THE WHITE HOUSE CLIMATE CHANGE PLAN

Obama Campaign Group Targets Climate Change

Coral Davenport, May 28, 2013 (National Journal via Yahoo News)

“While President Obama's reelection campaign was almost completely silent on the issue of global warming, Organizing for Action, the advocacy group tooled from his 2012 campaign machine, has launched a campaign designed to build support for the president's climate-change agenda…The multipronged, multiyear effort aims to inject climate change into the heart of national politics—and make it an election issue as well…[F]ormer campaign operatives who scrupulously avoided talking about climate change last year are now writing press releases slamming Republican lawmakers for denying the science behind it…[and] fanning out around the country—to more than 20 states, so far—holding meetings and press conferences aimed at spurring voters to bring up the issue with elected officials…

“…Last month, in its first foray into changing the national conversation, Organizing for Action sent out an e-mail blast and Web video directly attacking Republicans as climate-change deniers…[H]ighlighting those views could make some moderates uncomfortable…One Republican strategist dismissed that effort…But Republican denials of climate science could be a Democratic issue that resonates with young voters…Events and outreach will be tailored to the profile of each congressional district...[OFA events will be] aimed at linking [local impacts] to the broad global problem of climate change…”

“Meanwhile, Organizing for Action intends to push back against an ongoing campaign…[by] the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council, which has taken funding from Koch Industries, the oil conglomerate that helped fund the tea-party group Americans for Prosperity…to bring up bills that would roll back state laws mandating production of electricity from wind and solar sources. OFA will campaign against those bills…send workers to go door-to-door in those communities to talk about the virtues of renewable energy…[and] spur clean-energy projects such as adding solar panels to churches…to link clean energy and community-building in voters' minds…

“…While prospects for congressional action on climate change are grim, Obama is expected—nobody knows when— to use his executive authority to roll out two massive, controversial climate-change regulations reining in pollution from coal-fired power plants…If those rules stand, they'll likely be the cornerstone of Obama's climate legacy…[I]t's expected that Senate Republicans will use a procedure called the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to repeal an executive regulation within 60 days of its issuance…For OFA, the endgame will be to ensure that the Congressional Review Act votes fail by building up enough voter support in the home states of key lawmakers, particularly Democratic senators facing close elections in 2014. That will be a tough assignment…”

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