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Hopes were growing dim on the prospect of passing climate legislation this year--health care reform had taken over America's collective conscious, and the clean energy reform bill was getting delayed again and again. Everyone was beginning to accept that the US was going to have taken no meaningful action on climate change when the world's nations meet in Copenhagen this December to attempt out an international treaty to fight global warming. And without acting on climate change back home, we'd have little to show the world abroad.
But then a funny thing happened. A little help came from where everyone least expected it: Republican Senator Lindsey Graham--you know, the guy who ran around the country with John McCain during his presidential campaign last year--teamed up with Sen. John Kerry to announce they were working together to find a way to pass a climate bill. As soon as possible.
The move was instantly heralded as a game changer.
And it made a lot of sense, on paper--by working with Kerry, Graham was helping to achieve many distinctly Republican goals. More nuclear power, offshore drilling, strengthening national security, and working towards energy independence were all primary ambitions of the South Carolina Senator.
Reality, of course, presented a different story--many of Graham's peers, fellow Republicans, and constituents immediately branded him a traitor. Just for reaching across the aisle and working to acheive many of the goals his own party claims to pursue. He got yelled at in town hall meetings, called names like "asshat," "wussypants," "half-a-sissy" (whatever that is, exactly), and worse across the blogosphere, and had to contend with charges that he was 'getting into bed with Kerry".
He deserves better than that. Yes, he made a bold political move to do what he thought was best for the nation--and by doing so, he may have brought enough Repubilcans and moderate Democrats to the negotiating table to enable the bill to pass before we head to Copenhagen. And even if it doesn't, it will have generated enough momentum to make the prospects of it becoming law bright enough to stand for meaningful action.
So if you, like countless other Americans, hope that the US Senate can pass climate legislation this year, maybe a thanks is in order: here's a link to Senator Graham's email address. Help him fight the tide of his own peers that are blindly turning against him, and tell him you appreciate the bold, tough action he's taken.
I did.
More on the Senate Climate Bill:
The 5-Minute Guide to the Senate Climate Bill
Know the 7 Key Senators in the Climate Bill Battle
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