie shots and showed them as real.

The famous Phone Tax that cost us every month on our phone bill was a Goore tax. Where did that money go. Goore is a joke! Oh yes, he invented the internet in one week and the week before he couldn't spell internet.

By the way isn't Move-on a political organization, creating ads fro the Democrats. As you know the Democrats stand in the way of energy development at every turn. What's bad for the working people in the US, the Dems are lined up to support. Goore supports $5. plus gas prices and thinks it would be great.

Clinton's veto, your paying the price for today!

LBrown; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dan Caldwell on July 20, 2008 at 9:02am: Although I agree with the enthusiasm of targeting Move On's vast list I think this is a big mistake. Any alignment with the right or left could polarize 50% of us. I think this must be a bipartisan effort to stand any chance of success.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Leon D'Souza on July 20, 2008 at 10:51am: I agree, Dan. But to advance bipartisanship, we're going to have to hone our powers of persuasion. Thus far, most of what has come of this exchange has been vitriol. Whether many like it or not, MoveOn and Gore are veritable institutions on the Left. If you're going to cross the aisle, you'll have to demonstrate your willingness to compromise – even with folks who might never be natural allies.

Heck, if the Sierra Club can exhibit a certain level of moderation, why can't the folks on the Right display a similar degree of enlightened collaboration?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dan Caldwell on July 20, 2008 at 11:15am: On this we agree Leon. How can we persuade the far left and right to set the politics aside. It is easy to see how most of the above align politically but what does that have to do with the plan?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by patrick on July 20, 2008 at 11:26am: I want only what Mr Pickens has asked for.

First a sit down with Obama/McCain & Pickens where they discuss their specific energy plans in detail for "we the people". It can be a town hall meeting. Until Obama, McCain and Pickens talk there isn't any reason to bring anyone else to the party.

We are moving closer to civil war than at anytime since 1860. The people are fed up with brazen partisanship, from any side! That includes me. Are you ready to push for the two people wanting to lead our nation to sit down at the same time (1-1-1) with pickens to discuss this?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Leon D'Souza on July 20, 2008 at 12:27pm: Patrick,

That is a reasonable suggestion. I wish a few others would be similarly amenable to considering different opinions. We need to dispense with the knee-jerk "I-can't-stand-Gore" rancor and at least allow alternative views to inform the discussion.

I realize you're averse to throwing Gore into the mix, but I applaud your willingness to push for an Obama-McCain-Pickens forum. How do you suggest we advance this proposal?; ▶ Reply to This