Congressional Democrats have proposed a ‘Green New Deal’ plan that aims to completely transform America’s economy and society within 10 years to combat climate change and create social justice. Critics were nonplussed.
The ambitious proposal, presented on Thursday by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), lays out a plan to “mobilize every aspect of American society at a scale not seen since World War 2” to achieve “net-zero greenhouse gas emissions” while creating “economic prosperity for all.”
“This is a massive transformation of our society,” the materials explaining the proposed congressional resolution said. The Green New Deal (GND) wants to transition the US to “100% clean and renewable energy” while guaranteeing jobs with a family-sustaining wage, family and medical leave, vacations, and retirement security and free higher education, healthy food, healthcare, “adequate housing,” and economic security “for all who are unable or unwilling to work,” among other things.
Though spearheaded by Ocasio-Cortez, the plan has already been endorsed by at least 60 Democrats in the House and by nine senators, the Washington Post reported, citing congressional Democrat aides. This includes five senators who have declared 2020 presidential ambitions.
The proposal has also received vocal support from major environmentalist and activist groups such as the Sunrise Movement, Sierra Club, Latino Victory Fund, Justice Democrats and from billionaire funder of the “Need to impeach” campaign Tom Steyer.
The Sunrise Movement has even said that its members will storm the offices of members of Congress who fail to support the resolution by February 26, according to Reuters.
How much will this complete transformation of US society and economy cost? It doesn’t matter, according to Stephanie Kelton, a professor at Stony Brook University and former chief economist for Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee.
Conservatives were quick to mock the proposal, with pundit Allie Beth Stuckey comparing it to the “Fyre Festival” fiasco.
Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire reached for Communism jokes right away:
As did the Christian satire site Babylon Bee:
“The Green New Deal seems a lot more like a Green Leap Forward,” quipped journalist Jack Posobiec, referring to China’s 1958-62 policy of rapid industrialization and collectivization – and the resulting famine that claimed between 18 and 55 million lives, depending on estimates.
Posobiec also pointed out the un-ironic line in the proposal about getting rid of “farting cows and airplanes”:
Ben Domenech of the Federalist actually wrote a list of ten “most insane” points from the GND, including the elimination of all internal combustion engines, including cars and airplanes (“Good luck Hawaii!”), and refurbishing every single building in the US.
Meanwhile, Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein endorsed the proposal’s goals but noted that it was lifted wholesale from their 2012 platform.
Asked about the proposal on Thursday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) couldn’t even name it, let alone endorse it.
“The green dream or whatever they call it, nobody knows what it is, but they’re for it, right?” she told reporters.
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