While I don’t always completely agree with @atrembath and @TedNordhaus, I do in this case. Too many climate hawks live in a political fantasy land not unlike the fantasy lands inhabited by the right. /1 https://www.persuasion.community/p/to-fight-climate-change-get-real?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxOTc0MDAwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjoyMDEwNDk2OCwiXyI6IkppUkU0IiwiaWF0IjoxNjA2OTQ2NDA0LCJleHAiOjE2MDY5NTAwMDQsImlzcyI6InB1Yi02MTU3OSIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.9mDdXZStEhWxlrKCjt2jIlq8LXfeVYkFcxolbhTFIJ0

Their core observation is that raw political power exercised by Democrats can overwhelm Republican opposition is delusional. “Hitching the future of the climate to the political fortunes of one party—particularly one increasingly centered around Americans who ... /2

“ ... work in the knowledge economy, live in coastal cities, and won’t bear the lion’s share of the costs associated with cutting emissions—was never a good idea.” Sure, moving the GOP on these matters is *hard* (believe me, I know!). /3

But what percentage of the resources being deployed by climate hawks is even *trying* to do this? My guess? 0.0001% Instead, the plan seems to be a) deploy a ton of some progressive activists to yell at mainstream Democrats ... /4

b) get as many to march with @GretaThunberg as humanly possible, c) Mitch McConnell, Ran Paul, John Cornyn, and their like will just faint in horror and wave a white flag ... or something. Especially if you hit ‘em with silliness like the #GreenNewDeal. /5 https://www.niskanencenter.org/an-open-letter-to-green-new-dealers/

Seriously, if you can’t tell me how a climate campaign will move Republicans (the main blocking agents today to serious climate policy), then it’s not a climate campaign worth investing in. /6

No political rapture experience is going to make them simply disappear. And Republicans in red states and districts don’t scare how many progressives march in urban blue America. They just don’t. Now, there are many ways one might move Republicans (including political fear!). /7

But political strategies forwarded by climate hawks need to be grounded in the political landscape we have, not the political landscape we wish we had. /8