The Harris campaign has taken a strange turn. Not even Joe Biden saw this coming.
And the Kamala Harris campaign just held a secret meeting behind Joe Biden’s back.
In a recent development, a senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign held a virtual meeting with the founder of a prominent eco-activist group, signaling major shifts in the campaign’s “climate” strategy away from condoning any fossil fuel use in the future.
Ike Irby, a longtime climate adviser to Harris and current senior campaign adviser, engaged in a 30-minute virtual discussion with Michael Greenberg, the founder and leader of Climate Defiance. The meeting, which took place on Tuesday, focused on several key environmental issues and demands from the activist group.
During the meeting, Greenberg presented Climate Defiance’s priorities, which include opposition to fossil-fuel subsidies, rapid phase-out of fossil-fuel infrastructure and use, and cessation of fossil-fuel exports.
No you cannot "do both."
That would be like sending 50,000 tons of lethal weapons to a brutal, murderous regime and then telling them you "want a ceasefire." https://t.co/Z7yEVdbi7t
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) September 2, 2024
Greenberg emphasized the importance of making climate change a central issue in the campaign, stating, “It’s good policy, and it’s good politics. Climate is an issue where the public trusts Democrats more than Republicans, and so it would really serve her well to get into climate rather than running away from it.”
The meeting comes at a time when Democrats and the Harris campaign have notably downplayed climate change as a top issue in their messaging. Political analysts suggest this may be a calculated move to avoid alienating crucial voter segments in key states like Pennsylvania.
Kamala Harris Shifts In Policy Since 2020
Harris’s position on climate issues has evolved since her 2020 presidential campaign. Previously, she endorsed eliminating the filibuster to pass the Green New Deal and supported a ban on fracking. However, in a recent CNN interview, Harris claimed she no longer backs the fracking ban.
Climate Defiance, known for its disruptive protest tactics, has targeted Harris, elected Democrats, and cabinet officials in the past. The group has also been involved in high-profile incidents, including crashing the House office building in July 2023 and interrupting the 2024 Congressional baseball game.
Climate Defiance is one of several environmental protest groups funded by the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF), a U.S.-based nonprofit supported by prominent liberal donors, including Hollywood figures Adam McKay and Jeremy Strong.
While the meeting between Irby and Greenberg marks a significant step in engagement between the Harris campaign and climate activists, Greenberg noted that “with these types of meetings, you generally don’t get any hard and fast commitments on the spot.” The outcome of this interaction and its potential impact on the campaign’s climate strategy remains to be seen.
Dangers Of Anti-Fossil Fuel Policies
While new energy sources can be exciting and promising, many experts are very concerned about policy efforts that are trying to outright ban fossil fuel industries considering just how reliant the American energy sector is on fossil fuel production.
Which is why the likes of Donald Trump are suggesting all available energy resources need to be used to the best of their ability, including nuclear energy, solar energy, wind energy, and fossil fuels.
He recently suggested at a Trump campaign event that his policy promoting all energy sources will cut the prices of energy in America by half. Meanwhile, estimates suggest that if fossil fuels were banned in America, energy costs would skyrocket by anywhere from 500-1,000% in a matter of months.
BREAKING: President Trump just announced a vast cut to energy prices if elected; “I am announcing today that, under my leadership, the U.S. will commit to the ambitious goal of slashing energy and electricity prices by HALF — at least!”pic.twitter.com/EjwhRlOAKE
— Overton (@overton_news) August 14, 2024
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