In this week's issue of the Boston Phoenix -- in print tomorrow, online now -- I have an article about the energy/environment legislation working its way through Congress, and its potential for making long-term Democratic voters out of the Millennial Generation.
In particular, the GOP is likely to come across in the debate as stuck in another century, opposed to progress, and utterly irrational.
If that happens, the Republican Party can pretty much forget about returning to power any time in the near future.
I invite you to read the whole thing, and a sidebar by freelancer Lissa Harris explaining cap-and-trade. But first I want to point out a few things that have transpired since I finished reporting the piece.
First of all, President Obama reportedly brought a large group of Democratic Congressmen to the White House to discuss the bill, and how to get it done. Obama wants the bill to move by Memorial Day, before Congress takes up health care reform this summer.
And yesterday, Politico reported that Henry Waxman, chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, may fast-track the bill to avoid problems holding it up in committee.
As for the House Republicans, at least 25 of them have now signed a pledge to oppose any bill that includes cap-and-trade or any similar approach; that group includes major party leaders John Boehner, Tom Price, Mike Pence, and Eric Cantor, and six members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, including its ranking Republican, "Smoky Joe" Barton.
On another front, I mention in the article that younger religious voters are very interested in climate change. Interestingly, a Democratic-leaning group has launched ads, running on religious radio stations, touting the importance of the legislation. Also, check out this commentary at the National Catholic Reporter on the importance of sustainability.
Anyway, here's the story -- and I'd love to get your comments and responses to it:
Green Generation: Once derided as tree huggers, eco-friendly youth are now the nation's most
powerful (and feared) voting bloc. So why isn't the GOP listening?
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