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Democratic National Committee votes against climate change debate at San Francisco
[Mercury News] Democratic National Committee members shot down an effort to hold a climate change-focused presidential debate Saturday, in a victory for party leadership and a defeat for activists demanding a stronger focus on the environmental crisis.Party delegates voted 222 to 137 against allowing candidates to participate in a debate dedicated to the topic, after a heated floor fight interrupted by protesters chanting "We can’t wait!" and "Failure of leadership!" as they stepped over feces, discarded used hypo needles, and homeless sleeping in urine-filled doorways.... The bitter dispute at the party’s annual summer meeting in San Francisco threatened to reignite criticism on the left that Democratic leaders are squelching debate on one of the most important issues to young voters. And the delegates opposed a climate debate even though many of the presidential contenders have come out in favor of one. The vote came at a time when world leaders are ringing the alarm over massive fires in the Amazon rainforest ‐ a disaster pointed to repeatedly by activists to stress the dire threat climate change poses. "If an asteroid was coming to earth, there would be no question about having a debate about it," argued Chris Reeves, a DNC member from Kansas. "But with this existential crisis facing the world, we all sit and wring our hands." Opponents of a debate agreed climate change is an existential threat but said it didn't make sense to elevate the environmental crisis over other key issues, like gun violence, immigration or white nationalism. "Think about the fact that they're gunning down people who look like me out on the streets," said Alma Gonzalez, a DNC member from Florida. "I would love to have a debate on the fact that we have domestic terrorism in this country." Posted by: KBK 2019-08-25 |
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