Denver 2008 -- The Economy IS Energy, Stupid

Denver -- That's clearly the underlying message as this convention opens. The coal industry has "clean coal" billboards everywhere. Last night's Green Jobs reception by the Apollo Alliance drew an incredibly heavy crew from Congress -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, Representatives Ed Markey, Hilda Solis, Rush Holt, and John Hall. Steelworkers President Leo Gerard was on the podium, and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney was there. My schedule is filled with forums, events, press conferences, and receptions on the issue of building a new, green-energy economy.

I'll be appearing at a forum on Wednesday with T. Boone Pickens and members of the blogging community, and already the buzz is beginning.

This morning's New York Times has a major piece on the changing picture on natural gas supplies and its potential impact on global warming and energy policy -- and, right next to it, the tale of how Louisiana's wetlands are vanishing, in part because of irresponsible offshore oil drilling.

My job this week: See if it's possible to get this convention to raise the bar and roll over the media's efforts to trivialize the issues in this year's campaign. That happened naturally last week in Las Vegas. It's going to be tougher here because the town is swarming with political reporters, who are masters of horse-race minutia. But there are also a lots of stakeholders here who understand that if we want to be a first-rate country, with a first-rate economy, and a strong middle class -- a green energy future is the only viable path.

Which will win -- vision or trivia? Stay tuned.

Comments

[cjo]

Be strong, Carl, and go go go! Thank you for your savvy on what we need to focus on other than the "horse race minutiae."

[Booger]

Obama also reiterated his statement Friday that he could support limited new offshore drilling if it were needed to enact a compromise energy policy to foster fuel-efficient autos and alternative energy sources.

-Obama speaks about energy plan in Lansing
by The Associated Press Monday August 04, 2008, 12:14 PM

So Obama is for off shore drilling and he wants to make everyone drive electric cars so he is for nuclear power. So how does he differ from Mc'Cain? Mc'Cain has been against drilling for oil and harming the enviorment for years. What Obama's record?

Posted by: Mike B | August 06, 2008 at 06:33 AM

This guy never got an answer to his post Carl.

[oeoeo]

Until Carl publically chastises, and keeps doing so, Pickens on his willingness to continue to drill, he is a fake green, just a political player wanna-be

[Carl Pope]

CJO: Barack Obama echoed that theme Thursday night -- let's not make a big election into a bunch of tiny issues.